Sincerely is the fifth solo album from Virginia singer-songwriter Karly Marina Loaia, better known as Kali Uchis. One of the most exciting voices in the R&B and Neo soul genres, Loaia records music in both English and Spanish, and has collaborated with a wide range of artists such as Tyler, the Creator, Charlie Wilson, and Little Dragon, just to name a few. This new album is a mix of different sounds including the ones she’s known for, but also including the sounds of dream pop and psychedelic pop. Here are my thoughts.
We open up the album with the dreamy orchestral strings and echoey guitar arpeggios as a backdrop to the personally themed lyrics, as she wrote it before her mom got diagnosed Uchis has a gorgeous voice, and the psychedelic soul fusion of sounds explored on the track easily made it one of my favorites. “Sugar! Honey! Love!,” is another strong track about recovering from the trust issues and personal trauma in her past and finding true love in the process, giving her a newfound light. “Lose My Cool,” is another strong love themed track, and I really love how warm the production sounds on the track, as it really serves as a perfect complement to Kali Uchis’ gorgeous vocal melodies. Plus the OutKast reference in the post chorus is greatly appreciated by me. “It’s Just Us,” covered her own personal experiences where she was kicked out of her house at 17 and lived in her car for a while as a result. The love she speaks of on this track is her love for creating music and art. “For You,” is one of the strongest love ballads on the album, even if it’s not my personal favorite off the album, it is seriously an amazing track from the songwriting to the instrumental composition, it’s just so beautiful. In “Silk Lingerie,” Kali sings about how she views herself when she’s provided with unconditional love from someone else, which as a result makes her hyperfocus on her own shortcomings and flaws. “How could someone so perfect fall for me?,” is pretty much how you can describe the song in a single sentence. The slow tempo of the track is a nice touch as well, and the overall sound of it has rightfully been praised as her channeling Lana Del Rey vocally and production-wise. “Territorial,” is a pretty self-explanatory title, but it’s another example of the very real human emotions that Kali sings about when it comes to relationships. Possessiveness over a partner and loyalty to said partner isn’t uncommon to hear in songs, but the way she delivers these lyrical concepts is just really well executed. “Fall Apart,” has solid production, but lyrically it sort of felt like a retread of a few other songs on the record, so out of all the tracks it’s probably my least favorite. “All I Can Say,” is a heavily doo-wop inspired track, that’s actually executed well. A lot of doo-wop rehash tracks in the 21st century for me just haven’t been enjoyable, but I thoroughly enjoyed Kali’s take. I really admired the lyrical messaging about self-acceptance and being unfazed by others trying to tear her down, instead ignoring it and focusing on living her dream. “Daggers,” is another track with a doo-wop sound, this time being more guitar focused instrumentally. The story behind the lyrics is actually incredibly sad, as it’s about a friend of hers stuck in a relationship with a shitty boyfriend that she refuses to leave, even tho Loaia has tried to give her advice and help, she eventually realizes that there’s nothing more she can do and has to accept that fact. “Angels All Around Me,” is a spiritually themed track that I like for its positive message and the vulnerability that Uchis shows on the track. I also like how the second half of the track sort of sounds like the Neo-soul sound that Tyler, the Creator was experimenting with on his 2017 album, Flower Boy. “Breeze,” is one of the most underrated songs on the record in my opinion as the lyrics of breezing through life’s challenging moments and letting go of fear in said moments are really insightful. It helps that the guitar production is great as well.
“Sunshine & Rain,” the lead single on the record is about finding comfort in love through the ups and downs of life, and how it provides clarity in a world that can often be unstable. The final track, and another single, “ILYSMIH,” which stands for “I love you so much it hurts,” may sound kinda clichéd at first, but lyrically, it’s a touching track about the love that Kali feels for her baby along with a rediscovered sense of purpose. It’s a phenomenal closer to a fantastic record.
Sincerely quite literally might be the favorite to win the Grammy in the R&B category if not Hurry Up Tomorrow. The relatable and impactful songwriting alongside the dreamy, psychedelic production easily make it my second favorite R&B record I’ve heard so far this year. The album can be a bit on the long side at times, and there are a few retreads thematically, but I really can’t complain about this album at all. It’s transformative and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Overall Score: 8/10
Favorite Tracks: “Heaven is a Home…”, “It’s Just Us,” “Silk Lingerie,” “All I Can Say,” “Sunshine & Rain,” “ILYSMIH,”
Least Favorite Tracks: “Fall Apart,”
Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF7Lo67D2Tk
Genres: R&B/Neo Soul/Psychedelic Pop/Doo-Wop