free download: chill to the healing sounds of hadassah’s new ep ‘lead balloon.’ #soundcheck

In the wake of all this dark shit going down right now in America, it seems like we could all use a little soul music. Enter Hadassah, self-described Afrocentric Soul singer, whose latest Lead Balloon is the perfect soundtrack to heal in the morning after a mass mobilization.

Words by Nathan Leigh, AFROPUNK Contributor

“Hey babe. I’m OK. I think I’ll just stay in today, you know there’s too much going on out there,” she says over the intro to the spaced-out “Glory Daze.” Truer words… Hadassah’s liquid voice is a perfect match for the jazzy electro beats she curates. Opener “Far Away Place” features production by the sound’s undisputed master, Flying Lotus, and her effortless cool is it’s equal. On “Maybe Later Girl,” she packs more should-be-hooks into a 2 and a half minute runtime than should be possible, with some of her most direct lyrics. “I don’t wanna be your maybe later girl / I’ve got things to do and they don’t include waiting on you…”

The EP closes with the stunning title track “Lead Balloon.” On a record that opens with a FlyLo beat, it’s a pretty big statement that it’s not even the standout track. “Lead Balloon” features Hadassah’s strongest hook, and it’s hard not to feel the weight of so much pain evaporate as she intones “and I’ll leave my lead balloon behind me.”