India Arie Simpson's first proper album since 2013's SongVersation, Worthy is truly the follow-up to 2017's SongVersation: Medicine, an EP. Quietly released, SongVersation: Medicine missed the Billboard 200 but did gain enough recognition to be nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best New Age Album. With its soft, atmospheric sound and emphasis on affirmation and wellness, the EP wasn't out of place beside the other nominees and suggested that Simpson could thrive outside the strictures of the urban adult contemporary format. A fair portion of Worthy can be added to an India.Arie playlist of songs promoting inner strength, but Simpson also has a lot to say about good and bad aspects of relationships, the effects of systemic racism and greed, and how to be an undaunting force for change. Production-wise, this contains some of her slickest, most pop-leaning material, but she puts forth a message of optimism and compassion over all of it, even when the observations are inflamed. Those who have been with her since the debut are bound to be pleased by the album's second half, where Simpson's beatific and organic modes dominate.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo