Jamila Woods - HEAVN


Jamila Woods
HEAVN
2016
SoundCloud

When you listen to Jamila Woods' solo debut it doesn't feel like something timid or new, instead she is wholly confident in her sound and herself. This makes sense as a Chicago advocate for Black Lives Matter and Young authors Jamila does not shy away from a confrontation. She also doesn't sacrifice her principals for musical gain. Her message remains clear, direct and wholly black. Woods really is not trying to connect with you, or share a common experience instead she wants to show you what it means to be a Black Woman in America.  "VRY BLK" is the siren song of this message and in it Jamila celebrates Her own blackness not in this grandiose fashion but instead in a small personal way showing what a real day feels like. The music of HEAVN has claps, deep bass lines and a flowing quality that blows definition away. It might be world music, it may be R&B but in the end it really doesn't matter because what it is is beautiful. Chicago Hip Hop and R&B has always had a slightly odd bend, more willing to take risks and play with the genre. Kanye, Lupe, Chance the Rapper, BJ the Chicago Kid and now Jamila Woods simply will not be shoe horned by Music Labels or genre expectations. The message of HEAVN is one of protest but it is wrapped up in such a pretty box that you almost forget what a powerful statement Jamila is trying to make, almost.

Jamila's delivery is so sweet throughout the record that even lines like "They want us in Kitchen/Kill our sons with lynchings" are more palpable and less shocking. There is an obvious connection to be drawn with the likes of Eryah Badu and Lauyrn Hill on this record and even those those names are high up in the rafters of the all time greats Jamila Woods is certainly making her case. Even the slower, more love influenced songs and colored with her fierce delivery. Her words and their inflection really matter to her and it makes for something real special. On "LSD" we get a very word heavy verse from Chance The Rapper, something that if major labels were involved probably would not have happened. You also have to respect that Jamila put this out on SoundCloud for free, clearly getting this music out was more important to her than monetary gain. Most of the production duties were handled by oddCouple and the results are a clean and clear mix that is so pleasant on the ears that if the messages were profound this might slowly let you drift to sleep. HEAVN sounds just like the title suggests, heaven, and this should be getting much more attention than it currently is. This is the music that matters, and these are the words that we need in the world. Listen to HEAVN, because it's great, but also listen because it's important.

9.0 out of 10

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