At one point during a short but memorable set in Brooklyn last year, Atlanta-born rapper/singer/producer ForteBowie slowed things way down, performing a soulful cover of Bonnie Raitt's 1991 tearjerker "I Can't Make You Love Me". It's that kind of playful versatility that makes Vice Haus, Forte's new EP, so instantly likable. It has a little bit of everything: "M.O.B Pt. I & II" is hysterically in-your-face, "Nevermind" a downcast ballad and "Little League Love" marked by pop-reaching hooks. The sound is unpredictable, decidedly contemporary and very much his own. Forte is currently on a tour of colleges with "Southside" collaborator Trinidad James; buy tickets here.
Download: ForteBowie, Vice Haus
