Willow | Willow | Album Review

Roc Nation Records

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

As the number of summer days came to a winding close, sensational artist Willow released her self-titled third album Willow. An ode to the influential genre of heart and soul with a soft mixture of R&B, Willow captures the whimsical and euphonic melody of low tempo beats and keys. However, the melody eventually becomes repetitive and an annoyance to listen to.

The 22-minute eight track album feels slow at first, with a tempo that creates a dreamlike atmosphere to the listener. But as the swaying of beats and melodies collide and occur in almost every other track, it becomes flawed and uninteresting. Not to mention, some of the tracks mesh together in a way that the listener may not realize that it is not actually the same song playing and is in fact a different one.

The first track, “Like A Bird,” sets the base of what is to come in the album. It is also the beginning showcase of Willow’s vocal range, showing how far the young artist has come since her childhood days when she released “Whip My Hair.” Ranging from a diverse amount of high pitches, Willow’s voice carries along harmoniously with the soothing, soul-like melody.

As the song begins to fade out, the next track, “Female Energy, Part 2,” starts unknowingly, beginning with the fade out of “Like A Bird” and then climaxing back to the harmonious melody from before. This mesh of songs happens again towards the end of the record with “then (interlude)” playing into “U KNOW.”

Other tracks such as “Overthink IT” and “PrettyGirlz” stray from that technique, playing their own unique melody with a tweak of high and low beats and tempos.

Without featuring any prolific, big name artists on her album, Willow continues to showcase the talent she has in Willow, and how she can hold her own in producing music, even if the sounds become repetitive in the long run.