''Peace and Offerings'' is the fourth extended play by English singer and songwriter

Katy B Kathleen Anne Brien (born 8 May 1989), known professionally as Katy B, is an English singer. She released her debut studio album, '' On a Mission'', in 2011, which spawned two top five hits, " Katy on a Mission" and " Lights On". In 2014 she re ...

, released on 5 November 2021 through

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. It is her first release in five years, following 2016's ''

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

''. The EP is a departure from Katy B's previous

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and

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style, marking a move into

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from Soul music, soul ...

and R&B territory. It was preceded by the singles "Under My Skin", "Open Wound" (featuring Jaz Karis) and "Lay Low".

Background

Katy B said in a statement, "I think I consciously leaned into my R&B side more on this project. With the clubs being closed, it reflects what I'd be listening to and vibing to at home." She explained the title as Peace' is me taking myself away and having peace of mind and the 'Offerings' are the songs, the parts of myself I'm giving away. In a way I'm reintroducing myself again: I am the offering." The EP was originally scheduled for release on 29 October 2021 before being delayed by a week.

Critical reception

Joe Muggs of ''

The Arts Desk ''The Arts Desk'' (theartsdesk.com) is a British arts journalism website containing reviews, interviews, news, and other content related to music, theatre, television, films, and other art forms written by journalists from a variety of tradition ...

'' commented that the EP is "downbeat in sound. There's none of the house beats that Katy is most associated with, but rather laid back

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, neo soul and above all the golden age R&B of the late 90s and early 00s that she grew up on". He acknowledged that there is still "plenty of groove here, and she's signalled there'll be other, less introspective, material to come. But all together it catches a mood." Writing for '' DIY'', Chris Taylor called ''Peace and Offerings'' "the morning after debrief" from Katy B's previous bass-heavy material. Awarding the album four out of five stars, Taylor felt that the EP shows "a more intimate side of Katy B", concluding it is a "nuanced, striking and incredibly welcome return from one of Britain's finest vocalists".

Track listing

References

{{Katy B 2021 EPs Contemporary R&B EPs Katy B albums Neo soul EPs Albums produced by P2J