(March 26, 2022) Bojidar “TromBobby” Vasilev’s story is yet another one that speaks to the universal appeal of R&B and soul music. A classically trained trombonist who studied jazz trombone at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, TromBobby is a native of Bulgaria and is a part of that country’s R&B, soul, and instrumental hip-hop scene. Let those locations roll around in your head for a minute – Amsterdam, Sofia, Bulgaria. These are not the cities and countries that come to mind when thinking of European hotbeds of R&B music. Yet, TromBobby developed a love of R&B music and hip-hop beats, which played a prominent role – along with his trombone playing – on his 2018 album, Run.
TromBobby flipped it 180 for his upcoming project, Pause Vol. 1, which has more of a 1970s soul-funk/neo-soul vibe. That album is due to drop on April 22, but we have the lead single, “Longing (feat. Jermaine Holmes). “Longing” is a quiet storm ballad propelled by Holmes’ buttery tenor that takes flights of fancy into falsetto range. The track is also funky, driven by a bass line that’s got some sho’ nuff on the one smoothness. That bass line serves as the ideal bottom for Holmes’ vocal and TromBobby’s jazz inflections on his instrument of choice.
The song’s title is a sensual bit of truth in advertising as it hints to the song’s theme about a man barely contained desire to be holding, kissing and sharing the same space with the object of his desire. The story of Europeans who fall hard for the sound of 1970s soul is an oft repeated one. Artists like TromBobby have a deep appreciation for classic soul, and he found the ideal vocalist in Holmes when he decided to make a record like “Longing.”
The New Jersey born Holmes has a background that is recognizable. He grew up singing in the Baptist church of his grandfather as a four-year-old, gone on to be lead singer for several bands and shared stages with mainstream and independent artist. Now, he collaborates with TromBobby on the slow jam “Longing.” Check it out here.
By Howard Dukes
TromBobby feat Jermaine Holmes
“Longing”
