Pitchfork likens Jamila Woods's work on 2019 sophomore album LEGACY! LEGACY! to that of Nina Simone for its incisive political commentary and deep introspection. “The result is an album full of wordplay, anger, and wry humor.” I don’t know about all that—but I do know that Woods has talent in spades, a Brown-educated poet who turned her knack for playing with words into a musical career without actually abandoning her career in poetry. Her vocals are sultry, and her sound is neo-soul with a healthy hip-hop sensibility, which might be the influence of frequent collaborator Chance the Rapper, who gets some credit for her break. Her guest spot on infectious 2015 single “Sunday Candy” (from Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment, his project with Nico Segal) earned her some fine national shine. A record deal came shortly after. by Leilani Polk