Bilal – Airtight’s Revenge
Plug Research: 2010
“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.
Where Airtight’s Revenge becomes complicated or difficult is that some songs exist in other, arguably better forms. Type “All Matter”, “Robots” or “Levels” into a Youtube search engine, and more fully fleshed out, alternative versions of those songs appear. In particular, a live version of Shafiq Husayn’s co-produced “Levels” is emotively miles ahead of the studio version. Even an acoustic take of “Think It Over” exist that captures its sentiment more accurately. Yet, it almost seems as though the music we hear on Airtight’s Revenge is constructed as such to allow for breathing room in a live setting. But that idea can be left for debate. Bilal’s latest work expresses a cerebral tapestry of love and living that sublimely weaves prog rock, funk, blues and pieces of jazz and electro into the alternative regions of R&B’s past and future presence. Airtight’s Revenge is a quaint romantic’s electric re-entry into the modern music world. It refreshingly captures where Bilal is right now: reflective and challenging himself.
4 out of 5
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