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Here’s the thing about Diggs Duke: Listening to him speak, you get a strong sense he doesn’t know just how good he is. That, or the Southwest D.C. musician is very nonchalant about the grand soul he creates and the impact it has on people.
During an interview on WLVS’ Funkadelic Freestyles this June, the singer/producer shrugged through his answers like his art is no big deal. He’s just a guy messing around with some instruments. No sweat.
Yet his music is far from basic. Duke’s recently released EP—The Upper Hand and Other Grand Illusions—riffs on intense love and the power struggles in relationships. It’s a smoky suite of arcane R&B that recalls 2000s D’Angelo (yeah, I said it). And while it offers just a cursory glimpse into Duke’s sound, Upper Hand is a great way to spend 14 minutes. Not the best way, of course.
Stream The Upper Hand and Other Grand Illusions after the jump.