When a somber singer takes the stage, you don’t expect them to come equipped with the quick witted banter and spring of a ringtone-era rapper, which is exactly Tolliver’s steez.
He took the Cake Shop’s stage behind a thin shield of hesitation, flushed out instantly by the rushing instrumentals. Tolliver’s timid announcement of “here’s a song for you” was superseded by his wild performance of “Mo” that mixed the vocal prowess of a seasoned singer with the hyper energetic ad-libs of Young Thug.
Tolliver’s style is a recipe containing all of the best bits from popular music today, which when mixed, ironically, manifests into a rather unorthodox sound. His vocal work has impressive range, and the transitions from falsetto blips to low growls are so ridiculously smooth that they give Tolliver’s music a special swing, accentuated by the off-kilter beats.
His performance was really solid, reflecting his recorded tracks perfectly. However there’s something special about Tolliver’s voice in the way it carries in the echoes of a venue, making his performance something you have to catch live. His high notes carry like well executed reverb, and when swinging through on the bass, Tolliver’s punchy delivery leaves a mark on the crowd.
Tolliver’s most definitely a dude to check out live. Make sure to take a look at his soundcloud below
