It is coming close to finals time, and people are going to be in need of soothing tracks to dull themselves for the greatest hell academia’s devised (especially those not legally allowed to purchase alcohol). So, to alleviate the suffering however I can, I have designed my column accordingly to bring you Jhené Aiko’s “Sail Out.”

You may have caught a whiff of Jhené putting out hooks everywhere in the hip-hop scene, from early Black Hippy tapes to Drake’s “Nothing Was the Same” and Big Sean’s “Revenge.” It is all delivered in a voice that makes you want to tearfully hug everyone within 20 yards, because she has a motherly grace even when she is at her most sexual or biting, especially with quips like, “That’s why you trust me, I know you’ve been through more than most of us.” 

Aiko is not trying to blow listeners away by shattering all the glass within range; she is bringing a steady, sensual croon that is truly refreshing. Likewise, most of the production is chilled out but with enough of a beat to keep from tranquilizing listeners, although it is quieter than I would expect from a producer named Fisticuffs.

Plus, all that featuring paid off. On “Sail Out,” you will get to enjoy four top-shelf rappers acting like suitors for Aiko’s heart. Ab-Soul breaks into her fever dream like a clap of thunder on “WTH,” Kendrick Lamar plays it smooth on “Stay Ready (What a Life),” and Vince Staples desperately tries to atone on “The Vapors.”

Despite their efforts, though, it is Childish Gambino who takes the gold for “Bed Peace,” the John Lennon homage that is dripping with chemistry between him and Aiko. If you are studying, you may want to skip it since they will not help your attitude: “If I had it my way/I’d roll out of bed say/’bout 2:30 midday.”

Even after verses like that, though, Jhené unveiled her own raps, delivered by her alter ego J.Hennessy, on this album. The closer “Comfort Inn (Freestyle)” is a supposed new start towards “Souled Out,” her next release, with a harsher tone set to a No I.D. beat: “Thought I told you not to trust these hoes/Say they love you when you know they don’t.” It does not lose enough softness to be believable, but it is still excellent.

If you need help for the semester’s last obstacles, this EP should provide some comfort for the body and let the mind sail.

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