After The Guardian described the voice as a "heroine" and trendy blog sites likened it to smooth funksters Sade and Tracey Thorn, they finally revealed themselves as Robin Hannibal and Michael Milosh - two male indie veterans who insisted in their recent first interview that they genuinely weren't trying to fool anyone.
Fortunately, the confusion doesn't cast even a pale shadow over Woman. 'Open' begins with a confident string section that eventually unearths an intimate and hauntingly coy vocal with a - yes - Sade-esque timbre, and the gliding orchestrals and hangover house of recent single 'The Fall' is smoky and sensual chamber pop at its very finest.
'Three Days' and 'Shed Some Blood' each blend immaculately produced shoulder-rolling funk with beautiful yet disarmingly honest lyrics ("We've shed some tears babe, let's shed some blood"), while the anonymous title track 'Woman' proves their music credentials sans the love story lyrics. The result is a timeless-sounding and utterly gorgeous debut that will prove tricky to beat.
Tracks to download: 'Open', 'The Fall', 'Shed Some Blood', 'Three Days'
If you like this, you'll like: Sade, Zero 7
Watch the 'Open' music video below:
