Omar Apollo, Ivory | Album Review 💿

Handsome and incredibly talented Mexican American musician Omar Apollo delivers a debut album for the ages with Ivory.

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he moment has finally come! 🎙 Omar Apollo (Omar Velasco) has released his full-length, debut album, 💿 Ivory.  The Mexican American musician has proven over the years that he is one of the dynamic, young, rising stars.  Genre-less (or genre-bending), filled with an innovative spirit, and fearless regarding sexuality, Omar is one of a kind.  After showing incredible promise on his 2020 mini-album 💿 Apolonio, I’m not the least bit surprised Ivory is as rewarding a debut as it is. Folks, this is a must-hear!

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“Ivory” 

🎵 “Ivory” commences Ivory – fitting, right? The :45 track sets the tone, finding Omar Apollo singing incredibly expressively.  If nothing else, the title track shows the sheer beauty of his voice.  He immediately contrasts with 🤩 🎵 “Talk,” which picks up the pace and features both singing but also rapping.  This is a prime example where Velasco showcases immense versatility.  Notably, “Talk” blends pop/rock/alternative R&B which gives it a unique sound, vibe, and energy.  Thematically, Omar explores the highs of love, particularly in the second verse.  It’s a lot for him, so much so that he asserts in the chorus, “I really like you in the morning / These feelings got me talking too much.”

Undoubtedly, questions regarding Apollo’s sexuality will continue to swirl.  Does he care? Probably not.  Furthermore, sexuality plays a key role consistently in Ivory.  In the brief 🎵 “No Good Reason,” there is no doubt he’s addressing a boy – he makes it clear in the opening line of the first verse.  “I heard you talk about me, boy / How come you don’t admit it?” Apollo asks, continuing, “I know you said, ‘I love you,’ but I really wanna hear it.”  It seems that Apollo is looking for confirmation yet he’s not getting it clearly.

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“Invincible”

“Drip, drip, drip with the cold IV / Out of consciousness if I ever slip it.” Omar Apollo rolls right along on 🤩 🎵 “Invincible” featuring 🏆 Grammy winner, 🎙 Daniel Caesar. “Invincible” is truly incredible, period.  Musically, the sound palette (Apollo, Caesar, and 🎛 Carter Lang) is satisfying with its minimal sound, including rhythm guitar, bass, and drum programming for much of the song.  We get a few colorful synths too, but a key component of “Invincible” is the voices.  Caesar carries much of the vocal weight, reminding us how gifted and soulful he is.  His falsetto is ripe and radiant on the recurring lyrics of the chorus, “If I were to go / Tell me, would you notice me?” Caesar also shines in the first verse.  Apollo isn’t overshadowed.  I love his tone in the second verse, which begins with legato singing.  Again, there’s a queer vibe, which also appears in the accompanying music video:

“Sixty-four hours since my baby spoke to me

He kissed me, now I love his dopamine

I tried to go to sleep but my brain on 2C-B.”

Apollo is a beast singing but he also delivers compelling, unexpected bars rapping too including “Latin boy, Frida Kahlo brow / Jacquemus jeans, Ferragamo brown.” Woo! Ultimately, Omar comes through in epic fashion.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: February 2022
• Invincible: 5ive Songs No. 9 (2022)

🎵 “Endlessly Interlude” precedes another highlight, 🤩 🎵 “Killing Me”. “What I do makes me wonder if I’m alight / Holding back feelings like it’s the end of my life.” Woo – don’t die! The sound of “Killing Me” is a big-time V-I-B-E. Apollo excels with a chill, guitar-fueled backdrop. The production has an R&B aesthetic. Vocally, he sings with ease, never forcing things.  Even his scandalous f-bomb slips right off the tongue with little force: “Love me like I’m gonna die / Fuck me like you fantasize.” Woo! Thematically, “Killing Me” isn’t about murder but rather those pesky matters of the heart – LOVE.  “That’s right, you’re killing me,” he asserts in the chorus, as he analyzes the universal four-letter word.   He sings well, the music is chill, and the theme and lyrics are enjoyable, relatable, and effective.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: March 2022

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“Go Away”

Apollo continues to shine 🤩 🎵 “Go Away”, an early single. He produced “Go Away” alongside Carter Lang and 🎛 Chromeo. There are ample selling points including the gift of groove.  It makes you want to move your body. Next, and most importantly, are the vocals. Omar gives us a range of sounds, including middle register, falsetto, and some smooth, heavenly harmonies. Apollo’s best moments lie in the memorable, shimmering chorus:

“But if you had to go away again

I just don’t see you enough

I wish I saw you enough

It’s something in the way I feel your skin

I just don’t see you enough

I wish I saw you enough.”

With a talented team behind the boards, it’s not surprising that the backdrop is sweet; it sounds and feels like alt-R&B or pop. In addition to the chorus, the lyrics are effective, selling a theme of L-O-V-E.

