Whether they belong to neo-soul, future funk, or modern R&B, the most transcendent and wide-ranging artists of the moment are making instrumentally-forward, vocally-driven, emotionally and sexually in-touch music from a point of stylistic boundlessness. And in that arena is exploding 21-year-old Omar Apollo. His latest, a two-track single release, Ashamed / Trouble displays his startling range. The former is so funky that it sounds straight out of George Clinton’s 1970’s grotto, brimming over with fervent changes of musical pace that turn Ashamed into a 3-part exhibition on Apollo’s mastery of funk. The latter is a subdued, falsetto-driven song of love and loss that would make any artist in the worlds of modern R&B and sensitive bedroom pop simultaneously proud and jealous of the young artist’s knack for effortlessly exploring a completely different side to his sound.

 

In equal measure, the release is another ideal example of the recent A-Side / B-Side trend, displaying the widest spreads of Apollo’s stylistic range without favoring one or the other.