Ayo - Ayo (2017)

2017 release. It's not typical for an artist to self-title their fifth album. That's normally meant for debut records. But, while Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Ayo has four records under her belt, it's actually quite fitting that she chose the eponymous title. The 14-track record, which exquisitely blends folk reggae and pop with soul influences and a dash of hip-hop, marks many firsts for the artist and serves as her musical rebirth. The musical mission is crystal clear on Ayo: make beautiful music seeped in positivity, love, and light and that makes people feel something. Written over the past three to four years during a sea of personal and career changes, the 14-track album takes the listener on an emotional ride from the self-reflection of "Nothing" to despair and desperation in "I Pray" to the innocent hopefulness of young love in the first single, "I'm a Fool."