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- Summary: The debut album from 22-year-old Bilal Oliver features production work from Raphael Saadiq, Dr. Dre, Mike City and James Poyser. The first single is "Soul Sista," which originally appeared on the Love and Basketbal soundtrack.
- Record Label: Interscope
- Genre(s): Pop, R&B, Urban
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 9 out of 9
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Mixed: 0 out of 9
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Negative: 0 out of 9
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It delivers the ultimate knockout--sticky R&B grooves and a heavenly falsetto that point to greats like Marvin Gaye ("Soul Sista") and Stevie Wonder ("Queen Sanity").
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A truly passionate and expressive collection of songs that will live long in the memories of all who listen to it.
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While Bilal's vocal gymnastics -- high-arching notes, off-rhythm choruses and complex harmonies -- add texture to these songs, many of them sound too musically similar to everything else in the neo-soul movement. He's at his best on the tracks that he or his partner, Dahoud Darien, have produced themselves.
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UrbWhile the debut from the classically trained Philly native runs a little long, it's still an impressive and diverse hack at that tricky hip-hop/soul niche. [Sep 2001, p.148]
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Sharing with Marvin Gaye and D'Angelo the ability to sing in forceful anger while seducing you with sweet talk, this 22-year-old Philadelphia singer positions himself to become the next great soul man.
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SpinThe only drawback is that in his expansiveness, Bilal forgot to give himself that killer tune or two that would bring it all home. [Sep 2001, p.158]
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If it isn't quite the debut that new soul touchstones like D'Angelo's Brown Sugar and Erykah Badu's Baduizm were, it's certainly far more ambitious...
Score distribution:
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Positive: 5 out of 5
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Mixed: 0 out of 5
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Negative: 0 out of 5
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Jul 1, 2019One of the most underrated albums from the neo-soul movement. 18 years later and it’s still just as beautiful.
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hab76richNov 11, 2001buy this album!
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[Anonymous]May 26, 2005
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VamseeC.Dec 16, 2001Maybe he stretches himself, but his pipes can handle it. Check out his contribution to Guru's Jazzmatazz.
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SuneRApr 22, 2003Really good... he has a fantastic voice.
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