It’s a high-risk measure, a glut of solo mood pieces from an artist many may only have experienced a few lines at a time on friends’ choruses. Throughout the album, the predominant voice heard is hers barring some choice backing vocals from songwriter to the stars James Fauntleroy, the lone celebrity guest spot is a bottom of the ninth appearance from Common on the album closer “Pretty Bird (Freestyle)”. Sovereignty seems to be the mission of Aiko’s proper debut Souled Out. Even if the accompanying Sail OutEP was still a rap friends roll call, “The Worst” proved she could go it alone if need be, rapping and all. Last year’s “The Worst” was a Technicolor reveal, a performance involved and emotional enough to shake frequent comparisons to cult pop-R&B stoic Cassie and break Aiko on a national level without a celebrity co-star leading the way. Her debut mixtape Sailing Soul(s) flourished by co-opting the minor key melodies and navel gazing oversharing of R&B radio’s wistful sad boys, but her delivery hewed a touch too vacant, her words too indistinct, to carry an entire project. Much of the conversation about Aiko posited her as a musical foil for her more widely known rapper friends. For over a decade, Los Angeles singer/songwriter Jhené Aiko has skirted the periphery of R&B stardom, thanks to an early association with the Omarion-led R&B boy band B2K, later work with Kendrick Lamar’s Black Hippy crew and more recently, Kanye mentor and Def Jam exec No I.D.’s Cocaine 80s collective.
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