1st Born Second, by Bilal

Released in 2001, this album dropped smack dab in what many people would call the renaissance of the Neo Soul movement. It’s no surprise that many of its tracks feature some of the greats of the early 2000s Neo soul movement – J Dilla, Ledisi, Common, to name a few. Bilal has since become a mainstay in the soul/R&B genre, easily recognizable by his alto/tenor, pitch-defying, lazy-on-the-beat voice reminiscent of a laidback Prince or Debarge. This album and everything about it—the way it moves, the subjects Bilal touches on this, the moment in time it captures—is beautiful and worth a deep listen. Sit back and recharge with this one.