Soulo is a contemporary R&B artist from Dallas, Texas. At 21 years old, he’s just released his debut self-titled EP.
He got involved with music early in life and discovered his love of R&B rather quickly.
His influences include Frank Ocean and PARTYNEXTDOOR, which is evident in the smooth vocals and precise delivery.
While his rhythm and blues roots are obvious, there’s also a subversive folk/pop influence in his music, especially on the EP’s first track. In my opinion, “don’t tell.” is the strongest song on the release.
It has an ethereal beat that lets Soulo’s vocals take control of the track.
The way he harmonizes with himself reminds me slightly of Bon Iver.
“dangerous.” incorporates more of Soulo’s hip-hop tendencies. This one reminded me more of the R&B I grew up listening to in the 90’s. Usher set the groundwork for artists like this to exist, Soulo is taking the genre to the next level.
“oneofone.” is a fitting closer to the project. An R&B ballad to be sure, but as the organ started to peer up over the instrumental, I noticed a slight hint of gospel. As the track goes on, there is a spoken word interlude that splits this into what seems almost like two different songs. During the second half, Soulo blesses us with his own unique blend of hip-hop and R&B that brings to mind one of my favorites, YNW Melly.
Check out the video for “don’t tell.”:
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