About “B&R” singer Omar Wilson…

Omar
Wilson is one of those artists. You heard right! Omar sings what he
calls “Blues and Rhythm” this invention is meant to differentiate his
often-gritty lyrics from those of other R&B Singers. His album
isn’t even scheduled for release until much later this year, and the
songs that we got a hold of are so addictive that we can’t stop playing
them.

Like a breath of fresh air, Omar sounds unlike any
artist that is presently climbing the charts. His lyrics have meaning,
his songs are real songs with real instrumentation, superb production,
all the right hooks and melodies, and a voice that is hauntingly a
hybrid of 2Pac, Donny Hathaway and Nate Dogg, rolled into one.

As
a precursor to his debut album, Wilson wants to releases a tribute
album to 2Pac, his mentor and his inspiration as a singer/songwriter
and actor. The album, tentatively entitled Introducing Omar Wilson and
slated for release late 2009 will feature Angie Stone among other
artists. No stranger to the struggles of life, Omar like many artists
started out in church and later transitioned to rap and eventually to
his own style of blues and soul mixed with hip hop. He is steadily
building large audiences in the Northeast. Wilson regularly performs in
showcases around New York City and in Connecticut. Recent performances
include opening for The Neville Brothers and Boyz II Men.

In
2007, Omar was the winner of Amateur Night at The Apollo Theater in
Harlem on three separate occasions garnering him the title “Biggest
Winner” for the show’s entire season. His collection of emotionally
charged and soulful tunes is a wonderful introduction to a singer
inspired by the ebbs and flows of life and family. His songs tackle a
broader spectrum of social issues rather than solely emoting the
romantic fervor commonly found in contemporary R&B. His preference
to comment on life experience makes it no surprise when he cites 2Pac,
Donny Hathaway, Sam Cooke and David Ruffin as major influences.

Omar
prefers to utilize the self-invented term “B&R”, reasoning that
many singers appear to have forgotten the second half of the genre
known as Rhythm and Blues. The 28-year old could perhaps credit some of
his artistic sensibilities to his roots. His father emceed at
nightclubs in the 1970s and was a member of the band Soul Messengers.
Born in Norwalk, Connecticut, he moved to Durham, North Carolina at age
seventeen and began rapping with three of his cousins and joined a
group called The Lost Souls. The group recorded two albums distributed
by Ichiban Records entitled Soul Talk and Life is Life. During this
time, Omar the songwriter and melody-maker began to flourish. He began
writing hooks and harmonies that led him to an entirely different
style.