"Resilencia" – Taina Asili

Taina Asili is a real talent. She's one of the area's foremost Latina performers and also one of its finest political songwriters and singers. In 2017, Asili made national headlines with her performance at the Women's March in Washington, D.C., and her follow-up protest anthems received coverage in Rolling Stone and Billboard. "Resiliencia" is Asili's third full-length album and first since 2014. It's the latest showcase of her multimedia range, as "Resiliencia" pairs with a short documentary series she's directed. Both album and films draw from interviews Asili conducted with women of color across North America and their stories.

On the album, Asili combines their narratives to craft a dozen tales of personal and political struggle, survival and resilience. "Even If" tackles victim blaming and asserts the rights of consent, female autonomy and dignity. These themes continue on "En La Verdad," a rhythmic declaration that the survivors of sexual assault deserve to be heard and believed, and the passionate "Decir Que No." The political is at the core of "Resiliencia," but Asili also highlights her ability as an artist to fuse different genres together to anchor her message. "Beauty Manifested" mixes up a Hendrix-style guitar riff (think "Voodoo Chile"), reggae rhythm and jazzy horns, while the title track combines Latin rhythms with punk rock riffage to deliver her anthemic chorus. "Resiliencia" is a cohesive, strong-from-start-to-finish release from one of the 518's best and boldest voices.