BILAL - New Morning

Artiste complet, chanteur, auteur, musicien et producteur, il se distingue tant par sa voix reconnaissable parmi toutes, que ses compos originales de Soul Sista à Back To Love et ses multiples et prolifiques collaborations avec Common, Erykah Badu, Beyoncé,Q-Tip, S yleena Johnson, The Roots, Robert Glasper, Jaguar Wright... S'il y a un artiste R&B pour qui la catégorisation néo-soul semble limitative, c'est bien Bilal (Sayeed Olivier), natif de Philadelphie. Aucun de ses enregistrements ne ressemble au culte sycophage des artistes soul qui ont prospéré dans les années 60 et 70, et ce n'est pas seulement grâce à sa voix classique, capable de chanter de l'opéra en sept langues. Black Butterfly de Grenique, sorti en 1999 sur Motown, a été le premier album majeur à mettre en vedette la voix de Bilal. Ces enregistrements l'ont mené aux Soulquarians, un collectif rotatif de collaborateurs qui comprenait Common, Jay Dee (alias J Dilla), Ahmir Thompson (The Roots), D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Q-Tip, et Raphael Saadiq Des années plus tard, Bilal est un artiste ayant collaboré avec Beyoncé, Musiq, Clipse, Sa-Ra, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar et plusieurs autres ! Sa voix reconnaissable parmi toutes a caressé les oreilles de tous les amateurs de Soul, notamment depuis l'ultra sensuel Soul Sista jusqu'à son dernier A Love Surreal " ...Le bonhomme a notamment collaboré avec Common, Beyoncé,... et bénéficié des largesses de J Dilla, Dr Dre. Avec A Love Surreal, il démontre que la nouvelle génération de chanteurs r'n'b -de Frank Ocean à Miguel - doit beaucoup à la scène nu soul et ses langueurs. Ample et ambitieux, classe et amoureux, A Love Surreal cite The Notorious B.I.G. (Party & Bullshit), tout en faisant de la place au piano jazz de Robert Glasper (Butterfly). Une vraie réussite, album soul capiteux et long en bouche..." If there is one R&B artist for whom the neo-soul categorisation seemed limiting, it is Philadelphia native Bilal. His voice, classically trained and capable of singing opera in seven languages, makes him one of the most dynamic artists of our time. His individuality led him into the Soulquarians, a rotating collective of collaborators who included Common, Jay Dee (aka J Dilla), the Roots' Ahmir Thompson, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Q-Tip, and Raphael Saadiq within its ranks. His exemplary neo-soul release featuring collaborations with Mike City, Robert Glasper, and many of the Soulquarians reached the Top Ten of Billboard's R&B albums chart. Bilal has featured on songs by Beyoncé, Musiq, Clipse, Sa-Ra, Jay-Z, and several others, as well as a Grammy nomination in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance category, Bilal's collaborative rap sheet features a who's who of African American musicianship, he has worked with Jay Z, Beyonce, Erykah Badu, Common, J Dilla, The Roots and the list stretches far out into the distance. His projects have been so many and varied that he has been labelled with countless genres, he's an R&B artist, Neo-soul singer, jazz musician etcetera etcetera. His style variations are testament to his musical range and varied influences. His albums each explore a different musical genre, and his features on innumerable artists' records have allowed him to explore even further, making great use of his incredible vocal range. Like his records, his live performances are a mixed bag of all his combined musical repertoire. It's an untold gift of Bilal's live shows that you are essentially watching a performer take you through, what feels like, not just one body of work, but those of three of four different artists, all of which fit seamlessly into the one man. His shows are soulful affairs, a reflection of Bilal's sincerity in the music that he makes. They compel you, despite yourself, to start grooving, clicking your fingers, harking back to the days of the jazz clubs, all smoky haze and dark corners.