By the time Chicago crooner Ravyn Lenae released her long-awaited debut album Hypnos in 2022, she’d had her elvish falsetto compared to greats like Billie Holiday and Erykah Badu and opened for contemporary alt-soul/hip-hop favorites SZA and Noname. More big names appear on August follow-up Bird’s Eye – Ty Dolla $ign lends a verse on “Dream Girl,” and Childish Gambino plays Lenae’s absent father on melancholy standout “One Wish” – but with infectious pop melodies (“Genius”), reggae beats (“Candy”), and slippery bass (“Love Me Not”), the 25-year-old artist proves herself to be more than an R&B student. – Carys Anderson
