Heaux Tales

If this album is on this list then Cats should have won an Oscar and Vladimir Putin awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Look, I'm one of the last people who's gonna dump on anything that purports to be about female empowerment. I'm all for that. But just because it's got its heart in the right place doesn't make it good. And let's be clear, "Heaux Tales" is not very good. The production values are damn near non-existent and the backing beats are minimalist homages to authentic R&B tracks at best and amateur-hour ripoffs at worst. But where it really falls apart is the lyricism. While the intent is clearly there, the execution is... immature. Juvenile, even. Everything comes off as the rantings and ravings of someone who hasn't seen enough life to understand the depth of what they're talking about. There's no pathos here. No perspective. It has the form of protest without the substance. This is serious stuff and all Jazmine is doing is skimming the surface. I can't help but feel that "Heaux Tales" was added to this list too hastily. I don't imagine it will stand the test of time. I expect it will disappear into the noise of the dozens of similar hiphop/R&B albums that have come out in the last few years.

Socially relevant for 2021 and pretty funny at times but of all the releases in the past 12 months not sure why this one would make the cut.

I haven't heard of it nor Jazmine Sullivan before but I will remember her now! This take-no-prisoners examination of female sexuality is refreshingly candid as it explores the feelings and desires of women while challenging all the judgmental, hypocritical baggage usually attached to it. More than just an entertaining album, this is a real education and as I listened was embarrassed to realize how much of that baggage I still carry around despite my attempts to shed myself of them. I almost started this review by saying "this album isn't targeted at me" and realized that, yes, it IS targeted at me. It is targeted at a society that carries around these bullshit views of femininity and I have to contend with that every bit as much as anyone else. We are not the enlightened people we think we are and albums like this are spotlights exposing the work to be done. Heaux Tales is a phenomenal album.

So apparently this is as "vital" an album as Abbey Road, Exile on Main Street and Dark Side of The Moon... ... It isn't.

Eeesh. What was cut from the list to make room for this...

Lost me in the first 10 seconds. I hate this style of music, I hate it's attitude, I hate it's vocal style - I hate everything about it.

Hmm, this was a real stretch for me. I guess it’s not really made for a 59 year old male, but it was still cool. Pick up your feelings is great! She is an unapologetic sexual being. Recognizing the ups and downs of that reality. Go for it girl

A bizarre choice as one of the 1001 albums you must hear. Totally forgettable.

Goodness gracious. Vulnerable and raw. This is a fascinating album. Recordings of seemingly candid speeches are interspersed with songs inspired by the discussions. The way I said it makes it sound boring! But the pieces are largely about sex and sexual agency, so no not boring. I love Sullivan's voice. She's got a beautiful range and uses it with particular gut-wrenching effect on the track Lost One. My other favorites on the album were: Bodies, Pick Up Your Feelings, The Other Side, and Girl Like Me.

An absorbing, intelligent nu soul album with stunning vocals and excellent production, Jazmine Sullivan astutely narrates the complexities of modern dating, relationships and self worth on an album that rewards repeat listening.

Millions of streams on Spotify, Grammy awards, a place on the 1001 albums list, and yet I’d never heard of Jazmine Sullivan. Am I so out of touch…? No. It’s the children who are wrong.

4/08/2022 Today's Album: "Heaux Tales" by Jazmine Sullivan - This album is really great and knows how to keep it's ideas short and concise. This album should essentially be called hoe tales, as almost every track is split up from the next by a short interlude of a woman talking about some aspect of being a woman. Antoinette's Tale talks about how men are taught to objectify women, Ari's Tale is about submitting to a man because of his sexual game, and Donna's Tale is about fucking men for the sole purpose of getting something out of it, even if that man is your husband. Although these interludes seem ammeter and comical, the combined message of the interlude and following track can have a huge impact. Like in Rashida's Tale, which talks about cheating on someone and how awful it feels on both ends being followed by Lost One, which is a chillingly somber track about a heartbreak. The tracks in between the interludes are all pretty fantastic. They all feature a really cool musical idea with Jazmine's vocals taking center stage and the R&B backtrack always backing her up perfectly. I think every song has a lot of impactful lines that help them all feel unique, necessary, and apt given the context provided by each "Heaux"'s tale. The whole album feels like it tackles many of the crucial modern issues of being a woman in America and it feels like all the ideas are integrated in a way that doesn't take away from the entire musical presentation of each track. I think if you like female pop like Ariana Grande or Doja Cat, you will like the aesthetic of this album and if you have ever felt the world is just a little fucked up towards women, and especially black women, this album is a great one to dig into the lyrics with. Give it a listen if that sounds like you. I think a lot of it isn't totally my thing and the whole thing feels really short (especially with about 8 minutes of interludes), but some of the hits on here made my playlist for sure and I think it's a fairly good example of R&B/Pop today. Score: 7.5/10 Some great female R&B/Pop Highlights: Bodies, Pick Up Your Feelings, Put It Down, Price Tags, Lost One, The Other Side, Girl Like Me

