Having revealed musicality; from the moment I heard the first downbeat on Focus I knew this was an artist whose future was amazing.
Having revealed vocals; pitch-perfect harmonies on Best Part with contemporary Daniel Caesar, her range is displayed as the tonality of her voice intrigues and satisfies.
Having revealed artistry; shadowed in silhouette, the album image itself was a statement, an artist who wanted to be appreciated by the ear with no consideration of the eye.
Having revealed shredding; in concert, she takes center stage straps on her guitar and blesses with riffs and solos that harken to the influence Prince has on H.E.R. music.
Having revealed keys; sitting behind the grand piano, she invokes the woman whom as a child she would perform and emulate on Today Show and The View, Ms. Alicia Keys.
Having revealed bars; not satisfied with soaring vocals, she wanted to torch mics like Lauryn and in homage to H.E.R. musical antecedent, she gave us a lava flow.
Having. Everything. Revealed.
H.E.R. is the answer to the question what is the artistic potential of an artist who is creating their name in the streaming era.
The latest H.E.R. release is Back of My Mind. If there is a rock, beneath which you have been residing and are therefore unfamiliar with H.E.R.’s music, this is a highly recommended introduction to H.E.R. brilliance. H.E.R. demonstrates the full gamut of her abilities on this 21 track work of brilliance. We Made It is the opening track, layered echo effect ceding to a syncopated kick drum and snare, the melody floating in pitched like an Area 51 resident building to a trap soul boom-bap.
The album is perfectly sequenced and slides out of the opening track into a solid groove with songs featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Cordae himself an amazing up and coming emcee. Cordae and H.E.R. trade bars on Trauma, lending even more credence to the genre-bending artistry she possesses. Appearances by the omnipresent Lil Baby, YG and new comer Yung Bleu round out the rap collabs that she so adeptly performs on.
There is a wonderfully diverse array of r&b subgenres on the album. Hold on is a personal favorite, H.E.R. flexes her guitar chops, unobtrusively accompanying the melody and in turn soaring with it. Bloody Waters has a 70s bassline groove by none other than Thundercat; the song gives Marvin or Curtis vibes and is a definite winner. Closer interpolates the classic of the same name as performed by Goapele and is an auto replay track.
You don’t want to miss this 21 song brew of perfection. When asked about the album the thoughtful artist said “This collection of songs comes from feelings and thoughts that I’ve had in the back of mind. That’s where I live sometimes. Some things I talk about in my music and other things I may have been afraid to say or admit. I’m finding freedom in being truthful with expression.”
We are blessed by H.E.R. having everything revealed.
