The Top 30 Albums Of 2019 (So Far): Jamila Woods – 'LEGACY! LEGACY!'

"It's a layering of ideas on this album that blends the past and present to pave the way for the future." - Guido Farnell

Chicago poet, singer and songwriter Jamila Woods approached Legacy! Legacy! as a narrative album that, while laying bare intergenerational racism, also celebrates black excellence. The songs are all inspired by, and named after, pivotal artistic figures, like swaggering funk queen Betty Davis, Octavia Butler and James Baldwin. 

The grooves are eclectic, too, with Basquiat (featuring Saba) expressive jazz-hop. Especially pointed is the guitar-laden Muddy, on which Woods, channelling Muddy Waters, calls out The Rolling Stones for co-opting the blues. Imaginative, empathetic and empowering.