Every once and a while, I like to put the rap down for a minute and pick up something different; a change of pace is crucial and it makes you a more well-rounded music fan in the process. Just as I was feeling the need for a breath of fresh air, I stumbled across the self-titled debut from Black Pumas and it was exactly what I was looking for.
Composed of Grammy-winning producer and guitarist, Adrian Quesada, and singer, Eric Burton, Black Pumas fuse together soul, blues, and rock, to create a unique experience. The vintage sound obviously plays a big role in the direction of their music, with Burton’s pure, soulful vocals leading the charge, but at the same time, they have this edge to them. Quesada does an amazing job with the production, staying true to Burton’s soulful, emotive vocals, but really giving the album some bite with knifing drums and a layer of grit over everything they do. It’s not easy to pull off a throwback feel–it can fall flat, coming across as campy or a cheap attempt at nostalgia–but Black Pumas did an amazing job of capturing that timeless sound but building it into something more edgy and exploratory and the result is a super unique, fresh experience.
Standout Cuts: “Colors,” “Fire,” “Touch The Sky”