Brayton Bowman is torturing us. After dropping Here | Now and The Update less than a year apart, the Bounce-Worthy redhead has been making us wait a little too long for the final chapter in this EP trilogy. Sure he's given us a couple of previews, but all that did was make us more impatient. Now he's back with another teaser – a signature "Bowman flip" of Stevie Wonder's "If You Really Love Me" and Drake and Rihanna's "Too Good" – and surprise, surprise...it's pretty awesome.
This isn't his first time tackling Stevie (or Drake, or Rihanna for that matter). But his decision to cover "If You Really Love Me" is a bit more personal as he recently explained to Okayplayer, “I had my heart broken a few months back and heard this tune for the first time in years just as I was beginning to crawl out of my post-break-up blues. It said everything I needed to say that I couldn’t put into words.” With only a guitarist for accompaniment, Bowman completely strips both songs down and puts his vulnerability on display. Yet, the emotionally-wrought performance does more than expose his pain, it also serves as an impressive showcase of his authentic vocal abilities.
From what we can tell, the 22 Minutes Later EP should be dropping any day now via his own Big Deb Inc. label. We'll just have to wait and see if this acoustic mashup will be featured in the set. In the meantime, listen below and follow Brayton Bowman on Twitter and Instagram. If you're in (or near) NYC for the holiday weekend, do yourself a favor and head to Rockwood Music Hall on February 16th for The Brayton Bowman Rockwood Takeover. You can hear his ridiculous vocals for free if you RSVP beforehand, or just pay $10 at the door. Either way, it's a show you won't want to miss.
