Little Simz built her second album around a single idea: a woman can be a king, and she is tired of being told otherwise. A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons runs ten tracks and 34 minutes, and it spends almost every one of those minutes proving it. The record is a concept album about fame, doubt, and the voices telling a young woman she does not belong. It is also, simply, some of the tightest rap writing she had put out to that point.
The Opening Statement
The album opens with “Persons,” a track that sets the terms immediately. It is short, sharp, and direct, with Simz delivering lines about being king over a beat that feels like a warning bell. The chorus repeats “everybody knows that I’m king now,” and the whole song plays like a mission statement dressed up as a pop hook. It is the track most often cited when people talk about this record, and it earns that attention — it announces the thesis and gets out before the listener can stop paying attention.
“Wings” follows at 4:07, a slower, more reflective piece that lets the singer breathe. It is less about the crown and more about the cost of wearing it, with lyrics about flying too high and the fear that comes with it. It is a solid track, but it does not quite land with the force of the opener. The album’s momentum dips slightly here before recovering.
The Middle Stretch
“The Lights” picks things back up at 4:01, a track about visibility and the pressure that comes with it. It is a strong entry in the album’s middle stretch, though it does not reach the heights of the opening pair. “Tainted” follows, another 4:01 track about corruption and the mess of success. Neither track is bad, but neither is essential either — they fill space without adding much new to the argument.
“Gratitude” is the clear standout of the middle section. At 3:37, it is a thank-you note disguised as a rap song, and it is the most emotionally direct moment on the record. The track names the people and the moments Simz credits for getting her to this point, and the sincerity cuts through the production. It is the kind of song that could play at a wedding without losing its edge.
The Back Half
“God Bless Mary” is the other track critics singled out, and it is easy to see why. At 4:17, it is the longest track on the album, and it uses that length to build a slow-burning narrative about a woman who has survived everything life throws at her. The chorus is a prayer, and the verses are a confession. It is the most ambitious song here, and it mostly delivers on that ambition.
“Dead Body” is a shorter, sharper track at 3:52, and it deals with death and loss in a way that cuts through the album’s usual themes. It is a change of pace that works, even if it does not quite match the emotional weight of the songs around it. “Full or Empty” follows at 4:24, a track about emptiness and the search for meaning. It is a good song, but it is the most forgettable moment on the record.
The Closing Tracks
“This Is Not An Outro” is a 2:42 track that plays like a joke about the album’s own ending. It is funny, clever, and brief, and it lands as a small victory after a few tracks that felt like filler. “Fallen” closes the record at 1:53, a short, quiet track that ends things on a note of exhaustion rather than triumph. It is a fitting close, even if it is not a grand one.
What Remains
The album’s ambition is its greatest strength and its occasional weakness. Simz wants to make a statement about female power and the voices that try to silence it, and she does that with precision and confidence throughout most of the record. The problem is that the concept is so tight that the middle tracks feel like padding — there are stretches where the album repeats itself instead of expanding its argument.
But the highs are high enough to carry the whole thing. “Persons,” “Gratitude,” and “God Bless Mary” are three of the best tracks she had released up to that point, and the record’s best writing is on display across all three. The production stays lean and propulsive, and the beats never get in the way of the message.
A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons is a strong album that occasionally overreaches. It is a concept album that succeeds when it focuses on the concept and drifts when it loses sight of it. The record’s central argument — that a woman can be a king and that fame is not owed to everyone — is worth hearing, and the songs that carry it are worth returning to. It is a debut that set the stage for everything that followed, and it remains a solid, if uneven, piece of work.
- Album: A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons (2015)
- Artist: Little Simz
- Tracks: 10
- Running time: 34 minutes
- Metacritic: 80/100
- Persons2:04
- Wings4:07
- The Lights4:01
- Tainted4:01
- Gratitude3:37
- God Bless Mary4:17
- Dead Body3:52
- Full or Empty4:24
- This Is Not An Outro2:42
- Fallen1:53
