It may be November now, but October London is making his mark in the waning months of 2016.
The crooner, who was discovered by Snoop Dogg, emerged on the scene with his incredible, emotional single “Black Man in America.” The single not only showed off London’s range, but also seemed to present a very classic sound in contemporary times. October London seems committed to bringing old school soul back – and you can look no further than his debut LP, Color Blind: Love, for the proof.
Released (fittingly) at the close of October, Color Blind: Love opts for substance and depth over breadth, with eight tracks that drip pure nostalgia. “Black Man in America” closes things out as the outro song. Faith Evans, as the album’s only feature, plays a gorgeous complement to London as the speakeasy-esque singer between the finger-snaps and jazzy groove of “Bring Me Up.” “Slow Dance” summons the ’70s R&B singer staple of sharing a few words before your spilling your heart out on wax, October’s voice all but melting into the sweeping strings. There’s even a smooth remake of Smokey Robinson’s “Quiet Storm” to be found on the project. But the true beauty of Color Blind: Love is that it’s not too old-school sounding, to turn off new listeners. Both “Love in the Summer” and “Sweet Love,” for example, serve as evidence of that.
October London insisted that Color Blind: Love “has sounds similar to Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Sam Cooke.” It’s a tall order to place your music among that of the soul greats… but London isn’t lying. Take yourself back with a voice of the future by streaming October London’s Color Blind: Love down below.
Color Blind: Love is available for purchase on iTunes.
–Words by Bradford Howard
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