Devon Gilfillian - Time Will Tell

Devon Gilfillian's fourth album, with its title, symbolism, and certain lyrics here and there, might seem trite and heavy-handed on the surface. On the contrary, it's put forth with full conviction and resonates deeper with each play, revealing nuances that make it more than merely another statement on temporality and heartbreak. Time Will Tell rather artfully reflects the impossible quest of finding a perfect balance between making the most of your time (because life is too short) and disregarding the clock for the sake of slowing down (because life is too much). "Glad to Be Here" was not among the singles released ahead of the album, and though it isn't representative in a purely musical sense -- Gilfillian is at his gentlest and sparest -- the ballad is central. 

It opens with the singer softly and woundedly confessing, "Been such a long time since I've felt ease/Letting my worries fall like leaves," and ends with a message from his father, a heart attack survivor, checking in from a tranquil outdoor setting with "It's good to be here." That song immediately follows Gilfillian's lowest emotional moment, "Black Dog Rabbit Hole," a Death Valley Stone Temple Pilots rocker (with a dash of blues) where he throws up his hands and alludes to self-medication. It's no doubt connected to the romantic regret, frustration, and longing he relates through much of the set -- the twinkling and bittersweet soul ballad "Moonflower," the galloping "Hold On (Hourglass)," the pacifying "You Can Hate Me Now" (a duet with Madeline Edwards), and so on. Gilfillian and his fellow producers and writers make abrupt changes in mood, energy, and style navigable somehow. There's no whiplash effect from a sequence that moves from a geeked-up pop-soul tune ("Let's Stop Fucking Around") to a twisting Afrobeat jam ("Keep On Movin'") to a resolute piano ballad ("Some Days"). AllMusicGuide