We didn’t use to know her. We’re just getting introduced. After dropping the prelude to her album, H.E.R. has cemented herself as one of the leading voices in the next generation of R&B while still flying under the radar. Dropping her three prior projects while keeping her face somewhat in the shadows, H.E.R. kept herself out of the spotlight again by dropping her new project on the same day as Travis Scott, Mac Miller, and YG. Not to mention, she dropped her project on the same day as Ella Mai dropped her latest follow up to “Boo’d Up”. For all intents and purposes, it has become more and more apparent that H.E.R.’s mysterious persona is more than a brand, but rather the trend in her career.
Rather than focusing a high profile rollout or the follow up to her “Focus” video, she put her energy into a cohesive prelude to her actual album that is better than most of the albums we’ve heard thus far in 2018. Beginning with “Lost Souls”, H.E.R. opens up her latest extended play with a song that pays homage to Lauryn Hill’s original version but brings a millennial context to the record. More importantly, the song shows that H.E.R. can take the poetry she gives on many of her tracks and turn it into verses that are better than some of the ones we hear from new rapper’s today. From there, she transitions into “Against Me”, which feels like a lost file from the H.E.R. Volume II B-Sides sessions. Nevertheless, it’s perfectly H.E.R. and a vibe for cool, summer nights. Midway through the album, “Be On My” comes through Bluetooth speakers and headphones alike. Clocking in at just under ninety seconds, it is quite possibly the best song on the album. In more ways than one, this track cements her as a true R&B artist. She took the best song on the project and made it into an interlude. Luckily, the track that most people ran to first when the project dropped immediately followed “Be On My”. “Could’ve Been” is a strong track, but one can only help what the song would have sounded like if Bryson Tiller had more than forty-five seconds to give his verse. We’ve already seen what a true duet with her and Daniel Caesar sounded like and we can only dream of what a duet between her and Bryson Tiller would sound like.
In closing, H.E.R. gives us “Feel A Way” and “As I Am” which are both strong records for their own reasons. “Feel A Way” is a great track for a later summer night walk or reflecting on that special someone that made you feel a way. Not to mention, it has a bounce that is a little bit different than some of her slower records. “As I Am” is unique in that it puts you in a mood to do a little bop as you listen. This is a different look for an artist that has made her living doing slower, love tracks. In many ways, it’s the perfect ending track because it leaves you wondering if she could do a song like this what kind of sounds and vibes are in store for her album. The prelude did the job of quietly building the anticipation necessary for her full-length project even though it’s fair to question if she even needs it. H.E.R. has a core following and we’re not even sure if she cares that much about being this huge artist. She is somewhat like The Weeknd as he transitioned from the background to the forefront. The Weeknd had a mysterious and ominous vibe that was aloof to the rest of the industry before his second studio album hit. The same trajectory could be there for H.E.R. as she transitions from the artist with a cult-like following to performing on award stages. We’re four projects in and we’re just getting to know her and where she can go. This is simply the tip of the iceberg when it comes to her potential and that’s a great sign for fans.
