Bilal
1st Born Second
(Interscope Records)
Members of the SoulQuarian movement, such as DAngelo, Erykah Badu and Common, can usually be recognized by their unique sound - a mixture of neo-soul and hip-hop. Newcomer Bilal fits right in with the genre.
In fact, the 22-year-old singer/songwriter/producers debut sounds very much like DAngelos work, just with more instrumentals.
The album is a strong overall effort, combining jazz-infused beats with poetic lyricism. His first two singles, Soul Sista and Love It, are clearly from a man in love.
Love Poems is one of the strongest tracks, providing strong harmonies and soulful lyrics to create a smooth, laid-back sound.
In Sometimes, Bilal sums up his frustrations with the world by singing, I wish I could be like Moses/Round up my people/Get out the ghetto sometimes/I wish I didnt try so hard sometimes.
While this is Bilals first album, hes no stranger to the SoulQuarian family. He appeared on Badus latest album, Mamas Gun, and Commons Like Water for Chocolate. To return the favor, Common teams up with rapper Mos Def on Bilals Reminisce, which deals with memories of lost love.
SoulQuarian producer James The Minister Poyser, who worked on Badus and DAngelos albums; Raphael Saadiq, formerly of Tony Toni Tone, and ?uestlove of The Roots, team together to make Bilal a card-carrying SoulQuarian member. Dr. Dre also joins in the effort.
Bilal is one of many artists ushering in a new era of musicians who actually feel what they sing rather than using formulaic, played-out beats and lyrics to create a quick hit.