Omar Apollo : Apolonio Review

Omar Apollo hit the music scene with his well-received debut EP Stereo, which featured songs in English and Spanish. The Mexican-American singer from Indiana pulls influences from jazz, R&B, funk, alternative, soul, and pop. Apollo is now releasing his album titled Apolonio on the Warner Records label. Apolonio is nine tracks that find Apollo mixing soul, R&B, and Lo-Fi sounds with a nerdy, laid-back attitude.

“I’m Amazing,” begins the album, launching with a lo-fi piano part. Apollo’s vocals are very focused on rhythm. The melody has a repetitive shape to it, though, since Apollo rarely changes his inflections or how he ends each part of the theme. The instruments sound full, and Apollo’s voice is recorded beautifully. The music has different instruments and vocal features that float in and out to give some deviations, but overall, the song is catchy but monotonous.

“Want U Around” (feat. Ruel) is a high point of the album. With a soulful R&B sound. Apollo sings with passion and varies his inflections and phrases. The falsetto parts he sings is beautiful, thing Prince here. The songwriting has a depth vs. a monotonous phrase, as in other songs on the album. Apollo is a very talented singer, and moments like “Want U Around’ is where his focus should be. Ruel adds a beautiful vocal color, and the two blend and present perfectly.

Apolonio has some inspiring moments, but there are a lot of moments of monotony too. Apollo has much more talent than each song demonstrates. I wanted more focus on his vocal abilities, where he shines, and more attention to songwriting. There are some standouts, be sure to sample all nine tracks, and a couple with certainly catchy your ear.

Omar Apollo: Website