Already charting a neo-jazz course with her May album, Ceremonial Contrafact, Willow Smith remains one of pop’s most intriguing enigmas, prone to shape-shifting and genre-hopping with each successive release. After a few months of well-warranted silence, the multi-hyphenate circled back with a deluxe version. Among a few Willow highlights, “wanted” with Kamasi Washington is emerging as one of the most well-received from the new crop of tracks. Here’s everything you need to know about the “Wait A Minute!” singer’s collab with modern jazz’s best.
Willow & Kamasi Washington Exhibit Natural Chemistry on “wanted”
For fans of Kamasi’s solo work or his interplay with the likes of Thundercat or Kendrick Lamar, his “on the edge of your seat” penchant for tempo shifts again crops up alongside Willow for “wanted.” What makes their collaboration so compelling is the singer’s ability to catch that challenging rhythm, speeding up, slowing down, changing delivery and emotion right alongside the saxophonist.
Take the breathless, rapid-fire vocals that begin the track and contrast them with the more ethereal runs as the piano chords slow. The lyrics Willow provides during that chilled-out Kamasi Washington section of “wanted” are particularly prescient. Her description of some sort of romantic affair doubles as an explainer of her own performance: “enchanted, amazing, I’m infatuated.”
In sum, the overlay between both artists’ performances makes it hard to parse out exactly which came first, further in the atmosphere of a true hand-in-hand process rather than a “your turn, my turn” sort of affair. Although “wanted” is the new Willow track that got the most promo in the lead-up for the deluxe, all of the empathogen edition is worth your time. “layers” bridges the gap between this jazz turn and her previous emo-inspired work, while “to you” provides a tender, ballroom ballad. Check out the full work wherever you stream your music.
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