Words by Zachary Masone
Almost entirely self-written, Kali Uchis’ fifth studio album, Sincerely, emerges from dichotomy. The birth of her son and the death of her mother bookend the creation of the record, with Uchis stating that she was creating the music “that [she] needed to heal before [she] even knew what would transpire.” The record, which heavily deals with paired contradictions, finds solace in the gaps between miracles and tragedies. The album situates itself betwixt Heaven and Earth, love and pain, and sunshine and rain, with Uchis’ voice arising out of the lush orchestrations that swell beneath her, guiding the listener to the peace she has recently found.
Uchis has always been an artist that believed in the Divine and the power of positivity. On her single, “After The Storm,” from her 2018 debut album, Uchis sang, “Someday we’ll find the love / ‘Cause after the storm’s when the flowers bloom.” And it seems like the flowers are finally blooming. There is a peace to Uchis seen across the record that has allowed her to deal with the more challenging aspects of life. Unlike in her earlier records, a sense of stability permeates across all of the tracks on Sincerely, truly reflecting the harmony Uchis has found despite the personal tragedies she has gone through and will continue to go through.
On the opening track, “Heaven Is A Home…,” the central thesis of the album is immediately clear. “This is the story of a girl / Who was once imprisoned by her own mind / And freedom’s never felt this good,” Uchis croons over a plucking guitar and soft drums. The shimmery production, accompanied by Uchis’ soaring melody in the chorus, marks a turn of power for her, as she comes into her own freedom fully. The creation of her family has seemingly led her to the notion that the Earth can be Heaven it and of itself, shedding the burdens and anxieties that once plagued her. On the next track, “Sugar! Honey! Love!,”, she again references that she “had almost given up hope,” but her relationship with rapper Don Toliver, who she’s been with since 2020, “put blood back in [her] heart.”
In this ornate world Uchis has constructed, conventional, and perhaps a tad old-fashioned, proclamations of love and karma are her bible. If you put love into the world, love will come back. On the track “Fall Apart,” Uchis sings, “This love that I waited my whole life for,” and on the lead single, “Sunshine & Rain…,” Uchis declares, “I do nothing in the dark ‘cause I believe in karma.” There is a reverence for the design of a higher power. It’s a safety net, a comfortability that no matter what trials she goes through, everything will work out. To listen to Sincerely, is to listen to a heartening, albeit cliched, version of love and tranquility. But I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing. Uchis’ lyrics and musicality have always been concerned with spirituality and consequences, a consolation in a modern landscape of pessimism. Duality, as a theme of the record, comes back into focus when the worldview of Uchis is cross-referenced with the outside reality. On “Sunshine & Rain…,” Uchis writes, “Like whatever happened to the human race? Did everyone’s brains get melted and deranged?” before concluding that “We all need someone who makes the Earth feel heavenly.” Her love, her family, and her home have allowed her to maintain sanity while the rest of the world crumbles. She invites the listener to seek out these earthly comforts and pleasures in order to also find serenity.
Traditionality isn’t just found in the lyrics on Sincerely, but also in the production. The old-school worldview Uchis displays across the record is complimented by the instrumentation, which for the most part, does not reinvent the wheel, but instead perfects the sonics Uchis portrayed on her earlier works. This is no clearer than on the 50’s doo-woop throwback “All I Can Say,” which is a direct reference to simpler times. It is clearly influenced by ballads of the era like “Put Your Head on my Shoulder” and reminiscent of songs like “Killer” from her debut album, Isolation. Every song on Sincerely, is opulent and soft, complemented with silky string orchestrations, sexy basslines, and classic live drums, hi-hats and cymbals pulsing along. Reverb echoes throughout the entire record, giving the record a psychedelic and dream-pop sound, inspired by influences like Mazzy Star and the Cocteau Twins. The record also includes references to Lana Del Rey on songs like “Heaven is a Home…,” with its similarities to “Born to Die,” and “Silk Lingerie,” which interpolates Del Rey’s “Million Dollar Man.” Not too dissimilar to Uchis, Del Rey often has an old-school view of love and romance, with direct homages to eras past in both the music and the visuals accompanying her records. This alignment with Del Rey seems like a deliberate positioning on the part of Uchis, who opened for her back in 2018.
Despite this citation of varied references and diversity of influences and producers, every song on Sincerely, seamlessly blends together to fashion a cohesive body of work, contingent more on the overall vibe the album gives rather than any one particular impressive productional flair or sonic standout. The record works better as a whole, the songs all in tandem with one another, to reveal the state of mind Uchis has found herself in lately.
The lyricism on Sincerely, while nothing groundbreaking, provides insight into the dualities she’s facing. While her perspective remains conventional, the world around has progressed, alarmingly so. Uchis grapples with this rose-tinted vulnerability on a majority of the tracks. On “Lose My Cool,” Uchis herself claims that she’s an “old school romantic.” The slinky “It’s Just Us” allows Uchis to find solace in love rather than in the world: “Heaven on earth may fade away / But you and I are forever to stay in love,” she sings softly over airy guitars and a groovy bass. On “For: You,” shimmery synths open the song, inviting the listener into the warm waters of Uchis’ rich melodies. She acknowledges the dangers and possibilities of hurt in love, but disregards it: “Love is a gun / I’ll bite the bullet.” And on “Breeze!,” “One thing I learned in this life for sure / There’s no need to worry or fear ‘cause those emotions hold no worth,” a far cry from songs like 2017’s “Loner,” where Uchis sings “I don’t want to be known ‘cause I’d rather be a loner / I’d much rather be alone.”
On the final track, “ILYSMIH” (or “I Love You So Much It Hurts”), Uchis sings about her son and how much pregnancy and family has helped her. Whereas in her earlier projects, hurt stemmed from the absence of love, this track manifests hurt from the abundance of love. “All the world is crazy, but you’re here / My baby made me realize that nothing else even matters / Ooh, I love you so much it hurts / And I can’t stop the tears, my baby’s really here / He showed me what my life was really worth down here on earth.” Sincerely, as a record, is less about innovation and more about affirmation – affirming the love, the family, and the gratitude that Uchis currently possesses. She carves out a space where sentimentality and emotionality become her freedom and control. Amidst the chaos of the world, and the personal tribulations she has undergone, she will always have the love of a family. It is her anchor, one that moors her to peace. Sincerely, while not one of Uchis’ best albums (see Sin Miedo or Red Moon in Venus), is a worthy inclusion in her discography. It finds her at her happiest, unconcerned with worry or doubt. The production is top-notch, establishing a plush and seraphic soundscape that finds Uchis warbling angelically alongside. She has perfected her craft, coming into her own not just as an artist, but also a partner and a mother, most importantly. The record values love and vulnerability not as liabilities, but as triumphs. They are the peaks of the mountains Uchis has submitted, the peaks and valleys of life not shunned but embraced, and it’s exciting to think of where she will traverse next.
Loudspeaker Collective 