Timothy Bloom

Timothy Bloom is a ghost from the future, cooking up smoldering next-level R&B by wrapping his Gospel roots around The Beatles, Prince, and Radiohead.
When Timothy Bloom dropped the video for his song “’Til the End of Time” back in 2011, the resultant shockwaves (and the reasons behind them) may not have been felt by pop/mainstream music aficionados, but for old-school R&B fans and a lot of African Americans starved for affirming visual representation (overlapping but not synonymous demographics, obviously) it was a galvanizing clip. The song itself, a classic “pledge my love forever” duet with the gifted V. Bozeman, has an Otis Redding/Percy Sledge feel to it without merely being imitative or derivative. And like most of Bloom’s music, it reminds the listener of the foundational role of “the blues” in rhythm & blues.

Tastefully shot in B&W, the clip has the two artists singing to one another in the nude, their bodies placed just so for strategic mutual coverage. What makes the video so powerful is the sight of two dark-skinned African Americans depicted with eroticism and simmering sensuality that never strays into vulgarity. With her dark skin and close-cropped natural hair, Bozeman represents a slice of womanhood that is almost never the object of romantic desire in contemporary American culture. That Bloom collaborated with her on both the song and video tips you off to the potent, substantive politics in his old-school aesthetic.



What the singer-songwriter’s fantastic debut album (released in early 2014) makes clear is that this aesthetic is multidimensional, spanning genres and styles. Opening track “Interlude,” a tip of the hat to his strong rock influences, foreshadows the genre-bending to come with its vaguely Radiohead feel. An insistent piano drives the cut. Bloom’s earnest vocals arch into a falsetto and spacey effects dart around him until the whole thing artfully drawls to a close. Then you’re slammed into “Stand in the Way (of My Love),” with its taut marching-band arrangement—hard drums and a backing choir, whose singing of the chorus is a protest-march chant of “Nothing’s gonna stand in the way of my love . . .” A battle-worn lover’s defiance fuels the whole thing, an unwavering shouting down of any and all forces that might thwart his embattled love.



As the record moves forward, it becomes less and less bound to category, not just from song to song, but within songs. There’s something of both The Beatles’ and The Beach Boys’ exquisite experimentalism in play here, even a touch of Fleetwood Mac. Only Bloom doesn’t grab you by the back of the neck and smash your face into his influences in a look-at-me/note-my-cool-references showiness. His deployment and manipulation of detail, his fondness for left-of-center placement of gut-bucket blues guitar riffs, creamy doo-wop backing vocals, girl-group hand-claps, searing piano lines placed front and center, jangly indie rock guitar strumming, multitracked backing vocals that have his falsetto winding sexily through—it’s all carefully assembled for maximum aesthetic and emotional effect, coalescing into a work that is unapologetically hard to pin down.

In that regard he evokes Prince at his very best. The similarities with and influences of the Purple One are all over the album, but are most obvious on the sex-drenched back-to-back tracks “The Morning After” and “Rivers Run Deep.” The former is a too-brief bit of foreplay whose chugging beats and airy multitracked vocals lead right into the smoldering boudoir ballad of the latter, whose musical bed sounds eerily like the Revolution when they were Prince’s ace in the pocket. Both tracks recall Prince circa his most glorious, fecund streak (Controversy, Dirty Mind, 1999) and mark one of the album’s high points. Like Prince, Bloom is a formalist who colors outside the lines. He’s a studied musician, someone who has clearly spent a lot of time in research/practice mode, soaking up the fundamentals in order to launch himself into the realm of unbridled artistry.



Bloom’s music is rooted in pre-hip-hop soul, pop, and rock, in pre-hip-hop blackness and black imagination. It is so deeply rooted in pre-hip-hop aesthetics, ideals, and experimentation that it is post-hip-hop, which is part of why it is so thrilling. That’s not to bash hip-hop, but to make note of the fact that when music industry dictates castrated the far-reaching possibilities of hip-hop culture, the blade swung around to gut popular notions of who and what a black artist is or does. Bloom is a ghost from the future, retooling the past to invigorate the present.

NOTE: The album Timothy Bloom was just re-launched in a “deluxe” version that adds some new tracks to the album we’ve been obsessing over (and Ernest Hardy wrote about). You can get the deluxe version on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon & GooglePlay. We also recommend Timothy’s debut EP, which includes “Til The End Of Time” and 3 live tracks that strip Bloom’s sound down to a gloriously raw, rocked-out funk that should get Prince fans waiting in line when Timothy comes to town. - TrunkWorthy

When Timothy Bloom sings that “it’s lonely at the top sometimes,” we believe him wholeheartedly. The man has won two Grammys, wrote for Smokey Robinson, and continues to find inspiration to put his electrifying voice to great use. Born in Texas but raised in North Carolina, Timothy listened to gospel music like the Staples Sisters until he heard Bob Dylan on the radio one day. From there, his musical horizon permanently widened. As a testament to that, his newest EP, The Beginning, presents Timothy Bloom’s take on some classic blues, New Orleans bump, and rock tunes.

