I have a particular interest in Bilal. I'm not exactly sure where it came from, or how it started, but I do know that every time I hear this man sing, I feel like he's strumming my pain with his fingers. "Cake and Eat It Too" is the perfect description of such a feeling, as well as an opener for this album. The heart is fickle, which therefore causes us to think of our own personal desires in a selfish mindset. We all do it. We tend to have that moment where we say we want to put ourselves first and others behind. This thought is exactly what Bilal touches on when he says "Oh I...just can't do it again...You want your cake and eat it too..." Most of us can relate to him when he is talking about giving in to our own selfishness that we tend to ignore others or consequences of our decisions. The album continues the theme of self evaluation and thought in the track "All Matter", which is a discussion about how much we are all the same at the core, but different by experiences. It is not a secret that we all want to achieve happiness and success, but it is our circumstances that causes us to approach life different. This mindset remains throughout the rest of the album in such songs as "Who Are You", "Move On", "Think it Over", and "Robots". There are no features on this album, which means that the listener gets a one hundred percent raw deal Bilal. Personally, I dig that.
There are three songs that stand out to me most on this album, each of which provoke a different emotion and cause me to think about different aspects of myself. The first song "Flying" is a story of a young lady in search of love and placement. The song begins with a inside look at a childhood that was full of abuse and neglect. The song follows the young lady throughout adulthood, still in search of what she feels is missing and never being able to find it. The second song, "Levels", may just be that track that takes me to a whole different place. With its electronically charged melody, the surge that comes through the speakers is powerful. "Now...how long will you say...we are in the same place...there's got to be more levels..." The thought of wanting more out of your situation and the deserving of such is what comes to mind. Not settling for average or knowing that you can have more is the premise that I took from it. My third favorite track and possibly the most emotional would be "Little One". The song is naked, as Bilal sings an open letter to his autistic son. "They say it's gonna take a miracle to bring you back again...They say there's nothing they can do. But I'm not the only one who see the possibility in you...You know your mama sees it too. No matter what it takes...I'll make sure that you're fine..." Embracing his child beyond his circumstances and showing him the love from a father is heartwarming. If before, you could not feel Bilal on any level, this particular song is a tear jerker. The listener is compelled to empathize with Bilal, not because he is in a situation that may seem hopeless, but because of his decision to fight for his son. If that's not real love, I'm not sure what is.
Overall, this album is dope. There really are not other words to describe someone who is able to pour their emotions on vinyl without the presence of fear. Bilal's Airtight's Revenge is a release of passion, inhibitions, and transparency. If this is the kind of awesomeness he produces when life grabs hold of him, I hope it never lets him go.
