In today’s world, R&B is mostly associated with a smoother form of hip-hop, more soul than anything else, yet it has a long, deep relationship with rock. The “B” in “R&B” is for “blues,” after all. And there are artists who are bringing the guitar back to R&B, while still being contemporary, such as Son Little on aloha.
Not a record that gets up in anyone’s face – not only the album title, but also all of the song titles are in all lower-case – aloha is smooth and sly. Little is wry on opener “hey rose”, but upbeat in his acceptance on the catchy standout “3rd eye weeping”. Yes, there are sad times on this blues album, like the quieter “suffer”, and the looking back closer, “after all (i must be wrong)”, but Little is best when he’s got a bit of a spring in his step.
For all the complaints that rock is dead, guitars are dead, and the only people doing them are just retreads, there’s a distinct revival of old school R&B that is also modern, marrying it to today’s soul, like Son Little.
