Reviews (page 4 of 7)
very 2020 but the subdued vibe mixed with the vocals hits
First listen to this album and it is a beautiful and impactful. With systematic racism still a constant its strength lies in the message that continues the work of such artists as Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye. The album nicely melds together spiritual traditions with more modern expressions of music. The beats and effective use of drums and bass, along with the beautiful melodies, can easily distract from the message but can also make the message more impactful if used to frame the words. Beautiful and meaningful work. Favorite songs: Hard Life, Bow, Miracles, Wildfire. 4 out of 5.
I was expecting something, but it wasn't this. Pleasantly surprised by this album.
This album was pretty good. SAULT balances pain and uplift. A track might groove beautifully, but the subject matter underneath can be heavy as hell. That contrast matters. It’s not just “sad protest music”; it’s also about resilience, pride, memory, protection, anger, love, and survival. The percussion and basslines often give it physical movement, while the vocals and spoken passages keep pulling it back into lived experience.
Wasn't sure what to expect with this one
A little too long with a rocky start, but I enjoyed this. The back half was my favorite for sure. 3.5 rounded down to 3. Favorite tracks: Sorry Ain't Enough, Eternal Life, Only Synth in Church, Monsters, Miracles.
Fine but not the best late 2010s/early 2020s neo-soul representation that could be found out there.
I don't know if I can properly rate this as I'm obviously not the target audience(I'm a suburban white boy from Florida). This album was clearly made with incredibly respectable intentions, but yet it doesn't grab me. It's unobtrusive modern R&B that doesn't really move me in any way. The album was based around the power of its lyrics, which are based on themes of African identity and racial justice. Yet lyrics are only one part of the puzzle, and they are often repetitive and simplistic (which is probably the point). That said, I find the album somewhat lacking in hooks and great music, as it relies too much on the lyrical messaging to make an impact. But, then, I'm white, so what do I know about the subject matter? This album is ranked #2 of 3 albums released in 2020. Other 2020 albums rated by me: evermore(3/3)-3
My guess is radical chic (Tom Wolfe a dickhead tho). & yet, from a sonic perspective, pretty darn good, even if it’s politically on the nose. I simply prefer my politics to be on the loose. +, I prefer Solange, Blood Orange, Kendrick Lamar, Toni Morrison.
Never heard of them but enjoyed this one. Lofi working music
(71/100)
SAULT has a radical sound. Inflo creates sparse, austere R&B without the flourishes you’d usually associate from the genre. It puts a lot of pressure on the songwriting and vocals to be exceptional, and the group mostly lives up to this. I’ve only heard Inflo’s work with Little Simz before now and enjoyed hearing the sonic thread that binds the two projects. Untitled (Black Is) is a very 2020 record and a very Black record, responding to Black Lives Matter and George Floyd while also reflecting the claustrophobic feeling of the international lockdowns. It's interesting to hear a British group commenting on the state of race relations from across the pond, while I appreciate that these themes are ultimately universal, it would have been cool to also hear them zone in on some of the problems we have in the UK. Some songs caught me and inspired the meaningful response that was intended, other bits of speechifying sounded a little cheesy to my ears, though I recognise that these are the ears of a middle class white man.
Rightous
Pretty good - I'm not a huge fan of the short interludes but the fleshed out songs were quite good. Completely unaware of this group, so this was a nice find for a Monday.
This was great
Alright r&b albums, tracks like monsters sounded like something entirely different. was ok, maybe not for me.
A welcome discovery
very good. theming is strong, but it's also pretty easy to chill to. not a lot of tracks jumped out at me individually. favorite song is Wildfires or Bow. strong 3
Rating: 7/10 This group is pretty cool. It definitely has an extremely historic release, on Juneteenth 2020 which makes it an interesting landmark of an album. I'm very familiar with SAULT's founder Inflo as the producer for Michael Kiwanuka and, more importantly for me, Little Simz (until their unfortunate rift which has caused him to no longer produce for her). Simz is in my opinion one of the best rappers in the world right now and he was significant factor in the phenomenal discography she has. These artists make a great collective of UK conscious hip hop artists who are all doing really great work. Anyway, back to the album, this might not be standout but is still around a solid listen. I love the chill Wildfires, probably my favorite of the bunch. Why We Cry Why We Die and Black are also a good back to back. Songs flow along nicely, powerful stuff. Listen to Little Simz.
