Jamila Woods, St. Vincent & Judy Collins

Jamila Woods

On her debut album HEAVN, Jamila Woods contrasts weighty issues like police violence and the invisibility of black women with a breezy musical touch. The Chicago-based poet, singer, and songwriter joins Jim and Greg for an interview and performance. Plus, they'll review the new record from St. Vincent and share what song got folksinger Judy Collins  Hooked on Sonics.

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Jamila Woods

In the midst of an accomplished career as a poet and educator, Jamila Woods launched onto the national music scene with heralded collaborations with Chance the Rapper, Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment, and Macklemore. Last year, she released her debut solo album HEAVN, which was recently reissued by Jagjaguwar. That record, with its powerful lyrical examinations of black womanhood and police brutality, ended up on both Jim and Greg’s  Best of 2016 lists.

Jamila Woods and her band join Jim and Greg in the studio to play songs from the album. She discusses her eclectic blend of spoken word, gospel, and hip-hop, which samples lines from artists ranging from The Cure to Incubus to Paula Cole. She speaks about lessons learned from growing up in the church in Chicago's south side and her music's power to speak to people who don't share her experiences.

MASSEDUCTION St. Vincent

MASSEDUCTION

Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, is back with her 5th studio album MASSEDUCTION. St. Vincent has carved out a unique presence as an electronic pop  singer-songwriter and teams up with Taylor Swift and Lorde collaborator and producer Jack Antonoff. So what do Jim and Greg think? Jim and Greg disagree hugely on this record. Jim finds the lyrics and melodies to be "schlocky" and too "Broadway." He admits that St. Vincent isn't really his cup of tea and just can't enjoy the record. Jim gives it a Trash It. Greg on the other hand, genuinely loves this record. He calls it St. Vincent's most personal record to date for being lyrically and vocally emotional and expressive. Greg doesn't hesitate to give MASSEDUCTION a Buy It.

Hooked On Sonics: Judy Collins

Judy Collins

Folksinger Judy Collins has been releasing music continuously since 1961, scoring hits with renditions of "Both Sides Now," "Suzanne," "Amazing Grace," "Send in the Clowns," and more. Her new album is Everybody Knows, a collaboration with Stephen Stills (who wrote "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" about her decades ago). But in the latest installment of our Hooked on Sonics series, Collins goes back to the beginning of her musical life and shares the song that got her into folk music: a version of "The Whistling Gypsy," aka "The Gypsy Rover," from The Black Knight, a 1954 Arthurian film starring Alan Ladd.

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