In the three years between a tree planted by water and her previous release, Aviary: Act II, Eryn Allen Kane suffered a vocal injury that permanently altered the tone of her voice. That hardship became an opportunity for reinvention for the Chicago singer, who’s collaborated with everyone from Chance the Rapper to Prince: On a tree, Kane sounds more soulful than ever, her voice’s new-found graininess combining with lush live instrumentation. Interspersed with spoken word from poet Aja Monet, Kane celebrates the strength and vulnerability of black women, from “Fragile”, a bluesy meditation on what daughters inherit from mothers, to “With You”, a community-driven neo-soul jam that sounds straight-up timeless.