Leslie Odom Jr. indulges in the thrill of love and lust on his new single “Go Crazy,” a frisky soul-pop frenzy full of charisma and electric energy.
Stream: “Go Crazy” – Leslie Odom Jr.
When desire gets ahold of us, anything can happen – and so we hold on tight and brace for impact. Leslie Odom Jr. indulges in the thrill of love and lust on his new single “Go Crazy,” a frisky soul-pop frenzy full of charisma and electric energy.
She walk like New Orleans
She’s sexy and free
Something in the water’s got ahold on me
She’s destiny’s daughter, I’m gasping for air
You won’t believe me
You just had to be there
Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee ho
I’m addicted to the thrill
I can’t, I can’t let her go
Heaven help me, I’m so helpless
Think I’m losing my control
I’m so deep under her spell
Oh well…
Few artists can create as theatrical an environment as Odom Jr. does in his music – but then again, few artists house the talent and singular experience as this American multi-hyphenate. Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Go Crazy,” Leslie Odom Jr.’s latest single off his upcoming third album Mr (out November via S-Curve Records). Perhaps best known for playing the original role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway musical Hamilton (which won him the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album), Leslie Odom Jr.’s increasingly exciting career has been studded with moments of exceptionalism and an intrepid spirit. In addition to his sundry film, television, and theatre credits (which began with Rent in the late 1990s), Odom Jr. released his self-titled debut album in 2014 and a jazz holiday record, Simply Christmas, two years later. His earlier music focused heavily on jazz influences, with songs on his debut like “Autumn Leaves,” “Love Look Away,” the delicate “Joey, Joey, Joey” highlighting the expressive quality and impressive range of his gilded voice.
The artist began tearing up the script in 2018 with the guitar-backed “Without You,” an intimate song of heartache and affection dusted with orchestral strings and topped with an emotionally stunning crescendo that seems to suspend time, if only for a moment. He followed that up with the acoustic ballad “What Are We Waiting For,” a duet with his wife, actress and singer Nicolette Robinson.
Last month, Odom Jr. returned to the fore with the falsetto-heavy “Under Pressure,” a rollicking, moody unveiling that marries The Weeknd’s opulent highs with the soulful, spine-tingling crooning of Moses Sumney.
“Go Crazy” marks another drastic sonic and genre shift for the artist, finding him basking in a sultry soundscape of horns blasts and pop pianos, provocative lyrics and nuanced vocalizations. Driven by a mix of keyboards and brass, the track recalls the Lou Bega “Mambo No. 5” era of soul, jazz-infused big bop pop with a Latin influence. Odom Jr. injects his own performative background with a dynamic series of “hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee ho” lines in the bride, a bold flurry that further boosts the song’s theatricality. Ultimately, the artist professes himself and his desires in the chorus’ heart-on-sleeve surrender:
I don’t know how she do
What she do in the dark
I think she put a root
Put a root on my heart
I can’t leave her alone, yeah
She read me like them bones, yeah
Sh-Sh-She Make me go crazy
She make me go crazy
Oo she speaks like sweet tea
Her hips sway like the wind
Through the tree leaves
Her kisses are like coffee-flavored whiskey
I wanna take em in till’ I’m tipsy
Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee ho
I’m addicted to the thrill
I can’t, I can’t let her go
Heaven help me, I’m so helpless
Think I’m losing my control
I’m so deep under her spell
Oh well…
Odom Jr. calls “Go Crazy” a “contemporary, but also a throwback,” describing it as a bow to Cab Calloway and more. “We wanted to make a fun record! It’s a nod to the great band leaders of the ‘30s and ‘40s,” Odom Jr. tells Atwood Magazine.
The new song promises to be a lively standout on a diverse album that – fun fact! – was recorded in a series of sessions held at George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California. Out in November via S-Curve Records (Hailey Knox, AJR), Mr will be Leslie Odom Jr.’s first album of original material and the start of an exciting new phase for this endlessly dazzling artist.
Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee ho, everybody! Stream “Go Crazy” and indulge in love’s euphoric highs with Leslie Odom Jr., exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
I don’t know how she do
What she do in the dark
I think she put a root
Put a root on my heart
I can’t leave her alone, yeah
She read me like them bones, yeah
Sh-Sh-She make me go crazy
She make me go crazy
— —
:: pre-order Mr here ::
Stream: “Go Crazy” – Leslie Odom Jr.
— — — —
Connect to Leslie Odom Jr. on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
? © Jimmy Fontaine
:: Stream Leslie Odom Jr. ::
