Ego Ella May - Honey For Wounds [Album Review]
Ego Ella May’s Honey For Wounds is a modern-day masterpiece that heals and soothes, exploring difficult subjects while keeping us captivated with jazzy neo-soul splendour.
Ego Ella May is a South-London artist whose magical mix of contemporary jazz and electronic R&B makes a beguiling listen. A talented lyricist who slips between subjects both political and personal with ease, Ella May’s vocal richness and intriguing yet grounded song-writing has drawn comparisons to Erykah Badu.
The recent rise of R&B stars such as Mahalia, Celeste and Joy Crookes shows that neo-soul is having a big resurgence in the UK. Though Ego Ella May has been releasing music since 2013, today’s release of Honey For Wounds is a game-changer, pulling together everything that May has to offer into an incredible composition that should firmly place her alongside her acclaimed contemporaries.
Smoky yet smooth, May’s seductive vocals take the lead throughout her verses. Synth-heavy, jazz laden choruses allow her voice to melt into the music, a mellifluous instrument becoming one with a dream-like collage of sounds. Her lyrics twist and turn, casually flipping from topic to topic with ease, gently punching holes in everything from established systems in society to modern narratives of love.
In ‘Girls Don’t Sing About Boys’ for example, she questions conventions, ironically chiming, “we'll go to school and get married and start a family,” mocking the path that women are pressured to follow time and time again (“the cycle continues”). ‘Never Again Maralisa Interlude’ on the other hand is centred around her own desires. She soothes herself and wishes for more positivity in the future, reciting, “I don’t ever want to wanna feel that again,” repeatedly. Through her music, May expresses a deep empathy for the world around her, without losing sight of her belief in the importance of self-care and personal growth. In one song she’ll reflect on a relationship she can’t quite let go of (Table 4 One), in the next she’ll softly lament the sorry state of the world (How Long Till We’re Home).
The title Honey for Wounds brings to mind a benevolent sort of witchcraft, and it’s true that every song pulsates with a sort of mystical energy - darkly ethereal with verses wrapped in breathy sighs and spell-like harmonies. The world is certainly in need of some healing right now. With the release of Honey For Wounds, Ego Ella May offers a remedy; magic in the form of empathy, self-reflection and hope.
Check out the recently released visual for ‘Give A Little’ (above), followed by the full Honey For Wounds album which was released today below.