WILLOW – lately I feel EVERYTHING

Written By JD Bullock

Far from telling people she whips her hair back and forth Willow’s recent album “lately I feel everything” tackles emotional issues with an unmatched intensity and angst. There was not only a shift in subject matter on this album but there was a huge shift in sound as well with Willow trading her folk style R&B for a punk sound like Avril Lavigne who is featured on the album.

The album is just raw. It sounds like Willow is pouring out her heart on the tracks and the grungy guitar riffs only amplify the feelings. The album starts off hot with “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l” and the hits just keep on coming. Willow seems to be finding herself through this album and shows she is striking out on her own “Don’t Save Me” and “Gaslight” illustrating her breaking away from being dependent on anyone. On “naïve” she slows the pace and goes into a more somber tone as she sings about the damage that happened during the protests.

The sounds Willow experiments with really stand out on songs like “lipstick” which sounds so much like a dystopian movie trailer. The second half on the album is a transition into even more emotive lyrics with Willow speaking on how alone she feels on “Come Home”. Her songs with Tierra Whack and Avril Lavigne don’t just show that she collaborates with great artists those songs, but they show her strength. “Grow” and “Xtra” make it known that Willow is finding herself and that’s she’s here to stay.

This album was Willow putting her definitive mark on the music industry and her coming to terms with so many feelings at once. She recorded this whole album in quarantine and the intense sadness, anger, and meditative vibe really encapsulates that time period. Willow is an artist who writes with her heart and it bleeds through every single song on this album.