With an ever increasing stream of talented artists turning away from innovation and choosing instead to push out unremarkable, by-the-numbers music, ready for the radio, it's refreshing to hear about another artist, willing to put aside mass appeal in favour of unrelenting need for expression.
Enter soul–singer Bryan Ellis, an artist as unafraid of using pop-music cliches as he is of abusing them or disregarding them entirely. After the release of lead single 'She'–an eeriely slow and deeply cerebral track of soul searching- comes his debut EP, 'The Cloud of Unknowing', a 34 minutes audio experience, that follows Ellis' soulful, haunted vocals as they travel across landscapes composed of Soul, Hip-hop, Rock, and Dubstep. The production may be the allure, but it is the story that Ellis' yearns to tell throughout that will really grab you.
It's a story of unfulfilled dreams, sacrifice and realisation;
'Traveling with his savings in his pocket, belongings in a backpack, and music on his laptop Bryan traveled to New York. Years of his written life in his backpack hoping someone would realize its worth. Someone did on his first night in New York and they robbed him of it and everything he’d owned – all his money and all his music.
So again he lived in the moment. The streets of New York became his job and his home…until it opened an opportunity at a major music studio which then became Bryan’s true home. He slept on a futon in a spare studio room and spent all his spare time developing himself as an artist and writing songs with T.C. Love, who is now his creative partner for over 6 years. After several years of being “beautifully beaten down by the city”, a near-miraculous course of events landed Bryan a song writing deal. Bryan and T.C. Love’s creative collaborations finally took full shape when T.C. signed him to a joint production deal along with Title 9, which materialized into a record deal with Universal Republic Records.'
It won't appeal to everyone, and indeed it's not supposed to. While tracks like 'She' will haunt you, not every track is a winner but for an EP release, the level of maturity on offer here is remarkable. This undeniably compelling album may grip you, even if only for one moment, in which case it's more than done its job.
If you've enjoyed the abstract expression of Frank Ocean, or the raw emotion of The Weeknd, then give this album a chance, you won't regret it. What's more, being a FREE download, it's really an offer you can't refuse....check it below and download for FREE here
