Worthy

There's never been a better time for a new India.Arie album, and she clearly knows that. Her coffeehouse soul makes a powerful statement on “What If”, which invokes iconic black women past and present and asks: What if Harriet, Rosa, Josephine, Oprah and others didn’t take a stand? Her frustration with the 24-hour news cycle turns into a rollicking ride on “Rollercoaster”. She finds time to nourish the soul and find respite in intimacy. “Sacred Space” seeks shelter in love (“You’re where I go to remember what is real”). “Steady Love” praises “a warrior in the streets and a king in the sheets,” while “In Good Trouble” wonders “how your hands would fit on my thighs.” But it wouldn’t be an India.Arie album without nurturing heart-to-hearts, and “Hour of Love”, “Worthy” and “We Are” are some of her most potent pick-me-ups yet.