Jamila Woods honed her craft in Chicago’s vibrant poetry scene, publishing her first collection in 2012 and playing a key role in organizing Louder Than a Bomb, a renowned youth poetry festival. Transitioning her lyrical talents to music, Woods debuted with HEAVN in 2016, a critically acclaimed album that established her as a fresh, vital voice in neo-soul and R&B. With her 2019 follow-up, Legacy! Legacy!, she merged intellectual depth with melodic inventiveness, solidifying her place as a formidable artist.
Now, with her third album, Water Made Us, Woods delves into the universal yet deeply personal terrain of relationships. Moving beyond the broader societal themes of her earlier work, she examines love and connection with meticulous detail, charting the arc of relationships from the exhilarating beginnings to the reflective aftermath. The result is her most accomplished and intimate project to date. The journey begins with “Bugs,” a track that captures the vulnerability of opening up to a new partner. Against Swiss producer Alissia Beneviste’s fluttering chords, Woods unpacks the self-doubt and defensive instincts that can stifle budding love: “You got a lotta hair”; “Chew too loud, talk too much.” These granular observations, paired with Woods’ poetic touch, transform ordinary moments into vivid emotional landscapes. Woods’ ability to ground lofty concepts in striking imagery elevates her songwriting. She likens new love to a fragile garden, emotional miscommunication to a thermostat, and jealousy to a slow-burning flame. Throughout Water Made Us, she reflects deeply, shedding pretense and turning her poetic lens inward.
The album shines brightest when Woods fuses her lyrical finesse with warm, nostalgic neo-soul vibes. “Tiny Garden,” the album’s first single, is a tender anthem to nurturing fledgling love: “It’s not gonna be a big production / It’s not butterflies or fireworks / Said it’s gonna be a tiny garden / But I’ll feed it every day.” Executive producer Chris McClenney wraps her hopeful words in lush, soulful instrumentation, while collaborators like Peter CottonTale and NAO keep the production dynamic and inviting, even when exploring heavier themes. “Backburner,” a reflection on jealousy and past loves, begins with a soft acoustic guitar before transforming into an Afrobeat-inspired groove. Despite its raw lyrics—“My jealousy is teachin’ me the empty cups that need filling”—the track feels buoyant. Similarly, “Boomerang,” a danceable highlight, juxtaposes effervescent production with Woods’ doubts about the longevity of a relationship. One of the album’s standout moments, “Practice,” cleverly reinterprets Allen Iverson’s famous quote into a catchy meditation on embracing relationships for what they are, rather than searching for an idealized “one.” On “Wolfsheep,” a folksy dirge with the refrain, “Everybody’s good / No one is,” Woods resists tidy conclusions, embracing the contradictions of human connection. Across 17 tracks (including four spoken interludes), Water Made Us showcases Woods’ willingness to let go of control, both thematically and in her creative process. Collaborating with a wider range of producers and co-writers than ever before, she embraces the unpredictable nature of relationships and the creative process alike. By the album’s end, Woods arrives at a profound clarity: relationships aren’t linear stories with clear beginnings and endings. They’re messy, unpredictable, and transformative, shaping us in ways we can’t always foresee. With Water Made Us, Woods invites listeners to surrender to the currents of love and life—no matter where they may lead.