Beautifully-named Stellify is the debut album from Dublin-reared Sam Obernik, whose striking voice provided the vocals for Tim Deluxe’s dance anthem, ‘It Just Won’t Do’. With her looks and singing talent, Obernik has the qualities of a serious popstar-in-the-making, but more than that she has the ability to write excellent songs, as this album shows.
“Mr Butterfly”, the album’s hit single, stands out as a brilliantly crafted and executed pop tune, catchy and dancy, funky and fast. I love the lyrics: ‘I’ll be the rose in the mouth of a turtledove/Because I think you know that it’s you that I love/I’ll be the light in the tail of a firefly/We’re gonna light up the sky, me and Mr Butterfly.’ “Here Come the Girls” and “Single” also display Obernik’s ear for a well-honed pop/dance tune. Her versatility in various styles, from funk to soul to folk, brings her sound beyond the category of straightforward chart music.

Obernik clearly has the kind of songwriting talent that’ll make her a name, but this first offering is a little patchy at times, and while the tunes named above are excellent, other songs didn’t quite do it for me. The power, richness and sheer sassiness of her voice are a pleasure all the same.