הם אף פעם לא עד כדי כך תפסו אותי אבל יש להם שירים טובים פה ושם
Alright actually
Written in response to the BLM movement, "Untitled (Black Is)" is a mixture of R&B and soul and explores, as some critics have put it, the "black experience". Politically charged lyrics and titles feature heavily, and one only needs scroll down the track list to understand the theme of the album. Musically though, it is fairly solid; they aren't particularly inventive, nor are they particularly experimental. The songs certainly don't have the fire of other political albums, relying more on a reflective and convincing tone rather than a channeling of anger.
great, powerful message not the most enjoyable listen tho, some songs were great
Let's keep it about the music guys. Music is mid to decent for me, with some absolute low points. 3/5
Nice album
This was an entertaining album. I’ve never heard of this band before. It’s a very socially conscious album about living as a black person in the world today. I enjoyed it. I liked the main singer's voice. It was a little long though.
I’d never heard of this album or group before. Despite how recently it was made, I’d missed it entirely. It was a very solid and enjoyable experience. There were a lot of interlude speech parts, probably too many. The words and lyrics were nice and empowering. I got a Public Enemy album a few days ago, and this feels like the exact opposite. One was raging against injustice and this one is trying to lift you up. All in all, I found this album to be very enjoyable. The music was good, the vocals were lovely. A couple songs I would probably listen to again.
Wildfire är en hit. Olik resten av skivan som är ojämn i kvalitet o genre
Untitled Liked it, drifts a bit in places but Wildfire is worth the price of admission alone Favourite track: Wldfire
Cool, subtle, trip-hop like stuff. I don't know if I'm interested enough to listen again but not at all disappointed in the find
Es relajante como para un viaje
It was fine. Liked the beats but could do without the spoken word bits. Also I feel like such a dick for saying this but some of these lyrics/spoken parts are corny as hell.
Bunch of people real uncomfortable with their identities on here…someone else being proud of and exploring their identities doesn’t have shit to do with yours… still more of the British club style than I like for my own musical tastes, but the grooves were on point and I enjoyed it as some background cooking music.
Definitely unique for the time period but this album can’t make up its mind what it wants to be.
Best Track - "Wildfires"
There are bits of this I really like, but a lot of it feels overdone and there's just not much focus.
2.5
I dunno there isn't anything wrong about this album. Chance did the Donnie Trumpet project back in 2015, and Kanye did gospel fusion before. I enjoyed this album as much as it allowed me to. Hip hop rythmns with gospel hooks, and neo soul melodies it all really took shape well. Ocasionally the music got borning or one dimensional. I just took note and moved on. I don't think you need to be a scholar or a bigot to understand the fate of black plight. Thy being oppressed for centuries and the second they get ahead or speak about it some constantly run to the outrage corner and go "Stop complaining.". Its call expression numb nuts, this is it in exemplary form. Good album. Bad band name. Also appreciate the "anonymity". Pretty cool.
Not for me, though wildfires was a good track. Very hip coffee shop music.
Well produced, but it's lacking something. As if it's meant to be the companion soundtrack to an art installation. Either that or I just don't get it.
I don't listen to much R&B, but this was a pretty solid album.
Not really sure what to make of this. Very recent entry. Starts kind of like slow house with a lot of R&B and as the album goes on it becomes more R&B and less house. It has some high highs (Miracles), but it is too long and gets tedious. It got this ambiguous atmosphere where you think it’s chill but it’s an intense kind of chill. It’s a good album, can’t say anything about importance since it’s not my scene but I can say it’s a solid three.
6/10 Medio soso, no me termina de aburrir pero tampoco me terminaron de gustar, no llega a ser ni malo ni bueno, tiene momentos mejores que otros pero nada que destaque
Me gusto mucho mas ee lo que me pense que me iba a gustar 3 estrellas
There's a retro sheen across this album. The '90s R'n'B inspired tracks are actually the least interesting for me. When electronica and African beats start to get involved, that's where it becomes an enjoyable listen. Overall, it's a bit middle of the road, but not bad.
