In The Bleak breaks down some walls that make it appealing across generations. The rap lyrics are consistently intelligent, clever, or both, and then there’s the singing: Geenpool delivers every beautiful bit of his Duquesne University-trained voice on this album. What makes it even more gratifying is that Gene underwent a medical procedure that might have affected his chords, and as he plowed through final production in his hospital room, he wasn’t sure what he could deliver. Everything worked out.
There are two tracks that have locked into my psyche: “Have You Seen Jesus,” where Gene sings/scats effortlessly between sax notes to present a really fun song, and “Better That Way,” with alternative-rock acoustic strumming in a tune that feels like national-level music.
I’ll interview Geenpool on WYEP’s The Soul Show on Sat., Nov. 14. Join us. Also, I anxiously await AHA, his early 2021 release.
Geenpool. geenpool.com