Tom Krell, better known by his stage name How to Dress Well, is an American singer-songwriter from Chicago. He, primarily, has an alternative R&B sound, like a lo-fi, less sexual (but a no less talented) version of Trey Songz. How to Dress Well also has more ambient, electronic influences, which, when combined with his soothing, melodic voice, comes to form a really entrancing listening experience.
How to Dress Well has been active since 2009 and has released four EPs and three LPs (although many of his EPs, aside from the "Just Once" EP, are murder to find on YouTube). His style has remained generally consistent throughout his discography, although I would say that his earlier works such as "Love Remains" are more electronically influenced, with a greater focus on instrumental melodies and ambience as Tom Krell unintelligibly sings in the background, albeit soothingly, while his latter and most commercially successful release thus far, "What Is This Heart?" still maintains the R&B sound, but has a greater emphasis on vocals and lyrics while presenting calm instrumentals. This last release also seems to draw from a greater base of influences and also sees a greater variety of instruments used throughout the album.
While there may exist some subtle differences between the focus of instrumentals throughout the discography of How to Dress Well, all of it is exceptional, whether it serves a more central focus or a melodic accompaniment to Tom Krell's soothing voice. The instrumentals draw on a wide array of influences, though. While it keeps a general feeling of lo-fi R&B, there also remains this calming synth in the background of most of his songs that makes all the songs have a dream-like quality to them. In his more recent releases, he draws upon a greater variety of these influences including those of folk and has a more varied array of instrumentals, as they are not all ambient as was the case with most of his previous songs but are instead a take on the more traditional r&b sound but with more of an indie and orchestral approach.
Joining such well-crafted instrumentals is Tom Krell's sweet, sweet voice, as it was practically made for R&B. He's got a nice falsetto and exercises great control in his pitch. While he may not have the most powerful voice, he has a great range and so, aside from knowing how to dress pretty darn well, he can also sing pretty well, so be sure to check him out if you're looking for a great lo-fi R&B sound in your music library.
