Sail Out in Bloomington, MN

Having already made a big impression in 2013 with appearances on singles from
Big Sean
("Beware") and
Drake
("From Time"), breathy R&B vocalist
Jhene Aiko
fleshes out her character on
Sail Out
, a relaxed debut EP that suggests that this girl is on permanent vacation. That's not a negative, but a positive, as the singer seductively slinks her way through heartbreak during the intoxicating cut "The Vapors," where sweet nothings like "Can I hit it again?" could either mean the bedroom or the bong. All the hard work
Lennon
and
Ono
did while on their backs in the '60s gets a cheeky twist when the light-stepping "Bed Peace" offers "If I had it my way, I'd roll out of bed, say, 'bout 2:30 midday/Hit the blunt, then hit you up..." before
Childish Gambino
joins the EP's superior guest list with
Kendrick Lamar
,
Ab-Soul
, and
Vince Staples
all on board. Thing is, this lazy, hazy boat trip to the hip side of R&B only goes up and down the coast, so take
Aiko
's short intro as more of a "pinner" than a "fat blunt," as they say. ~ David Jeffries