Bilal
Airtight's Revenge
(Plug Research)
When Bilal Oliver first arrived on the scene, the D’Angelo comparisons were inescapable. Like D’Angelo, Bilal was a member of the neo-soul Soulquarians collective and, as his debut album 1st Born Second proved, he too brought the songs. Ironically, Bilal spent the decade resembling D’Angelo in an even more unpredictable manner, matching the soul troubadour’s reclusiveness toe-for-toe. By no real fault of his own, Bilal’s latest, Airtight’s Revenge, is his first record since his 2001 debut. After Interscope rejected his 2006 album Love for Sale, Bilal took his sweet musical time, finally landing on boutique label Plug Research.
Despite the album gap, Bilal hasn’t been entirely invisible, with background vocal guest turns on everything from Jay-Z’s American Gangster to Erykah Badu’s New Amerykah, Parts One and Two. Thus, one is forgiven for expecting a somewhat tentative, guest-ridden neo-soul album. Not quite: Airtight’s Revenge is one of the most ambitious, creative and downright experimental neo-soul albums to come out since the genre began.
Many of the tracks on Airtight’s Revenge share a passing resemblance to the more out-there material on Prince’s Parade. With the exception of “Little One,” a gorgeous ballad about the struggles of parenthood, and the classic neo-soul break-up track “Move On,” the songs take more unusual routes. Meticulously crafted and atmospheric to a tee, they start and stop, build and fall, expand and contract. All the while, Bilal twirls isolated hooks through spacey percussion rolls and synth blips. This aesthetic is best illustrated on “Levels.” For almost two minutes, fretless bass, piano, ambient noises and sparse percussion set the stage. When Bilal finally arrives, he works the groove, seamlessly flowing from his natural range to falsetto. By the time Bilal repeats the mantra, “playing this song for nothing,” the track has succeeded so thoroughly that you have to doubt his sentiments.
Like Janelle Monae, Bilal refuses to contain himself musically. From the baroque-soul of “Restart” to the electrofunk of opener “Cake and Eat it Too,” Bilal pulls from many sources. “Who Are You” alone begins as a breezy Innervisions-inspired number only to end with a dub version coda. Lyrically, Bilal pulls from just as many place as he does musically. “Flying” is a brutal saga about a girl whose drug-dealing father is murdered, leaving her a foster child and ultimately a teen prostitute. “Robots” and “The Dollar” are straightforward, blunt meditations on class conflict and the lure of capitalism respectively. At the other extreme, the aforementioned “Who Are You” meanders a bit, with poetic yet somewhat forced lyrics about the fluidity of identity.
While Airtight’s Revenge may alienate some of Bilal’s fans who want a rehash of his early 2000’s work, those who invest the effort will ultimately thank him for not taking the safe route. The album’s pacing helps to ease the transition, with the more accessible songs sprinkled throughout. Airtight’s Revenge may amble on initial listens but the sheer scope and sincerity of Bilal’s vision ultimately win out. Furthermore, at under 50 minutes, Bilal wisely decides not to inflate his reach with an unmanageable running time. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait nine years for more. |
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