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| | 1st Born Second | | | Music Artist : | | Bilal | | Music Style : | | Contemporary Blues | | Record Label : | | Interscope Records | | Release Date : | | 2001-07-31 | | Store Price : | | $18.98 | | Artistopia's Price: $18.98 | | Usually ships in 24 hours | | |
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CD Tracks/Songs
Disc 11. Intro
2. For You
3. Fast Lane
4. Reminisce - Bilal, Common, Mos Def
5. All That I Am (Somethin for the People)
6. Sally
7. Sometimes
8. Love It
9. C'mere
10. Soul Sista
11. When Will You Call
12. Queen of Sanity
13. Love Poems
14. You Are
15. Home
16. Slyde
17. Second Child
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Other Artist Albums
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Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
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 A lovely and innovative debut
Submitted on: 2009-06-19 |
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Philadelphia R&B singer Bilal Oliver released his debut "1st Born Second" at age 21 in 2001 to an anticipating audience after collaborations with Common and Guru. The first thing that jumps out about Bilal is that he's got a show-stopping voice that's also quite versatile. He's got incredible range well into the upper register, wonderful tone, sound, and delivery, and is extremely powerful and expressive. Still, he's equally comfortable sounding silky-smooth and soulful and executes a wide variety of styles brilliantly. But more than just a voice, Bilal is a true artist and musician, and "1st Born Second" is a creative masterpiece as well as a technical one.
"1st Born Second" has a little bit of everything, with songs ranging from two minutes to over seven: slick rap collaborations, space-age numbers where Bilal channels his inner George Clinton, classic soul ballads, experimental songs, smooth slow jams, and sunny jazz tunes, but somehow it all sticks and forms a cohesive album. As a member of the Soulquarians crew, Bilal enlisted a dream team of producers including Jay Dee, ?uestlove, Dr. Dre, Scott Storch, Raphael Saadiq, James Poyser, and Mike City to make a gorgeous musical backdrop for him to shine over. Opening with the frenetic "For You" and two upbeat hip hop productions featuring Jadakiss, Common, Mos Def, and Dr. Dre, the album moves into the beautiful "All That I Am (Somethin for the People)" and crazy yet appealing "Sally." "Sometimes" is a sprawling, deeply personal seven-minute piece ripe with self-doubt and soul-searching. "Love It" is a joyful, irresistible song among the best on the album, although the gem is "Soul Sista," a magical, mood-setting masterpiece with an ingenious instrumental. The emotional "When Will U Call" is a beautifully executed, vastly appealing work of classic soul, and the emotional "Queen of Sanity" and cleverly-written "Love Poems" are pure gold. "You Are," "Home," and "Slyde" are each delightful, and the long "Second Child" is a powerful closing statement following such joyful songs, where Bilal avers, "I'm a second-class citizen...spawned by kings."
"1st Born Second" is a lot of things, but most of all it's an immensely impressive 76-minute showcase of an R&B giant. Bilal is a boundless talent, and it's hard to imagine any music graced with his voice sounding anything but great, but his debut is so excellent because the material itself is equally strong and one gets the feeling that he poured his entire soul into this effort. It's the rare record that's both a statement and display yet is so much fun to listen to. Since his debut, Bilal has been shafted by record labels such that the follow-up has yet to arrive. Until justice is served and his sophomore effort is released, listeners should not hesitate to pick up the brilliant "1st Born Second." |
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Luv Bilal
Submitted on: 2007-11-16 |
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| I luv this CD, I bought this CD when it was released and I still listen to it, this album is a classic! |
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A Classic MUST HAVE for all Soul/Neo-Soul Music Lovers!
Submitted on: 2007-10-16 |
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| Simply put, Bilal is a musical genius. But that's obvious given his credentials (Julliard, New School) and collabos (Erykah Badu, every Common LP since Like Water for Chocolate, D'Angelo...need I say more?). I admit when the album first dropped in '01 I was put off by the first single featuring the commerical Dre and Jadakiss, which was lacking in lyrical substance and appeal in my opinion. But Soul Sistah and Love it were always my faves. Then when I heard "Sometimes" about 2 years ago, I thought it would be worth it to give the album a second look. I am happy to say that I was not dissappointed! It has been so long since someone with such substance, talent and character has stepped on the scene, and he has been HIGHLY slept on by the general public and mainstream R&B outlets. Dude sings straight SOUL, bump the neo, infusing jazz and even gospel at some points with his tight vocals, you too will become one of the many underground followers of Bilal. He does sporadic shows in NYC several months apart, but you better buy your tickets early as he usually manages to pack a full crowd. No date for a second release has been marked by his record label and his myspace page says this is due in part to album leaks, further delaying release of the project. A great album to set the mood, I would highly recommend. |
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WOW
Submitted on: 2006-11-04 |
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| I have had this CD for a long time and everytime I listen to it I long for another release from him!! Bilal is very talented, this album is amazing, and every song tells a story. Highly recommended!!! |
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 1st Born Second
Submitted on: 2006-07-26 |
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At his best, Bilal is a very talented neo-soul artist. But, there are parts of this album that are simply lackluster. This young man has a very nice voice and showcases some raw talent with his debut CD, "1st Born Second". This album title, along with his name, intrigued me even before I listened to him. I said to myself, "Bilal, what a unique name", then I heard the name of his CD, and I just had to purchase it to see what he was about.
This album begins with some pretty weird songs. In some of them, Bilal is singing/rapping, and it is very hard to interpret what he is saying. His CD definitely picks up mid way through, and he finishes off with a bang! Typcially with albums, artists put their best songs at the beginning and end, usually not in the middle. He beings his album with "For You". It is beyond me why he opened his CD with such a bad song. The lyrics aren't good and neither is the production. The album progresses with the Dr. Dre produced "Fast Lane". This definitely sounds the work of him too because it incorporates some sounds he used on songs he produced previously to this one. "When Will You Call" and "Queen of Sanity" are album mentionables. These ballds showcase Bilal's lyrical and vocal ability. In "When Will You Call", Bilal has broken up with his lady, but he still wants her to call because he hopes these is still something there between them. "Queen of Sanity" is lyrically the best song on this piece of work. In the song, he says, "I forget life when I hold you tight" and "How do you run this race and never lose your place". Those are some profound lyrics!
Overall, after a couple of listens to Bilal's first album, his talent will all but jump out at you. He has a great knack for music and could be one of neo souls best if he uses discretion with choosing which songs to put on his final product. I recommend this album to neo soul fans.
Mikeisha's Top 5
1.When Will You Call?
2. Queen of Sanity
3. Sometimes
4. You Are
5. Love Poems |
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