Ten Percent is the name of the upcoming full length album from artist, Blue Soul Ten. The album is tentatively slated for release in late August, but follow the artist on Instagram for any updates. We were fortunate enough to get a sneak peek at the release, and I have to admit it’s quite impressive. There’s nothing amateurish about the recordings on this album. The production is major label quality. The music blends elements of jazz, funk, hip hop, pop and R&B to create a smooth, groovin and vibrant mix.

The intro and title track is a beautiful instrumental, which is practically symphonic in its sophisticated complexity. It’s just lovely and metaphorically makes a statement that what you’re about to hear is the work of pure professionals. Having heard the intro, I wondered if perhaps the whole album was more or less instrumental. The question was answered quickly though in the next song, Give In To Me which is a razzle dazzle synth jam that features some soulful pop vocals throughout. It’s fast paced, dynamic and danceable. The singing is really good, too. This style of music is the kind where you can really fake it. Vocal performances for these kinds of songs have to be at a certain level, or it just won’t work. Another thing I like is that the voice is allowed to remain mostly clear and organic. A lot of contemporary artists mess with their vocals too much on the production side with a lot of unnecessary overprocessing. On this album though, the vocals are allowed to flourish. They have that melodic 70s and 80s jazz vibe. They’re soft, emotionally expressive and frequently upbeat.

There’s actually a lot of variety on this album. In fact, just when you think you’ve got the sound pinned down, the next track throws you a curve. For example, with Make It Hot we get was is essentially an unexpected rap/hip hop song. It just shows the versatility that everyone associated with this project is capable of. The track has an old school hip hop vibe and one of the best backing beats I’ve ever heard, reminds me vaguely of old Playstation video game music. The song Real Love is probably the most “pop” sounding song on this release, yet even that features some rather unique guitar or guitar-like riffs.

This honestly is an album that’s full or surprises. Even the last track, which I assumed would be a brief and mellow outro, instead turned out to be an epic finale which spans nearly five minutes, combining some of the best elements of all the songs. There’s a lot of refined talent here, and I hope this project gets the exposure it deserves.

For more info:

http://instagram.com/bluesoulten
https://www.facebook.com/bluesoulten/
http://twitter.com/bluesoulten