Porn Editor By Day, Erotic Alt R&B Singer By Night, Tolliver Releases "I Gotchu"

“If I had dollars I would pay your bills, I would drop out of college,” sung in a smooth, crispy-clear, Gospel vocal tone is all you need to hear within the first 20 seconds of “I Gotchu,” in order for the beautifully talented Tolliver to get the immediate attention of your listening ears, send a shiver down your spine and ensure that you will stay to enjoy the rest his newest effort until the end. Whilst Tolliver uses his head voice to the best of his ability in Verse 1, another vocal section is sung under his lead, so many octaves down from the tonic key of his beautiful melody in order to cleverly add a bass line that it gives you the impression that this will be an acapella track, until the chorus kicks in with very fuzzy, space-like synths and a saxophone similarly produced to the solo part performed in Martin Grech’s “Tonight.” The last time we heard a saxophone played on mainstream radio was when Katy Perry showcased one on her famous 2011 Pop single “Last Friday Night (TGIF),” so it’s very refreshing for ROUGH to hear this instrument after a long period of no one giving it the time of the day, and to end this unexpectedly, breath-taking section of “I Gotchu,” Tolliver sings adlibs in a more Operatic style, leading us into the second verse nicely.

Lyrics like “rent a car for the weekend, spend my pay cheque on wine” wreaks of loving desperation because, whilst the singer has insightfully put himself into the shoes of his brother and his failed marriage, as confirmed by the artist himself, he has also delivered these lyrics in such a powerfully emotional way that you can almost feel the pleading, the longing and most importantly…the pain in his vocal tones. On first listen, due to the occasional sensuality of his voice, you assume that these materialistic “words” he uses to keep his lover happy maybe sexual metaphors, until you watch the surreal music video, which reveals the singer in a dark room, singing directly to the camera up until Verse 2 where the room falls apart and he is seen in an outdoor location, adding more and more layers of clothing on, from a black vest to a full outfit, whilst walking down the street, none of which are sexually-themed at all. Confetti and a white shirt are randomly thrown at him leading up to the song’s finale, which ends with Tolliver sitting on a wall, with a gold crown on his head, and a microphone in his hand. It is a strange, yet intriguing visual, that Tolliver explained “is about living a low life and making it look glamorous,” hence his sombre nature in the music video.

Tolliver has most certainly joined the new wave of Alternative, Gospel acts, such as Serpent With Feet, with this interesting number which is appealing because of its’ simple yet effective music production, but also because it is a definite showcase of his vocal range and various styles that leave you wondering what musical elements will be on his next release. Either way, ROUGH is very impressed with “I Gotchu,” and highly recommend you stream it now.