325: Resiliencia, by Taína Asili

Taína Asili (Puerto Rico/USA)
Resiliencia (2019)
12 tracks, 54 minutes
Spotify ∙ Spotify ∙ iTunes

The word that comes to mind to describe Taína Asili and Resiliencia is badass.

My first contact with both album and artist came at work, where I was supposed to give it a listen through and make sure it was suitable for inclusion in the magazine. I only actually listened to a few seconds. Not only could I immediately tell that we needed to feature it (it ended up getting a top review, so I felt pretty validated) , but I also knew that I didn’t want to listen to this album at work, it deserved a proper non-office-based rocking debut to my ears. Turns out: perfect music for a barbecue.

The music is punk in its outlook and a mix of everything danceable in its sound. It reflects Asili's upbringing as a cosmopolitan Puerto Rican in New York, and your limbs are just as likely to be moving to ska, reggae, hip-hop and rock here as they are to salsa, cumbia and reggaetón – there are even Indian moments and, on the track ‘Plant the Seed,’ a definite African swing that seems in the mid-point between Senegalese and Congolese flavours of rumba.

So it’s already fire just on the sound of it alone, but the lyrics are incredible. According to the album’s blurb, it is ‘inspired by stories of resilience Taína witnessed in interviews she conducted with women of color in various parts of the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada over the course of several years.’ Along with Asili’s own experiences, the songs on this album are those women’s lives, their struggle, their power. She explores themes of solidarity, self-identity, empowerment, justice and that all-pervading resilience of women around the world. As well as bringing these women’s voices to her songs, she also allows them to speak for themselves – Asili is also a documentary film-maker, and is in the process of making a series of ‘music video documentaries,’ which are just what you’d expect, a cross between the both. Here’s the first, talking to farmer and food justice campaigner Leah Penniman alongside Asili’s song ‘Plant the Seed’:

To feature such incisive lyrics with important subjects, and to use her platform to advocate for others at the same time as making super-cool music that compels the body to get up and dance is a formidable set of skills. Taína Asili is an incredible force for good in music and beyond – keep an eye on that name. So badass.