You wait patiently through over 10 minutes of excellent Dylan and Guthrie homages for a tour-de-force to come on this album, and then it does. Here they are below, listed in rough order of pleasure. On ‘Venom’ Simz draws attention to the irony of today’s power structures being dominated by weak males, while on ‘Therapy’ she subtly turns gender orthodoxy on its head by asserting that if her daughter turns out like her she will be a success: ‘If she’s anything like me, I’m raising a king.After losing my faith in music and humanity with Leaving Neverland, March’s album releases brought me back to loving both with a rush of great releases. I found loads to chew on, and the best releases were by far my favourites of the year so far. Reflecting on her childhood, ‘101 FM’’s melodies suggest a vibrant multiculturalism against today’s inward-looking climate, yet the lyrics warn of challenges under the surface that remain unresolved. Located squarely in London, it balances a celebration of the UK’s diversity while highlighting the problems encountered by young black people who simply want to succeed. Variously deconstructing the age of social media, the importance of being honest with oneself and the state of a nation built on equality, ‘GREY Area’ is ambitious in its scope. It’s a superb return and a clear signal of intent. Woodwind and strings serve as streaks of colour on a rough, mottled canvas of distorted bass and uneasy drum loops. Opener ‘Offence’ provides a mini case study on this new approach. Recruiting producer and childhood friend Inflo she has expanded her musical palette so that ‘GREY Area’ includes contributions from string quartets, flautists and vocalists who complement Ajikawo’s expert knack for sampling in an altogether lusher landscape.
Having performed just about every duty on her previous two albums, Simz has learned to embrace the skill of delegation. Though evidently painful, this process seems to have proven cathartic. Arising out of what Ajikawo refers to as a time of “confusion”, ‘GREY Area’ explores darker themes as she grapples with the value of making her art despite the many obstacles and sacrifices it may entail.
Fiercely independent in her approach, a large portion of this weight came from within and led to a period of intense self-questioning during the conception of album number three. Championed by Kendrick Lamar off the back of her 2015 debut, ‘A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons’, the pressure has been heaped on from all corners over the last four years. At just 24 it feels like Simbi Ajikawo has been around for decades.
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