Released March 6, 2020
6 / 10
Favorites
None Of Your Concern, One Way St., Define Me, Surrender, Born Tired, 10k Hour, 2020, Magic Hour
Least Favorites
Speak, Happiness Over Everything (H.O.E.), LOVE
“There was a woman born from a lotus”. That woman is Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo and the lotus has blossomed into her third studio baby, ‘Chilombo’. R&B singer-songwriter and newly-converted crystal alchemy sound bowl instrumentalist Jhene Aiko embarks on a journey to healing from relationship woes throughout the hour long atmospheric vibes born out of free-flowing jam sessions. She’s keen on using evocative metaphors and seeing patterns out of the ordinary more often than not - choosing to open the album with a symbol of enlightenment, rebirth and purity is not lost on her, quite the contrary - and this actually comes more naturally to her than you’d think. In fact the whole thing was originally recorded as freestyles in Hawaii, serving as the foundation to build the music around and bring in collaborators on. Jhené hoped that 'Chilombo' wouldn't only serve her by allowing her to sit in her feelings, acknowledge them and let them go in their own time but also serve others: she incorporated sound bowls in each track to “open up different chakras” along with as much acoustic instrumentation as possible for the music to preserve its contemplative power. ‘Chilombo’ is a 20 track long free music therapy session of sorts - but honestly 20 tracks… is a lot.
There is a real sense of progression through ‘Chilombo’ from the fresh wound of ‘Triggered’ and ‘None Of Your Concern’ to the peace and healing of ‘Pray For You’. Jhené said herself that “this album is an eruption. It starts with ‘Triggered’, and there’s a lava flow [...]. And then it settled - and it became this beautiful land where there’s new life”. Sure there’s growth and maturity gained along the way but hell, it’s a LONG journey for the listener. Miss Jhené is not playing in the first leg of the record, throwing menacing bars around with soft deliveries that cushion the blows to the inattentive ear. The same woman who is able to transport you on a calm shore and have you forget all your worries for a couple minutes is the same person that will warn her ex, “Caught you on the scene with little miss thing, and trust, she really don’t want beef” or, still in ‘None Of My Concern’, “get your bitch ass off my phone, please leave me alone”. This track alone progresses from melancholy to anger to empowerment seamlessly. Ty Dolla $ign is a great addition and Big Sean’s verse hits different knowing how real a place it comes from. The contrast with the delightful key motif following Jhené around that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Ghibli feature film is extremely compelling - few moments on ‘Chilombo’ reach such heights. In ‘B.S.’ Jhené is still audibly fixated on the relationship, gaining self-confidence but not quite in a place where she can satisfyingly say she’s moved on. It’s also a nice occasion to hear H.E.R. out of her lyrical comfort zone. ‘One Way St.’ then marks a turn, ruminating on life’s direction and really crushing every expectation of what’s to come instrumentally. It’s still mostly low-key, but the track renews itself several times, growing denser and denser with time and sealing the deal on her sixth collaboration with Ab-Soul. By the time we get to ‘LOVE’, Jhené has licked her wounds and grown out of the situation. The Moana-themed number is the typical saccharine moment no Jhené project would be complete without - usually done side by side with Namiko, her daughter (see ‘Promises’ on ‘Souled Out’ or ‘Sing To Me’ on ‘Trip’).
Writing from freestyles allows for the best moments to feel quite organic, not over-worked and over-thought but shot straight from the heart. The gentle sonic thrashing of ‘Triggered’ released a year prior to the album comes to term with conflicting feelings at the end of a relationship with a calming energy. It features some minimal vocal layering and a beat that comes in to support Jhené’s angry rant sporadically - although ‘angry’ feels strange to write as she delivers lines with a soothing confidence that doesn’t scream ‘danger’. The raw ‘Born Tired’ touches upon the erosion of patience when goals seem so far out of reach. It’s got an inspirational quality Disney would probably have loved to have on an animated blockbuster - although the track resists the temptation to burst into blazing glory like so many of the cartoon anthems do. Another pairing that does wonders and sounds like it flowed right out of Jhené are ‘10k Hours’ and the subsequent ‘Summer 2020’ interlude. It’s probably the emotional zenith of the album, meditating on lost lives and the value of reaching out to loved ones while you can. Built around pristine piano keys and an old-school R&B driving beat, the stripped ‘10k Hours’ manages to get Nas in and out beautifully. ‘Summer 2020’ then strikes while the iron is hot, opening with “And it feels like sometimes I cry / ‘Cause I feel so good to be alive” and tapping into a kind of gratefulness only tragedy can truly open your eyes to - and one that has become more universal in 2020 than expected at the time of writing.
Other highlights are mostly crafted from one of Jhené’s greatest strengths as vocalist and songwriter: it’s hard to deny her knack for writing and performing slow pulsating jams that can take you elsewhere if you’re willing to let go of earthly considerations for a few minutes. ‘Surrender’ encapsulates the ethos of meditation with Jhené’s recommendations to lower your guard and let the universe lead where your mind won’t let you go. The track blossoms beautifully, with sumptuous vocal engineering that Jhené’s voice lends itself to extremely well - proven time and time again across her growing catalog. The blend of R&B and cosmic energy makes for a spellbinding experience made even more potent when Dr. Chill (Papa Aiko) closes the chapter. ‘Magic Hour’ is another soothing number - and a welcome addition in a fragile closing cast - as is the ‘Define Me’ interlude where sound bowls are front and center. The interlude is easy on the ear but also incredibly rich melodically. The bowls provide such an organic evolution of the volume and harmonic distribution of the musical fabric that they make for rewarding repeated listens. Which most listeners probably won’t indulge in because there still are 19 other tracks to take in on ‘Chilombo’.
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