Late Nights and Heartbreak (10th Anniversary Edition)

Record Kicks proudly presents the 10th anniversary vinyl reissue of Late Nights and Heartbreak, the breakthrough album by Hannah Williams and The Affirmations - home to the song that became the emotional backbone of Jay-Z’s landmark album 4:44. 

Originally released to critical acclaim in 2016, Late Nights and Heartbreak has since become a modern soul classic. Its legacy was sealed when Jay-Z famously built the title track of 4:44 entirely around Hannah Williams’ original recording. Used as a raw confession of infidelity, the song served as Jay-Z’s response to his wife Beyoncé’s Lemonade, introducing Hannah’s unmistakable voice to a worldwide audience.

Recorded at Quatermass Studio in London—the home base of cult heroes The Heliocentrics - Late Nights and Heartbreak captures Hannah backed by her newly formed band, The Affirmations. The album was produced by Malcolm Catto, renowned for his work with artists such as Mulatu Astatke, Orlando Julius, Floating Points, Quantic, DJ Shadow, and Madlib. Mixed fully analogue and mastered to tape, the record delivers a sound that is raw, punchy, and deeply immersive.

Across 13 tracks, Late Nights and Heartbreak explores visceral, heavy-hitting soul infused with a subtle psychedelic edge. From the haunting first single “Tame in the Water” to the relentless eight-minute groove of “Still in My Head,” the album showcases the sheer power and control of Hannah’s voice at its most electrifying. “Woman Got Soul” delivers five minutes of infectious, hard-driving funk, while deeper cuts like “Another Sunrise” and “Your Luck Can Change” provide lush, emotional backdrops for themes of love, lust, longing, anger, and vulnerability. All songs are original compositions written by the Bristol-based collective surrounding The Affirmations, led by musical director James Graham—except for a stunning, monster psychedelic-soul reinterpretation of “Dazed and Confused,” heavily inspired by the original version by Jake Holmes.

Blessed early on by the late Sharon Jones, Hannah Williams first burst onto the soul scene with her debut album A Hill of Feathers in 2012. The single “Work It Out” became an independent radio hit, setting the stage for a career steeped in modern soul mythology. Raised in a musical household, Hannah sang in her church choir from the age of six and could read music before she could properly read words. Today, she stands as an unstoppable force—an artist of rare, once-in-a-generation talent.

Ten years on, Late Nights and Heartbreak returns on vinyl in this special anniversary reissue, reaffirming why Hannah Williams and The Affirmations remain among the most powerful voices in contemporary soul.