Devon Gilfillian – “All I Really Wanna Do”

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 9; Popularity Index: 7 

Pairs Well With…Mobley, Charles Bradley, Michael Kiwanuka

Before the cancelled SXSW 2020, OEB had ranked Devon Gilfillian as a must-see artist. Thus, we were excited to see what this talented genre-bending R&B artist has been up to over the past two years now that he is due back in Austin this month. The answer is a lot.  His second full-length studio album, Love You Anyway, will be out in early April.  Even more so than before, the handful of singles off the new album reflect Gilfillian’s continued integration of old school soul, hip-hop, 70’s pop, and gospel into his R&B core. Gilfillian says that he draws inspiration from his father's love of Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, as well as the sounds of his own generation including Wu-Tang Clan, Notorious B.I.G., and Jay-Z.  

On the new album, the first track, "All I Really Wanna Do," is a Temptations-inspired anthem for living in the moment. Gilfillian says that despite all “the sad things going on around the world. I want them to be reminded of the beauty and joy we have around us, as long as we're looking and open to receive."  “Brown Sugar Queen” begins as pure R&B pop before dropping some funky base beats in his duet with Janice. "Let The Water Flow" is a gospel spiritual that focuses on the impact of black voters in Georgia during the 2020 election. The latter song is just a piece of Gilfillian’s recent work around voting rights and racial injustice.  He also re-recorded Marvin Gaye's iconic What's Going On album to raise funds for communities of color. On that album’s title track, Gilfillian hits Gaye’s falsetto dead on.

It’s inspiring to see how Gilfillian’s commitment to his community and his musical heritage also serves to inform and amplify this outstanding artist’s talent. On more random fact. Gilfillian has two cats, one of which is named Barry White. (David Zlotnick)