Ears Wide Open: Loren Oden

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Loren Oden (Photo by The Artform Studio)

Silky-smooth soul singer Loren Oden has been a featured vocalist for the Adrian Younge/Ali Shaheed Muhammad ensemble the Midnight Hour as well as Younge’s own excursions into psychedelic R&B. Oden finally gets his name in the spotlight on May 1 with the release of his debut album “My Heart, My Love” via Linear Labs.

It’s all about romance for the Compton-bred artist, who debuted today with the release of the first single “Is There a Way,” inspired by his reconnecting with an old flame. Here, his airy voice and cooed “ooh baby” are slightly reminiscent of the classic Smokey Robinson & the Miracles tune, as Younge’s production and orchestration give the song wings.

“This album is an amalgamation of my life in love: the ups, the downs, the good, the bad and the heartbreak,” Oden said in today’s announcement. “I strive to be transparent in my songwriting and I hope that the listener can hear and feel all the emotions that I’ve poured into this album.”

Younge directs the intimate video for the tune.

||| Watch: The video for “Is There a Way”