REVIEW: BILAL - ADJUST BRIGHTNESS

4/5

The Adjustment Bilal.

No need to turn down the brightness on the tube. The revolution will not be televised, like the late, great Gil Scott-Heron said. It will, on the other hand, come live and in living color from the soul of your stereo. Just like the 'Sunshine' off of Bilal's new, lead single from his first album in eight years, 'Adjust Brightness'. Following 2015, which felt like we were 'In Another Life', two years after the Japanese art of 'A Love Surreal'. Brought to light, by the Robert Glasper keyboard assisted 'Tell Me', 'Brightness' is an adjustment of genres, like D'Angelo, as this jazzy album is supreme like Coltrane and miles ahead of the competition, with love. From the self-titled opener with bright album artwork that touches God, to the big 'Micro Macro' closer of a new classic for a man whose 'Love For Sale' was leaked before he had a chance to show and prove to you, that like the best thing, that beauty is free.

Firstborn second, ever since the hook hitmaker was coveted by the likes of Dr. Dre in 2001, and before this genre fluid time, many wondered if he was male or female, Bilal has been one of the greatest in his genre. The closest thing to timeless in the matrix of this neo-soul. And what a time for it, coming out of summer, this New Music Friday as NPR recently gave us Maxwell living large and live on their Tiny Desk, which surely must be the perfect precursor to a 'BlackSummersNIGHT'? But this is the 'Soul Sista's' turn for his best album since 2010s 'Airtight's Revenge'. Philly's own Airtight continues his progressive soul and heart for his brothers for this 'Evr Chngin Nrml' like the Prince typography of a Musiq Soulchild, singing, "Come, September/I'll find a new way to survive/This evil wind can't keep me trapped inside/I gotta get my thoughts out in the sun/I still remember when we made love for the first time/Watching your body sway under the moon lit sky/I hoped that it would always be that way/But nothing ever stays the same/Yesterday was high/Now we're bracing for the fall So is this my new normal?/Life is it ever changing thing."

Others just don't clock lyrics like this in this TikTok age. 'Tell Me', who has it like this voice going over the 'A27' like one, two, three. Reminding you of the Jackson's (rest peacefully, Tito) for those who put five on it like the Luniz. Futuristically funky, to confuse the computer, this is 'Who We R Now', as Bilal shows love in the face of a war with AI that may see us lose our humanity like 'The Terminator' prophesised. "We're brining a love frequency", Bilal tells us, as we tune our radios into new album art acting as hits like 'Lay Around' for those lazy Sundays. After Bilal made history in June's month for black music with Questlove, Common (on his own one with Pete Rock) and of course, Robert Glasper ('Live At Glasshaus'), he returns with a sonic 'Sunshine' single of New Jack Swing and so many more compelling chapters in this collection to add to 'The Story'. Turning yet another brand-new page of seamless adjustment.

The canvas is completed with the 'Conditional' likes of "God made man then man made God/She dance and played/We all sing along/But how long has this been going on?/You say you want your heart back?/You got your head screwed on But what about your love?" Questioning everything you believe in on God, as you put your hands together for hope in a world that does so for mercy. It's Bilal's broad and beautiful world once again, like all the times he turned other's songs into hits just 'Waiting For The DJ'. The Solquarian appearing on the likes of Jay-Z's 'Fallin'', Jermaine Dupri's 'Supafly', Clipse's 'Nightmares', Kendrick Lamar's 'These Walls', and our favourite Erykah Badu's 'Jump In The Air & Stay There' featuring Lil' Wayne. Now in his 'Quantum Universe' he welcomes you to his world that rocks the planet with words of the gospel like, "In the language of the universe No words only love/I was running from the light to the dark/Trying to find my way/Back to the divine/But you can't run away from God/The God in you, who is God/I'm walking with the sun in my heart/I realize it's all a part of me." And you too. It's been a period of adjustment, these last few years, but the brighter day and way is here, like him. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Playlist Picks: 'Sunshine', 'Tell Me (Feat. Robert Glasper)', 'Micro Macro'.

Spin This: Bilal 'Airtight's Revenge'.