REVIEW: Little Simz – Lotus

Little Simz recently spoke to Louis Theroux on his podcast as part of the promotion for Lotus. The conversation confirmed what we already know about the 31-year-old: she’s a thoughtful, intelligent soul whose qualities are always evident in the consistent standard of her albums. With Theroux, she talked about the creative process, her influences, and the importance of not holding onto grudges. The latter point is topical: a lot of the chatter around this release has centred on the break-up of her relationship with right-hand man Inflo, the producer of her last three – and best – albums. So, entering a new era with a new producer (KOKOROKO collaborator Miles Clinton James), how would Simz approach this unfamiliar environment?

The first thing to note is that you don’t notice her former collaborator’s absence. This is particularly notable, as much of Lotus sits sonically in territory previously explored on those last three albums. The jazz and soul-inflected production is back (on tracks like ‘Free’ and ‘Only’), as are the rumblings of Afrobeat we saw most prominently on Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (on ‘Flood’ and ‘Lion’). Old friends from the past reappear: Obongjayar is back for the aforementioned double Nigeria link-up, and also returning are Little Dragon’s Yukimi and Michael Kiwanuka, both of whom joined our protagonist on Grey Area. Thematically, she’s again unafraid to explore areas of her personal life, including those feelings of betrayal that shrouded this album’s release, along with familial relations and self-doubt.

She’s done this for over a decade now, so it’s no surprise that she’s a smooth operator across many of these songs. ‘Only’ is a delightful combo of Simz stunting on her success while celebrating the lover in her life, over a jazzy instrumental underbelly. ‘Free’ sounds as carefree as its title – breezy life lessons delivered over an effortless soul backdrop. ‘Lion’ is the better of the Obongjayar collaborations, with its danceable funk sure to be an easy addition to a growing setlist of party jams for her live show. This is comfortable territory for Simz. In full-length albums alone this is number six – she has this music in the bag now.

Sometimes though, the familiarity of this stuff can drift into the repetitive. We’ve just heard her take down the opps across a full album (on No Thank You), so opening this one with more enemy-bashing on ‘Thief’ feels a bit predictable. The returning guests are fine musicians in their own right, but it’s questionable whether some of these new songs add much to her catalogue. Kiwanuka’s hook is nice on the title track, but it was more striking on the superior ‘Flowers’ from Grey Area. Yukimi is hardly noticeable on the forgettable ‘Enough’, whereas she added a whole different dimension to ‘Pressure’, also from Grey Area. And not to dwell on the album that still remains her career peak, but it’s telling that that album clocked in at a full 15 minutes shorter than Lotus. A more ruthless editor may have chopped the last three songs; it’s always a pleasure to hear Sampha’s voice, but ‘Blue’ doesn’t bring anything new to the table for him or Simz.

Because a shorter runtime would have further highlighted the real highlights on Lotus: those songs where she does explore previously untravelled ground. For example, where ‘Thief’ feels stale, ‘Hollow’ feels completely vulnerable and fresh. An airy, dreamlike instrumental (almost like one of those excessive interludes on SIMBI) contrasts with the honesty of how disappointed she feels with the breakup that shadows this whole record. It is excellent. So is ‘Peace’, another song with minimal musical backing. An acoustic guitar accompanies the verses, with new collaborators Moses Sumney and Miraa May either side of Simz to help her find the peace of mind the title alludes to. Again, it feels so refreshing and impactful. And ‘Blood’ joins the canon of conversational hip-hop tracks – Simz and Wretch 32 exchanging bars as bickering siblings who’ve grown apart. This one in particular really hit me emotionally. It’s telling that it’s these three, more daring songs, that stand out above the rest of the material on Lotus.

As ever, Lotus is an enjoyable listen. You can’t argue with someone exhibiting the skills that they’re good at, and on the soulful moments, Little Simz confirms herself as an expert in this realm of hip hop. It truly gets close to greatness though when she pushes those boundaries a little further; the genre experiments of her EPs creeping into her LPs can only be a good thing. I’d exchange some of the longeurs and repetition for more experimentation next time. Because the best parts of Lotus show that no matter who is by her side, Little Simz has the talent to hit the heights on her own.

Words by Tom Burrows