Alina Simone

Here’s a titbit of international law wisdom: the rules governing nationality cannot be used to render someone stateless. Thus, if there’s a dispute about making you a national citizen and if you lose you will be a citizen of no country there will always be a presumption towards making you a national somewhere. Everyone needs a home, essentially. It’s a depressing thought to have no place accept you, and maybe Alina Simone has sonically tried to convey that, as her debut is pretty raw and emotional. The latter half of the album mostly relies on sparse and rough instrumentation, with Simone alternating between an angry growl and siren calls. "Black Water” is particularly angst-y and the appropriately titled "Lonesome” is the best example of the uncomfortable nature of Simone’s open spaces. Indeed, Simone is excellent at giving her emotions and voice room to breathe, conveying the maximum amount of impact. But this is still a tough listen, as the songs are pretty rough around the edges. "Pacifica” might be the nearest thing to a radio single, demonstrating that Simone is able to be melodic and powerful without having to strip it down to nothing. However, this is interesting more than satisfying.