Chance Collaborator Jamila Woods Arrives on the Soulful “Heavn”
Considering her resume, it should come as no surprise that the debut single off Jamila Woods’ first solo record is divine. Woods is that silky, wistful voice on Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment’s “Sunday Candy”—you know, the one that made communion sound sexy with the invitation to “take and eat my body like it’s holy.” More recently, Woods offered a gospel chorus on Chance the Rapper’s “Blessings,” presenting praise as the ultimate act of gratitude. The Chicago singer and poet grew up singing at her grandmother’s church and later, the historic Chicago Children’s Choir. The ensemble nature of choirs helped Woods build that rich hymnal effect she has become known for, but also made her nervous to perform on her own.
But thanks to open mic nights and community performance spaces, that fear subsided, and now Woods will be releasing her solo album Heavn this summer. The eponymous first single immediately recalls Woods’ influences with borrowed lines from the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” and a beat from the Roots’ Dilla Joints track “Eve.” The result is an amalgamation of sounds held together by Woods’ soulful vocals and the classic motif of pure, limitless love. “My great, great, great, grandma, and your great, great, great, grandpa didn’t need a ring or a broom,” she croons, and this simplicity defines “Heavn.” “Sunday Candy” and “Blessings” show that Woods knows how dish out praise, but “Heavn” is an occasion for listeners to offer her our own thanks.
Recent Comments