‘Back of My Mind’ finally arrives
Steamy and soulful, “Bloody Waters” features laid back instrumentals
It’s been six years since R&B singer and songwriter Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson aka H.E.R. (Having Everything Revealed) debuted.
Following multiple compilations, tours and guest spots that introduced a show-stopping vocal power to audiences, her debut album, “Back of My Mind” has finally arrived.
Released on June 18, the Bay Area-based vocalist, a Grammy winner for the single, “I Can’t Breathe” (2020) and an Oscar winner for “Judas and the Black Messiah” track “Fight for You,” sounds as confident in her sound as ever.
Leading with ethereal sounds and vocals with light drum touches, her singing/ rap delivery on the opening “We Made It” strikes a selfaware tone of the artist’s journey, thus far.
“Running red lights and following the signs. It’s been a long ride and I just can’t believe, can’t believe, we made it. We made it, celebrated for the one time. No matter where this all goes, I’mma always be on mines,” sets up the singer to later drift toward how grateful she is to have achieved her goals, despite the turbulent journey.
Crafting her down-tempo style to spotlight guests, “Back of My Mind” (featuring Ty Dolla $ign) utilizes the rapper lending complementary vocals in Usher’s confessional spirit over a dreary beat in a song that’s all too comfortable to keep trudging through dusty memories of a lost love.
With feet in two realms, one being R&B celebration and the other experimentation, Wilson infuses samples from past artists to accentuate her deeply emotional musings over these 21 new tracks. “Damage” contains samples of “Making Love in the Rain,” as performed by Herb Alpert featuring Lisa Keith and Janet Jackson.
“Closer to Me” with yearning lyrics like, “Been inconsistent for a minute, just listen for a moment. Lay here, don’t leave me (leave me). Oh, I was hoping we could be closer, just hold me when it’s shaky,” contains samples of “Closer,” as performed by Goapele.
“Cheat Code” has samples of “The Sweetest Thing” by Lauryn Hill, and “Slide (featuring YG),” alternatively, features samples of “Money Ain’t a Thang” by Dupri featuring Jay-Z.
Steamy and soulful, “Bloody Waters” features laid back instrumentals from Thundercat and KAYTRANADA. Dulcet vocals by H.E.R. glide effortlessly over the mellow backdrop.
Addressing heavy, worldy topics with, “Drowning every day (x2). Feels like I’m runnin’ in slow-motion and I’m losing the race (oh-oh). Ooh, so frustrating/Ooh,
you keep on taking/ Ooh, corporate racists/Ooh, got me praying,” she kindles the frustration and power that some ’70s R&B protest songs carried.
A clear highlight, the all-around well-performed and well-produced “Come Through,” combines H.E.R. and Chris Brown on a more traditional ballad where they uplift each other’s performance.
In a short promo film accompanying “Back of my Mind’s release,” she said of the record’s genesis: “There were a lot of records on this album that I realized were like elevated versions of songs on my first projects, ‘Vol. 1’ and ‘Vol. 2,’ where sonically, it’s vibey. It’s like that alternative, kind of new R&B sound. But with live instrumentation, it just took it to another level. It’s a celebration of all things that make R&B — the different aspects, the different sounds of R&B. R&B is the foundation of all music.”