I was originally going to go with another album for my pick, but then Solange came through with what may be the album of the year for me. Solange has always been my go-to for feel good alt-R&B music, and this album does not disappoint in that regard. She tweeted a few days ago that A Seat At The Table "is meant to provoke healing & journey of self-empowerment" and that's such a great way to summarize the take-aways from listening to this record. When I think about the records/songs that have come out from the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement (mostly To Pimp A Butterfly, 16 Shots, Black Messiah), they each have a common theme of anger and frustration weaved into their musicality. What A Seat At The Table does differently for me is express what black people should be proud of and to encourage us to take joy in our blackness and history.
I was reading the review on Complex's site and the writer said "ASATT’s lyrics often read like the Twitter timeline of a smart Black person." which is so real. I've personally only listened to it a few times, but I did listen to a couple of the songs while reading the lyrics and parts were pretty emotional for me. Solange is unapologetic about her art and using her art to encourage the black community to be unapologetically black, and I think she does so beautifully on this record.
When I read your description of this album I was tentatively excited, despite R&B rarely being my genre of choice. I was a little intimidated by the number of tracks and the overall length at first, but Solange does a fantastic job of keeping things varied. Even when I was listening to this album while trying to do other work, it would find ways to pull me back in. Junie is great example of this because of how it hits hard with funky (but not over the top) synths and vocals that at times made me think I was listening to Amber Coffman.
ReplyDeleteNormally, I'm not a fan of albums that have a heavy number of short interludes between songs. It usually feels like unnecessary padding to me, but not here. Here the interludes do a fantastic job of underlining the theme of black pride and I was always interested in hearing what the next one would be.
From beginning to end this album was pretty great. It sags a little bit here and there, but there's always something more interesting around the corner. It's not the style of music I usually listen to, but I hope I remember it the next time I'm in the mood for R&B.
I can definitely see why this would be yours and many others' AOTY. This album was well-written musically and lyrically, and full of wisdom and emotion.
ReplyDeleteListening to the lyrics is definitely a requirement for truly appreciating this album. The way the album starts with Rise definitely sets the stage for what's about to go down. Both Rise and Weary sort of act as a soft battle cry, and introduce the overarching theme of valuing and being true to yourself. Cranes In The Sky is also great, obviously. My other favorites on this album were probably Don't You Wait, Don't Wish Me Well (man there's a lot of songs on this album that start with 'Don't'), and F.U.B.U. The instrumentals are also on point in this album, which kind of contributed to my enjoyment of the aforementioned songs.
My only complaint: The spoken interludes were interesting on the first few listens, but the subsequent times I found myself wanting to skip them. I don't know, maybe I just wanted to hear Solange's voice again. The ideas discussed here are best described through song I feel, but I can see why those interludes were put in, as they grab the listeners attention and provide variety, and also are just interesting. I can definitely see why she took this mixed media approach, they just don't really have a lot of replay value since they aren't songs. I know it's a very minor complaint, but I had to complain about something!
This album is definitely very important and I'm glad you made me listen because it's the sort of thing that may go under the radar for me. I will definitely be coming back to this in the future!
Pretty fantastic album! The production/musicians is/are top notch, and Solange has a beautiful voice. The guest artists all have good cameos that aren't necessarily overpowering - they still feel like Solange songs and fit in with the rest of the album, but the guests still get their own unique voice.
ReplyDeleteOverall it's just a beautiful sounding album, simple as that. I actually get a lot of Ava Luna vibes from it, but one huge area where they differ, obviously, is the message of the music. Reading through the lyrics to this album was a pretty moving experience. As another white person I was talking to about the album said, "I don't feel like I'm supposed to be listening to this album." But she loved the album, and was glad she heard it. She was moved by it. On the one hand, I understand that sentiment. But on the other hand, I can't help but think that it's important for everyone to listen and take in something like this, where the message is so powerful and straightforward. As a white person in America I think it's important to try and at the very least understand the frustration and the weariness (the feelings & where they are coming from), as Solange sings about, of black people in this country. An important first step is listening, and Solange's album helps deliver a message to a wider audience.
I should add - I liked the interludes. Especially the one with Tina Knowles, that was great. This is, after all, an album that is equally social commentary and music, so I found the interludes not only appropriate but very thoughtful and well placed.
I really loved this album, Maz. I think it's important and executed beautifully both musically and thematically. I've never liked R&B much but dang, even setting aside any lyrical content this music is stunning and sets its tone masterfully. It's somehow a very pleasant listen while still translating its critical message. I think "Don't You Wait" perfectly demonstrates how how the beats can translate urgency and exasperation while still being so nice and relaxing.
ReplyDeleteThough a lot of little moments stood out for my lyrically, I think my favorite overall song was "Mad". I think this song is pretty brilliant actually and it's definitely my favorite on the album. The beat is so chilled out which is actually what makes the message so ice cold. I think this stunningly pretty track translates more about the frustrations of the black community than any angry, loud punk song could. It definitely helped me as someone who does not have to experience racism further understand just how overwhelmingly exhausting it must be to live with it every day.
Lastly, I really liked the interludes. I liked that the samples were very direct rather than using metaphors like a record trying to be 'artier' would have. The things said in the clips can't afford to be veiled. It was very bold and brave to put the messages of the music in such blatant terms and I think it's incredible because so many people need to hear these things and so many people will through this album.
This album was rad as hell. That one track about hair was the absolute shit, and the track with the Lil Wayne feature was incredible. In fact, all the features on this album were amazing. Also I'm glad everybody is talking about the interludes because those were all perfect. This album was great, I'm sorry I don't know what else to add to my comment. You ever like something so much that you don't know what to say? Like this is easily my favorite album of the year so far, like it's just amazing. Everything from the production, to the lyrics, to the features, to Solange just being incredible as always. I will be listening to this album for months and months and years and years. Thanks for picking this album Maz.
ReplyDelete