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In the early 2000s, Jhené Aiko was a B2K associate signed to TUG, the Epic subsidiary operated by Chris Stokes. The teenage singer appeared on B2K projects and numerous compilations and soundtracks, released a solo single, and recorded an album that was shelved. She subsequently left the industry for several years, then resurfaced in 2010 like a new artist -- one with a voice and approach different than squeaky and peppy, less Yummy Bingham's "Come Get It," more Cassie's "Me & U." Featured roles on tracks by Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q boosted her profile and cred, as did a 2011 mixtape that involved the likes of Lamar, Kanye West, Drake, and Miguel. Producer No I.D. signed her to his Def Jam-supported Artium, where she released a late 2013 EP led by "The Worst," a Top Ten R&B single. As that song was finishing its run, she followed up with early singles from Souled Out, her proper debut album. When the set was released, Aiko's style -- shaped in part by accommodating producers like Fisticuffs, Dot da Genius, and No I.D. -- was instantly recognizable. On Souled Out, the singer and songwriter's form of contemporary R&B continues to blur the line between seductive and sleepy, her voice among the lowest wattage in commercial music history. Just as she is wistful about "summer nights and water fights" (in "Eternal Sunshine") and "turquoise seas and ocean breezes" (in "Spotless Mind"), she often injects sharply contrasting melodrama ("Now many men/Many, many, many, many men/Wish death upon me") with only minor variations in tone. Sonically, the majority of these songs can be classified as slow jams, but Aiko deals with some form of relationship turmoil in nearly every one of them; given the amount of introspection, the album is most suited for coping with stress. Aiko can be maddeningly platitudinal and singsongy, but her one dimension is a specific balmy backdrop provided by no one else.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
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Jaycen Joshua, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - JIM CARUANA, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Oladipo Omishore, ComposerLyricist - Brinton Ewart, ComposerLyricist - Jhené Aiko, MainArtist - Dot Da Genius, Producer - Jhene Aiko Chilombo, ComposerLyricist - Casey Cuayo, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Jeff Villaluna, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Woodro Skillson, Producer, Additional Producer
℗ 2014 Def Jam Recordings (ARTium Records), a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Jaycen Joshua, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Christian Plata, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Wyreman, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Rob Kinelski, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - JIM CARUANA, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Derek Taylor, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Stephen Bruner, ComposerLyricist - Maclean Robinson, ComposerLyricist - Clams Casino, Producer, Co-Producer - Thundercat, Producer, Co-Producer, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Michael Volpe, ComposerLyricist - Jhené Aiko, MainArtist - Tom Peyton, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Claire Courchene, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - BRIAN KEITH WARFIELD, ComposerLyricist - Jhene Aiko Chilombo, ComposerLyricist - Thomas Lea, Viola, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Casey Cuayo, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Fisticuffs, Producer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Maddox Chhim, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Ben Schwier, Organ, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Law Thomas, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Nate Mercereau, French Horn, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2014 Def Jam Recordings (ARTium Records), a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Darrell Branch, ComposerLyricist - Frederick Perren, ComposerLyricist - Curtis Jackson, ComposerLyricist - Luis Resto, ComposerLyricist - James Fauntleroy, ComposerLyricist - Keni St. Lewis, ComposerLyricist - Jaycen Joshua, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Christian Plata, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rob Kinelski, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Maclean Robinson, ComposerLyricist - Cocaine 80s, FeaturedArtist - Jhené Aiko, MainArtist - Laena Geronimo, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Ryan Kaul, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - BRIAN KEITH WARFIELD, ComposerLyricist - Jhene Aiko Chilombo, ComposerLyricist - Fisticuffs, Producer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Rutherford "Doc" Allison, Cello, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2014 Def Jam Recordings (ARTium Records), a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Donnie Scantz, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ernest Wilson, ComposerLyricist - Steve Wyreman, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - No ID, Producer - JIM CARUANA, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Jhené Aiko, MainArtist - Jhene Aiko Chilombo, ComposerLyricist - Casey Cuayo, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Ben Schwier, Organ, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Michael Law Thomas, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Nate Mercereau, French Horn, AssociatedPerformer - Josh Story, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ross Netko, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2014 Def Jam Recordings (ARTium Records), a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Ernest Wilson, ComposerLyricist - James Fauntleroy, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Wyreman, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - No ID, Producer - Rob Kinelski, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Jhené Aiko, MainArtist - Jhene Aiko Chilombo, ComposerLyricist - Casey Cuayo, Assistant Mixer, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Michael Law Thomas, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2014 Def Jam Recordings (ARTium Records), a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Donnie Scantz, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Jaycen Joshua, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Christian Plata, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Wyreman, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - JIM CARUANA, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Maclean Robinson, ComposerLyricist - Jhené Aiko, MainArtist - Ryan Kaul, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Maximilian