HEAVN

by Jamila Woods

Overview

Before it was given a proper showcase on this debut solo album, the voice of Jamila Woods was heard fronting the "adventure soul" of Milo & Otis and supporting tracks by fellow Chicago artists including Chance the Rapper, Saba, Donnie Trumpet, and Kweku Collins. In early 2016, Woods helped close out Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "White Privilege II," courageous enough to assert "Your silence is a luxury" at the pair's overwhelmingly white fan base. Around the time that song came out, Woods released her own "Blk Grl Soldier." A muscular Jus Cuz production served as the backdrop for a characteristically soft and sweetly melodic vocal, rich in pride and fortitude, with substance packed into each line: "Look at what they did to my sisters -- last century, last week/They make her hate her own skin, treat her like a sin/They love how it repeats." Months later, the perseverance anthem appeared smack in the middle of the sanguine HEAVN. On the title song, Woods floats over a rolling groove, quoting the Cure's "Just Like Heaven" and then twisting it a bit, beaming "I don't wanna run away with you/I wanna live our life right here." She later sings "I don't belong here" and "I'm an alien from inner space" in "Way Up," and dreams of leaving this planet in "Stellar," but Woods otherwise isn't one to promote escapism, not when she's sustained by friends, family, and fellow musicians -- including most of the above-mentioned -- who inspired and/or helped create this album. Some moments regard an intimate relationship and independence, occasionally both at once, like when she affirms "Nobody completes me" in "Holy." A larger portion concerns communal matters like survival, resistance, sisterhood, and how to thrive in conditions designed to perpetuate oppression. The resolutely nurturing and buoyant qualities make it easy to miss out on some of the wisdom and stirring lines such as "Grandma loved granddaddy even after he forgot our names," related over Nico Segal's trumpet and the kaleidoscopic swirl of Stereolab's "The Flower Called Nowhere." Originally a digital-only release from Closed Sessions, HEAVN was expanded and reissued a year later by Jagjaguwar, made available on physical formats with a track list that added six interludes and a thick reprise of "Holy." The interludes, especially the one in which children recite an Assata Shakur quote -- inserted as a brilliant setup for "Blk Grl Soldier" -- are not extraneous. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	10/06/2017
Label:	Jagjaguwar
UPC:	0656605231211
Rank:	37485

Tracks

1. Bubbles
2. VRY BLK
3. Popsicle (Interlude)
4. Lonely
5. HEAVN
6. Eve (Interlude)
7. In My Name
8. Assata's Daughters (Interlude)
9. Blk Girl Soldier
10. LSD
11. Still (Interlude)
12. Emerald Street
13. Lately
14. Always Loving (Interlude)
15. Breadcrumbs
16. Stellar
17. Good Morning (Interlude)
18. Holy
19. Way Up
20. Holy (Reprise)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jamila Woods   Primary Artist
Matt Gold   Guitar
Jabari Rayford   Vocals
Carter Lang   Bass
Greg Landfair, Jr.   Drums
Chance the Rapper   Featured Artist
Nico Segal   Trumpet,Featured Artist
Lorine Chia   Vocals,Featured Artist
J.P. Floyd   Horn
Saba   Featured Artist
Noname   Featured Artist
Irvin Pierce   Horn
Amanda Bailey   Violin
Allie Bradford   Vocals
Ralph Gene   Drums
Tramaine Parker   Vocals

Technical Credits

Paula Cole   Composer
Kyle West   Composer
Donell Jones   Composer
Hans Dekline   Mastering
Matt Hennessy   Mixing
Mike Kolar   Mixing,Mastering
Carter Lang   Producer
Chance the Rapper   Composer
Peter CottonTale   Producer
Jamila Woods   Composer
Loshendrix   Producer
Saba   Arranger,Composer,Additional Production
Noname   Composer
Phoelix   Producer
Kweku Collins   Additional Production
Ayanna Woods   Producer
Bradley Murray   Photography
Dee Lilly   Arranger,Additional Production
Jus Cuz   Producer
Jus Love   Producer
Oddcouple   Producer
Swopes   Graphic Editing
Nate Fox   Producer