Bilal

Bilal Oliver (who goes by first name alone) is a singer-songwriter and an innovative neo soul artist whose work has consistently cut across genre boundaries, incorporating elements of hip-hop, jazz, and funk, even classical music, on occasion. His music is anchored firmly to an R&B base and pulls a great deal from vintage soul and pop, both stylistically and in his melodic flourishes. He particularly stands out through his arrangements, stylistic versatility, and Prince-like sense of wonder and curiosity, not to mention his phenomenal voice and heartfelt vocal delivery. Though his debut album, 1st Born Second was released in 2001, his output has been quite sporadic over the years, with long gaps between some of his records.