Son Little

Under the name Son Little, American musician Aaron Earl Livingston has been developing since the early 2010s a hybrid soul informed by blues, rhythm and blues, and folk, rooted in the Philadelphia scene. After notable collaborations with The Roots and producer RJD2—particularly in the Icebird project—Son Little turned his focus to his own compositions, blending rough-edged guitars, slow grooves, gospel influences and more contemporary textures. The EP “Things I Forgot” (2014) launched this trajectory, followed by his first full-length album, “Son Little” (2015), which established his introspective songwriting and a taste for short, stripped-down formats. He followed with “New Magic” (2017) and “Aloha” (2020), albums in which his hushed vocals explore ranges from minimalist blues to a more psychedelic soul. At the same time, Son Little composes and produces for other artists—most notably Mavis Staples on the EP “Your Good Fortune” (2015)—confirming an aesthetic oriented toward African-American heritage reinterpreted in a decidedly contemporary framework, continued with “Like Neptune” (2022).