My eating my change with time, but I loved this album. Or should I say open, honest and profound look at sexuality from a female (black female) lens. The frank discussions and highlighting of double standards between men and women as well as the expectations that we each put on one another (as well as within our own gender) was direct and needed. These discussions (and time for men to shut up and actually listen and process) should really be happening at an earlier age. For all of the comments about “We’ll, I don’t know if this is for me because I’m old/male/white/other excuse” really proves how much it actually is for you and how easy (lazy) it is to pass something off as “not for me” when it makes you uncomfortable or calls out your privilege in a less direct way.

I was surprised to see this recent of an album on this list, but it was a worthy addition. The vocals and writing on this album are great and it had a great R&B sound. It did seem somewhat anemic considering it was half an hour including the intermission stories though. Fav songs: pick up your feelings, price tags

knew that the exclusively classic rock obsessed saddos would hate this album without thought so was gonna give it a 5 anyway to spite them but it actually deserves it too so a double win

did not need to listen to this before I died

This was fine, but I kind of feel like this list should function like the NFL Hall of Fame when comes to adding new releases. To get into the Hall of Fame, you have to be retired for at least 5 years before being considered for eligibility. I think that’s fair, right? 5 years after its release, an album becomes eligible? Otherwise, this list becomes a product of its moment. I’m not trying to single out this record or any newly added releases in the most recent edition of the book. There’s plenty of records on the list from 2000-2005 in the first edition of the book that shouldn’t be included. I’m just saying there needs to be a cool down period where records can be evaluated outside of their moment before dubbing them essential.

I definitely appreciated hearing the points of view expressed, and the vignettes are interesting glimpses into the lives behind the songs. As a very recent album, however, I maybe hoped to hear some themes that I haven't heard before in other artists' work. As for the music itself, I like "Pick Up Your Feelings," but I really didn't enjoy much more than that.

Great album, offering a perspective that's been strongly lacking on this list. Once the first listen is done I can always do without skits, but each one sets of the song following it really well. Serious and sincere while still being fun and easy to listen to. The duets with H.E.R. and Ari Lennox are great, and "Roster" is an excellent song. Glad this made the list.

Feels very much like a modern day Lauryn Hill insofar as it's concept. Really good, but not perfect. And as I discovered, NSFW.

This album is yet another example of the reason they need to let these records breathe before adding them to a list like this. While the messages are timeless, the music is going to age like unpasteurized milk. Three of the songs use that terrible mumble trap triplet flow, which is three too many. Best track: Lost One

Wow this is bad. Generic crap. Sucks that whenever I see an album made after 2010 there’s a huge chance is going to be this shit. It’s like this music is made in a factory where the workers plug in a couple random things and poop out an album. Super overused backing beats, a style of singing that gets annoying 10 seconds in and then proceeds to not alter the rest of the album, disgusting description of sexual activities like a horny 14 year old wrote the lyrics and the list of mediocrity goes on. Then they input these messages about women being abused in between the songs that seem to only focus on sex, like what the fuck is that about? Sexualizing and demoralizing yourself, then immediately crying about being sexualized and demoralized? What a joke 1/10

Interesting choice for an album from 2021. It sucks. It sounds like a ton of other generic hiphop/RnB albums that exist. Even the message of the album is amateurish and many more skilled artists have handled the subject matter a lot better. Plus how the beats are just so fucking bad. Seriously? It's just so bland and uninspired.

7/10. I really like the Canterbury Tales-esque concept album framework, but don't really enjoy the actual music that much.

Reminiscent of Lauryn Hill. Complex mix of R&B ballads, twitchy hip-hop, feminist lyrics.

This is thankfully short. I say thankfully because it is not good. At all. It's both boring and cliche. Maybe there should be a ten year rule for this list. Because there is no way this will be on it in ten years, let alone remembered by more than a handful of people.

This is parody, right?

I LOVE THIS!!!!!!! 100000% music made for me. added every song to my playlists halfway through the album. banger after banger.

