Hi, everyone. Weoothony Weootano here, the internet's busiest music nerd. It's time for a review of this new EP from Gabriel Jacoby, gutta child.

Okay, here we have a debut EP from singer and songwriter Mr. Gabriel Jacoby, who is just now getting out there, so we don't have a super deep back catalog to dig into here. He is built up to this EP drop with an array of singles that he's been dropping over the past few years. He is putting this EP out through Pulse Records, and I think this project is a very impressive start, even though we have essentially been given a very scant eight tracks in 20 minutes of run time here. This is definitely proof you can do a lot in just a little bit of time, because basically what we get on these eight songs is a lot of booming, groovy funk and soul with big bass, big drums, a little acoustic guitar, touches of brass and keys on certain tracks too. The occasional bit of Southern stank as well on some tracks like "same sign" and "hello." On top of all of that, of course, we have Gabriel's buttery smooth vocals.

He's got a killer falsetto, too, with a little rasp on it. His talk song vocal lines hit as well on this record, as low key as they are. There's a bit of a rap flair to them, I would say. Now, Gabriel's sound, his songwriting on this thing, is most definitely going to get some D'Angelo comparisons. The final moments of "the one" even bring some Stevie Wonder vibes to the table, too, I would say. But by that same token, the build of these song structures and the way the production is assembled, it's very snappy. It's very direct, like a pop or R&B track. Occasionally, it feels like groups such as Black Street or even Justin Timberlake might be a little bit of a reference point. So yeah, on this EP, I really do think Gabriel is covering a lot of bases, balancing a lot of ideas, creatively and effectively.

Take the opening track, "hello," as just a prime example of that. It is an F-U-N-K-Y funky opener where Gabriel is essentially flirting with some girl that he runs across with a backstory bridge that tells the tale of how he went out to get some cereal and then sidequested here. If the bass and tambourine and "hey, hey" group, vocal combo don't make you instantly get a stank face on, I don't know what to tell you. You have no soul. That is my diagnosis. It is terminal.

After this, we have the title track, which sure, may be on the short side, but the classy horn harmonies and clanking bottle-aided rhythm section sound great and hopefully are just a preview of some of the instrumental ambitions to come as Gabriel grows into further releases out into the future, where, fingers crossed, we get a bit more length.

The song "same sign" wades deeper into funk territory with some squawking electric guitars, freaky falsettos, crisp drums, too. The track doesn't just simply lock into one groove or instrumental loop. There are some surprisingly sharp and amazing changes that go on as we hit the hook. These descending guitar lines as well as very punchy acoustic guitar chords.

I also love the smooth segue that we make into the following track on the album, the much peppier "bootleg," which has touches of harmonica, more clanky percussion. I mean, just the sound of the instrumentation, the chorus on this thing. Gabriel is legit turning out hits. There's also a very over-the-top block party bridge on this track, too. I love how Gabriel and his collaborators can really just continuously pull together these productions that sound so organic, sound so natural, like you're listening to a full band or something like that, but then make these transitions into much dancier, groovier, radio friendly passages too, that are clearly woven together in the multi track like a real chart topper.

The final moments on this EP continue to deliver quality. We have the lovely "baby," which shows that Gabriel can definitely jump into an R&B wavelength with lyrics and emotions that dig beyond the, "I'm going to hit on you and basically throw a line at you" swagger of the opening track. "The one" as well delves more into more substantive feelings around love and attraction, with Gabriel singing, hitting some Al Green-like peaks here and there, I'll say.

Then the ending, "be careful," in my opinion, is just a beautiful send-off. I mean, between the refrains of "this world ain't going to be here long," as well as these swells of electric guitar and piano and flute, we're talking about playing and songwriting here that is just like, wise beyond its years.

But yeah, this thing is just, again, an endlessly groovy, catchy, flavorful, funky, spicy, sensual, fun EP from a dude who is not just bringing potential out of the gate. Like, these tracks, this project on its own is great. The only thing that I would want from it is just more. Again, at 20 minutes and eight tracks, it does leave me hanging a little bit and leaves me wondering how far Gabriel can take it from here.

But right now at this early stage, Gabriel is definitively a young dude who is just killing it, which is why I am feeling pretty much a strong 8 on this thing.

Anthony Fantano, Gabriel Jacoby, forever.