Family hierarchy

1st Born Second

Bilal

Interscope Records

1st Born Second

Bilal

Interscope Records

Believe it or not, my aunt in Philadelphia used to babysit a young boy named Bilal Oliver every day in addition to taking him to school. Aside from old babysitting stories, she has said that Bilal’s mother also used to push him to sing.

Now it’s Bilal that takes us to school on his freshman album 1st Born Second. The title of the album refers to the Bilal as the second coming of the soul movement.

Raised in the land of Brotherly Love, Bilal frequented many small clubs in the city. He eventually received classical training at New York City’s Mannes Music Conservatory, where he learned to sing opera in seven languages and also expanded his knowledge of music theory.

His demo circulated through the hands of many of today’s leading artists including ?uestlove of The Roots, Ali Shaheed Mohammed (A Tribe Called Quest/ Lucy Pearl) and Erykah Badu. This led him to eventually be featured on tracks on Badu’s Mama’s Gun and Common’s Like Water for Chocolate. He has even touredas a backup singer for D’Angelo. All this experience plus the support of proven artists brought him to his first completed album.

Confident is the word for Bilal and his album. But to label this album would be selling it short. For the sake of the review we can say this album is entirely soulful. Bilal brings back the emotion and feeling that R’B music lost a long time ago.

Bilal writes most of his music and lyrics, which is rare in today’s industry.

The beats on the album include hip-hop, R’B, soul and hints of reggae. Producers like Dr. Dre, JayDee, Scott Storch, Raphael Saddiq, ?uestlove and Bilal himself add strength to the album. Cameos from artists like Common and Mos Def add extra incentive to listen.

“Fast Lane” and “Love Poems” are songs to look out for.

A lack of consistency is what makes this album great. For those of you who need uniformity, this album may not be for you, but the unexpected twist and turns that 1st Born Second creates makes it an adventure in listening.

–Brandon Glova, staff writer