5 Selects: Yasmin Williams

Few thrills compare to watching masters find their groove and launch it skyward. It’s pure ecstasy — wild, untamed souls channeling their essence through acoustic instruments, creating a sound that feels both ancient and otherworldly. Too often, we forget the wonder of it all, letting the magic slip into the everyday. And yet, when it hits, it jolts us awake.

Take six minutes out of your day to absorb Yasmin Williams’ “Hummingbird.” It’s taken from her second studio album (and first for Nonesuch Records), Acadia, an exquisitely crafted full-listen gem that moves through three distinct sections.

As outlined in release notes for Acadia:

The opening set of songs evokes the wily exuberance of old-time music, then gently stretches its conventions; the second explores lush, layered textures and zones of vast atmospheric ambience; the third, which introduces electric guitar(s) and drums, has an experimental, improvisational spirit. She wrote the songs while touring, and that’s audible: This music has a breathless, world-in-motion sweep to it. It’s alive with wanderlust—specifically, that elevated-awareness feeling of journeying when you don’t know exactly where you’re going.

Williams, who grew up in Northern Virginia, expanded her sound on Acadia, a nine-track, mostly instrumental album in which she plays, per release notes, “various guitars, banjo, calabash drum, tap shoes, and kora.” The record features collaborators including Immanuel Wilkins on saxophone, Dom Flemons on rhythm bones, singer Aoife O’Donovan, guitarist William Tyler, and more.

On Thursday Dec. 12, Williams will return to Los Angeles to perform at Pico Union Project on a bill with cellist (and former member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops) Leyla McCalla. Below, Williams selected five go-to records for you to know.

Tickets are available here via Dice.

Yves Jarvis – Good Will Come to You 

Good Will Come To You is filled with vignettes more so than traditional “songs,” in my opinion, which is a big reason why this record is so interesting and singular. The first time I heard the track “I Felt The Evening Come Through the Window” was an indescribable moment for me … I simply hadn’t heard anything like it before. Jarvis’s vocal layering is some of the best I’ve ever heard besides Michael Jackson. The musical arrangements are also extremely interesting and, even though the songs feel like they blur into each other, each song is uniquely identifiable. 

William Onyeabor – Who Is William Onyeabor?

This album is such an earworm. “Atomic Bomb” has been stuck in my head for 2 years straight. This record exudes cool and is perfect for almost every moment in your life. The grooves are also impossible to get tired of. 

Jose Gonzalez – Vestiges & Claws 

Some of my favorite songs ever are on this album – “The Forest” and “Let it Carry You.” I love the tonal qualities of Gonzalez’s guitar and how his intricate picking matches perfectly with the vocal melodic lines. The album has a light, airy quality to it that feels like a gentle breeze by the sea. 

Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On 

This is one of the best albums ever recorded in human history. If there was an album that showed the genius of man, this is it. 

Daudi Matsiko – The King of Misery 

I love how fragile Matsiko’s voice is, at times seeming like it’s going to break, which is perfect for the level of intimacy and sincerity that’s present throughout this record. The lyricism also impacts me in ways that very few albums do. The arrangements are also stellar, sparse beginnings that grow symphonically to impressive peaks, and humbly coming back down again.

For more information on Yasmin Williams’ magical work, check her site.