honestly

Lalah Hathaway takes a sharp stylistic swerve on *honestly*, swapping her poised, quietly stormy R&B for woozy beats and digital grooves. Songs like “Change Ya Life” match retro beeps and blips with deep drum kicks, while the echoing synths of “Call on Me” ring with a sleek, sensual minimalism. But the record’s most expressive instrument is Hathaway’s voice: Thick, smoky, and soulful, it’s unleashed in its full majesty on the title track and its powerful account of a doomed love affair.