Jhené Aiko is a 28 year old singer/songwriter, musician & producer from Los Angeles, California who was supposed to debut in the early 2000s until Epic Records shelved her. She would eventually return in 2011 when I was in 8th grade for her debut mixtape Sailing Soul(s), which resulted in No I.D. signing her to his Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. She has since become the label’s most prominent artist following her debut extended play Sail Out, her full-length debut Souled Out, the sophomore effort Trip & lastly Chilombo only a week prior to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic taking full effect.

After the “Wild Cat(s)” intro, “Ghost” opens up with this moody instrumental singing about being in a loop whereas “Break” made for a decent alternative R&B single telling Big Sean to take his time upon their split after being together for a decade. I was disappointed Ab-Soul only did ad-libs instead of having a verse on “Love Bomb” although Jhené does holds it down well by herself singing about getting active until “Ceiling” freestyles over a summery boom bap beat cautioning she’s the bitch you shouldn’t do wrong.

“Nothing Nice to Say” explains the very reason she hasn’t been quiet in the midst of someone lying straight to her face just before “He Belongs” instrumentally brings a woodwind in the picture singing about a man who fits in with every woman he meets & everyone else except her. “Like, Whatever” featuring Tyga pretty much encapsulates my feelings towards the latter’s verse & the worst guest appearance here while “You” sings about having a million reasons why this dude isn’t the guy.

To bridge Westside Whimsy, we have Jhené advising “Don’t Be That Guy” taking it back to the boom bap vibes explored earlier leading into “Lullaby” going full alternative R&B again singing about how she’d rather close her eyes than leave his side. “Neighbors” featuring her new partner Larry June blends PBR&B with hip hop expressing the love at first sight they had for one another while “Mine” produced by Boi-1da & PARTYNEXTDOOR sings about feeling happy being with Larry.

“So Good” featuring Kendrick Lamar trades verses over one of the absolute smoothest beats Sounwave has ever made playing off each other perfectly while “Beach Boy” sings about needing a person who knows how to ride when the tide’s too high in the evening. “Unicorn” asks if it would be lovely if she & Larry had their own paradise likening their love to an island only they can go to while “I Don’t Mind” sings about feeling the envy of others whenever she steps inside the room.

The song “Nami’s Haiku” dedicates a brief collection of short form poetry to her daughter & eldest child Namiko Browner over a spacious alternative R&B beat while “A Living Light” takes some more stripped-back approach in terms of sound singing about dying at night only to be reborn in the morning right when the sun comes up. The closing track “Golden Coast” featuring nu jazz duo OHMA spends Westside Whimsy’s remaining minutes telling this individual shining through their darkest nights that they still have plenty of light left.

Confessing the reason it took so long for Jhené Aiko to come back was because life knocked her on her ass, Westside Whimsy still remains a solid comeback regardless of it not reaching the same pedestal Souled Out had when she has the capability of surpassing it. The neo-soul, alternative/contemporary R&B, pop rap & smooth soul production feels grounded in her west coast origins recapping everything that’s happened to her since COVID with a guest list who mostly deliver other than only 1 blatant exception.

Score: 3.5/5

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