By Odeisel
Love just isn’t something you hear in contemporary R&B. There is a shitload of sex, indiscretion, innuendo and heartache, but sentiment is all but invisible. Actual singing talent that isn’t buried in machine aided histrionics or covered up by dancing and other masking agents is even rarer. I think the genre is tired of scraping the bottom, and it’s slowly making room for people like Miguel who inject more heart and soul into the genre. The next addition is Sebastian Mikael, a Swedish-born talent finding his way under the tutelage of industry legend Sylvia Rhone in a joint venture with Slip-N-Slide, on her new imprint Vested in Culture, a sub-label of Epic records.
The 24-year-old Mikael is classically trained triple threat (singer-songwriter-musician) by way of the Berklee College of Music, making stops in Boston and New York along his journey. Here is an acoustic studio performance of his latest song “Speechless.” The homie guitar strums and his falsetto exhibit a clear understanding of musical theory and blend together wonderfully. It’s sentiment without saccharine and heartfelt without despair and heartache; a bit of a throwback but not retread. Check him out and let us know what you think.
His album is on the radar for 2013, aligning himself with Rico love and Jim Jonsin. So far I see genuine talent in need of a little flavor injection but the raw material is there. The only thing that may be missing is the package. He’s got time and veterans on his side so it will be interesting to see how this turns out. Another rising legitimate star in the genre can only help its return.
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