H.O.M.B. (EP) - Mia Delamar (R&B) Mia Delamar makes a splash with EP “H.O.M.B.”, featuring four cuts destined for R&B charts and playlists. A talent o watch out for, Mia delivers a fresh take on a nostalgic and classic R&B sound and makes us hungry for an LP. No skips on this one. Let’s dive in.

An Atlanta native, 25 year-old Mia Delamar’s project details the nuances of love in the modern age, ranging from quiet storm R&B gems to upbeat pop crossovers. She names her influences as MIssy Elliot, Aaliyah and Mary J Blige. We’d like to add to that list. Let’s start with the overall sound and production.

H.O.M.B. is an immaculately produced record, and the influences of late 90s/00s R&B is clear, refreshing and very welcomed by this blog. Grounded in that genre, the tracks remind us of other modern evocations like the Mariah Carey “Caution” album, or any of the latest projects from Jasmine Sullivan. While each song certainly has its own identity, we’re dealing mostly with the 808s, crisp trap drums and swirling soulful synths and keys that you’d expect. As to Mia’s voice, her talent rests not only in her range and delivery, but in her variations. At times she’s gentle, reminding us of Nivea or Brandy, and at other times punchy and belty in a Keri Hilson kind of way. The sound of the record also reminded us a lot of deeply underappreciated NAO with a dash of early Ariana Grande.

We kick off with “Complicated”, a sultry slow burn that brings a Nivea flow to a Jasmine Sullivan kinda cut. Mia introduces her honey drenched voice on this, with an understated production centered mostly around a plucky guitar and synth swells, allowing Mia to take center stage. In fact, throughout Mia is never lost in the production—she’s always the star.

“Say That” picks things up and is sure to get you out to the dance floor. The retro vibe is prominent and Mia is S I N G I N G over the punctuation of claps, leaving the sultriness behind for a strong belt and some Mariah worthy runs into the rafters. The track itself gives us early 00s/10s Keri Hilson and Christina Milian. Dip it low to this one.

Next up, we get our absolute favorite track, “Whatever.” This is where we get the most “Caution” album. It’s extremely sing-along-able and there’s just something we can’t put our finger on—there’s just magic in this one. The vocal layering, melody and verby adlibs that feature throughout the EP seem to come together here, which actually reminds us a bit of early Ariana (think “The Way” era). This is the hit.

Finally, title track “H.O.M.B.” closes the project, standing for “hands on my body.” Tight hats provide the drive to this, and the lyrics make the track prime for social media sampling (“i’m not a popstar, but i’m a rockstar”). Are we in store for a “H.O.M.B.” challenge?

We listen to a lot of music here at this blog, and we are always particularly drawn to the R&B projects that respect what’s come before. So for us, Mia hits our sweet spot, and these tracks are now on constant rotation over here as we anticipate a follow-up LP. Mia is a star, and we stan.