Bilal
First Born Second
Interscope
Sounds like Prince jamming with The Brothers Johnson, The Brides of Funkenstein, George Clinton, Miles Davis, Jimmy Cliff, and a host of others on original supernatural funk, hip-hop, and rap. Simply amazing talent, this Bilal character – that would be “Beloved Intelligent Loving and Living,” who assures the listeners that he is “•like warm lotion on your back” – put together arguably the most original album of the year. First Born Second deserves a lot of attention because this album just raised the bar. Dude, the man is a genius: anyone who puts “…you just packed your shit and left•” into a love song ought to be elected Pope.
Interscope Records, 2220 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90404; http://www.interscope.com, http://www.bilal-the-man.com
