Though his third LP, Airtight's Revenge, sounds like an album with retribution in mind, Bilal argues there's a positive message behind its '70s flick, alter-ego type aesthetic.

“There was an element of revenge in there, of battling the odds, but it's also about the urge to break out of something. There's an urgency in there, a sense of moving forward.” It's an inspiring attitude to have, especially considering Bilal's back-story. The genre-mashing crooner, who fuses soul, funk, hip-hop, rock, blues and a host of other traditions, was initially signed to Interscope when he released his first album, First Born Second, in 2001. It did relatively well, but fortune took an ill turn around his next effort, Love For Sale in 2006.

Rather than a smooth, ushered entry into the world, Love For Sale leaked on to the internet. Interscope claimed they couldn't make any profit from it, and cut their losses. Critics have since hinted that the leak was no accident, but rather an intentional maneuver of the label, who had tried to dilute Bilal's left-field sound and were worried it wouldn't go down well amongst the more commercial slow jams and chart topping R&B of the day. He was understandably crushed, but the leak introduced Bilal to a range of new fans, and gave him something of an underdog, underground panache. Plus, it's not easy to silence a voice like Bilal's; he's been singing since he was old enough to hold a microphone, and grew up on the soul-shaking music of church choirs. Now safely stabled with LA-based label Plug Research, he's ready to escape his past.

There are strains of everything from funk to reggae on Airtight's Revenge, and critics have often placed Bilal under the neo-soul umbrella, though he often refutes this, claiming labels lead artists to create in clichéd, narrow confines. Interestingly, he's been quoted as saying that Airtight's Revenge made him a blues singer. “Well, I say this because this album is about real life situations. I wanted to create something similar to what Marvin Gaye did with 'What's Going On'. It's about life, everyday people, everyday struggles.” Despite the popular one-trick image of the blues, it has always been a rich genre, with an array of diverse traditions and personalities, from Leadbelly's city dwelling, ex chain-gang convict strummer to Mississippi John Hurt's farmhand blues or Bessie Smith's piano bar diva. Were there any particular blues figures he drew on for this album?

“Muddy Waters. And Howlin' Wolf. I got my first real Howlin' Wolf album right before I started working on Love For Sale.” Wolf's talent for shooting up murky blues with electrifying distortion guitar have made him an icon, and Bilal mentions a certain LP as a particular stand out. He couldn't recall the title when we talked, but later research provided this epic gem: This Is Howlin' Wolf's New Album. He Doesn't Like It. He Didn't Like His First Electric Guitar At First Either.

For someone who grew up singing in church, Airtight's Revenge, reveals a healthy spirituality, especially so on track 'Who Are You' which challenges superstitions and orthodox teachings in a poetic quest for unity across the board, capturing the joys and trials of finding a path to faith. “I think I'm constantly on that journey of trying to understand and know myself, and trying to balance spirituality and God and science, and how everything works. It's definitely in my music. I grew up with one idea of that, but as I grow, I'm discovering it at a more personal level and that at the heart, its just about energy and love.”

'Little One', a particularly moving track which was nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the 2011 Grammy Awards, was written for his two sons; the eldest is autistic and the youngest suffers from sickle cell. Does he find them asking their own questions about faith and spirituality as they grow up and try to decipher the world and their place in it? “They're thinking about it. I give my kids the same things I grew up with. Any basic religion works on the tenet that you should treat people how you want to be treated. Most religions have those basic rules. God is all around and in everything. They're asking things, always, but none of the big stuff just yet”.

Bilal’s own childhood, as one of many siblings, was rich in song and faith. “I was allowed to just be myself. When I was very young, we all went to the same church. Music creativity was encouraged. I always had an audience,” he laughs. It wasn't just church that shaped the roots of his singing career. His native Philadelphia also played a part. With Philly Soul emerging in the '70s, legends like Jackie Wilson and Patti LaBelle, and contemporary hit makers such as The Roots and Will 'Fresh Prince' Smith, Philadelphia has a long and rich musical legacy. “A lot of the older musicians would come to the schools when I was a kid, so we had direct access to that lineage, and there was always a jam sessions between the old and young, so those traditions get passed on, for sure.” He mentions folk like Robert 'Bootise' Barnes and Orrin Evans as inspirations, and credits live jazz as a positive force during his childhood. “I hung out in jazz bars, because that's where my dad would take me. Those people give me a start.”

Philadelphia's soil certainly nourished his youth, but Airtight's Revenge is anything but a nostalgic album. 'Robots' in particular seems like a comment on modern life, with its focus on the drive for money and fame that has engulfed modern pop culture, with its reality TV shows, televised pop contests and overnight celebrity figures. The hook: “What are you gonna do?” seems like a wake-up call directed at the listener, or even the artist himself. Is he concerned about the future? “It will be what it will be” he says, almost nonchalantly. “The future is about change. I don't worry about it but I do think about it. Change is happening all over the world. In Africa, in Libya; people are trying to create concepts and thoughts and realities for themselves.”

He's living nomadically at the moment, based loosely in New York but giving himself a rough allegiance to the East Coast, and with a European tour to promote the album kicking off shortly, he's mulling over his upcoming London date. “Its always just a real interesting vibe over there. The air makes me wanna write.”


Bilal live London dates in April / May to be confirmed.