Bobby Carter | January 25, 2024
The BLK ODYSSY aesthetic ignites all of the human senses and it's impossible to nail down exactly what type of music he makes after one, two or even three listens. When he arrived at NPR headquarters, Juwan Elcock, aka BLK ODYSSY, pulled out a lifelike severed human head made of silicone and placed it on the Desk. It's the same head seen in the hands of a woman on the cover of his latest album, DIAMONDS & FREAKS, a project that depicts love and lust as addictive vices.

The visual components are just as compelling and help specify that BLK ODYSSY is the modern personification of funk. I love where the current state of R&B music sits, but it can always use more funk. This Tiny Desk is an 18-minute flex, highlighting the best of DIAMONDS & FREAKS, plus the premiere of a new song, "I WANT YOU," and a set that climaxes with 2021's "FUNKENTOLOGY."

SET LIST
"ODEE"
"JUDAS & THE HOLY MOTHER OF STANK"
"ADAM & EVE"
"WANT YOU"
"FUNKENTOLOGY"

MUSICIANS
BLK ODYSSY: lead vocals
Alejandro Rios: guitar
JeMarcus Bridges: keys
Art Hays: saxophone
Paulo Santos: flute
Ari Burns: trumpet
Andre Taylor: vocals
Maya Sampleton: vocals
LARA': vocals
Marcus Jones: drums
Jimmy Blazer: bass

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Technical Director: Josh Rogosin
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Zayrha Rodriguez, Maia Stern
Audio Engineer: Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Estefania Mitre
Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Hazel Cills
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#nprmusic #tinydesk #blkodyssy