Pholks＜Clear Vinyl＞

俳優や楽曲制作者としての成功を上回る活躍ぶりで話題のR&Bシンガーによる昨秋発表のEPがアナログ化。大ヒット"Mutt"を手掛けたデヴィッド・フェルプスとフリーキー・ロブのコンビと組み、スピーディーなファンク、ドライヴ感のあるサイケ・ロック風、4バッツを迎えたミッド・バラードなどを一本気に歌う。80sノスタルジックなアップ"My Muse"はリピート必至だ。
bounce (C)林　剛

Leon Thomas didnt need to release anything in 2025 to stay visible. The sleeper-hit title song from Mutt -- the musicians 2024 follow-up to the previous years Electric Dusk -- was on the rise in May, when a deluxe version of Mutt landed with nine new songs and remixes. Five months later, "Mutt" was still climbing the Hot 100 and Thomas returned with this EP, digitally released just before he learned that he was up for six Grammys, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist, and issued on wax three months after that, coinciding with Grammy week. Given its timing and strength, Pholks is further proof of Thomas prolific nature, no mere bone thrown to malnourished fans. Its seven songs spotlight the slightly lysergic funk-rock fusion of his band while Thomas, for the most part, works through a complicated relationship. The swift "Just How You Are" would fit better between Princes "Controversy" and Teena Maries "Lovergirl" than any two given songs on urban contemporary radio, yet it doesnt sound the least bit retro. In "My Muse," Thomas is just as vexed, but not so much that he doesnt admire small details ("Toes done even in the winter") while cooking up a deceptively coasting groove outfitted with wriggling synthesizer bass and lilting strings. "Baccarat," co-written by Lucky Daye and sure to please those who favor heavier LP highlights like "Blue Hundreds" and "Dancing with Demons," is a cyclonic rager. Only slightly less notable are the eerie "Feel Alive" and the tender 4batz collaboration "Lone Wolf." Thomas hot streak continues. ~ Andy Kellman