Jamila Woods - Holy

Jagjaguwar’s latest signing and Chicago multi-talent Jamila Woods first pricked ears when she enlisted the categorically ace Noname as a guest on ‘VERY BLK,’ and hopped on Chance the Rapper’s ‘Sunday Candy’ and ‘Blessings’. With production on ‘Holy’ coming from Chance associate Peter Cottontale, and with gospel and off-beat pop sparring for space, Woods isn’t messing about here, either. Twisting snippets of the Bible’s Psalm 23:4 (“though I walk through the darkest valley I will fear no evil,” reads the original verse; in Woods’ take, she’s fearless in love instead) name-dropping hymns and Kanye tracks alike, and opening with the Lord’s Prayer - “Give me this day my daily bread” she demands, subtly twisting the original’s sentiment, and making it more personal - these careful adjustments are crucial. Concerned with seizing hold of narratives, ‘Holy’ is about a simple idea; it’s impossible to be lonely when you have spirituality. Simple though its premise may be, the detail’s in the execution of ‘Holy’; a richly woven, resoundingly optimistic song about self-care and acceptance.