Send "Bilal " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Sputnikmusic |
 There's a good chance that you've never even heard of the guy, but in some hidden corners of the soul world, Bilal's Airtight's Revenge is one of the most anticipated albums of the year. It seems quite a few people (mostly Soulquarians devotees, admittedly) were impressed enough by his classically-trained voice and his 2001 debut 1st Born Second to let it have a lasting impact on them, enough to mean that bootlegs copies of his aborted second effort Love for Sale earned a cult following, and enough to mean that there's still a buzz about an official follow-up coming out a full nine years (!!!) later.The problem Bilal has is that a lot's happened in soul music over that time period. Back in 2001, 'neo-soul' meant Alicia Keys, Angie Stone, D'Angelo, Maxwell, and Lauryn Hill - hip-hop influences prevailed, but it was still basically recognisable as soul in structure and sound, with the primary distinction between itself and R&B revolving around the pre-concieved idea of 'authenticity' and the even more bewildering notion of 'real instruments'. Now, in 2010, it's gone interstellar - neo-soul means New Amerykah Part One, it means Platinum Pied Pipers, it means Georgia Anne Muldrow. The emphasis is on twisted futurism, so much so that the art-pop nutcase Janelle Monae - who doesn't really sound much like any neo-soul act once it comes down to it - has been lumped in too. Bilal showed off a few times on 1st Born Second that he could innovate - closing track "Second Child" was a slab of Miles Davis-esque fusion - but he'd built all his goodwill on tracks like "All That I Am" and "For You" (reasonably standard soul tracks in the Angie Stone vein), with the occasional collaboration with a rapper thrown in, like the still-astonishing "Fast Lane", as well as several dalliances with Common from Electric Circus onwards. To sound current in 2010, it looked like Bilal would have to change things up radically; in a world where Alicia Keys normally looks a little out of touch, what hope would he have with the same sound?...full text |
| Potholesinmyblog |
| “The Voice” is finally back, and even if Questlove never said it, I’ve always felt that Bilal is the most talented singer of the “post-modern” era. His octave range, ability to morph the sound and timbre of his voice, stylistic choices and soul, leave him levels above his contemporaries. The downside of Mr. Oliver’s talent is that his debut First Born Second is his only official release in 10 years. Yet, in this day and age “official” releases tend to have less weight than say 15 years ago. Bilal’s Interscope-shelved second album Love for Sale was heavily bootlegged and downloaded; he has provided hooks for Jigga, the Clipse and Common; and worked with the likes of Erykah Badu, Sa-Ra and Robert Glasper. More importantly Bilal provided (in studio and live) some stunning cover material of Radiohead and Led Zeppelin. Bilal now, through new label Plug Research, shares the measured savy of Airtight’s Revenge. Earlier this summer, the gumbo rhythms and B’s vocal gymnastics cranked our ears open with the phenomenal Nottz produced “Free”. Oddly, “Free” teased worse than girls in our high school days, because it would not be on the album. One listen and it’s apparent why the aforementioned song did not make the cut; it does not fit with the sonic style and tone of Airtight’s Revenge. Paying attention to the cover finds allusions to Airtight’s identity: a performer who has been away from his audience and though he believes in his work, he is weary of how the material will be received. The more overt hip hop and neo-soul influences of his previous two albums have been heavily subsumed by a funky, yet decidedly proggy soul-rock. With main co-pilot Steve Mckie, the instrumentation on Airtight’s Revenge is deceivingly layered, brooding, and impressionistic. Bilal, much like Erykah’s recent work, has severely tuned down the acrobatics of his vocal performances. Bilal instead uses his voice as another tool in the service of mood and atmosphere. There are no “my god, did you hear B’s sangin’ on this” moments, or off the top bangers. What is revealed behind the curtain is a very circumspect, self-contained work of genre hybridization that works effectively to keep old fans attentive and new ones interested. “Cake & Eat It Too” is a very warm and down to earth synth-driven opener that speaks on a woman who demands too much from her man. “Restart” follows with its slow building rock-heavy jazz, full of cocksure drumming and swirling guitar work that eventually ensconce Bilal’s vocals in rapture about strongly yearning for his ex. The Nottz-assisted “Flying” continues the meditative electro-blues with a highly engaging and detailed narrative of a young woman’s life that unravels into sex work and drug use. The more traditional balladry of “Move On” is a personal favorite. Its melancholy funk and gutter-bucket lyrics can sooth the most hurt of wandering lovers in any context. Airtight’s most compelling moment comes with the avant-soul of “The Dollar”. It’s a quietly riotous song of dissonant swanky prog-funk that teeters on abstract noise alongside B’s ‘noided vignettes about our desires to get rich. It definitely reveals more of its beauty on repeated listens. The album closes with the radiant poetics of “Who Are You” and the somber joy of the near country sounding 88 Keys-produced “Think It Over”. Both songs perfectly synthesize the albums two modes: detailing the various emotions of thinking about and getting over a broken relationship, and using song to paint narratives of city life and spiritual philosophy. Both songs are elegant compositions of transformation and healing....full text |