Never heard of Jazmine Sullivan. I like this album. The music doesn't sound over produced. The interludes have a vibe to them that engage my synapses. Pick up Your feelings, Pricetags, Lost One, The Other Side. Great voice, great production, solid album. Will probably look more up

Unique, in the concept and the execution, but with clear nods to lots of classic American artists from the past. The story-telling and world-building is exquisite, and the vocals are flawless, verging on transcendant at points. An absolute unexpected joy - the closest comparison would be Janelle Monae, in terms of how much I enjoyed it and also how much of a bolt from the blue it was. Brilliant and startling

A beautiful experience. It's almost TOO good

Holy crap. Wow. Speechless. What did I just listen to. My god. This hit me so hard. This is incredible.

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Bodies, Pick up your feelings, Put it down, Price tags, The other side, Girl like me

This was another new one for me and I was intrigued. It was raw yet smooth to me. At moments it was a challenge for me because it was a truth so far from mine, but I really appreciated the album experience.

holy shit, if i could give 6 stars i would

Love her look on the cover and this was a lot better than I expected after reading the ratings! Some of y’all just don’t like black women.

Interesting take on women and their power and sexual nature. Conceit was well done.

How about the Anderson .Paak feature?! That guy is so damn good and was a pleasant surprise to show up here. Price Tags was a banger and easily my favorite song here. Pick Up Your Feelings and Put It Down were really strong tracks too. Gotta say, this was a pleasant surprise. Obviously, Jazmine really shines through the album as a great artist with her vocals and songwriting. On top of some quality music that balances R&B and Hip-Hop very well, I appreciate the structure of this album where you had a woman telling a story followed by a song hitting on that theme. The structure reminded me somewhat of what Kendrick did with Section 80, which is one of my favorite rap albums ever. I really enjoy albums that try to tell a story and integrate music with skits or other ways that connect the songs together (in this case it was tales), and I thought it was a really well-produced album in that regard. Lastly, Heaux Tales is an A+ name. Strong 4 from me.

almost strikingly , ig Unambitious? obviously the structure of it leaves very little room for ambiguity, which i have to admit does make me fidget a little...i dont think theres anything ontalogically wrong with making art that is Not Subtle and Not Ambiguous but its not very compatible with my Art Sensors most of the time cuz i dont just wanna observe it from the outside i wanna find a way into working with it, which is harder to do when its tryna do all the work by itself. that being said this made more and more sense the more i got into it (and it also saves what are likely its most moving track for the back end)...the ambitions it does have to express Lived Experiences with various degrees of abstraction (once through direct narration once through music, generally speaking) does have a genuinely interesting kind of transparency. and obviously a lot of the sentiments here are very moving and cover a wide variety of tones that allow for actual nuance and complication in how those involved view themselves. and for all my waffling about wanting ambiguity or whatever, a lot of these are perspectives that Havent been expressed in direct unmissable ways thru art and music history. maybe not one of my super favorites but fs a beautiful record in many ways

listen.. it wasn't my favorite (also though it WAS fun and sexy, i'm not mad about it), but i am just so overjoyed to not hear an album by a white man that sounds like the album i got the day before that and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that....

Fav song: The Other Side Some really great production on this album and amazing features, especially from Anderson .Paak. I think the lyrical content is by far the weakest part of this album and at times it provides this almost bizarre juxtaposition of feelings when typical mumble rap lyrics about sex and money are shoehorned in between some actual poetic lines at times. Not to mention how surprisingly deep and heartfelt some of these instrumentals feel - especially 'The Other Side' - which is my favourite song from the album. The instrumental is sooooo good and some of the lyrics are really nice, but singing about buying a new bootie is the bungie rope that snaps me back out of the immersion.

Heaux Tales I quite enjoyed the songs on this, for the most part they are pretty good examples of modern RnB, with some lovely stacked backing vocals and harmonies, like on Put it Down as well as some really nice instrumental/production touches and flourishes, like the guitar on Lost One, and the throbbing synth bass on Pick Up Your Feelings, a great track. I do also ike Anderson .Paak and H.E.R. so I enjoyed those appearances. Some tracks though feel a little harmonically flat, like On It, which never really gets past that generic r&b feel. I found the spoken word ‘tales’ quite interesting too. It would be easy to say it’s not made with me in mind, and clearly the world they are describing is so far from my lived experience, but I actually found it quite thought-provoking to be exposed to these ideas of womanhood/feminism/feminity/sex etc. Despite the upfrontness it didn’t seem particularly celebratory or particularly damning, or didn’t seem to shy away from the ups and downs in the attitudes to sex and relationships. Even if it is very sex focused and I initially thought it was rather reductive it did make me think about my reactions to it, which I liked. Musically it’s decent if rather slight, and thematically it’s pretty interesting, and overall I’m glad to have listened to it. Whether I’d listen again I’m not sure, but I’d definitely playlist Pick Up Your Feelings and Lost One. Due to it being slightly atypical for this list and for making me think more about my feelings towards it, I’ll go 3 💦💦💦 Playlist submission: Pick up Your Feelings

Now this is a surprise . Wouldn’t normally listen to female-sung modern r&b, but might be a good background album while schmoozing. Not enough oestrogen in me to thoroughly enjoy .

