Oranje vinyl
“Letting go can be a scary prospect,” says Son Little. “But there’s beauty in
it, too. Everything you leave behind opens up space for something new in your
life.”
That was certainly the case with his new album, aloha, his third studio album. Recorded
at Paris’s iconic Studio Ferber, the entire project was an exercise in letting go, in
ceding control, in surrendering to fate. While SON LITTLE (the stage name of songwriter,
producer, and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Livingston) still plays nearly every instrument
on the album himself, he put his songs in the hands of an outside producer for the first
time here, collaborating with French studio wizard Renaud Letang (Feist, Manu Chao) to
create his boldest, most self-assured statement yet.
Equal parts vintage and modern, the collection blends classic soul, old-school R&B, and
adventurous indie sensibilities into a timeless swirl fueled by gritty instrumental
virtuosity and raw, raspy vocals. It’s an ambitious work of vision and reflection, to
be sure, but more than that, it’s an ecstatic testament to the freedom that comes from
torching the map and trusting the currents of life to carry you where you belong.