Friday, March 29, 2024

Poetic Bilal, guests cut strong album

July 18, 2001

Bilal

1st Born Second

(Interscope Records)

Members of the SoulQuarian movement, such as D’Angelo, 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/producer’s debut sounds very much like D’Angelo’s 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 didn’t try so hard sometimes.”

While this is Bilal’s first album, he’s no stranger to the SoulQuarian family. He appeared on Badu’s latest album, “Mama’s Gun,” and Common’s “Like Water for Chocolate.” To return the favor, Common teams up with rapper Mos Def on Bilal’s “Reminisce,” which deals with memories of lost love.

SoulQuarian producer James “The Minister” Poyser, who worked on Badu’s and D’Angelo’s 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.

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