Throwback Thursday: Revisiting Jhené Aiko’s Sailing Soul(s)

For this week’s Throwback Thursday, I’m going back to a project that helped define a sound that would go on to shape an entire lane of R&B in the 2010s. Jhené Aiko released Sailing Soul(s) on March 12, 2011, dropping the project on her 23rd birthday. At the time, it served as a complete introduction to her sound and artistic direction.

This project came at an important time in her life as well. She began working on Sailing Soul(s) shortly after giving birth to her daughter, and the result was a body of work that felt deeply personal while still being sonically fresh. Over time, the project became one of those defining releases of the early 2010s and helped lay the foundation for the career she would go on to build.

Back when this project first dropped, it was almost impossible to avoid hearing it. No matter where you went, someone was playing a song from Sailing Soul(s). I remember hearing tracks from the project at house parties where the DJs were blending R&B and hip-hop throughout the night. The first time I listened to the album, my immediate thought was that it was just a pure vibe. Even today, years later, that feeling hasn’t changed.

Part of that might be nostalgia, but listening to the project now, you can clearly hear how influential it became. A lot of the alternative R&B artists who emerged later in the decade seem to draw inspiration from the type of sound Jhené was cultivating here.

One of the standout tracks for me is “hoe,” featuring Miguel and Gucci Mane. This song used to get a lot of play during the parties we were going to back then. It worked perfectly in that environment, especially with Miguel and Gucci Mane both hitting their stride around that time.

Another memorable track is “stranger,” which comes in right after the short intro that opens the project. From the moment the beat drops, Jhené locks into a pocket over the mellow, laid-back production. It’s one of those songs that immediately pulls you into the atmosphere she was creating.

“My Mine” is another track that really highlights her strengths as an artist. She understood her vocal style and leaned into it completely. The production complements her delivery perfectly, and the beat selection on this track really helps drive the emotional tone of the song.

Looking at the bigger picture, Sailing Soul(s) played a major role in pushing forward what we now know as alternative R&B. Instead of the traditional powerhouse vocalists that dominated earlier eras, Jhené introduced a softer, more atmospheric approach. Her style helped open the door for a wave of artists who would later explore similar sonic territory.

Even now, the project still holds up. The version currently available on streaming platforms is the deluxe edition, which unfortunately is missing a few tracks from the original release, including “July” featuring Drake and “Growing Apart Too” featuring Kendrick Lamar and HOPE. Despite that, the songs that remain — along with the bonus material — still make this project well worth revisiting.

If you’re trying to understand the roots of some of the alternative R&B sounds that have become popular over the past decade, going back to Jhené Aiko’s first major project is a great place to start.