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: July 2021
• 11 Terrific AWAY Songs

As Ivory continues, it seems to grow more and more personal. 🎵 “Waiting on You” runs only two-and-a-half minutes in duration but reveals plenty. From the start, Omar addresses misconceptions: “Handsome and tall, my baby / They think he gets all the ladies / If you were there then you would know.” In the second verse, there’s more objectification, but clearly, from a queerer angle: “Buff and his skin looks gorgeous / How could someone ignore this / We took a trip down a new road…” “Waiting on You” is incredibly thought-provoking.  Follow-up  🎵 “Petrified” is equally intriguing.  “Thinking of you more each day / I’m thinking ‘bout all the words you say to me,” Apollo sings, once more raising questions.  Again, he’s in a vulnerable spot, one where love and infatuation have him feeling some type of way.  The poetic nature of the lyrics is moving (“He said an angel came down and gave him a melody”).

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“Personally”

By the time 🤩 🎵 “Personally” came along, I started questioning if Omar should consider picking up the tempo.  Then, I heard the beauty and the vulnerability he unleashed with this ballad.  The love he once experienced seems so beautiful and relatable: “Remember when you told me that I ain’t lonely? You used to hold me / You always was the one to make up reasons quick / And I would be the one to believe in it.” Of course, the relationship ultimately doesn’t work – it’s complicated: “Don’t take this personally / I just can’t be the person you need / What we got ain’t working for me.” Whatever experience that Omar continues to reference on Ivory has truly affected him deeply.  “Personally” is a prime example.  With 🎵 “En El Olvido”, Ivory gets a fine, needed change of pace.  The big story is that Omar Apollo sings exclusively in Spanish, a nice nod to his heritage.  I love his tone of voice – it’s incredibly expressive and deeply invested.  What’s the situation and theme here? More of the same. Oh, the plight of love! 

“Bitch, this Tamagotchi…” Yes, Omar Apollo references a toy in 🤩 🎵 “Tamagotchi”. On this 🎛 The Neptunes produced joint, Apollo has ample swagger.  The fresh factor and groove go next level.  Adding to that freshness is this young, fearless Omar, who sings in both Spanish and English. “Quiere ese Louis Vuitton / Uh, no me dej en paz con ese cabrón, con ese cabrón,” he sings at the beginning of the first verse, compellingly. Woo! Sure, he references that child’s toy, but he also brags about drip (“Bitch, I’m making bread”), his artistry (“Sound like Pavarotti”), and sex (“Your body is on me, you touching up on me / We cum at the same time”).  Basically, for Omar, life is G-O-O-D.  The only rub – he hasn’t seen his babe “in months or more” and, he “ain’t tryna front no more.” Makes even more sense in the context of Ivory than it did as a standalone single. 

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“Can’t Get Over You”

🎵 “Can’t Get Over You” needs no further explanation: “Can’t get over you / Your skin feels like a planet / When I kiss you, I could just die.” The minute-long record leads to arguably the crème de la crème of Ivory, 🤩 🎵 “Evergreen.”  The intro of this soulful, heartbroken record says it all: “He don’t love / Me no more.” Most of Ivory has focused on a relationship that Apollo has been part of with another man and the various ways it’s affected him.  “Evergreen” might be the biggest moment, as he can’t get him and apparently, the rejection off his mind. “Evergreen, he controls me / Was there something wrong with my body?” he asks in the first verse.  In the second verse, more light is shed: “She don’t know you like me / She could never love you more / More than me.” It’s interesting as Apollo has previously sung about this with 🎵 “Stayback” and 🎵 “Bi Fren” from 💿 Apolonio.  Is he potentially singing about the same situation where the guy chose a girl over him? Regardless, this situation has hurt him tremendously: “Evergreen, he tears me to pieces.” Nobody wants to see this incredibly gifted, handsome man in pain, but at the same time, his pain on “Evergreen” is our listening pleasure.  Oh, the schadenfreude of it all!

Right up to the end, Ivory continues to shine. On the penultimate record 🤩 🎵 “Bad Life,” he taps 🎙 Kali Uchis for the assist. Having previously collaborated with Uchis (🎵 “Hey Boy” from 💿 Apolonio), their chemistry is utterly superb.  Clearly, in the context of Ivory, “Bad Life” is post-love with Apollo emphasizing his ex is, well, living a bad life.  He asserts his own selfishness, but also states, “But I can’t help but think you lust me.” Woo! 🎵 “Mr. Neighbor” closes Ivory enigmatically. Apollo seems to be in an odd spot, confused.  He asserts he wants to be alone, then, he doesn’t, and then, he wants “Mr. Neighbor” to see him get wild… It’s an intriguing way to cap off this debut album.

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Final Thoughts 💭 

Omar Apollo kills it on Ivory.  This, my friends, is how you do a debut album! Apollo allows his versatility to shine, singing, rapping, and throwing Spanish into the mix too.  Furthermore, he fearlessly navigates emotions, love, and sexuality, serving up something authentic and to many, relatable.  I always believed in Omar since first reading about him and hearing his music. After Ivory, I believe in him even more.  He’s the real deal!

🤩 Gems 💎: “Talk,” “Invincible,” “Killing Me,” “Go Away,” “Personally,” “Tamagotchi,” “Evergreen” & “Mr. Neighbor”

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🎙 Omar Apollo • 💿 Ivory • 🏷 Warner • 🗓 4.8.22

[📷: Warner]

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