With only the leaked single “Floating” to her name, Atlanta-based soul singer Stacy Epps has caused a stir with DJs on both sides of the Atlantic. BBC Radio 1’s Gilles Peterson featured the song on his Brownswood Bubblers Volume 3 release and Epps has been profiled and mentioned across the blogosphere. What will she do to fulfill the hype? Epps will drop her debut album, The Awakening, on August 5 on New Directions in Sound/Japanubia Musik.

Epps has previously collaborated and recorded with MF Doom, OH NO, Madlib, Madvillain, Scienz of Life, Wildchild, J Rawls, and others.

If the online press previews are any indication, the album should achieve the same authentic impact as releases by Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, and Georgia Anne Muldrow. With its Dilla and Madlib-style beats and Epps’ spiritualist, Alice Coltrane-type musings, the songs contrast modern R&B’s slick, radio-driven agenda. Production from Apex, Amdex, S1, Everett James, Slugabed, and others, along with guest appearances from Muhsinah, Finale, and Bilal Salaam compliment Epps’s cool, confident flow throughout the album’s 11 tracks.

Look for Stacy Epps on tour in the U.S. soon, and sharing shows in Europe August 20 – September 22 with Roxanne Shante & Bahamadia.