Things got kinda shook up in the soul world last week, in a manner of speaking. First off, after a four-year hiatus, Bilal finally unleashed his Soulquarian steez yet again, in the form of his long-anticipated third album, Airtight’s Revenge. It’s yet another offering of wine-inspiring, smooth-dude vibrations—though, sorry, we are partial to the swank D’Angeloisms on album opener “Cake & Eat It Too”—and most importantly, it shows dude hasn’t been sitting there stagnant like dank water for a half decade. On the contrary—on the eve of its release, he came through S903 HQ to discuss the contrast between his current state of mind and where his head was at when he first began, when he was inspired and overwhelmed by Angie Stone and Herbie Hancock as a young 21-year-old. Nine years after his first release, he chatted us up about his growth as a “blues musician,” particularly when singing about his children’s sickle cell and autism (as chronicled in the new song “Little One”). Check it out:

Next page: The conclusion of Hal Linton’s road reports.