Son Little – aloha
After his hard drive filled with semi-finished demos fried, Son Little (born Aaron Livingston) was forced to start over, just before heading to the studio to record his sophomore album aloha. Instead of claiming defeat, the soul singer-songwriter took it as a challenge to create something truly organic and in the moment.
“Losing all that material felt like a nightmare at the time, but I’ve since learned to see it as an opportunity. If I hadn’t lost all those songs, I never would have written all the new stuff that became ‘aloha’”.
It took him eight days to write and record aloha, and the result is a laid-back, heartfelt record of soulful R&B melodies and slick guitar riffs.
His 2015 self-titled debut album propelled the soul artist to the forefront with the lead single “Lay Down”. The success of Son Little was not quite maintained with the 2017 release New Magic (it was still a solid R&B release), but things are different with aloha. The energy feels more intentional, the direction more clear, and it flows through with character.
Son Little’s harsh, raspy vocals come through at the forefront of the record, giving the album a raw, vintage sound, which combine beautifully with the polished blues guitar riffs and steady percussion.
The 12-track effort mixes together effortlessly, opening with funky love song “hey rose”, as he describes his lover across a blues-rock beat. Not to be outdone from the get-go, “about her. again” softly moves its way into a heartfelt ballad that helps show Son Little’s baritone register as he contemplates returning to a past lover. Hints of Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, and other legendary soul/blues artists ring through in his sound, notably on the old-school tracks “3rd eye weeping” and “belladonna”.
The themes of aloha interchange, most often dealing with repeated mistakes in life and the flaws of human nature. Such is the case with the apologetic lyrics of a failed relationship on “mahaila” , or the emotional ballad “suffer”, which reflects about the suicide of Little’s uncle, who suffered from addiction and mental illness. But resilience is an equal competitor in human nature, and “neve give up” pays tribute to the ability to work through loss, mistakes, and failure.
Son Little’s ability to flex both his blues-rock guitar upbringings, and soft R&B ballad vocals to varying degrees on the record makes aloha captivating proof of his talent as a songwriter and musician. The mixing of underlying themes of aloha helps strengthen the alluring melodies and riffs laden through the record, making the new album his strongest and most charming release to date.
Get your copy of aloha now, and visit his website for more information.
