Look over the shoulder of the twenty years since Bilal dropped his debut album, 1st Born Second, and you will see a profession characterised by experimentation and exploration. Bilal’s followers have clamored to see him headline a Tiny Desk of his personal, particularly since he logged stellar performances alongside The Roots and on the White Home with Widespread. He does not disappoint right here, proving the wait worthwhile when he begins with “One thing To Maintain,” a track that also hasn’t seen an official studio launch.
Vocally, Bilal is untethered — there’s nothing he cannot do. The jazz, soul, R&B and hip-hop communities acknowledge his genius; he is been a favourite collaborator of musicians, vocalists and producers for years.
Bilal’s mastery does not finish together with his voice. For “Inform Me,” his efficiency accentuates the poetry of his lyricism. That is what makes him distinctive: You may by no means see him carry out any track the identical approach twice. Bilal’s set record is a calculated steadiness of the previous and the brand new, and followers who’ve been driving with him for the reason that starting can be thrilled to listen to what he does with “Soul Sista,” which closes out his set. Add to that the help of an insanely gifted band and background vocalists and you’ve got the blueprint for a stay expertise that is completely suited to the Tiny Desk.
SET LIST
- “One thing To Maintain”
- “Inform Me”
- “When Will U Name”
- “Lay Round”
- “Soul Sista”
MUSICIANS
- Bilal: vocals
- Tone Whitfield: bass
- Randy Runyon: guitar
- Joe Blaxx: drums
- Corey Bernhard: keys
- Simon Martinez: guitar
- Micah Robinson: background vocals
- Tashera Robinson: background vocals
- Muhsinah: background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producers: Nikki Birch, Bobby Carter
- Director/Editor: Kara Body
- Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
- Host/Sequence Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Kara Body, Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Zayrha Rodriguez
- Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai
- Manufacturing Assistant: Ashley Pointer
- Photographer: Grace Widyatmadja
- Tiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel Cills
- Govt Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Sequence Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins