When IVORY, the debut studio album from Indiana-raised singer-songwriter Omar Apollo, took pop and R&B by storm on the strength of songs like the breakthrough hit “Evergreen (You Didn’t Deserve Me At All),” a question quickly arose amid the acclaim and awestruck surrounding the project: Where does he go from here? The answer: God Said No, a many-sided collection of vivid testimonies on an R&B vessel flying over genre classifications in search of the revelation that is Omar Apollo, the trailblazer. Luckily for everyone, he comes out on the other end as a calm and collected artist who bears his soul like a hand reaching out to guide through emotional minefields.

Besides overcoming the sophomore slump and staking a claim for one of the most exciting singer-songwriters working today, Omar has already embarked on his world tour, with dates in LA at the Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 5, Santa Barbara at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Oct. 8, and San Diego at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park on Oct. 11.

Big Time Sensuality and Sentimentality

Even on the album’s grandest heart-wrenchers, there’s an equal amount of mourning and seducing, a fitting balance that allows listeners to see their own feelings reflected back from the tracklist. The album opener, “Be Careful With Me,” falls between the two sides of sensuality and sentimentality, capturing Omar desperately pleading to a romantic interest to treat him with care. In a similar fashion, his defeated voice on “Life’s Unfair” adds to the nuanced take on religion getting in the way of fully embracing your sexuality, an underlying theme of God Said No. However, there’s still a sense that he’s singing out of distraught love and carnal desire, blessing the track with the ability to be read as a confession or a slow seduction fueled by the dance-driven production.

Heartbreak on a Wide Spectrum

As made crystal clear in lead single “Spite,” heartbreak is more than just a seemingly bottomless pit of sorrow for Omar, who shows his teeth while exposing the heart on his sleeve. To coincide with the many emotions sliding from one end to another as if on a hospital weighing scale, Omar goes from genre to genre, demonstrating his capability to convey his thoughts and feelings over any sonic texture. While “Against Me” is a trap-infused R&B vent, “Less of You” unpacks the need for closure over a heavy synth line straight out of the early 80s. In other words, there’s no shortage of sounds at his disposal that he makes all his own

“Done With You” proudly declares, “Sometimes love don’t make it right,” to lush arrangements burgeoning with life, much like the new life that awaits Omar. In addition to featuring the album’s catchiest chorus, the song is a shining example of Omar’s songwriting and genre prowess, backed by a sonic feast full of percussion, strings, guitar, and angelic vocals blowing through each instrument like a cool, sunny breeze.

Finding Inner Peace from Fragility

Despite the underlying “Empty” feeling prominent in Omar’s wailing voice, perseverance remains the core takeaway from the album. Each time he gets hurt in the pursuit of love, he grows closer to his true identity, an evolution coinciding with the constant experimentation and complex takeaways born out of each experience. The swelling string section on the earthy duet “Plane Trees” featuring Mustafa finds love in the ground, rising to a climactic vocal breakdown that could rival the emotional highs of Frank Ocean’s Blonde. “Glow” also uses trees and coal to capture the suffocating weight of a relationship’s fallout over the crumbling weight of a grand piano and harrowing synth beds, signaling a potentially brighter future.

Among the varying levels of love and hate heard in full on God Said No, Omar has truly transformed as an artist above all else. Similar to the “past life” he sings about on “Drifting,” we had yet to be acquainted with his self-assured, daring side. The side where the songwriting is on another plane of existence compared to his already strong, humble bedroom-pop beginnings, and the production is nothing short of immaculate. It’s a fool’s errand to wonder how he can top himself, so instead, it’s safe to declare God Said No as an answer to our prayers above all expectations.

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Words: David Sosa

Visit Omar Apollo on his website and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tickets to his upcoming tour.

Omar Apollo 2024 Tour:

8/20 – Indianapolis, IN @ Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park  
8/21 – Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre 
8/23 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island 
8/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ Skyline Stage at The Mann 
9/3 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion 
9/4 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage 
9/6 – Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion
9/7 – Forest Hills, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium 
9/10 – Cincinnati, OH @ The ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park
9/11 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater  
9/13 – Charlotte, NC @ Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre 
9/14 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park 
9/16 – Miami, FL @ FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park
9/17 – Orlando, FL @ Orlando Amphitheater 
9/19 – Houston, TX @ The Lawn at White Oak Music Hall 
9/21 – Austin, TX @ Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park
9/22 – Irving (Dallas), TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory 
9/24 – Bentonville, AR @ The Momentary 
9/26 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre 
9/29 – Vancouver, BC @ Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
10/1 – Seattle, WA @ WAMU Theater
10/2 – Troutdale, OR @ McMenamins Edgefield  
10/4 – Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre 
10/5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl 
10/8 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl 
10/10 – Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheatre 
10/11 – San Diego, CA @ The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park