Speech Debelle returns with the lead single from her forthcoming sophomore album, Freedom of Speech. And it’s a love song. 

Probably the most accessible and simply enjoyable moment of an amazing new album, “I’m With It” sees Speech showing a different side to her character from either her more introspective earlier work, or some of the politically charged moments on the new record. Speech co-wrote the song with renowned composer Eg White, whose past credits include both Adele albums, work with Florence + The Machine, Rebecca Ferguson and more. Together they came up with an uplifting piece of pop perfection, which producer Kwes (Warp, Damon Albarn’s DRC project) then assisted in giving a future-Motown flavour to. 

And as a counterpoint to this big tune, the single package also includes “Blaze Up A Fire”, featuring Roots Manuva and Realism, which Speech wrote before last summer’s riots and leaked with a forthright statement in their aftermath, one of very few artists brave enough to speak up at the time. 

The record is also subject to a superb package of remixes. Recent Brainfeeder signing Lapalux slows the chorus vocals and constructs an intricate, abstract bed for Speech’s flirtatious words. Leo Zero offers two contrasting mixes, the dub slow-building around the uplift of the chorus, his “remix” much more focussed on Speech’s lyrics. Louis La Roche gives the whole an electro-funk re-rub that, like Leo Zero’s, will sound great on dancefloors. And Hyperdub hero Cooly G strips things right back and concentrates hard on a spacious groove. 

With excitement building about the 2009 Mercury Prize winner’s new album, “I’m With It” shows just what a flexible, talented and straight-up enjoyable artist Speech Debelle is.

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