Gallant

R&B has been a malleable term throughout the history of music. Rhythm & Blues was originally used by Billboard magazine to describe the African-American music that began in the 1930s. In its earliest form R&B was the musical response to oppression and injustice from African-American artists such as Robert Johnson, T-Bone Walker and Leroy Carr. This was music that asked why things were the way they were, with gospel music functioning as a response and solution. As rock and roll developed in the 1950s and borrowed from both R&B and gospel, it was imitated and made commercial by white artists. R&B would be used to describe the commercial blues-based music in the 1950’s and 60’s, with bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Who being labeled R&B early in their careers. The function of the genre—the musical summing up of the African-American experience in pre-Civil Rights Movement America—were lost as white artists adopted the musical qualities and made the music popular among white audiences.

The name R&B saw resurgence in the 1990’s with artists such as Boyz II Men, Brandi, and Babyface[1] providing a contemporary sound that focused on smooth vocals, soul-influenced music and prominent use of slow-tempo drum machines. The R&B of the 90s was not written from the same voice against oppression that originally inspired the genre, but instead focused on romantic and sexual themes. In the last ten years, the genre has been distanced even further from its origins as a new wave of artists have blended the sounds of contemporary R&B with electronic dance music, indie rock and hip hop (see The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, James Blake, FKA twigs etc.). Music critic Eric Harvey declared this new movement, somewhat jokingly, to be called “hipster R&B” and the ripple effects of the trend can be seen far and wide within music; from Drake, to UK song-writing duo Oh Wonder, the band to most recently perform at Calvin College, elements of a moody, electronic R&B has become staple.

All of this is to say that R&B means many things and thus has the potential to mean nothing. Popular music today is very fluid when it comes to genre; one only has to look at some of the biggest pop hits from recent years, songs like Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” and Justin Beiber’s pan-flute laden “What Do You Mean?” to see that pop music is packaging a variety of musical traditions into an accessible product, R&B included. Pop’s adoption of R&B, through artists like The Weeknd, provides a more varied sonic experience in the pop charts, but has separated the term from the passion and purpose that originally fueled the music.

Gallant is the newest artist being labeled and associated with the new wave of R&B. While there are definitely elements of all of the previously discussed characteristics of contemporary and new wave R&B (smooth vocals, slow tempos, and soul influences) in his music, the genre tag is actually a disservice to the 23-year old Los Angeles artist. If one listens past the obvious, there is a musical depth that is far-reaching and ambitious. In an interview with The Baltimore Sun, Gallant discusses his broad range of influences, looking to the contemporary R&B artists of the 90’s but also to alt-rock acts such as Radiohead and Incubus for their experimental tendencies and lyrical quality. The result is a broad palette of sounds, textures and moods that inform Gallant’s work.

With the elements of R&B that are found in his music, Gallant pushes the genre back to more passionate, even frenetic territory by using his vocal range and cryptic lyrics to create songs with vague lyrics but definitive moods. Gallant has a rare talent that allows him to express what a song is about without the use of language. If his most recent song, “Skipping Stones” featuring Jhene Aiko, had lyrics about tax law instead of existential dread, we as listeners would still understand what the song is supposed to make us feel. This gift of vocal-revelation can be seen on Gallant’s cover of Sufjan Stevens’ “Blue Bucket of Gold,” which already had a sobering power in its original form, but with Gallant in the lead role ditches subtlety in favor of forced entrance into the psyche, all without trying too hard. All of these elements are intensified in Gallant’s live set, as his stage presence is very physical, adding a theatric support to his already telling vocals.

Though Gallant’s music takes root in contemporary R&B, it renews a passion that has been lost in most modern R&B in addition to extending to sounds outside the genre. As an audience, we would do well to appreciate the heritage that comes with R&B—a tradition that blends traditional African-American music into a contemporary form—but also allow the music of Gallant to take us someplace new. Gallant has the musical tools and song-writing capabilities to use a saturated style of music and still sound fresh, while also pushing into new sonic territory. It is a rare gift to be able to use vast sonic ambitions in a way that challenges genre preconceptions and is still navigable for music listeners, a gift that Gallant has displayed thus far in his young career and fully realizes in his live show.

[1] Sam Wolfson, “How R&B Got its Groove Back,” The Guardian. 2015

Jordan Petersen

Presentations at Calvin University

Gallant
Wednesday, February 17, 2016 08:00:00 PM
Covenant Fine Arts Center Auditorium