Grade: 90/100
Jhené Aiko is that R&B singer you’ve been looking for, if you haven’t found her already.
While the singer put out her “Sail Out” EP last year, her debut album “Souled Out” finally released Sept. 9. For fans of Aiko who were impatiently waiting to hear a full album, they have not been disappointed.
Aiko’s voice is high and soft, so her songs are typically slower and soulful. However, this doesn’t mean they aren’t powerful. Her lyrics are filled with meaning of past experiences that have shaped her life in one way or another. As die-hard fans say, there’s at least one song you can personally relate to at one point or another in your own life.
She also plays with different beats on the album. While the song may be slower, it’s dynamically interesting because of the way the beats and rhythms change.
One of the things Aiko is best at are her freestyle songs. “Comfort Inn Ending (freestyle)” from “Sail OUt” is a track that could be listened to over and over again.
Now on “Souled Out,” Aiko has placed another freestyle track titled “Pretty Bird” featuring Common. While this track isn’t as lyrically strong as “Comfort Inn Ending (Freestyle),” it is still a great freestyle track to have on the record.
The two earlier released singles are also featured on the record. “To Love & Die” and “The Pressure” are both embedded throughout the album, so you aren’t automatically hit with singles, but they are found while listening to the whole record. While “To Love & Die” is a strong track, it’s not as strong as “The Pressure,” which truly shows Aiko at her best and what has been seen in past song releases.
Another positive for this record is its continuity.
Albums where you can start at track one and play it all the way to the last song while feeling like it’s flowing together is a great and recently forgotten thing. Aiko has created a record that you turn on at the beginning and keep on until the very last song.
Overall, she knows her music style and performs it well. Each track has a different feel, but all together it makes the complete “Souled Out” experience.
Aiko created an album just as good as her earlier EPs. While some artists can get lost in studio recording and longer records, Aiko handles it with grace and produced an album that is worth buying in full.
The “Souled Out” experience will touch your soul and produce only praise.