The Key Studio Sessions: Bilal

It’s been a long and wild trip for Philly singer-songwriter Bilal. He emerged with a knockout LP called 1st Born Second in 2001, an auspicious time in Philly’s music history. Being surrounded by an insanely talented family of artists, from Jill Scott to Music Soulchild to Floetry and King Britt, certainly gave Bilal a leg up and a platform to stand on. At the same time, it sort of painted him into a neo-soul corner when he was interested in all manners of music, from funk to folk, psychedelic rock to pop.

Over the course of five records and myriad collaborations in the decade and a half since, Bilal has begun to explore some of those other avenues, and on his newest outing, In Another Life, he really stretches his wings. The Adrian Younge production gives the record a lively energy, while Bilal’s collaborations with pop singers (Kimbra) and rappers (Kendrick Lamar) lend it a lot of variety. But there’s also a chameleonic, Prince-like way that the styles he works in feel unified, no matter how different they are.

There’s also a bit of Prince-ness to Bilal’s vocal, something I noticed in particular while recording him in our studio this week for the Key Studio Sessions. He and his band stripped the songs down to acoustic arrangements, giving the music ample space to breathe and Bilal’s remarkable falsetto room to shine. His voice is simultaneously unbridled and completely controlled, inflecting his songs with passion while pushing the melodic center forward. “Satellites,” the album’s single, simmers in contemplative melancholy, while the “Love Child” has a sensual funkiness about it (watch a video of that one below). The ballad “I Really Don’t Care” is my favorite, taking classic romantic songwriting from the 70s and recasting it in the present.

Stream and download Bilal’s Key Studio Session below, watch the “Love Child” video and see the man live next Thursday, August 20th, when he and his full band headline Underground Arts at the WXPN-curated Red Bull Sound Select show, also featuring Son Little and Kate Faust. RSVP here for tickets to the 21+ show.