Maverick Sabre – Burn The Right Things Down (Vinyl)

The fifth album from Michael Stafford, the New Ross-raised singer who went from teenage rapper in the Wexford hip hop scene to one of the most quietly influential figures in UK soul. Released independently on FAMM, the label he's built his second act around, it was sparked by a brush with existentialism towards the end of 2023: no particular loss, just the sharp realisation that change was needed, and that tomorrow isn't promised. Stepping back from London, he poured that urgency into sixteen tracks of luscious neo-soul, from the aching croon of You Don't Even Need It to the widescreen sweep of If I Could Only Love You Again and the closing pair of Help Me Out and Lonely People. The same instincts that helped shape Jorja Smith's rise are all over this record: warmth, patience and a total refusal to chase trends.