Not for me I think, although I might enjoy it more after a few listen throughs. Not gonna happen though.

What in the absolute fuck is this. It's some shit is what it is. Why is this on ANY list

Terrible

I was skeptical when I saw the title, and sure enough I hated this album. What a devastating indictment of how Third Wave Feminism has gutted modern womanhood. I can’t imagine living with such a transactional mindset and allowing my identity and self-worth to be utterly wrapped up in my sexuality. How gross and depressing.

Absolutely dross. Some nasty words need to be said about her.

Whore = ho = heaux. Is that supposed to pass as clever? I hated EVERYTHING about this album, especially the irritating title. One star is as low as I can go and that's still too generous.

ni me lo escuché

#86. Trashy music from a trashy skank. Hard pass. No stars for Gryffindor. 1/5: Half a star for the accurate album title. Another half a star for still being better than Tom Waits somehow.

I've never heard of Jazmine Sullivan and all of the music on Heaux Tales was new to me. Maybe there was one track that was "okay, I guess." Most of my responses were "Please, no more of this". Are two stars too much? Probably.

Någon med analklåda tyckte den här skulle tillhöra listan. Det är så man blir både ledsen och förbannad på en gång. Mest ledsen........... och förbannad.

I'm floored. This is an absolutely outstanding album. What an amazing exploration of modern female sexuality, crafted with a unique interview style that flushes out each story in the subsequent track. And not just that, but every track is so smooth and hooky as hell. Bodies is amazing opening track (which will be stuck in my head for the foreseeable future), and Girl Like Me is the perfect closer. Honestly, I have no complaints and will likely buy this vinyl. 5/5

Beyonce like r&b but a bit more musically nuanced than a usual pop/rnb album

3 days back to back of absolute bangers. Lost One was a top song in 2024 and I was not not okay

was not looking forward to this but surprisingly loved it!!

What a treat! Haven't listened to many Jazmine Sullivan songs before, and I was impressed. Some good hip hop and rnb songs. And the gimmick with the people telling a story between the songs stayed fresh and entertaining. Best song: Pick Up Your Feeling

heaux tales meaux tales

A Philly girl! Love her

I loved this album when it came out and listened to it pretty much nonstop during winter / spring of 2021 when it felt we were just starting to see the light at the end of the COVID tunnel. It still hits. So many great jams. I could do without the narrative intermissions, but this is a pretty perfect album IMO.

Thoughtful lyrics, lush production, coherent as a full album - a real work of art.

"THIS IS FUCKING FIRE" - Abraham Lincoln

Very good

Insecure introduced me to Jazmine Sullivan. Her voice is fire!! Feels like the future of R&B

Really great

This was amazing

Brilliant. Perfection. Progressive but human, incredible RnB.

This was a surprise gem. Judging a book by its cover I was not looking forward to it. Now that I’ve listened it’s unlikely I will ever listen to it again. But I’m really glad I listened to it. She has a powerful message and a powerful delivery. I love the device of different peoples tales tying in between songs. Really a great record to give a listen to (even if it’s the only time you end up listening to it).

more WHite men angry about women of color making art about whatever the fuck they want

I love a good sex-positive rnb rant. 4.

All the low ratings prove Jazmine was right to record this EP. Sure, it's nothing like making it to 1001 of the greatest albums ever. But let's be honest here: music is objective, and quite a handful of records on this list wouldn't belong here. And it's okay, some music stays relevant a little longer than the other. And as for me, I couldn't possibly imagine a better record to this explicitly embrace and manifest female sexuality and freedom in 20's than Heaux Tales.

Eu simplesmente estou apaixonado

5/5. A short and tight album (even the deluxe) with skits and interludes that flow with the track list and each full song is so memorable and well-written. Way more R&B and soul and Jazmine does have the soothing voice to match. I think there can be a disconnect to listen to a very direct and honest woman speak about sex, love, individuality, and vulnerability. She, or others, may say things in her skits that rub you the wrong way but they are not apologetic, they know what they want and you may not like them, but that's who they are. I would never want to be friends irl based on their morals but that does not take away her skill of an artist to be able to create amazing songs for each opinion. Best song: Pick up your feelings, Lost one, Hurt me so good

