Review: Judith Hill ‘Letters From A Black Widow’

Review: Judith Hill ‘Letters From A Black Widow’

By Martine Ehrenclou

It’s a brave move to open a record with a ballad, and an experimental one with jazz flourishes at that. But once you hear Judith Hill’s vocal, you won’t question the decision. Powerful, soulful and soaring. Out April 26, ‘Letters From A Black Widow’ is Hill’s new album that reveals a generational talent. 12 tracks of rock & roll with groove, funk, R&B and soul, featuring a highly talented vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who is now telling her story.

With a voice this good, it could be easy to be carried away by it, and miss highlighting the Grammy Award winner’s other remarkable talents, which include well crafted storytelling, extraordinary guitar playing, and complex song arrangements. ‘Letters From A Black Widow’ is Hill’s journey from darkness to light. And she emerges triumphant.

It takes guts to tell your story, and Judith Hill has a story that went public and nearly destroyed her career. It was a false narrative published by the tabloids about Hill’s collaborations with Michael Jackson and Prince before they died. As a result of the false conspiracy theories that accused her of connections to the famous artists’ deaths, social media trolls drove shame campaigns and Hill received death threats. She was called a black widow. And more.

“For years the Black Widow was such a dark presence in my life that was too looming and intimidating to even talk about,” Hill says. But a year into the pandemic, she had time and space for a momentous reckoning. “Being forced to stop, allowed me to reach a deeper place, to really marinate and figure out what’s at my core, what I really needed to talk about. I found I had the courage and strength to face all this – to be authentic to my core, to dive into the whole experience, and turn an ocean of darkness into expressive fire.”

‘Letters From A Black Widow’ is Hill reclaiming her life. On her record, she reveals her private pain and a willingness to tell the truth. And to do so with the vocal chops of a young Tina Turner mixed with Aretha and her own signature style, Judith Hill takes back her life with courage and strength.

Opening track “One of the Bad Ones” is almost a spiritual revelation. Not unlike a movie soundtrack with powerful strings and flute, her voice is stunning, with a vocal range that will shake you to your core. Until the dissonant chords that signal a transition into an experimental jazz tune. Here, we get a glimpse of Hill as edgy and fierce.

“Flame” is a rock and roll track with a killer guitar riff and groove. Dark and edgy too. A power tune with Hill at her most confident. She sings, “I look into the eyes of a wolf and he starts to growl, I wanna run but I stand my ground , The pressure is a cooking and churning the blood in my veins, And it burns my fears to flame.” After you hit the dance floor on this one, you realize that Hill is giving the finger to the online trolls that brutalized her. And you’re rooting for her all the way.

Hill plays many of the instruments on the album including guitar which she taught herself since her last studio album ‘Baby, I’m Hollywood.’ Her superb band of musicians include her parents, bassist Robert “Peewee” Hill and keyboardist Michiko Hill. She’s also joined by John Staten (drums and percussion), Daniel Chae (strings) and a group of friends, who contribute background vocals.

The title track “Black Widow” is experimental, creepy, with strings that reflect horror and darkness. It is her story. She fights back against a chorus of singers who shout “Black Widow” and the whole experience is as dissonant as any listener can probably stand. Her guitar playing is just as jarring as the string instruments. The key and chord changes are befitting for a Tim Burton movie. And amidst all of this, it’s impossible not to feel empathy for this multi-talented and daring artist.

There are songs like “Dame De La Lumiere,” a jazzy tribute to her mother and grandmother, to their stories, their power and strength that reflect her own. A love letter to the women who raised her, an empowering tribute to women everywhere. It borders on experimental jazz and exhibits Hill’s formidable vocal chops.

There are uplifting, groove tunes on the record, R&B love songs like “You Got It Kid.” But with Hill, one has to wonder about the subtext in the lyrics. “Runaway Train” is another one, but more rock and roll—truly a hit. The keys are delicious, as is the whole tight knit band.

‘Letters From A Black Widow’ closes with a hopeful, R&B song about love and how it’s the basis of everything.

Order the album ‘Letters From A Black Widow’ HERE 

“Flame”