Love can bring great joy and great pain; no wonder it is the source material for great art. For , the Chicago-based neo-soul musician and poet, romantic love is a featured topic on her third studio album, 鈥淲ater Made Us.鈥�
Her first full-length project since explores all the ins and outs of love, such as falling in it (like in the up-tempo funky track 鈥淧ractice鈥�), being burned by it (the fluid R&B of 鈥淕ood News鈥�) and healing from love lost (the mid-tempo 鈥淲olfsheep鈥�).
Before releasing her debut album, 鈥淗eavn鈥� in 2016, Woods was known for her work as a poet.
On 鈥淲ater Made Us,鈥� that talent shines through lyrics that perfectly describe the many nuances of relationships, the bliss and the tragedy. That is abundantly apparent in songs like 鈥淲reckage Room,鈥� where she addresses her lover, 鈥淒on鈥檛 feel sorry if you leave/Love don鈥檛 mean you saving me.鈥�
This 17-track collection highlights Woods鈥� soulful vocal tone, but occasionally veers into rap. It鈥檚 a return to her spoken word roots, like on the psychedelic opening track 鈥淏ugs,鈥� and the aforementioned 鈥淧ractice.鈥�
Collaborations on this album aren鈥檛 limited to the traditional feature 鈥� such as the verses contributed by Peter CottonTale (鈥淭hermostat鈥�), Saba (鈥淧ractice鈥�) and duendita (鈥淭iny Garden鈥�) 鈥� where an artist sings or raps on a particular section of the song. Instead, on an interlude like 鈥渓et the cards fall,鈥� Woods engages in a brief conversation with visual artist and poet Krista Franklin along with the model and In this music-free tack, supported only by the ambient noise of literal cards, the three begin to scratch the surface of what trust in a relationship looks like. It鈥檚 Franklin who speaks the song title: 鈥淪end it some positive vibration and reframe your question/And I鈥檓 just gon let the cards fall.鈥�
Overall, 鈥淲ater Made Us鈥� is most successful when Woods leans into her singular R&B performance to convey universal experiences. In 鈥淪till,鈥� she tells an ex-lover 鈥淚 finally gave your shirt away/I wore it better than you ever did鈥� with biting acuity, shifting near the songs end to admit what many would be too afraid to: 鈥淚 guess I鈥檒l never get over you.鈥�
That鈥檚 why Wood鈥檚 phenomenal writing is so quotable 鈥� here, centered around healing, heartbreak and love. Like that last four-letter word, this album is complex and beautiful.
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AP music reviews:
Mya Vinnett, The Associated Press
