New Music Roundup: The Lovely Ladies of R&B
This week, we’re highlighting a handful of releases from some of our favorite female R&B artists. These women have the admirable ability to express their deepest thoughts and feelings in a soothing yet effortlessly rhythmic way. We strongly encourage everyone to take a listen for themselves, as the art that these women have created can allow any person in any walk of life to feel seen and heard.
Love is a Kingdom, Tems
Grace Braswell
Following last year’s release, Born in the Wild, Nigerian artist Tems is back with another full-length project — a seven song surprise album titled Love is a Kingdom. The album, an ode to growing into her wisdom as an independent woman, delves into the deeper emotions of love, life and the awareness that comes from vulnerability and eagerness to grow both in relationships and within yourself.
Each song of the album flows to a steady, smooth and soulful beat; the music feels like it’s bursting with power, pulsing with emotions and contemporary vocalization. Tems is no doubt a powerhouse of a vocalist, creating a warm, sultry atmosphere within each song on the album. From the first song on the album, “First,” all the way down to the last track, “Is there a Reason,” there’s a steady R&B groove that Tems steadily builds throughout the album. There’s an overarching aura of soul oozing through the production, and it’s obvious that she pours herself and her experiences into each and every track on Love is a Kingdom.
Starting strong with the first track of the album, Tems explores themes of self-love. She relays the importance of self-confidence throughout her lyricism. We all know how difficult it can be to put ourselves first in a world focused on hustle culture, the age of social media and the overarching interest of what everyone else is doing at all times, but Tems creates space in the track “First” to put herself, well, first — exactly what the title says. Lines like “That’s why I put me fir-fir-fir-first / And every single day, I’m coming fir-fir-fir-first / If you’re gonna run, I’ma come through fir-fir-fir-first / Yeah, I’m gonna do it how I want to, fir-fir-fir-first,” she’s direct with her intentions, letting us know that she fully manifests the importance of putting herself first, an important revelation and acknowledgement.
Overall, the album strongly affirms the importance of self love, working through and expressing difficult emotions and creating beautiful balance between her passionate wording, sultry production and earthy, cultural movement that pays homage to her home in Nigeria.
Finally Over It (The Afterparty), Summer Walker
Isabel Martinez
Summer Walker has graced the world with the final installment of her Over It trilogy with her most recent album, Finally Over It. Not only that, but she didn’t even give us a week before gifting us three additional songs in the form of a deluxe album titled Finally Over It (The Afterparty). Summer Walker began this trilogy of albums in 2019 with the release of Over It. This was a groundbreaking album; we were formally introduced to the Atlanta-born artist who would go on to become a staple in the modern R&B world.
Over It expressed the raw and fluctuating feelings that come with recent heartbreak, while the second part of the trilogy, Still Over It, was rooted in feelings of frustration and betrayal. Finally Over It concludes the trilogy with undertones of growth and acceptance.
Walker sets the tone of the album with the first track, “Scars.” This short symphonic song contains only four lines: “ I can see you for who you are / If you won’t show me what’s beneath those scars / Oh, I can’t see you for who you are / If you don’t show me who’s beneath those scars.” After going through so much trauma and heartbreak, Walker acknowledges the walls that we can build to protect ourselves from our past, but growing from that makes us who we are. Throughout the album, Walker goes on to really show us the person who is underneath the scars. The track “No” speaks on the newfound sense of self-worth and self-respect that can feel almost epiphanous after being in such a tough romantic situation for so long. She says: “You used to hearing, ‘Yes,’ but I can’t take no more / Get used to hearing this, ‘cause the answer’s no.” Finally Over It closes out with the album’s title track. This is Walker’s declaration of freedom; she is rejoicing in the conclusion of all the stress and messiness that she had endured while highlighting her newfound love that feels safe and genuine.
