10 Times Popular Musicians Tried Out Completely Unexpected Genres
1. Childish Gambino - Me And Your Mama
Even for an artist famed for wearing many hats (he's written sitcoms, performed stand-up comedy, acted, released rap albums - and plenty more I'm probably missing), Donald Glover's album "Awaken, My Love!" was an unexpected volte-face. A set of knotty, unpredictable prog-soul tunes, the album showed off more than just a new style: it acquanted the world with the idiosyncratic, raspy voice that somehow emanates from the 34 year-old.
The most suprising cut from the album has to be the lead single; whilst many of the songs on the record wear their influences on their sleeve (Bootsy Collins, Sly Stone), "Me and Your Mama" seemed to invent a genre of its own. With its tense polyrhythms, episodic structure and daring time-signature changes, it's truly in a world of its own.