Son Little In-Studio

Son Little is the stage name of the musician and singer Aaron Livingston. Livingston made his debut with hip-hop eminences The Roots, collaborated with the producer RJD2 on a project called Icebird, and produced an EP for the legendary R&B gospel singer Mavis Staples. Now recording as Son Little, he has come out with his first solo album, also called “Son Little.” It’s full of gorgeous, bluesy, one-of-a-kind soul. Livingston wrote, sang, and performed nearly every instrument on the record. So it’s fitting that he arrived in Studio 360 with nothing but an acoustic guitar.

Watch Son Little perform “O Mother” live for Studio 360 below.

Kurt Andersen: When you were growing up, your father was a preacher in Hollis, Queens, famous as an epicenter of hip-hop. Then you left for Princeton, New Jersey — which doesn’t seem like a crucible for bluesy soul and R&B.

Son Little: No, I suppose not. But I think the gap in culture between those two places maybe was uniquely suited to produce whatever it is that I’m doing. Even now, there’s a part of me that hasn’t completely reconciled the differences.

Do you remember hearing a song or having an album and thinking this is something I want to do?

There were a number of them. I had a very heavy Hendrix phase — I guess it’s still not over. It’s got strong elements of the blues, it’s rock and roll, it’s jazz, it’s R&B.

I read that you wrote “O Mother” thinking about the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner last year.

That was part of it. We were traveling in France. I failed to prepare my cell phone for the trip, so I was disconnected from news. And I was caught off-guard by someone who asked me a question about the protests, and it snapped me back into reality. France has a long history of being accommodating to black Americans and black artists. For me, a lot of the pressure and general tension that I feel at home wasn’t present. And I was suddenly really aware of that.

Bonus Track: “Lay Down”

Video: Son Little performs “O Mother”