This week, we feature a talk with genre-leaping singer-songwriter Devon Gilfillian who is back with a remarkable new LP, Love You Anyway. Shapeshifting between danceable southern soul, hip-hop, silky R&B, and AM gold rock ‘n’ roll, the record isn’t afraid to confront the thorny politics of voting rights and wrongful incarceration while still celebrating a newly revolutionary Black joy.
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Raised in Philadelphia and now based in Nashville, Gilfillian was so inspired by socially-conscious soul icons like Marvin Gaye that he used his time in the darkness of 2020 to release two albums: first the fiery Black Hole Rainbow which became a critical hit, and then a new take on What’s Going On, which raised funds for low-income communities of color, and provided resources and education around the democratic process.
Taking a cue from the lush production of 1970’s Stax and Motown, the new LP leads with the joyous “All I Really Wanna Do,” inviting us onto a cosmic journey of discovery and continues with the playful, sultry “Brown Sugar Queen,” a Prince x Anderson Paak super-sized jam that features rising Swedish pop star Janice.
Photo credit: Emmanuel Afolabi
