Meet the Y2K Marvin Gaye, October London! A native of South Bend, Indiana, London arrived on the scene in 2016 as a featured artist on “Revolution” on Snoop Dogg’s album Coolaid. Later that year, he came out with his solo debut, “Black Man in America”. While his primary music genre is R&B/Soul, London’s creative and musical ability allows him to tap into different genres such as Hip-Hop, Jazz and Contemporary Pop.
His latest album, The Rebirth of Marvin, which dropped in February caught my ear as it flooded the radio airwaves. London, who is signed to Snoop Dogg’s Death Row Records, is coming into his own. In this album, he’s able to channel his inner Marvin Gaye with his profound vocals and harmonies. London, an avid listener of Marvin Gaye, sought to pay tribute to the music legend through this album. Additionally, this album seems to pay homage to other R&B/Soul icons of the past.
The mellow and smooth style of “Back To Your Place”, is Marvin Gaye with a
touch of Sam Cooke. In terms of vocals, this song echoes Gaye’s “Distant
Lover”. In terms of sound, you can hear subtle nods to elements used in
Earth, Wind, Fire songs.
In its 1:36 runtime, “Sensual Conversations” gives you all of Marvin. You can
hear London channel Marvin’s use of whining and humming as heard in
several of his songs.
“Mulholland Drive” features Snoop Dogg and LaToiya Williams which
blends R & B, Soul with smoothed out Hip-Hop. A song you can kick-back
and vibe to while chilling, completing the assignments or riding down the
highway going home.
“Rollercoaster” presents a cool and relaxing style. The song’s melodies and
beat appear to be inspired by the likes of the Isley Brothers. Just close your
eyes, cancel out the words, and listen to the music, and tell me it doesn’t
scream Isley Brothers. You can also hear London vocalize like Marvin,
especially in the song’s chorus.
Overall, this album takes you into the 60s and 70s with its nod to retro sounds
and melodies while managing to keep a contemporary take on the R&B
genre.
Go check out October London for yourselves and let me know what you
think!
