I apologize for not updating as often as I should or could. Let me know if there is a certain album I missed since my last post that you'd want me to review and or rate and I'll do it! Tweet me @ayyepeezy
I mean for me,
I’m not one to really
listen to female R&B projects for the simple fact that I can’t relate to
loving a man or hating a man for breaking my heart. And that was a
generalization of what some female R&B singers sing about some of the time.
However, I don’t believe it’s too much of a stretch or an incorrect assumption
either. But there are some women vocalists that sway me to listen to their
music based off subject matter, style, and vocal skill. I’ll listen to Beyoncé…well
because she’s Beyoncé. Jill Scott or Jazmine Sullivan could sing the phonebook
to me and I’d listen contently. Anita Baker or Sade has my full attention
because of their musical style and originality. And that’s where Jhene Aiko
comes in.
I can’t really pin point
exactly the first time I heard her. It might have been on a Drake project or
Big Sean. Maybe even might have been on Kendrick’s Overly Dedicated (Growing
Apart). Whatever song I may have discovered her on enticed me enough to search
for her music. I completed my search by finding mixtape Sailing Souls. I
listened (and finally saw a picture of her) and was hooked from then on.
Earlier this year she released her Sail Out EP which got her some mainstream notoriety
especially with the help of her song The Worst being played on the radio. She’s
not a radio artist. Her music isn’t “radio friendly” if it was being compared
to what’s being played today. Her music is what the radio needs. Her music is
what R&B needs. R&B has lost its emotion. R&B has lost its feeling.
R&B has lost its passion. Aiko’s music embodies all of those things. Her
album Souled Out is a refreshing palate cleanser to all of the borderline rap
R&B that most of us are being forced to listen to.
Souled Out, simply put,
is a good album. It’s like the perfect combination of alternative R&B,
soul, a little folk, and just a touch of Hip-Hop. All the right amounts complement
each other to make the perfect stew of love, heartbreak, triumph, stories,
melodies, emotion, passion, pleasure, thoughtfulness and it’s oh so delicious.
Even with the mainstream success of The Worst she doesn’t stray away from
herself in the music by attempting to recreate a radio mainstay. She made music
for the soul. It’s smooth. Doesn’t hit
too hard. Is just lively enough to keep you attentive and not put you a sleep.
She reminds me of Sade in that way. I don’t really like to make certain
comparisons, but I feel like this is a very accurate one. Listening to the
album all the way through was the first time I realized that she gave me the
same feeling that I get when I listen to Sade. Jhene nor Sade make the most up-tempo
songs, but they both make songs that ride easily and are comfortable without
being sleepy or drowsy…which is difficult. The originality in their sound both
musically and vocally stand them out together for me as well. Although both can
actually sing live and are great performers, I wouldn’t put either in the same
category with vocalists like Jazmine Sullivan, Aretha, or Alicia. They have strange,
lovely, and mesmerizing voices that you can’t really get enough of. Their music
really defies genre labelling too. You can’t necessarily categorize either one
into one specific genre if you wanted to be 100 percent accurate. This album is
the perfect example of that as I stated previously.
Stand out tracks for me
are Brave, It’s Cool & The Pressure. I don’t really want to describe what I
feel the songs mean. I want you to feel what you feel from each song without
any influences. And that’s great that this can be done because this album
actually allows you to feel. That’s what not only R&B but good music is
supposed to do. Music should make you think. Music should make you love. Music
should make you miss. Music should make you sad. Music should help you get over
someone. Music should help you express. Music should be a release. Souled Out
does all of these things. Souled Out is good music. Souled Out is a good album.
Album Rating: 8.3/10
