EP: Phlo Finister – “Crown Gold”

The R&B rebirth continues. Up now is Phlo Finister, a Cali-based singer currently making a name for herself with her brand of contemporary-throwback R&B.

Finister’s recently released FreEP entitled Crown Gold is a 6 track project featuring known productions from the likes of Dr. Dre, Tupac & The Doors, plus two original compositions from Jay Curry. Clearly affected by the traditions of 90′s R&B and the trademarks of artists like Aaliyah, Brandy and Ashanti – she aims to produce “classic R&B” with a “avant garde” edge. Phlo does possess a clear patent voice well suited to the style of R&B she’s producing and despite some of it’s languor, the EP does offer some promising insight – most discernibly on songs like ‘Shades’ & ‘No More’.

Critical to any artists’ success though is their ability to embody the influences of their formative years whilst amalgamating them with the modern. Fail to do so and you run the risk of boring your audience, or worse – pissing them off entirely. Pretty confident her video for ‘Shades’ for instance will raise a few eyebrows – Finisher’s “I fuck with Tommy Hilfiger, simple as that” approach may not go down too well with the die-hard traditionalists. But with a pinch more distinction, tighter productions and stronger focus on “avante garde” methods – Phlo Finister should be an interesting one to watch.