Fantastic Negrito
Lyle Owerko
Fantastic Negrito is the stage name for singer, guitarist, songwriter and roots musician Xavier Dphrepaulezz, who works off of an electric blues base with a strong backbeat and rock type guitar riffs along the lines of Jack White and Gary Clark Jr. He started as an artist more closely aligned with traditional blues, and then brought rock into more prominence in his second album, The Last Days of Oakland. Afterwards, he continued to open the doors wider, letting a good amount of R&B, soul, gospel, and some funk, with a dash of occasional hip-hop in. All this led to a naturally amalgamated blending of American musical traditions that use blues as its base not entirely unlike Prince. Comparisons between the two artists are not totally unwarranted by the way. Negrito is a skilled songwriter who provides solid hooks, melodies that stand out, and lyrics that actually say something.
