Jamila Woods

Jamila Woods is a Chicago based singer, songwriter, and poet whose music combines alternative R&B and neo soul in its grooves and melodies, while also playing close to alternative hop-hop with her beats.  She is deft with her lyrics, overlaying her personal story, within her social and cultural context. All of this may sound too abstract or intellectual, but Woods has the talent to pull it off and meld all these elements into a vibrant, visceral kind of music. Her voice is in the same timbre range as Sudan Archives, maybe a little looser. She draws her musical inspiration from a broad base that also includes jazz, blues, and various rock traditions. This is especially prominent in her 2019 album LEGACY! LEGACY!, which is a collection of songs, each referencing a major artist, writer, musician or other significant individual of color and delves into different styles of music in the process.