Rating: 8/10
Grammy Award-winning artist Kali Uchis released her long-awaited fifth studio album, “Sincerely,” on Friday. The 14-track record offers an airy, lighthearted atmosphere that evokes peace and tranquility. Her lyricism captures topics of love and motherhood, which complements her commitment to exuding positivity in almost every track.
The first track, “Heaven is a Home…” immediately draws listeners in with ethereal layers of violin and piano. The lyrics symbolize two conversations: one between her and a higher power and one with herself. This dialogue contributes to the transparency she shares with her listeners and adds value to the relationship she has with her fans.
In the second verse, she questions, “Could life be Heaven on Earth/ After the hell we been through?”
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The song continues to build until there is an explosion of a steady drum beat combined with her expressive vocal run. This subject of hope for the world and feelings of all things love carry on throughout the rest of the album.
Uchis returns to the theme of Heaven on Earth in the track “It’s Just Us.” She recalls a sensitive experience of getting kicked out of her home at a young age, but insists that the love between her and her lover transcends hardship.
Uchis’ lyricism focuses on personal anecdotes, which allows her works to be relatable to the audience. She shared a bit of her writing process in an interview with The Associated Press.
“There’s one called ‘All I Can Say,’” Uchis said. “I wrote that whole song in the car on the way to the studio. … I try to just make beauty out of all of my experiences.”
“All I Can Say” separates itself from the others due to its vintage sound. There are soft “oohs” and “aahs” that persist throughout the song, paired with blues-style guitar chords that sonically resemble love songs from the ’60s.
With this track and others, Uchis authentically experiments with instrumentals and layered vocal effects.
In relation to her previous bodies of work, “Sincerely,” provides fans with both consistency and new material. She speaks on the subconscious connections she created between the 13th track, “Sunshine & Rain…” and the 13th track from her second studio album, “Isolation,” titled “After the Storm (feat. Tyler, The Creator & Bootsy Collins).”
“I even thought, ‘Is this too similar to what I’ve already done?’” Uchis said in the AP interview. “But … I just love the things that I love, and I just returned back to those nostalgic elements.”
Uchis’ callback to her fondness of nature and healing allows “Sincerely,” to be an elevated version of her former works.
The use of punctuation within the titles of certain tracks allows the album to be cohesive with the theme of hand-written letters. With ellipses, commas, colons and exclamation marks littered throughout the record, Uchis exposes her talent for creative direction.
“This is my letter to the world, this is my letter to this person, this my letter to that, this one to myself,” Uchis said to AP.
The last track, “ILYSMIH,” encapsulates Uchis’ experience as a new mother. A dream-like ambiance is created with the fading rhythmic guitar chords and warm piano notes. Her vocals drag through the song, emphasizing the love she carries for her child.
She ends the song with an audio of her baby’s laugh, which tugs on listeners’ heartstrings.
Her transparency and raw emotion are what allow “Sincerely,” to fit right in with her other projects. With closed eyes and an open mind, fans can bask in her thoughtful melodies and receive a letter straight from her heart.