SAULT got some great music and powerful messages on their Untitled (Black Is) album. Wildfires, Bow, and Why We Die Why We Cry are musical artistry. Didn’t care for the spoken word tracks on the album, but they do help send the message that repression and murder of black people is unacceptable and will no longer be tolerated. The album vaults SAULT onto the 1001 Must Hear List. (3.3*s) I’m not sure if the people that need to hear this message would ever be exposed to this album or ever listen to it if they were. musical artistry.
Wasn't familiar with Sault but evidently I already had one of these songs saved in my library so I must have been exposed to it at some point. This album appears to be a project centered on black empowerment in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. I had fear that this would just be an empty political piece that made the list due to controversial subject matter. While it includes a dash of political messaging none of it is excessive or out of touch. After a few songs the album hits its stride and has a handful of enjoyable tracks. Any of the political underlying is tasteful, measured and effective. It's not a bad album and I imagine would have been a powerful righteous entry for the target demographic and charity proceeds that it generated. I don't think I would have heard this album otherwise so I'm glad it made the list. 2.72 stars
Really like Wildfires, hadn't heard the rest. For my money, there's not much else on here which is quite so arresting as that track. But the band sound full of potential and I'll keep checking them out.
güzel bir teması olan ama bana hitap etmeyen bir albüm. 1-2 tane şarkısını beğendim
Musically its quiet alright. Interesting ideas. Very listenable melodies, beats and overall songs. It's biggest weakness is the fact that this hasn't aged very well into the big 26. I could see this making the rounds back in 2020 during the BLM movement and whatnot. However in current days it just sounds quite cringe. This is what I imagine white people thinking is playing at the 'cookout' The material sounds like they were trying to rewrite Marvin Gaye's 'What's going on' but through a white persons twitter overview of the black experience.
I really like SAULT. Thankfully, I'm from a place that has zero issues with black, white, yellow, whatever - but in this particular case it makes this work's message completely irrelevant and even irritating at times. The music is solid though somewhat repetitive, and the album is overstretched. They have much better works.
Nice. Smooth. Easy. Rich sound and voice.
This was a frustrating listen, tried to focus on it but kept drifting off and not listening, I appreciate it but not really fussed on this one ⭐⭐⭐
I liked the vibes, the messages, and the music, but each track got to be really repetitive.
This was very listenable but some of the reviews make me sad that there are still so many bigoted people out there.
British R&B has a sound I really like, and a lot of the instrumentation in this album was nice.
Am 19. Juni 2020 – dem amerikanischen Feiertag Juneteenth – veröffentlichte das britische Kollektiv Sault sein drittes Studioalbum über das Londoner Independentlabel Forever Living Originals. Der genaue Aufnahmeort bleibt bewusst ungenannt, wie nahezu alles rund um die anonym operierende Gruppe, hinter der primär Produzent Inflo (Dean Josiah Cover) und Sängerin Cleo Sol stehen. Musikalisch bewegt sich Untitled (Black Is) im Spannungsfeld von Neo-Soul, Funk, Afrobeat und Gospel: warme Bassgitarren, lebendige Schlagzeugarbeit, Spoken-Word-Einschübe und fließende Vokallinien fügen sich zu einem geschlossenen, organisch wirkenden Sound, der trotz aller Vielschichtigkeit erstaunlich geerdet klingt. Die zwanzig Tracks entstanden als unmittelbare Reaktion auf den Tod George Floyds und die weltweit ausgreifenden Black-Lives-Matter-Proteste des Sommers 2020. Songs wie „Wildfires", „Don't Shoot Guns Down" und „Black" sind keine konventionellen Protestsongs – sie verknüpfen politische Wut mit Trauer, Gemeinschaftsgefühl und schwarzer Freude zu einem emotionalen Panorama, das weit über den Moment hinausweist. Michael Kiwanuka ist auf „Bow" zu hören; Laurette Josiah spricht auf dem Interlude „This Generation" Worte, die sich tief einbrennen. Untitled (Black Is) wurde von NPR und BBC 6 Music gleichermaßen zum Album des Jahres 2020 erklärt und von der internationalen Kritik nahezu einhellig als Zeitdokument ersten Ranges gefeiert. Die Entscheidung, den Erlös aus Käufen vollständig an schwarze Bürgerrechtsorganisationen zu spenden, unterstreicht die konsequente Haltung einer Gruppe, die Musik nicht von politischem Handeln trennt. Dass Sault dabei musikalisch keinerlei Abstriche macht, ist das eigentlich Außergewöhnliche. Ein Album, das den Schmerz seiner Zeit in Schönheit verwandelt – und damit beides unvergesslich macht.
