SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
OK, it is Friday. It is time again to kick back and listen to some new tunes. This week, we are listening to something completely unexpected.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SITTING SILENTLY")
WILLOW: (Singing) Sitting, sitting silently, sitting silently, sitting, sitting silently, sitting...
DETROW: "Petal Rock Black" is the seventh full-length album from Willow, who released the record last Tuesday with little warning. For this week's New Music Friday segment, we are joined by Evan Miller from WYSO in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He's here to tell us about the new album. Hey there.
EVAN MILLER, BYLINE: Hi, Scott.
DETROW: So this kind of, I mean, happens a lot more than it used to, but this came out of nowhere (laughter). What do you make of Willow's decision to release this as a total surprise?
MILLER: Yeah, it was a surprise release earlier this week. There's some Instagram teasers for a few days, but nothing really concrete as far as what any of that meant. But that really seems par for the course for Willow's arc. She's the daughter of actors and musicians Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, as I'm sure you might know. But despite her high-profile roots in that way, she's had quite a path striking out on her own and making whatever kind of art and putting it out there in whatever kind of way she wants to.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NOT A FANTASY")
WILLOW: (Singing) It's not a fantasy to be who you are. It's not a fantasy to live like the water does.
DETROW: So she's released a bunch of albums at this point. How would you describe this one?
MILLER: Well, yeah, she's come a long way since her first single, "Whip My Hair," which was when she was 9 years old. She's made pop music. She's made soul and R&B. She's had some emo/alt rock records. Her previous album, "Empathogen," started to move towards more jazzy places. None of her records sound the same next to each other, and I think this goes fully in line with that.
DETROW: What's the best way to put the sound of this album?
MILLER: It feels like progressive pop with lots of great left field sounds in the mix, too. The lyrics are almost mantra-like in their repetition. The vocal arrangements are really layered and intricate.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PLAY (FEAT. KAMASI WASHINGTON)")
WILLOW: (Singing) I call again and again. I hear your melody inside. When can I...
MILLER: It's also got some great notable collaborators along for the ride as well.
DETROW: Yeah, tell us about who all is on this album.
MILLER: Yeah, Kamasi Washington returns from her last album, an appearance from none other than the prime minister of funk himself, George Clinton, starts the album. And my favorite feature is Tune-Yards on the song "Omnipotent."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OMNIPOTENT")
TUNE-YARDS: (Singing) Every day I see I'm the luckiest, I know. All around me, I see it clearly. Oh, looking for a truth that's less cruel than what I see. Maybe I'll find one, maybe I won't. (Vocalizing).
MILLER: But even with these collaborators along the way, this record really feels like a strong solo vision from Willow. Her compositional and literal voice really leads the way.
DETROW: Tell me more about what you mean by that.
MILLER: Her fingerprints are everywhere, top to bottom on this record, from writing and performing to producing. This is all Willow front to back. I think you can hear that really clearly on a song like "Vegetation." It has these really precise and funky arrangements and rhythms in it, these great vocals.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "VEGETATION")
WILLOW: (Singing) I don't know why I have to be just who you want me to. I know that we're all insecure. Just let me go. Just let me.
MILLER: Willow's voice is really leading the way and is so clear in its scope and ambition here.
DETROW: That is Evan Miller from WYSO. You can hear more of his analysis on today's New Music Friday podcast from NPR Music. And Willow's new album, "Petal Rock Black," is out now. Thank you so much.
MILLER: Thanks, Scott, for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "VEGETATION")
WILLOW: (Singing) I am so wrapped up inside. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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