A little summin’ summin’ on the soul tip.
Southern California native Aloe Blacc has been the emcee for the rap group Emanon for the last decade, with his partner DJ Exile. Now he’s releasing a solo album, Shine Through. It’s reminiscent of John Legend’s retro soul thang, but with a greater hip-hop influence and a dash of Latin groove as well (and a touch of folk). He even does a Spanish-language cover of Legend’s “Ordinary People,” of which you can hear a bit here.
Here are two cuts from the new album. “One Inna” is produced by Madlib, built on a base of soul samples and chopped-up beats, while the Blacc-produced “I’m Beautiful” wanders into the positive territory of Stevie Wonder (with percussion that sounds like “The Payback”).
Aloe Blacc – One Inna — BUY
Aloe Blacc – I’m Beautiful — BUY
Tags: Aloe Blacc, John Legend, MP3