That matter-of-fact relatability is both her trump card and a liability. Later, on finale “Comfort Inn Ending (Freestyle)”, one of Sail Out’s most emotional tracks and a highlight: “And I should’ve never fucked you on a boat on your birthday/ And I never would’ve came into your house in the first place/ If I would’ve known that you would hurt me like in the worst way.” It’s not inward reflection as much as just not having found the right guy. Aiko is simplistic about her demands on the Childish Gambino-featuring “Bed Peace”: “You show up right away/ We make love then and then we fuck/ And then you’d give me my space.” She doesn’t seek much transcendence. The sensual singing works with a lyrical directness that’s sometime acute, sometime girlish. Not to discredit Aiko’s talent as a singer, but Sail Out forgoes vocal conviction for coy, soothing intimacy. That said, she doesn’t overwhelm with talent like Lamar does, her performances - like much of Sail Out - merely “just right.” Aiko is similar in her reserve, as her only sign of actually being the femme fatale she’s trying to be lies in her focused gaze and arched eyebrows. Lamar plays the humble, everyman who’ll paradoxically show off his world-beating rhyme skill. Much like Kendrick Lamar (a feature on Aiko’s new album, Sail Out), her persona contrasts her actions. Jhene Aiko isn’t the best upcoming R&B artist, but she is one of the most accessible.
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