Ah so here we are, the very newest entry in the current version of the book, have been curious to see what this was, as I've never heard of it or her. If I was going to argue what other records from 2021 should be here I'd say Self Esteem (similar theme to this one really except if she was a white girl from Sheffield), Little Simz (not too far removed), Black Country New Road (English, so people would cry) and Floating Points (but this book doesn't acknowledge jazz exists after 1963), so yeah ok, Heaux Tales, let's see what's up. Starts strong, Pick Up Your Feelings is really good. RnB has improved so much from its nadir in the 90s. Not as keen on Put it Down or On it. Donna's Tale is funny. Price Tags is funny also, and an update to Destiny's 'Bills' which I always found annoying. Lost One is indeed gorgeous. She's got pipes, this one. And sings in lots of different styles. The Other Side is a fantastic slice of pop RnB with a yearningly aspirational chorus (even if it seems a pretty superficial dream). I am somewhat surprised how much I enjoyed this overall as it's not my thing generally, but great records surpass such self-imposed restrictions, and this does that.

Idk why but this album was really fun. I imagined Jazmine singing every song about me(straight-male) me. Beats and bars are really good too. Rounding up from a 4.5.

Wow... first time hearing this album it is a real journey that Lost One even had me in tears. Very honest and a full range of emotions are explored at times as emotionally raw as Elvis Costello. The music matches the stories told. This is an amazing fully realized concept album!

Loved this album when it was released!

Dug it. Bit preachy at times but good grooves

I think the frank discussions of sexuality on this are great. Sex and sexuality can be a topic that comes off as cheesy or forced, but I think having mini-confessionals before the track that they inform is a clever tactic that works really well. I think a song like "Lost One" gets a heavier punch hearing the source, as it were. For the first time on this list, I think this album comes across a little, very little underbaked. Aforementioned "Lost Ones" is fantastic, but I think it doesn't know how to properly end so it just... cuts out. Also, when you look at it, half of this album is, technically, interludes. It's a short record, but I would've wanted so much more. Regardless, I enjoyed it enough to call it a 4.5, rounding up cos Jazmine is from Philly. Favorite tracks: "Put It Down", "Lost One", "On It"

Bodies - a chill intro to an album. i like that we've slowed into RnB (4/5) Pick Up Your Feelings - i like this a lot. (5/5 talent) Put It Down - i used to listen and drive around to this kind of thing back in like 2018. (5/5 always a good drive) On It - this is very classic RnB. these are hit or miss for me. (3/5 it sounds good but it's a miss) Price Tags - women in RnB feel underrepresented. this fucks (5/5) Lost One - you can hear the inspiration from the early 00s throughout this. the development to this is great (5/5) The Other Side - it's so summer drive vibe. (5/5 it's just nice.) Girls Like Me - a very fitting ending to an album too (4/5) this album actually slapped a lot. maybe because it's the most recent album i've had but i thoroughly enjoyed listening to this. 5/5 the amount of skits are.. a lot but honestly it was pretty easy to ignore.

Fantastic!

cool

I am blown away. I love this concept and the execution.

Really compelling concept album/EP - some of it can seem light-hearted and silly ("Put it down"), but great production and writing throughout. It seems like a more complete and thoughtful piece of art than a lot of other albums on this list, and considering ititss technically an EP it doesn't overstay its welcome or stretch out unnecessarily. I really loved some of the production, notable cuts like "Lost One" and "The Other Side".

Perfection

Fantastic concept and performance, definitely derived from Lauryn Hill, but unique to the current time. A low 5, but a 5 nonetheless.

Really really good! Loved it!!!

Great album

A stunning voice and a powerful and dynamic album. 4.5/5

The grooves are Thicc. The spoken word interludes are a cool play on the form of the "concept" album work. The album is a deep dive on relationship dynamics and goes to some genuinely thought provoking and interesting places.

Love this. Voice is extraordinary. Lyrics great feminist views.

really enjoyed very good

Covered a surprising range of emotion compared to what I originally expected, and my main critique is that I would like to hear more. 9/10

Loved this when it first came out. Where is she now??

Didn't know anything about this - on first impression I really got into it. I know I'll be checking it out again.

I feel like my picks lately have been more r&b focused but maybe I'm just lucky and the random selection is trending more r&b lately. I know nothing about Jazmine Sullivan at all and have probably heard her name before so that's about it. I've been enjoying the first few tracks. She's got a great voice. Love the idea of an entire album of "Heaux Tales" or maybe it's just a great title. ha. I really enjoyed this! Fun and a little complex.

Loved the interludes and the vibes were stellar.

This is fantastic and reminds me (the feeling anyway) of Liz Phair. Loved it!! Might be a 4.5 for me eventually.