Finally Over It is also glittered with features from artists like Mariah the Scientist, Latto, Doja Cat, Anderson .Paak and so many more. Their features and Walker’s smooth vocals create an overall sound reminiscent of ‘90s and early 2000s R&B. A standout feature is Doja Cat’s verse in “Go Girl.” Her flow pairs perfectly with Walker’s calm vocals and the mellow instrumentals of the track.
The three additional tracks that make up Finally Over It (The Afterparty) feel like essential additions to an already vulnerable yet inviolable album. “Take Me Out This Club” is a fun and sultry track that really hones into the “afterparty” aspect of the deluxe album. She also includes a version of “1-800 Heartbreak” that feels necessarily different from the version that includes Anderson .Paak. Walker’s part of the song is about going back to someone who you know will absolutely hurt you with no remorse, and Anderson .Paak comes in at the end from the perspective of the individual doing the hurting. This version makes the danger of the situation feel more real because we are able to see inside the mind of the person who is consciously choosing to hurt a person who just wants to be loved. Walker’s solo version feels a lot more personal, innocent and vulnerable. “Drown In My Love,” my favorite off the album, truly encapsulates the steadiness that comes with finally having let go of someone. Walker is now sure of her feelings, desires and boundaries, and she is not willing to compromise on herself. Her raw vocals and the orchestra that backs her smoothly intertwines with the words she is singing as a means to amplify the depths of what she is feeling.
Summer Walker’s Finally Over It (The Afterparty) feels like the beginning of a new era. She was able to beautifully close out such a tumultuous phase of her life, on her own terms, through the use of music. She shares with the world some of her deepest feelings and the thought processes that have allowed her to let go and move forward. With the Over It Trilogy finally at a close, I am excited to hear what Summer Walker has next for the world.
if you don’t love me, Yuna
Grace Braswell
Yuna is no stranger to a good release, as she’s been fairly consistent in putting out new music over the years. The LA/Malaysian-based artist has dropped a new project every year since 2022, and she’s definitely making a name for herself in the world of R&B. It’s rare that a woman produces, writes and performs a record all by herself, but Yuna is doing exactly that.
In doing so, she’s mastering the art of pushing through an industry that’s been built to pit against women, especially women of color. Although it’s surely not easy, Yuna is plowing through the difficulty of a male-centered industry to make space for her ever-so powerful production, lyricism and artistry.
Specifically on the title track “if you don’t love me,” Yuna experiments with a more pop-forward sound, leaning into an R&B groove similar to what Tems builds in her record. Yuna, however, leans more towards a drum n’ bass beat that could almost be labeled as a sub-category of EDM. Straying from a full electronic track, however, Yuna carries strong R&B themes throughout her vocals, telling the story of the emotional devastation that comes with a heartbroken release, begging to be let go, begging for truth, and the freedom that comes from ripping off the bandaid at the end of a fading love. In the song, she blatantly states “If you don't love me / It's only fair you let me go / It's only fair / That you don't take me down with you,” furthering her yearning for the truth from a disingenuous partner, and needing to leave the relationship if her partner is no longer interested.
“Break,” Jhené Aiko
Isabel Martinez
Jhené Aiko truly is the mother of serenity, and that is further solidified for me in her newest single, “Break.” This release came not too long after the end of her long-term relationship with Big Sean, and it really demonstrates her strength and resilience as an individual. Sonically, this is a classic Jhené Aiko track; we hear a soft piano part that repeats over a mellow beat, both perfectly intertwined with Aiko’s smooth, airy vocals. She has a powerful way of creating music that will make you feel calm and relaxed regardless of the lyrical context.
Aiko begins the song with the initial feelings that come with heartbreak. She expresses feelings of betrayal, hurt and desperation, while expressing a sense of longing for what was. She reflects on the surrealness of finally being separate from what was once a major part of her life, questioning what was even real. But, in true Jhené Aiko fashion, the song ends with a positive perspective. Aiko decides she deserves a break from heartbreak. She acknowledges the validity of her pain while also realizing that she is the only person who can do something about what she is feeling — we can learn a lot from her words and her ability to find good in all things.
