Hawa B can be criticized for being too eclectic, too adventurous. But we can also love Hawa B for exactly these same characteristics: very eclectic, very adventurous. We’re addressing the second group here, because we’re part of it, and we’ve decided that better sad than sorry is a landmark album of 2024. For Hawa B is a common thread, capable of melting all the metals in its alloy. Apart from being the powerhouse singer that she is, we know that she is musically educated in jazz/classical, we imagine that she is sensitive to the soul/R&B/hip-hop hybrids of her generation, and we guess that she is curious about darkwave, electro-rock, indie pop, house, ghetto-tech and other less obvious frequencies.
In short, no one else but Hawa B can be Hawa B, the only creature on the Montreal scene to make its mark in 2024, at the end of a few years’ artistic gestation. Her collaborators have grasped this maturity perfectly, starting with multi-instrumentalist and producer Félix Petit, who plays a central role in what has been built up for this new album, as well as his presence on stage with the soloist in a duo or orchestral context.
The melting pot of Montreal cultures is magnified here by Hawa B’s vocal presence, as everything flows together and integrates, from the lascivious groove of show to the string quartet of sadder but better, both melodic and bold, chained by a space pop lament wishing for peace of mind. Hawa B knows how to identify different states of existence and turn them into art through her formidable abilities.