A fitting soundtrack to 2020 a year that saw the black movement take three steps forward, two steps back. A chaotic, angry, at times beautiful album. How much you will enjoy this album depends on how you view the murder of George Floyd, the riots of 2020, BLM, etc. Untitled (Black Is) is a wake-up call, a battle cry, a declaration of intent between soul, body and heart as much as an album of potent protest music.
It was fine - a few I'll keep for longer-term listening - but it went on a bit too long for my liking. 20 tracks is a marathon for any album, I think.
A repetitive album, which makes it feel like the album is too long. Beats tend to loop for an entire song and it can make it seem like songs are longer than they are. Some of the bass lines are great, the vocals are also very good, it’s just the repetition that bothers me.
This album is definitely more recent than most on this list! Musically it's not bad! I cannot comment on race, prejudice, or discrimination for the purpose of writing this review; but I can be open to the message!
Interesting, I like some of this music but some of it was pretty boring and some of it was more like skits
I enjoyed the beats and a few songs were ear worms. The album is clearly a product of the insane pandemic times but I think some songs hold up.
Wildfire and Bow were decent but the rest was not memorable.
6.5
It was a decent listen. Nothing really captured my attention. Solid 3.
Senza infamia e senza lode.
Uff nice
Gear: Hifiman HE6se v2 SE Artwork: ✊🏿⬛🖤 Production (2014 Remaster): 🗣📢‼️ Music: 💬👏😐 Rating: ✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿/5
Strong themed and very urban, without coming across aggressively. Was not familiar with this artist.
This album is definitely from its time. One of the issues I have discovered with some of these newer albums included on the list is the albums don't have time to breathe. What makes a lot of these older albums so important to hear is the influence the music had on artists in the future and that 20-30 years later people are still listening to the album. I probably would include any albums that aren't 10+ years old in this book, simply because an album that seemed wonderful and something we had to hear at one time may not in fact hold up over a longer span of time. There is a reason most of the albums that have been kicked out of this book are more recent albums. I am not saying this is one of those albums, but I think if we dropped this album into the year 2065 then it would not have the impact of a "must hear" album. The music is current and not in any way bad. There is nothing being done here that I see as holding up over a long period of time to justify inclusion. Recency bias tends to take over and it doesn't make sense to me that an album that has not had a chance to permeate the culture over a decade or more would be considered a "must-hear." In 1982 would anyone have said Minor Threat's album included in this book should be included? I would argue not, because there is no perspective over a period of time that helps frame the importance of the album. Basically, I can only judge this album based on whether I liked the music or not. I don't think that's the point of this book. Favorite tracks: Hard Life Don't Shoot Guns Down Wildfires Why We Cry Why We Die Eternal Life Monsters Pray Up Stay Up
It's produced very well and touches on very sensitive cultural topics specifically in regards to being a black man or woman in modern times. All the reviews make this very apparent. The beats, the vocals, the instrument variety, it all works so well together. It touches on historical musical traditions in a fresh way. I very much enjoyed this album and I have traditionally avoided soul/R&B since it never really did anything for me. It's creative, catchy, and unafraid to say the things that are normally whispered in close circles. It's artistic music done correctly. Politically, it's a call to empathy. To see one another as equals. To end violence and prejudice based on physical human characteristics none of us can control. It's asking you to be a loving caring person, which is a language everyone should understand, but unfortunately don't. 7/10
Perfectly cromulent.
love the theming and struggle woven throughout but it all feels so inconsistent. tracks range from seemingly intentionally bad post-punk worldbeat minimalist to toned down early Kanye era beats. actively cringed a few times from some spoken word. feels like the background for a killer dance showcase- but it's barren enough to make me wish for more.