| Zillasays |
| It's been 9 years since Bilal released his first album 1st Born Second, in the interim a second album Love For Sale was leaked and to underground music heads hailed as timeless yet one of the best unheard albums ever. The bootlegged album halted the classically trained artist from releasing music for quite some time, once the label informed him of the leak, Bilal was told to record new songs. It has been said that there are reasons ranging from drug abuse and a following clean up to the artist anger at his desperate fan base snatching up the leaked music and a desire not to make anymore music if people were just going to steal it. For whatever reason, we haven't really had another album release from Bilal since 2001. True fans of the singer-songwriter have been waiting quite some time for the experience that is Bilal to re-emerge on the scene with something that will save their ears from the crap whining troubadours posing as true artist currently on the radio. The new album released on September 14th 2010 was released on the Indie label Plug Research Group For those who may be in doubt, Bilal is an artist. A trained, schooled, deep in the musical trenches, influenced by the greats musician, and it shows. Each song is an musical experience that highlights that Bilal listens to, all kinds of music, from soul to hip-hop, rock to blues and the nuances are showcased in the cohesiveness of the lyrics and music in each track. All the tracks except for four were produced by Bilal Oliver and Steve McKie. The other tracks "Flying" produced by Bilal Oliver and Nottz, “Levels” produced by Shafiq Husayn & Bilal Oliver, “Little One” produced by Conley “Tone” Whitfield and “Think It Over” was produced by 88-Keys. Track Review: 1. "Cake & Eat It Too" Cake & Eat It Too rings like a familiar song from Bilal's first endeavor. He has a way of bending his voice in ways that don't even sound like he is fully singing, maybe groveling? But it works, the small nuances lead to the meaning of the words and evoke the emotions within the music. This song addresses the conundrum of following your desires or going with your whims, can you do what you want and have it all? 2. "Restart" Restart begins with a driving rock beat, heartbeat like, you can almost feel the panic of someone in the midst of a disagreement. "Have we come to far to turn it all back around, or is it too late to start again? This is a thought we can all relate to when you get to that point in your relationship and you've either messed up and/or want another chance. The music is a direct correlation to the questions in the lyrics. It is clear that this song is well crafted, when the words and sound work as a cohesive unit, you are not just making records, you are creating timeless music. 3. "All Matter" What is love, What is it? Cool on the outside, hot in the middle... but you ain't even gotta try, all you gotta do is realize... All Matter is a fast moving track, that feels like the quickening of your heart when you realize you've happened upon "the answer". The answer to your question? "It's All Matter" It's all relevant, it all matters. Is it about love or life? Perhaps it is both, one and the same. Or perhaps it's the sound of the dj like scratching mixed with the drums and spacey like sounds injected into this tune that make this a very interesting musical journey. 4. "Flying" Flying is an interesting story about a young lady's up and downs in life. It is kind of a dark story, from the loss of her parents in her youth, to being pimped out by her "boyfriend" to drug abuse. There is no resolution no happy ending, but 5. "Levels" Starting with ethereal tones and jazz influences, Levels begins as if it is an instrumental, the lyrics don't begin until almost the 2:00 mark. This song almost feels like a dream sequence in a movie. 6. "Little One" "I never want to be a mystery to you, I'm not a God and I ain't no saint, I'm just a man working everyday to be a better man, one day you'll learn to be one too.No matter what it takes, I won't let you make the same mistakes" "Little One" begins quietly with electric guitar, a reflective song to his son that is simply beautiful, encouraging and hopeful. 7. "Move On" Move On is a song about lost love and broken feelings. "I've got to move on, now that you're gone" How else can it be said? "Move On" sounds like old school hip-hop , part Mo' Betta Blues, part Lenny and part Prince. Your asking yourself is that possible and the answer is: YES! But don't get so excited, this song is about breaking up. Move On, feels like loss and freedom, a side of reflection with slight regret....full text |
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