Album Review: 'Black Pumas'
Eric Burton has a voice like a warm hug and a band to tease rhythm out of anyone. Burton doesn’t so much as a front for the band but rotates with guitarist Adrian Quesada and pianist JaRon Marshall to captivate listeners. It’s a fresh sound worth testing.
Black Pumas is the new group to captivate the U.S., receiving three 2021 Grammy nominations including the album of the year. Their newest single ‘Colors’ rose up the Billboard charts while they played at President Biden’s inauguration, NPR’s Tiny Desk and American talk shows.
Both soulful and rockin’ the Black Pumas are polished and poised to be the grooviest band of 2021. Q’s decade of experience, already earning one Grammy, lends to their full sound and harmonic textures. This sophisticated sound is uncommon for a first album. The industry may fawn over youth, but mastery of sound, made this pair grounded talent, hopefully, to stay.
The title track, ‘Colors’ is the sing-along song of the year. Perfect to dance to, sway to, a nod to, this song than a catchy chorus. The opening verse begins a story often unsung: homelessness. And it’s sung so sweet most people miss it the first listen-through.
I woke up to the morning sky first
Baby blue just like we rehearsed
When I get up off this ground
I shake leaves back to the brown brown brown til
I’m clean
It’s a perfect introduction to the band, if you like interesting lyrics, satisfying bridges, ear-worm choruses and guitar solos then you’ll like the rest of the album. There are love songs, sure, but this rhythmic band touches on identity, heartbreak, longing and more. Rich in poetic artistry, Black Pumas is triumphant in evoking a range of emotion throughout the album
Led by Burton and Quesada, the Black Puma’s premier self-titled album (deluxe edition) combines the original 11 song album with a bonus three new songs, four covers and four live recordings. It’s a marvelous collection of musical mastery.
Burton hails from San Fernando Valley, Ca. and honed his velvety voice through up and down the west coast before traveling to the musical hot-spot, Austin. Mutual friends connected the lyricist and singer to the seasoned guitarist, producer, and mixer Quesada and the rest is history. Over a quick four years, the pair surrounded themselves with talent capable of realizing their vision and made a run straight for stardom.
Burton lets his range shine, singing Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’ with soft longing. ‘Confines’ saunters into your ears like it knows it’s a gift. ‘I’m Ready’ is my favorite song, with a jumpy beat that bobs and weaves through the bass line. And ‘OCT 33’ settles calmly like a fog, and ‘Black Moon Rising’ takes you back in time. The live recordings share new takes on already inventive singles, rounding out a delightful double feature.
