Despite his less-than-thrilling performance at this year's Pre-GRAMMY Brunch and Concert last month, I haven't completely dismissed Bilal as the inconsistent, undependable, often disconnected performer that he very well may be. Similar to the industry's approach to Whitney Houston, I hold on to the fact that, at some point in the past, he could once wow and captivate me, musically. Like with the troubled Ms. Lauryn Hill-Marley, he demonstrates that talent is one thing, ability is something altogether different. Underwhelming albums and spaced-out music videos behind him, the former Soulquarian has popped up on the upcoming project from LA electronic beatmaker Daedelus on a dopely chaotic track called "Overwhelmed." Never mind that his verses are largely unintelligible. You hear him, but the voice is pretty much indiscernible and that's fine. The busy production and low vocal mixing work well here. The track is from the new album Bespoke, dropping next month, whose title is a reference to the producer's infatuation with Victorian-era clothing. I had heard of but hadn't heard much from Daedelus prior to today. From the other tracks that I've sampled, this noisy piece is the perfect introduction to his unique musical stylings.
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