Jazmine Sullivan’s ‘Heaux Tales’ Brims With Recollections Of Love, Heartbreak & Desires
The EP is equipped with fitting features from H.E.R., Ari Lennox and Anderson .Paak.
Jazmine Sullivan unleashes Heaux Tales, her latest EP and it features her stunning voice that soul fans have missed tremendously.
The stakes are extremely high on this return that comes five years after her last album, Reality Show. On Heaux Tales, Sullivan who never shies away from sharing love stories and her journey through heartbreak does just that yet again. The EP is brimming with confessions from six different women who dealt with life-altering situations. These spoken-word tales offer glimpses into the stages of love, self-worth, sexual appetite, cheating, what it’s like yearning for a partner with wealth, and more.
In preparation for the release of the album, Jazmine dropped the following singles “Lost One,” “Pick Up Your Feelings,” and “Girl Like Me” featuring H.E.R. It seems as though “Lost One” and “Pick Up Your Feelings” rang loudly as her loyal fanbase took notice that whatever Sullivan was slated to unveil would be heavy-hitting and not a random compilation.
Immediately after Sullivan’s Heaux Tales released, fans took to social media to embrace the project. R&B and soul fans alike detailed why they admired the EP. Some shared that they enjoyed Jazmine’s vocal range while others emphasized the sequencing. One fan noted that the release was a worthy follow-up to Reality Show.
The sequencing on #HeauxTales is phenomenal.
— KEITHAN (@iamKeithan) January 8, 2021
Jazmine really came on here and said calling it an album made her nervous but the production, the talent, the sequencing, the concept is a lot better than a lot of actual albums released by her peers.
— micia (@DeMiciaValon) January 8, 2021
Jazmine really gave us a conceptual album with a story told and executed in a unique way…. all in 7 songs + 7 interludes. #HeauxTales is a masterclass is in album curation. Having vision is half the battle, but you MUST have a vision.
— Mel Smith (@iamMelsmith) January 8, 2021
Jazmine’s best songs center around cultural taboos (fame, clout, tricking, etc.) Shit you shouldn’t really say in public because it might reveal just how shallow/trash you are. She takes the nastiest, grimiest secrets and airs them out. That’s what her pen will be known for.
— Mel Smith (@iamMelsmith) January 8, 2021
Jazmine Sullivan just set the bar high as hell for R&B artists this year. Let’s see who can keep up.
— MH (@SirMikeH) January 8, 2021
#HeauxTales is honestly a worthy and suitable follow-up to ‘Reality Show’
— Ivy McGregor’s Understudy | 🤙🏾 (@Ntuitive_PHIve) January 8, 2021
Staple tracks on the EP that were emotionally biting included the intro “Bodies,” “Put It Down,” “On It” featuring Ari Lennox, “Pricetags” with Anderson .Paak, and “Girl Like Me” featuring H.E.R.
“Put It Down” is an upbeat cut that’s all about a lover’s ability to please you sexually. “On It” is a lush, well-written R&B song. Lennox and Sullivan go back and forth serving up lines about their separate takes on one’s sexual prowess. “So let me see what that mouth do/’Cause baby it’s not that easy to please me/I’m needy, I need more attention with different positions,” Sullivan declares.
“Pricetags,” explores being money hungry and yearning for a partner who can buy you exactly what you want. Even with its dangerous ramifications, Sullivan makes a case for the hunt for someone to treat you to your wildest dreams sound commendable. This is the modern “Gold Digger.” .Paak is equally brilliant.
The closer “Girl Like Me” culminates what the entire album is about: finding your way through brokenness. With the assistance of guitar chords and H.E.R., Sullivan reveals feelings of hopelessness after a breakup. This song and the entire project is relatable due to Jazmine’s ability to express herself wholly.
On Heaux Tales, Sullivan divulges her selfishness, her body-image issues, and her ongoing journey undoing societal norms surrounding the word “ho.” She’s not perfect, and that’s fine because no one is.
Before the afternoon hit, following the release of the aforementioned EP, Sullivan’s NPR Tiny Desk (Home) concert surfaced featuring tracks off her new project. The performance also includes the riveting single “Let It Burn” off Reality Show. Watch her set below.
