It’s been six years since Jhené Aiko graced us with her last album Chilombo. She announced the long-awaited follow-up, titled Westside Whimsy, only a couple days ago, not giving us much time to process the information. Today, we get to hear the 20-track collection that has some major features including Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Larry June, Tyga, and OHMA.
Westside Whimsy is equal parts heartbreak and the light that emerges in the aftermath of personal strife. A press release describes the album as “a love letter to Jhené Aiko’s hometown of Los Angeles,” with her chosen collaborators celebrating “the diverse musical legacy and contemporary energy of Los Angeles.” Aiko was born in Los Angeles and has referred to her hometown as “Slauson Hills,” a nickname for the areas surrounding Slauson Avenue where she grew up.
But immediately, Aiko makes clear that this project is much more personal than celebrating her hometown. The opening track “Wild Cat(s)” has her reconciling and compartmentalizing difficult emotions, reflecting on her own upbringing and parents’ relationship — an air sign mother and a fire sign dad. “I’m adapting, emotionally detaching/ I guess that’s what happens when you’re raised by a brave Aquarian woman,” she sings at the beginning. Her voice flickers like it’s stuck between radio channels. A wistful melody unfolds in the background. “Unhinged like my dad is/ If anyone asks, I speak my mind.”
Later, Aiko sings about the standards she holds herself to while driving along the 101, a heartbreak that continues to haunt her, and the emotional debris left in the wake of a post-relationship blowout. An immediate standout is “Ceiling (Freestyle),” which features brutal lines like, “I’m the type of bitch that you should never do wrong / But you the type of bitch only a mother can make when they daddy don’t stay.” Later in the song, she lists the names of the lovers with whom her partner was unfaithful.
After a few listens, I wouldn’t say the features on Westside Whimsy are the strongest songs. However, the Kendrick Lamar collab “So Good” is pretty good. It’s a song that I can already see getting stuck in my head. Lamar and Aiko have collaborated a few times over the years. Aiko first featured on his 2010 mixtape Overly Dedicated for “Growing Apart (To Get Closer),” and then Lamar appeared on her debut EP Sail Out for “Stay Ready (What A Life).” As always, they sound good together.
Listen to Westside Whimsy below.
Westwide Whimsy is out now on Def Jam.