Jaeger, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - BRIAN KEITH WARFIELD, ComposerLyricist - Jhene Aiko Chilombo, ComposerLyricist - Fisticuffs, Producer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Maddox Chhim, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Gregg Rominiecki, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Ben Schwier, Piano, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2014 Def Jam Recordings (ARTium Records), a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Jaycen Joshua, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - JIM CARUANA, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Oladipo Omishore, ComposerLyricist - Jhené Aiko, MainArtist - BRIAN KEITH WARFIELD, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Dot Da Genius, Producer - Jhene Aiko Chilombo, ComposerLyricist - Casey Cuayo, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2014 Def Jam Recordings (ARTium Records), a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Jaycen Joshua, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Christian Plata, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - JIM CARUANA, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Maclean Robinson, ComposerLyricist - Jhené Aiko, MainArtist - Ryan Kaul, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - BRIAN KEITH WARFIELD, ComposerLyricist - Jhene Aiko Chilombo, ComposerLyricist - Fisticuffs, Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ron Avant, Additional Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2014 Def Jam Recordings (ARTium Records), a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Ernest Wilson, ComposerLyricist - Steve Wyreman, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - No ID, Producer - Rob Kinelski, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - JIM CARUANA, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Jhené Aiko, MainArtist - Claire Courchene, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Jhene Aiko Chilombo, ComposerLyricist - Thomas Lea, Viola, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Casey Cuayo, Assistant Mixer, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Gregg Rominiecki, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ben Schwier, Organ, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Law Thomas, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Nate Mercereau, French Horn, AssociatedPerformer - Crystal J. Torres, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - Alex Weatherspoon, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2014 Def Jam Recordings (ARTium Records), a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Rob Kinelski, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Sam Lewis, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Anna Ugarte, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - KeY Wane, Producer - Dwane Weir II, ComposerLyricist - Jhené Aiko, MainArtist - Jhene Aiko Chilombo, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 Def Jam Recordings (ARTium Records), a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Ernest Wilson, ComposerLyricist - Torbjørn Brundtland, ComposerLyricist - Kevin Randolph, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Wyreman, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - No ID, Producer - JIM CARUANA, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Svein Berge, ComposerLyricist - Miyagi, FeaturedArtist - Jhené Aiko, MainArtist - Jhene Aiko Chilombo, ComposerLyricist - Casey Cuayo, Assistant Mixer, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Namiko, FeaturedArtist - Ben Schwier, Organ, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Law Thomas, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Nate Mercereau, French Horn, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2014 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Ernest Wilson, ComposerLyricist - Steve Wyreman, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - No ID, Producer - JIM CARUANA, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - James Poyser, Piano, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Common, FeaturedArtist - Lonnie Lynn, ComposerLyricist - Jhené Aiko, MainArtist - Jhene Aiko Chilombo, ComposerLyricist - Casey Cuayo, Assistant Mixer, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Michael Law Thomas, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2014 Def Jam Recordings (ARTium Records), a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
In the early 2000s, Jhené Aiko was a B2K associate signed to TUG, the Epic subsidiary operated by Chris Stokes. The teenage singer appeared on B2K projects and numerous compilations and soundtracks, released a solo single, and recorded an album that was shelved. She subsequently left the industry for several years, then resurfaced in 2010 like a new artist -- one with a voice and approach different than squeaky and peppy, less Yummy Bingham's "Come Get It," more Cassie's "Me & U." Featured roles on tracks by Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q boosted her profile and cred, as did a 2011 mixtape that involved the likes of Lamar, Kanye West, Drake, and Miguel. Producer No I.D. signed her to his Def Jam-supported Artium, where she released a late 2013 EP led by "The Worst," a Top Ten R&B single. As that song was finishing its run, she followed up with early singles from Souled Out, her proper debut album. When the set was released, Aiko's style -- shaped in part by accommodating producers like Fisticuffs, Dot da Genius, and No I.D. -- was instantly recognizable. On Souled Out, the singer and songwriter's form of contemporary R&B continues to blur the line between seductive and sleepy, her voice among the lowest wattage in commercial music history. Just as she is wistful about "summer nights and water fights" (in "Eternal Sunshine") and "turquoise seas and ocean breezes" (in "Spotless Mind"), she often injects sharply contrasting melodrama ("Now many men/Many, many, many, many men/Wish death upon me") with only minor variations in tone. Sonically, the majority of these songs can be classified as slow jams, but Aiko deals with some form of relationship turmoil in nearly every one of them; given the amount of introspection, the album is most suited for coping with stress. Aiko can be maddeningly platitudinal and singsongy, but her one dimension is a specific balmy backdrop provided by no one else.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:49:18
- Main artists: Jhené Aiko
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Def Jam Recordings
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B R&B
© 2015 Def Jam Recordings, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc. (ARTium Recordings) ℗ 2015 Def Jam Recordings, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc. (ARTium Recordings)
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