Jamila Woods “Heavn” (Closed Sessions)
Jamila Woods is a Chicago-based poet, educator, playwright, and community activist. As if that weren’t enough, she’s also a singer possessed of an airy, languid voice that is the centerpiece of a fantastic new track, called “Heavn”.
Woods enters cooing modified lyrics from The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven”, calling for a “trick” that “makes you love someone”; that “makes the winters warm”. The response is a paean to the joy of lasting love, free of (and in the face of) societal constructs and restrictions. Taking a hand, Woods leads a dynastic journey to a past where “great-great-great-great-great-great” grandparents “didn’t need a ring or a broom” to make their love eternal, the refrain “I don’t want to run away with you/I want to live our life right, here” providing comfort.
The track is a welcome throwback to the early days of the so-called ‘neo-soul’ movement, at the intersection of spoken word and hip hop. “Heavn” glides along a looped, propulsive tribe vibe instrumental sampled from The Roots’ Dilla Joints cut, “Eve”, the mix reminding me of personal favorites like Ambersunshower, touching down via a prolonged outro. Transportive.
“Heavn” looks to be the title track of Wood’s forthcoming, debut record on Closed Sessions. Can’t wait to hear more of this. You can do the following thing on fbook, her site, and SoundCloud.