"It's just powerful to me to know the lineage and influences going into the making of the song," says Jamila Woods, a Chicago-based singer-songwriter/poet who's been a frequent collaborator with notable hip-hop, jazz, and soul artists. For her debut album, HEAVN, she draws from her surroundings, past and present, and what comes forth is a "progressive, delicate, and minimalist" soul project that's full of substance, whether it be her confident ideas about family, history, police brutality, or her thoughts on the importance of self love. It's stirring from the beginning to end, as she turns her personal experiences into a clear message that resonates in a much larger context, and her voice, both musically and metaphorically, is a s force that deserves the "once-in-a-generation" description it is often lauded with. Easily one of the strongest r&b/soul/hip-hop releases of recent memory with guest appearances from Donnie Trumpet, Noname, Saba, & Chance the Rapper - recommended. Check out: "Lonely," "In My Name," "Blk Girl Soldier," "LSD," and "Holy" as well as the title track, which samples The Cure (Woods loves The Cure) "Just Like Heaven."

• limited-edition white vinyl
• includes digital download
• music label: Jagjaguwar 2017

reviewed by nakaveli 10/2017