In the early morning hours of Mardi Gras day last year in New Orleans, I woke up to find a new release by Bay Area artist 1-O.A.K. sitting in my inbox. Though I didn't get the chance to listen to it that day, I made it a point to check it out later. While I was late to the party, I was more than happy that I arrived at all when I finally got around to giving Special Request a spin nearly a month later. The Honor Roll Crew cohort's refreshing brand of R&B effortlessly straddled the line between classic and contemporary, with songs such as "Stay With Me," "Homerun" and "High Roller" and made me an instant fan. If you happened to be later than I was to 1-O.A.K.'s musical party than have no fear. He's re-releasing the self-produced album February 12th (incidentally on Fat Tuesday, yet again) on Amazon (and available on iTunes February 14th). Special Request: Deluxe Edition will include the same 13 songs that appeared on the original, in addition to three bonus tracks. The second-time around, he uses the single "Me & You" as his means of reintroduction. Though "Stay With Me" is my absolute favorite from the album, "Me & You" still provides a great example of the type of grooves and crystal clear vocals 1-O.A.K. is working with. And judging by the snippets featured on Amazon the three new tracks that the album round out only further heightens my anticipation what to expect on future releases. But don't take my word for it, check out "Me & You" and let us know what you think.
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