You ever hear an artist that you didn’t expect to make you cry on the first listen? It was, like I was being taken to church for the first time in a long time. An unexpected, but calming feeling ran through my body after listening to Eryn Allen Kane. Have Mercy was the song that made me cling to her as an artist. Then, I decided to listen to some more of her work. Her Aviary EPs had me hooked. It was more than her voice. It was her ability to talk about subjects and create stories. But, I wanted more. When I started listening to her, it had been three years since she released a project. I wondered why it took her so long to make a project. That was until I read about her having a vocal injury. Her newest EP, A tree planted by water, was a storytelling piece for black women. It gave me soul and she brought me to tears once again. The poetic interludes from Aja Monet made the project better. Listening also helped with my creative block as a poet and writer. From her statement about the project, she said, “A tree planted by water is a series of short musical stories. A time capsule of life events pieced together with live instrumentation, storytelling, narration and raw vocals. I wanted to get back to the roots of soul music by using simple melodies to paint complex narratives. A tree planted by water is an ode to soul music and soul singers who showed me how to write and sing with courage, strength, love and incontestable passion.” Her vocals showed the pain and meaning within the stories she told. If you are going through something in life, listen to Kane to release a good cry and start on your path to healing.