Odelet channels spirit & soul on a genre-bending record, "Raindance"
With Raindance, Detroit-born and California-based singer-songwriter Odelet proves once again that she occupies her own celestial lane in modern music. Released on July 11th, 2025, this fourth studio album is a genre-dissolving, deeply personal, and sonically spellbinding collection that glides effortlessly between contemporary R&B, ethereal pop, modern jazz, and experimental soul.
From the first few moments, Raindance announces itself as a work of striking atmosphere and intention. Odelet’s vocals, a thing of weightless, angelic beauty, hover delicately over arrangements built on rich piano chords, hypnotic percussion, and subtle waves of shimmering synth textures. She doesn’t sing so much as cast spells with her voice — airy, spiritual, and moving with an emotional clarity that feels both ancient and of-the-moment.
What makes this album remarkable isn’t just its sound, though that alone would be enough to set it apart. It’s the way Raindance feels like a fully realized world unto itself. Mixed entirely in analog by the legendary Larry Crane, the record carries a warmth and textural depth that’s become a rarity in the digital age. Every drum hit lands with intention, every piano line ripples through the mix like a quiet storm, and each layered harmony feels hand-placed rather than programmed.
Odelet herself performed nearly all the instrumentation on this album — a staggering feat considering its lush, multi-dimensional arrangements. There’s an intimacy to knowing that the hands playing the keys are the same ones writing the lyrics, and it seeps through every corner of Raindance. The production never rushes, often leaning into space and restraint, allowing each element to breathe and bloom in its own time.
Genre tags actually become useless here. At moments, Raindance feels like an experimental neo-soul record. In others, it flirts with minimalist jazz, ghostly ambient pop, and even the avant-garde classical flourishes of artists like Alice Coltrane or Beverly Glenn-Copeland. Yet it all coheres under Odelet’s vision — a testament to her fearless curiosity and unwavering sense of self.
Even at its jazziest or most experimental, Raindance never feels indulgent. It’s meticulously crafted but never overworked, a balance of precision and emotion. The analog mix only deepens this effect, giving the album a tactile, lived-in feel as though you could almost hear the room it was recorded in, the brush of fingers on piano keys, the air between vocal takes.
Raindance isn’t an album that chases trends or radio rotation. It’s an artist in full command of her voice and vision, offering a work that rewards patient, immersive listening. It’s a record made for late-night headphones, candle-lit living rooms, and moments when you need music to be something more than entertainment.
Even better, there’s a “Dub” version a la the 1970’s that’s being release in accompaniment with the record as well! It’s called “Raindance in Dub” and will be available for you to enjoy as well. Do yourselves a favor and check out both, listen up, follow along, and stay tuned for more!
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