Hello! 😊👋
Welcome to a new edition of the Best Music of All Time newsletter!
Today’s music pick is an R&B examination of love and lust in all its complications and permutations.
Genre: R&B, Neo-Soul
Label: Jagjaguwar
Release Date: October 13, 2023
Vibe: 💗
Statistically speaking, love and relationships are the most oft-explored topics in popular music, which means it’s easy for cliches to worm their way into the creative process. Occasionally, an album like Water Made Us comes along and breathes new life into the tried-and-true. Across 17 tracks, Jamila Woods sketches out the rough narrative arc of a romance, from early giddiness to anxiety and uncertainty once those initial butterflies wear off. She also references past relationships, stating her goal was “to represent different stages of my life or relationships as a cycle.” By anchoring herself to that internal evolution, she’s playing much looser stylistically than in the past. Soundscapes are built around groovy synth lines, heartrending piano chords, and, on “Send a Dove,” a recording of a James Baldwin interview. If there’s a central thesis to take away from Woods’ work, it’s that finding “the one” can be exhausting and potentially a waste of your time—but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try anyway.
The strongest moments here are the joyous ones. “Tiny Garden” and “Practice” showcase Woods in a state of what I’d call knowing infatuation. She’s not overhyping her romantic prospects or blind to the flaws she puts “on display to scare you away.” Halfway through the latter track, she paints an indescribable sensation as one of many instantly recognizable snapshots: “It's been a few days and I'm missin' your face/I like the way I sleep wakin' up at your place.” She examines the other side of love’s coin, too, going so far as to list what she misses most about her exes in an aptly named discretion. But then, on the next song, “Backburner,” she takes back any implied relish in playing the field, proclaiming: “My jealousy is teachin' me the еmpty cups that need filling.” This push-and-pull between assessing relationships based on their potential for longevity versus how they make you feel in the moment is the straw that stirs this compelling drink, busting at the seams with hope, delight, sadness, and regret.
In short, many of the core components of the human experience.
👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