Raised on a diet of Sam Cooke and classic Motown, Northern NSW-born Coodjinburra artist Budjerah Slabb seeks to update the music of his formative years on his eponymous debut. Producer and singer-songwriter Matt Corby’s home studio is close to Slabb’s Fingal Head hometown, and the pair worked together on all four tracks that make up Budjerah. Of the uplifting and carefree “Higher,” Budjerah tells Apple Music, “I showed Matt what I had and we had so much fun jamming on it. I want to share these feelings with as many people as I can.” The soulful production that Corby is known for can be heard particularly clearly on tracks such as “Pyro,” where Budjerah’s vocal maturity belies his tender years and recalls 1990s R&B balladeers like Babyface. Elsewhere, “Missing You” is the ode to separation that its title suggests but comes imbued with an infectious groove. It’s fair to say that, on the evidence of Budjerah, he’s come a long way since his appearance as a fresh-faced 16-year-old on The Voice in 2019.