Editor’s Note: We’d like to thank Ms. Williams, The Affirmations, and our friends at Record Kicks for selecting Albumism to present the exclusive ***WORLD PREMIERE*** of their excellent new album 50 Foot Woman earlier this week, in advance of its official release. If you haven’t had the chance yet, indulge your ears below and be sure to also check out our recent interview with Ms. Williams here.

Hannah Williams & The Affirmations
50 Foot Woman
Record Kicks
Buy Here | Listen Below

Hannah Williams’ first two albums (2012’s A Hill of Feathers and 2016’s Late Nights & Heartbreaks) were recorded with two different bands (The Tastemakers and The Affirmations, respectively), but the single unifying feature of these releases is the artistic vision and voice of the groups’ leader. And what a voice it is. Capable of sliding effortlessly from a deep, soulful growl to a heart-stopping, piercing wail, Williams offers many opportunities for spine-tingling sensations.

While Williams & The Affirmations’ career was progressing well, things went a bit stratospheric for the group courtesy of global music behemoth Jay-Z. A phone call from Roc Nation asking for the group’s blessing to use “Late Nights & Heartbreaks” on Jay-Z’s soul saving, confessional masterpiece “4:44” saw a whole new audience bear witness to Williams’ thrilling vocals and the intense drama of the musical arrangement.

What now awaits new ears and those already attuned to the group’s many charms, is 50 Foot Woman, another fine album of soul music retro-fitted with the same ebullient musicality as their forebears such as the sadly departed Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. What marks it as different from previous releases is a sharper focus across the whole album, resulting in the wise truncating of songs that may have previously meandered, albeit pleasantly enough, into extended jam territory.

The Affirmations for their part are as tight as you would want for a soulful funk outfit, brandishing horns with a restrained muscularity and a rhythm section that powers the band forward like a steam engine with a fully fired up boiler. On board this time though, is producer Shawn Lee, who brings his wealth of experience (Lana Del Rey, Alicia Keys, Amy Winehouse, Money Mark and Georgia Anne Muldrow) to add further depths to the proceedings.

It is revealed, upon first listen, that an extensive touring schedule and a raised profile has translated into a euphoric nine-piece that bristles with confidence. The title track “50 Foot Woman” is a foot-stomping, Northern Soul ode to the awesome power of a fully operational super woman. The next track, “I Can’t Let This Slip Away,” is a swaggering lesson in not letting opportunities pass you by. Both songs offer ample opportunity for Williams to showcase her soulful growl, but come balanced with a restraint that hints at more to come.

The raucous atmosphere is continued by the rollicking “The Only Way Out Is Through” that comes laden with wisdom and an exhortation to push on through to the other side of troubled times: “Cause my sorrows did not drown my friend / They always learned to swim.”

But the following two tracks show the band at their very best. Both songs are slower and leave that extra room for Williams’ voice to fill with both its might and nuance. “Tablecloth” simmers with late night resentment and offers a chance for Williams to show the full extent of her prowess. Around 3 minutes and 30 seconds in, she erupts with a banshee wail of pain and rage—a “fuck it all” soars into the ether and brings the tale of a relationship gone wrong to a climax before the comedown elicits the same subdued atmosphere that started the ball rolling. It is a masterful arrangement that melds the instruments and her stellar voice into one glorious piece.

Similarly “Sinner” demonstrates her ability to spiral to wondrous heights. The same lowdown bluesy feel permeates as she blends the sanctified with the profane in memorable lines like, “How can you call me a sinner, with blood on your hands / That's something I could never understand.” Williams’ testimony begins in earnest and climaxes with an impossibly steepling note/run that stops the listener in their tracks and demands to be listened to again. That this is followed by an intro to “What Can We Do?” that sounds more like choral a cappella work before introducing a shuffling funk groove, is testament to the many and varied influences that Williams has as a singer. This song, like plenty before it, climaxes quite wonderfully—this time, the ecological message is hammered home by some delightful, insistent strings.

Inevitably after such bravura turns, there is a slight lull, but slight is all it is. There is the hyperactive jump of “How Long?”, the blues piano delight of “I Feel It” and another slow and sultry groove in the shape of “Please Be Good To Me.” Closing out the album in style are the memorably melancholy horn lines and beautiful fragility of Williams’ voice on “Hour Glass” and the jaunty “Worrying Mind.”

On every single track, three things strike you. Firstly, that the band is tight when necessary as well as loose-limbed and funky. Secondly that the vocal prowess of Hannah Williams is something special to behold. And thirdly, that the songwriting (courtesy of James Graham) is equal in power to both the band and Williams’ vocals. In short, the dynamics between all of these ingredients result in a terrific album that deserves the praise inevitably coming its way, and that may just be all the affirmation Williams and her cohorts need.

Notable Tracks: "Sinner" | “Tablecloth” | "The Only Way Out Is Through" | “What Can We Do?”

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