Odelet‘s Soul Obscura is a soulfully dynamic, emotionally expressive album that moves through rich vocal arrangements, fluid instrumentation, and an intentionally genre-defying sensibility. The Detroit-born, West Coast-based artist wrote and performed nearly all of the instrumentation herself, releasing it simultaneously with Dappled Lounge and Fantasy Outlaw, two companion albums that pursue entirely different musical directions.
“Millennium of the Falcon” is a riveting opening track, quickly showcasing Odelet’s stirring lead presence, here exuding a ghostly, wordless form as a steady rhythm section combines with glimpses of chilly keys. Next up, “Turquoise Tigers” continues the ravishing, harmonious vocal arrangements, here further embracing lounge-ready keys that glisten gorgeously. A soulful, lyric-laden delivery is exceptional throughout this production, maintaining a lovely balance between suave precision and free-flowing, high-pitched whimsy. The spine-tingling performance, pleading to “love you too,” is wholly affecting.
Another strong track, “Peachy” delights in its multi-layered harmonic interactions; it’s another display of Odelet succeeding across both backing and upfront lead roles. The “happiest with you” lyrical element here entices alongside balmy keys and warming bass, while “Zelda” also excels with a heavier bass presence and similarly enthralling melodic haunts. The beckoning to “take it in stride” plays as an excellent meditation within the aquatic-friendly keys. Soul Obscura is a soulful, atmospheric standout album from Odelet.
—
“Turquoise Tigers” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
