Quinn Oulton has been bubbling around the London jazz and blue eyed soulful underground for the last four years. Given a leg up by the much missed Red Bull Music Academy in 2018, he soon started getting some serious touring experience as a sax player with Moses Boyd, before focussing his multi-instrumental and vocal prowess on his own productions. The boy can do it all.
His new EP for the finger on the London pulse DeepMatter label sees him heading further into soulful pop territory, but don't get me wrong this is not autotuned, music by numbers fare, it's loose, live and swinging.
Although he could do it all single handedly, he phoned a few friends to come and keep him company in the studio, but still found time to handle acoustic guitar, vocals, electric bass, sample drums, piano, tenor saxophone and samples on each track, probably whilst buying the biscuits and making them some recording brews.
He opens up in sweet as sugar style with "When You're Near" - an acoustic ode to affairs of the heart, before moving into "Heavy Breathing", an equally lightly delivered, but bump injected and lyrically weightier tune about sudden health downturns - medical issues never sounded so sweet. "Just Calm Down" heralds a head nodding funk injection whilst retaining the falsetto airiness and unplugged vibe. If that wasn't enough the EP closer, "Lead You To Water" cements a fine EP with its inventive, choppier arrangement.
I can see Oulton's voice being divisive for some, more so with the guys I guess, whilst melting the girls' hearts. Personally I love it and there's no denying his accomplished playing, songwriting and vocals. Check him out.
Playlist Companion:
The boy has soul but also broad appeal so find "Heavy Breathing" in the Slow Pop Playlist for the sake of argument.
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