Ardipithecus // Willow
In December of 2015 Willow Smith surprised us with her latest album, Ardipithecus. Willow is only 15 and it’s hard to believe she’s only got a short amount of years behind her as she is credited as sole songwriter for 14 of the 15 songs on the 54 minute album and has produced it herself. She has a really unique style of writing, with lyrics that contain a lot of run-on statements, giving songs more of an authentic feel. Willow comes across as someone who has knowledge way beyond her short years. There is a lot of talk about crystals, the third eye, philosophy, as well as younger subjects such as Marceline from the cartoon Adventure Time. Even with its release date late in 2015, it was one of my favorites for the year not only because of its interesting lyrics but because of its sound. It’s all pretty simple with mid-tempo beats but it picks up its pace to that of a really nice dance party soundtrack when she says to “Take your neighbors hand” in track #5 titled ‘F Q-C #8’. Willow’s talent is undeniable in this new album, and even though some of her interesting philosophical lyrics may leave you clueless, Ardipithecus is the perfect album to chill out to or even throw on at a party and jam out.
Words by Peyton Tiblier