A baby changes everything. For Jhené Aiko, having a daughter inspired the Los Angeles native to return to music after dipping her toes in the spotlight in the early 2000s. At just 15 years old, she was collaborating with boy band B2K and preparing to release her solo debut. But that album never came to fruition. Aiko bowed out of her label contract and focused on school. That decision allowed her to grow personally and artistically. After several years, she began to write, inspired by single motherhood and rocky relationships (with men and the music industry). Alongside production duo Fisticuffs, Aiko built her confidence as a songwriter, spilling out lyrics with a stream-of-consciousness cadence that lends swagger to her airy intonations. Sailing Soul(s) is her bold reintroduction, a liberating collection of sultry neo-soul and dark, minimalist alt-R&B that showcases Aiko’s hypnotic mix of wit and sexuality. This is not an album but a mixtape. That distinction allows her to explore her potential—to team up with big names, try on different sounds, and speak her mind. On the cover, she emerges from the sea wrapped in chains—with a look of steely confidence. “Don't sell your soul, sail your soul,” she sings with a mesmerising echo on “sailing NOT selling”, the mixtape’s groovy centrepiece. This ode to self-empowerment is a theme that runs through much of Aiko’s work, whether she’s owning her sexuality (the sizzling “hoe”, featuring Miguel), calling out a man (the moody “stranger”), or likening her love to a drug (the seductive “higher”). Aiko’s voice is like silk, elegantly wrapping around metallic beats, spacey drones, and punchy guitar riffs (the 50 Cent-sampling “popular”). This 10th-anniversary edition underscores Aiko’s clear vision for a new wave of R&B—and herself as one of its pioneering artists. It also includes five bonus tracks that show how effortlessly she can slip between sexy (“living room flow”) and sassy (“B’s & H’s”).