On its first compilation, Buds Volume 1, Chicago label Rosebud Allday showcases the talent of its roster and its friends from the local scene. Founded in 2018 by Bill Ocean and producer Jayson “Jsun” Rose, Rosebud Allday specializes in the overlap of pop, hip-hop, and R&B; its sunny sounds recall Chicago neosoul groups such as the Social Experiment and the O’My’s or the early work of Los Angeles collective Odd Future (minus the menace). The label operates a recording studio in Ravenswood that’s temporarily closed due to COVID-19, and the ten-track Buds compilation is intended as both a stopgap release and an introduction for the uninitiated. Wyatt Waddell’s “If I Don’t Want You” pairs the singer’s falsetto flirting with up-tempo Stevie Wonder-inspired keys, while Blake Davis’s “Persuade Me” features a busy hip-hop beat that chops up string flourishes, horn stings, and vocal phrases. Not all the songs are high energy: Drea the Vibe Dealer goes for something more minimal on “Aline,” building the track from little more than distorted guitar and lethargic drum programming. A few cuts feel like they would’ve been released in different forms if the collective hadn’t been forced into isolation: Jsun Rose’s hip-hop instrumental “Strange Times,” which features trumpeter Sam Veren and producer Lil Smoke, seems incomplete, like it needs a striking vocalist such as Waddell or squeaking rapper Manny 10x (also a Rosebud Allday artist). But while Buds sometimes feels sketchy, it’s more than the sum of its parts; it’s a compelling gateway to the label’s sound, and the way it re-creates the mellow high of sitting in on a crowded jam session is especially welcome while the Rosebud Allday studio can’t safely reopen. v
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