Much like her debut album, Moments of Clarity, Wayna’s newest release, Higher Ground, displays a level of artistry that’s rarely found among the plethora of singers presently occupying the musical landscape.
Over Ground’s 13 songs, the Ethiopian-born, D.C. area-raised Wayna manages to accomplish the often unmanageable task of coupling meaningful, decipherable lyrics with well produced and compelling tracks. Although not representative of the album’s overall subject matter, “Billie Club” captures this sentiment perfectly. With vocal and production assistance from Three Stars alumna Muhsinah.
One of the great things about Wayna is that while she can have a track like “Billie Club” on her album, with all of its potential explosiveness, she can also have “Mr. Duracell”, which is less about batteries and more about a device in which said brand could be used to power. She recognizes that as humans, we go through a range of emotions and, as a result, can’t stay in one feelings box for all times. Artists who understand this and have the tact to convey it in a way where their audience can relate it to their everyday lives will always have supporters. Wayna has done this, and with the help of a talented group of (local)producers(Kev Brown on “Not Gonna Go), has put out a noteworthy sophomore effort that deserves to be heard by all who consider themselves musically literate and love music by artists who strive to make a connection to their listeners that is more than superficial.full@WJacarlMelton
Wayna - Not Gonna Go (Prod. Kev Brown)
Wayna - Billy Club (Feat Muhsinah)
Get Wayna “Higher Ground” on Amazon.com