Airtight's Revenge

Bilal (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 14, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: PLUG RESEARCH
• ASIN: B003U9O4H8
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,731 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

What a frequency What a voice.. I love Bilal.. I couldn't imagine a music world without his voice. --Erykah Badu

I have a very conected history with Bilal.. I heard his demo years ago.. I heard all of the magic
instantly.. He's a master at interpretation of song. --Q-Tip

Bilal is hands down one of the greatest specimens of voice in post-modern hip-hop culture. --Questlove

Product Description

Grammy-nominated musical artist Bilal (Philadelphia, PA) returns with his third studio album, Airtight's
Revenge, which will be released September 14th through Plug Research Music and distributed through The Orchard. A provocative genre-bending album that dissects love, politics and relationships, Airtight's Revenge demonstrates the Philly-bred singer's growth as an artist. 'It's a mix of jazz, hip-hop, soul, blues, and experimental free music,' says Bilal. The differences in economical social classes inspired the track 'Robots,' which scrutinizes societal and governmental effects on people. After watching the 2007 documentary, 'Zeitgeist: The Movie,' Bilal wrote 'Who Are You.' 'Of all religions, I drive to be human,' says Bilal. At the end of the day, we are all one. We need to connect with the spiritual side of ourselves; we don't need to inflict that on others. It's OK to have free thought. 'Little Ones,' a smooth track with a soulful sound is
dedicated to his sons. 'My youngest son has Sickle Cell and my oldest son has Autism. This song is for them,' stated Bilal. Steve McKie (Jill Scott, Estelle, Kindred, Vivian Green) co-produced the album with Bilal, recorded in Philadelphia, Virginia and Los Angeles. The album also features production by Nottz (Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Drake), 88 Keys (Mos Def, Macy Gray, Musiq Soulchild), Shafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra and Tone Whitefield.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, please twist my mind and bend my hearing., September 14, 2010

By 

debonair (3rd Rock, Milky Way) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Airtight's Revenge (Audio CD)

Absolutely. Amazing. Music. Like the The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monáe or anything by Bjork up to Vespertine, Bilal really twists our perception of what makes good music in this modern age. If you are tired of assembly line R&B, superficial pop(pop music wasn't always fluff), then please give this music a spin. The production, the mixing, like all Bilal releases, is off the charts. You can hear it in the vocals and the instrumentals. If any part of you lives, you will feel this music in your chest. The man put his heart and soul on wax for us to enjoy. I am jamming to track #3 All Matter right now. I found this cd by accident while looking for an LP version of his masterpiece "Love for Sale". Bilal is a formally trained composer and musician. So the man does know the science behind music. And it shows in the breadth and depth of his musical influences. Vocally, he reminds me of Prince. But he actually BUILDS on what Prince did without just being a derivative. The whole cd is one long love song, dedicated to music and its admirers. Again, if your perception of music is dominated by what the music industry has been churning out, then some of this stuff will go over your head. I am not interested in hearing a repeat of something that was already done. I need the artist to take my mind to another dimension, someplace where I may not even feel comfortable. But a new musical plane nonetheless. If you want to just get lost in the sheer brilliance of an extremely talented man, then press play and absorb. Those with open minds will appreciate this oeuvre.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bilal -- Pushing things forward, September 18, 2010

By 

Jetrocket "jetrocket" (NYC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Airtight's Revenge (Audio CD)

First -- Kudos to Bilal for artistic integrity and expanding the boundaries of blak music. "Airtight's Revenge" is truly an artist album and as such it's bound to have detractors and supporters. Count me amongst the supporters. I appreciate an artist who stands apart from the mainstream and puts forward a musical vision that informs and elevates. Tracks like 'Flying', 'All Matter', 'Restart', 'Level', 'the Dollar' and 'Who are you' -- are songs of perspectives and ideas. Intellectual and conscious, yes, but rooted in common vernaculars (i.e street culture, soul music, jazz, etc) that ground these songs in the world of reality. Granted many of the songs on "Airtight" musically veer toward an non-radio friendly, avant garde/twisted style - more informed by disparate influences such as Radiohead, LA wonk/underground and the fringes of black art music. Nevertheless, it all works for me. I find it all accessible, interesting and complete. Bilal's pipes are well displayed - he demonstrates that he is a vocalist with incredible range, vocal nuance, texture and color, and emotional power. Listen to the sincerity in the song 'Little One' an homage to his children who have developmental challenges. I am sure this is a message relate-able to anyone who is a parent and loves his/her children. Bilal is a rarity - a true talent amongst the vastly under-talented and successful. It's a shame we live in time where folks can spit on people with integrity and individuality and elevate those mind numbing, bull-crapping artists that we are continuously force fed- Trey Songz? , Marques Houston- really? When the day comes that one of these fabricated machine idols can write a song as insightful as "Robots" -- maybe then I can take such opinions seriously. Until then let the "haters" step aside and stay in the champagne rooms with the rest of the blunted bubbleheads.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Or "Adult's Revenge", October 3, 2010

By 

Bryan Gibson (Jersey City, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Airtight's Revenge (Audio CD)

With Maxwell's Blacksummer's Night, Bilal's Airtight's Revenge is a stinging backhand to all the kids releasing and listening to mediocre R&B--both CDs feature composed, well-crafted songs performed by grown men who know a little something about both life and their craft. While Maxwell recalls the past, Bilal evokes the future: the eleven songs are musically complex while being deceptively simple, performed by--get this--an authentic human voice: no autotunes here. For that alone the CD gets three stars; the other two are for containing great music. If you're tired of listening to children whine and croon about subjects they know little about, do yourself a favor and purchase this CD. If you're an adult or just have mature ears, you won't be disappointed.