Son Little - Aloha [Pineapple]

Aloha is Son Little's warmest and most unguarded record, the 2020 album from the Philadelphia singer-songwriter, pressed here on pineapple colored vinyl.

Aaron Livingston wrote these songs in just eight days after a hard drive failure wiped out his earlier demos, and for the first time he handed the controls to an outside producer, Renaud Letang, known for his work with Feist and Manu Chao. They recorded at Studios Ferber in Paris, giving his gritty blend of soul, blues and old-school R&B a rich, analogue glow.

"Hey Rose" arrived early as a single, a sweet, easy-rolling groove with a hook that sticks. "Suffer" is rawer and more searching, while "Belladonna" and "O Clever One" lean into slow-burning, late-night soul that shows off the gentler, more vulnerable side of his voice.

Beneath the warm production, the songs wrestle with heavy subjects: self-destructive habits, grief, addiction and fear for the future. Yet the mood is never hopeless. Letting go, the album suggests, can be its own kind of strength, and he delivers that message with real tenderness.

For fans of vintage soul with a modern, introspective streak, this is a beautifully crafted listen, and the pineapple vinyl adds a fittingly sunny touch to a record that finds light in hard places.