What if I told you there was someone making R&B influenced music with the
originality Prince had in 1982?
With vocal stylings that owe a huge debt to Michael Jackson (listen for the
sharp intake of breath that
signifies both pain and ecstasy)?
Meet Abel Tesfaye, a 22-year old Canadian, recording as The
Weeknd who is rocking the alternative space with an airy, moody sound that
drips with heartsick regret, doubt, and recrimination. Sounds like fun, huh? Listen to his “Next” from his
just issued Echoes of Silence, stricken
about an empty affair that he’s clearly not ready to give up.
Now understand that he has released three mixtapes (aka “albums”)
in the last 12 months, a rate of productivity we haven’t seen since Ryan
Adams. When you produce that
much music it can’t all be great.
But, even if you are batting .250 you’ll still turn out more than a few
keepers like “The Morning” from this first release House of Balloons.
This is music that sits at the intersection of trip hop and
contemporary R&B. No coincidence
that Drake turns up or that the Weeknd is himself a much sought remix
producer. Don’t bring a
conventional rock expectation to these tracks – they never speed up; they never
break out; there’s no escape. But
you will stay with “Thursday” to the end, waiting and spellbound.
Available as downloads from the Weeknd’s website. http://the-weeknd.com/
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