Review of H.E.R.’s most recent album

by Sydney E.

As teens are learning and finding themselves, some from Airport High School are able to connect to H.E.R. 's most recent album Back of My Mind (abbreviated BOMM), which showcases the musical dynamics of modern R&B and empowerment encouraged throughout the album. When H.E.R. initially released her first album, she hid her identity for people to focus and appreciate solely her talent. Now, in BOMM, she embraces who she is and empowers listeners to “accept their vulnerability”. BOMM displays a fine representation of R&B and its ability to tell a story that’s relatable to many.

A reason I find this album engaging is because BOMM shows what Rhythm and Blues is all about. The smooth beats and melodies sound beautiful and correspond with the vibe of all of her songs well. The sequence her songs are in make the album flow well. Furthermore, H.E.R. sung about situations that go on in our lives, that sometimes, we didn’t know other people were also going through. To hear this, it feels refreshing and has beyond potential of being an album that’s awarded.

H.E.R. says, “Back of My Mind is accepting the vulnerability– being able to quiet the noise around me and listen to my own voice.” In this album, she’s even more open and confident in herself, as she encourages others to do the same. Being vulnerable about relationships and past experiences that are hard to let go isn’t an easy thing to do. I think that H.E.R. expressed this well, and does a good job of encouraging others to let their voice be heard and be self-assured about how you feel.

“Bloody Waters was my favorite song from the album, because I love the melodies and overall the album was 8.5 out of 10”, says Gloria J. “I liked this album, because it evokes my emotions, has catchy melodies and, most importantly, I could relate to the lyrics”, says Kierston W. Both of these listeners talk about how the musical dynamics flowed well and connected to them in some way.

While a lot of people loved the album, there were some critics out there who differed. From Sounds So Beautiful, Piper Anderson believes after the inconsistency of previous albums, BOMM reveals other sides of H.E.R.. However, Anderson still thinks it could be “unpredictable”. From Pitchfork Media, Jackson believes H.E.R. has talent, but this album didn’t show that. Most of these critics find something negative in comparison to her other albums.

Overall, Back of My Mind was a 10/10 album. All of the talented musicians, along with H.E.R., in this album, contribute and bring the instrumentation of the music together well. This album has definitely shown growth in the composition and tone of her music. The beautiful correlation between her music and lyrics is what makes this album by far the best. To stream this album and/or learn more about it, you can find this on Apple Music, Spotify, or Pandora.