Weighing in at seven tracks, The Beginning is short but sweet. It should mesh perfectly with any fall plans that you have set for the weekend. Timothy explained the inspiration for the project to us via email as such:

“I’ve always wanted to go back in time, so I’ve taken myself there.” - Mass Appeal

Timothy Bloom is a bit of a musical conundrum. It's not a question of talent; quite the contrary, in fact. The singer/songwriter/producer has already earned two GRAMMY Awards (for his work with Ne-Yo and Chris Brown) plus his incredible voice led him to be handpicked for several spotlight features including VH1's You Oughta Know and MIDEM's Artist Accelerator Program. He's even worked with icons like Smokey Robinson and Herbie Hancock. And then there's his unforgettable visual appeal, which left us here at SoulBounce with no choice but to bestow our own honor upon him as well. All of this, and yet, many still don't know who he is. How is he not a household name?Hopefully that will change with his upcoming project The Life Trilogy, a three-part series to be released via his label imprint, Beyond The Sky Music. While the title implies that we'll be getting to know more about Mr. Bloom, the project is sure to reveal the full breadth of his talent as well. How apropos then, that he chose his birthday weekend to release disc one, The Beginning.Timothy gave a preview of the seven-track EP during the summer with the doo-wop-influenced track "The Beginning (Work It Out)." The retro appeal continues throughout the album, but never feels gimmicky nor stale. Each track is undeniably soulful with heavy infusions of blues and rock. Alt-rock song "Adam and Eve" (originally teased back in 2012) is fiery, fun and immediately catchy, while "Howl at the Moon" slowly seeps into your soul. Unconventional guest appearances also keep things interesting. Trumpeter Maurice "MoBetta" Brown energizes and brings New Orleans jazz to lively track "Me and Myself," while Lucy Hart adds sultry vocals to the country-soul tune "Nobody Does It." Virtuosic harmonicist Frédéric Yonnet almost steals the spotlight on "Sweet Angel," and album closer "Still," a moody duet with Nigerian/British singer-songwriter Talay Riley, leaves a lasting impression with its wailing guitar solo.Check out "Still" and "Me & Myself" below, then support independent music by purchasing a copy of The Beginning, available through your favorite digital retailers. Timothy Bloom will also be performing a handful of concerts in New York, so check the dates below and follow his social media pages for additional details. By the way, you can also hear him featured on Thaddeus Dixon's somber new track "All About You" along with Talib Kweli. - Soul Bounce

Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay” was Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Timothy Bloom’s first introduction to secular music.

“I grew up listening to gospel, old backwoods juke joint gospel,” recalls Bloom, raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, by his preacher parents. “Then I heard ‘Lay Lady Lay,’ and that drove me to all types of music from Nina Simone and Beethoven to Duran Duran, Joan Baez and Motown.”

Bloom draws from those and other influences on his latest album, The Beginning. Released via his Beyond the Sky Music imprint, the seven-song set is the first volume in the alternative soul artist’s ambitious The Life Trilogy series. In support of the release, Bloom is performing Tuesday night (Oct. 25) at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City. The performance is the third of six pop-up appearances Bloom is making throughout the city, including stops at S.O.B.’s (Oct. 26), Pianos (Nov. 1) and Ginny’s Supper Club (Nov. 5).

Leading the charge for The Beginning is the single “Work It Out,” inspired by the Flamingos’ classic “I Only Have Eyes for You.” The emotional ballad is about someone doing everything in his or her power to making a failing relationship work.

“Trilogy is about my life experiences and journey with music,” says Bloom. “People are always telling me that I’m all over the place; that they can’t put me in a set box. So I came up with this concept to revisit all of my musical influences. I’m using all of those inspirations -- gospel, rock, folk, R&B -- from back in the day to today.” The set’s other noteworthy tracks include the '70s rock-vibed “Adam and Eve” and the Motown-infused “Howl at the Moon” (“It takes you back to Stevie Wonder with tones of Frank Sinatra and Johnny Mathis,” says Bloom).

Initially signed to Interscope through a joint arrangement with producers Timbaland and Polow Da Don, Bloom issued his first EP in 2010, The Budding Rose. His Interscope debut spun off the tracks “‘Til the End of Time” and “Possibilities.” The former, featuring singer and Empire cast member V. Bozeman, became a top 30 hit on Adult R&B Songs and sparked a sexy, sultry video that has since racked up 4.6 million YouTube views.

Prior to Interscope, Bloom’s songwriting/production talent had been his calling card, thanks to collaborations with Smokey Robinson and on Grammy-winning projects by Ne-Yo (“Say It” on Because of You) and Chris Brown (“All Back” on F.A.M.E.). His additional credits include writing songs for K. Michelle, Diddy/Dirty Money and emerging newcomer Tish Hyman as well as a 2014 self-titled independent album (featuring “Stand in the Way [Of My Love]”) and Timothy Bloom-Deluxe released the same year.

“There’s no stopping me,” says Bloom, whose future plans include a possible reteaming with Bozeman (“We did a performance in Los Angeles a few months ago that brought back great memories”). He’s also working on music for upcoming film and TV projects under industry veteran Dame Dash’s production banner. And, of course, there’s the second chapter in The Life Trilogy, slated for March or April 2017. - Billboard