Not yet out of her teens and already put through the showbiz wringer,
Mahalia considered leaving music after the 2016 release of
Diary of Me, a full-length the singer, songwriter, and guitarist (perhaps tellingly) termed a project, not an album. The next year,
Mahalia rebounded when the single "Sober" took off through social media, and on a semi-regular basis well into 2019, she continued to release new singles evincing total rejuvenation. Some of those songs appear on this, what
Mahalia considers her true first LP. It continues to nudge the artist in a more commercial direction -- collaborators higher in profile, no songs written with her parents, and almost no acoustic guitar -- without forsaking her young-woman-next-door character. She's paired smartly with a crop of U.K. and U.S. producers whose collective work includes sessions with
Jazmine Sullivan,
Elle Varner,
Jorja Smith, and featured artist
Ella Mai, consequently securing her position in a hip-hop soul lineage that can be traced back to the likes of
Caron Wheeler,
Mary J. Blige, and
Lauryn Hill.
Mahalia's accounts of opposing and moving past unsuitable male behavior, seeing beyond her faults and persuasively bigging-up herself, are distinct and flow as freely as the hooks that embellish them. No matter how detailed the productions get, they don't obstruct the vocals, which are consistently dynamic without being showy. Going by the natural charm of the album and the fun
Mahalia seemed to have in making it -- the smile cracked in the chorus of "I Wish I Missed My Ex" is the clearest evidence -- she might only be getting started. ~ Andy Kellman