Odelet - Pisces Pie (2024) Hi-Res

Born in Detroit, Odelet started performing music while at university at the Portland State University for Visual Art. Her first album Experiment was precisely that - a nineteen-track avant-garde exercise in minimalism. 2022 saw her first full-band release through her own production company, Everlasting Tape. Truly a woman of many talents, Odelet writes and performs all her own material, including the instrumentals. Her new album Pisces Pie draws on her love for old school hip-hop, soul, R&B and pop.

We get the soul straight away from the vocals of the album’s opener and title track. They act both as a balm and an aperitif, calming us while whetting our appetite for what’s to come. A stripped-back instrumental does a lot with little, giving us plenty to get lost in. Odelet beautifully combines the familiar with the unfamiliar in a breathtaking start.

Supreme slips into a melancholic mood while introducing some mesmerising strings to contrast its heavy bass. Ten Tons is a haunting number where Odelet’s vocals become expansive and the instrumental, jazzy and lively. Paired rounds off the album’s early listening with a pop/R&B number that’s full of pleading emotion.

It’s clear from the first few tracks that Pisces Pie is going to be a diverse collection and the rest of the album doesn’t disappoint in this regard. Unique is a beautiful case in point. Slow, dreamy and contemplative, it almost creates a genre all of its own. Six of Cups gives us a brooding lo-fi moment while Carousel closes the album with some twinkling keys and a soft and soothing goodbye.

I’ve really not heard much like Odelet. Her captivating vocals are second to none and her desire to play with genre sets her music out from the pack. Her talent in all the disciplines she pursues is clear and her new album is as accessible as it is challenging. It’s simply a must listen.