Little Simz

“Only the strong will survive - Alone, but not lonely, your truth unveils with time as you embark on a journey of what it takes to be a woman” announces the bombastic fanfare on opener, ‘Introvert’.

Little Simz takes this as both mantra and a call to arms to guide this crucible of jazz, soul, r&b and rap.

Introspective she may be, but these musings, hard truths and revelations can’t be internalised forever. “I bottle up and then spill it in verses” she tells us on ‘Introvert’ – and for this we will be forever grateful. Her catharsis is as necessary for her, as it is profound for us.

Nowhere is this better evidenced than on ‘I Love You, I Hate You’, a diatribe on her absent father, which swings from raw emotion & hatred to conscious reflection and resolution. She delineates this lack of paternal male presence through some seriously deft lyrical shadowboxing: “I’m not forgiving for you, man, I’m forgiving for me”…“You know what was destroyed, but you don’t know what was left”. All this in the space of 4 minutes, conveyed in a manner that has your head zealously nodding along throughout. Simz’s love of the golden era of boom bap is still a key musical driving force – bass heavy production hangs weightily behind her singular guiding of the melody. Backed by orchestral explosions, careful sampling or pensive r&b, the recurring theme is that this album takes its grooves seriously (helped in no small part by Inflo - aka Dean Josiah Cover - the elusive producer behind the London collective Sault.).

We’re witnessing the ascendancy of a true great in British music. Anyone in the room to experience our sold out outstore show with her at Chalk will agree – we’re in the presence of someone who has it all. Performer, poet, philosopher. A polymath unafraid to share herself with the world.
 

LEON: Good God, what an album! Until recently I hadn't liked it as much as 'GREY Area', but having listened to it more, it is just unbelievably special. I was also lucky enough to get to go to the outstore (some of you might have seen me on the door) & Simbi was pure class. I had so much fun there & most importantly, it got me properly into the album! My favourite two songs are easily ‘Introvert’ & ‘Woman’. I just love them because they make me dance & that’s always a good sign!