Khalid

   Pop music, a style of music that is ever evolving, sometimes at dizzying speeds, with viral explosions moving folks at high BPMs from obscurity to center stage.  19 year old, El Paso native, Khalid, has dropped a soulful pop album American Teen, singing about  his exodus from  teenage years to beginning  a young artist’s journey through the world, one song at a time. The groove is relaxed, a youthful, gravelly suaveness in his voice,  as Khalid reflects on love, exploration and cruising the highway “doing all the stupid shit that young kids do.”
    Make no mistake, Khalid sings of the bright possibilities of new love as well as understanding the pain of breakup, ever aware life keeps moving on!  The first single, “Location,”  a slow, earthy, r&b tune, building slowly almost sultry as if you can  feel the heat of a summer night.  Most of the songs rely on sparse instrumentations, melodically accessorizing Khalid’s voice and stories.  Overall, the album has a hazy, happy, dreamy feel.  Khalid is confident on this journey as an emerging artist.   Many of the songs have a subdued organic feel with great use of the handclap(Not more cowbell!) The sound has a communal feel, and the lyrics touching on first love is something most folks have significant memories of.  Get on the highway, roll down the windows and turn up, “8teen,”  from Khalid’s debut album, American Teen.