Hannah Williams & The Affirmations - Late Nights & Heartbreak (10th Anniversary Edition) (2026)

Record Kicks proudly presents the 10th anniversary vinyl reissue of Late Nights & Heartbreak, the breakthrough album by Hannah Williams & The Affirmations home to the song that became the emotional backbone of Jay-Z’s landmark album 4:44.

The long sold-out LP returns as a limited edition white vinyl 2LP, alongside a deluxe digital edition featuring two bonus tracks: “Tame in the Water (Alternate Version)” and “Fool (Extended Version).”

Originally released to critical acclaim in 2016, Late Nights & Heartbreak has since earned its place as a modern soul classic. Its legacy was cemented when Jay-Z built the title track of 4:44 around a sample of Hannah Williams’ original recording. Used as a raw confession of infidelity, the track became a pivotal moment in Jay-Z’s narrative response to Beyoncé’s Lemonade, introducing Hannah’s unmistakable voice to a global audience.

Recorded at Quatermass Studio in London, the home base of The Heliocentrics, Late Nights & Heartbreak captures Hannah backed by The Affirmations. The album was produced by Malcolm Catto, renowned for his work with artists including Mulatu Astatke, Orlando Julius, Floating Points, Quantic, DJ Shadow, and Madlib. Mixed entirely in analogue and mastered to tape, the record delivers a sound that is raw, punchy, and deeply immersive.

Across 13 tracks, Late Nights & Heartbreak explores visceral, heavy-hitting soul infused with a subtle psychedelic edge. From the haunting first single “Tame in the Water” to the relentless eight-minute groove of “Still in My Head,” the album showcases the sheer power and control of Hannah’s voice at its most electrifying. “Woman Got Soul” delivers five minutes of infectious, hard-driving funk, while deeper cuts such as “Another Sunrise” and “Your Luck Can Change” provide lush emotional backdrops for themes of love, lust, longing, anger, and vulnerability.

All songs are original compositions written by the Bristol-based collective surrounding The Affirmations, led by musical director James Graham, with the exception of a stunning psychedelic-soul reinterpretation of “Dazed and Confused,” heavily inspired by the original version by Jake Holmes.

Blessed early on by the late Sharon Jones, Hannah Williams first burst onto the soul scene with her debut album A Hill of Feathers in 2012. The single “Work It Out” became an independent radio hit, laying the foundation for a career steeped in modern soul mythology. Raised in a musical household, Hannah sang in her church choir from the age of six and could read music before she could properly read words. Today, she stands as an unstoppable force an artist of rare, once-in-a-generation talent.