The same can be said of his sound, which calls for a return to the early-’90s heyday of hip hop soul and New Jack Swing. “I miss artists like Brandy and Jodeci,” he says. “My number one inspiration is Faith Evans—you can feel it when she sings.” With so many R&B artists focusing on snap-tastic party jams, Brockington offers a welcome splash of sass and swagger on his unabashedly romantic debut, Somebody to Love (Hall of Justus/ABB Records).
His throwback aesthetic fits neatly with the tastes of the Justus League, the N.C.-based crew of MCs and producers (led by back-to-basics hip hop trio Little Brother). Since linking up with LB lyricist Phonte in 2000 while attending North Carolina Central University, Brockington has collaborated extensively with his League family, most notably as a featured vocalist on Little Brother’s 2005 The Minstrel Show (“All for You,” “Slow It Down,” and “Not Enough”). “It’s like a marriage,” Brockington says. “They got the hip hop vibe, and I’ve got the R&B.”
That balance is there too on Somebody: Brockington’s Donny Hathaway–esque vocal runs are backed by refreshing breakbeats-meet-quiet storm production. “I’m talking about love in its various forms,” Brockington says. “The good, the bad, and the ugly.” On “More and More,” his breathy, lusty vocals glide over the seminal break from Bob James’ 1975 “Take Me to the Mardi Gras.” On the uplifting, dusty-sounding “All We Ever Need” (produced by Little Brother’s in-demand studio rat 9th Wonder), Brockington reassures his woman with love-reigns-supreme rhetoric while steady drums and soulful violins create an uplifting, sunny mood.
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