chronologically, this is the second of five albums from the 2020s to appear in 1001 Albums, with its most recent update having been in 2021. (I'm wondering what the over/under is on 3D Country making the next round of selections.) the memory of the previous year's national protests against the murder of George Floyd was still quite strong at the time, and the inclusion of this SAULT album—a pro-Black, anti-police brutality statement released on Juneteenth 2020—seems to be Dimery & Co.'s way of acknowledging that moment in time. it was a brief era of uncanny optimism in the face of strife that now feels like a huge missed opportunity in retrospect, considering how quickly everyone went home after a Democrat got elected. the police were never even de-funded! but, hey, let's view this for what it is, not what it was. SAULT is a somewhat anonymous collective of musicians spearheaded by English producer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Inflo and lead singer Cleo Sol, names I first came across from their excellent work on multiple Little Simz projects that came out around the same time as SAULT's first four albums. whereas your average Simz song is packed tight with musical and lyrical info, Untitled (Black Is) often utilizes a minimal approach in both of those respects. most of these songs are led by a tight drum pocket, a bassline, and maybe some keys or a guitar. beyond that, it's all vocal layering. there's a smoothness to the group's approach that helps make the harrowing themes of racial injustice go down easy. if anything, it might be a little too easy, especially across 20 tracks and 56 minutes. decent 6/10.
Really solid soul/trip hop stuff here
I had heard of this group before but not heard any of the music. The fact that they don't play live, do media interviews and have such a vast catalogue already makes it difficult to know where to start. It felt to me a bit like a Gorillas project without the ego or big name guests. I thought it was a great listen but that was a few days ago, and none of it really stuck with me so I'm going a strong 3.
Don get da hype
I'm not sure exactly where to go with this. Good message, questionable execution (at least for me, but I don't think I'm in the target audience). 4-5 tracks in, I was thinking that the beats are pretty good and the lyrics repetitive. 5 tracks later and the beats are also repetitive and the repetitive lyrics are getting a little annoying. 20?! tracks that are mostly the same, 4 or 5 that I like, 4 or 5 that I don't. I guess that makes it a 3.
Bubbling with ideas and emotive lyrics. Problem being with this album is that there are good bits but as a cohesive strand it doesn't hold together. Sorry aint enough is a magnificent song however and the album is worth checking out for that alone
Album 1069 of 1089 Untitled (Black Is) - SAULT (2020) Rating : 3 / 5 This is clearly an album centered on the Black experience and the emotions, frustrations, pride, and reflections that come with it. That’s the core of what’s being presented here. While the subject matter isn’t something that directly reflects my own personal life experience, that doesn’t mean the message can’t be heard or appreciated. I haven’t been hiding under a rock all my life. I understand the themes being addressed, and I can respect where the album is coming from. Musically, there’s a nice mix of styles supporting those messages - soul, funk, gospel touches, and some modern production that keeps things moving. The band clearly knows what they’re doing. At times the grooves really settle in nicely, and the performances carry a lot of feeling behind them. For me, the album worked best when the music and message balanced each other. The songs that leaned into that groove and musicality stood out the most. Even when the themes weren’t personally relatable, the musical foundation made it an engaging listen. Overall, it was a solid album and an interesting one to spend time with.
Pretty good.
although i am also of a person of colour (asian), my life is too fucking safe for me to understand this. when it comes to protest songs i still prefer those that are intense or uses more metaphors just like songs on tpab. 3/5
Pretty good
A bit different, had some promise, didn't quite get there.
I am pretty skeptical of modern albums deemed ‘you need to hear before you die’ but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Had never heard of Sault before but I’ll be looking into their other stuff.
Interesting and some lovely beats, but not my style 3-4
A weirdly eclectic album. One of the voices was fantastic. Could have done without the spoken word songs.
How many mixed feelings can one person have at the outset of listening to an album? I have all my typical concerns with including any albums that are inside of a ten year window (too difficult to get critical distance on the music), I'm understandably cautious about the time (close to an hour for new music can wear a listener down and sand down the highs), finally, given the name manages to throw an extra "u" in there I'm afraid it's going to be another British editor biased head scratcher. And, of course, I can read the dates and the vibe and as the opening spoken element hits, I now have mixed feelings about maybe dunking too hard on an album of resistance openly declaring a positive vision of Blackness. And then that track Stop Dem comes on with a heavy soul beat that feels promising, so there's hope... ultimately, the issue is that most of the tracks are so smooth you forget them — only a few have a hook strong enough to call me back for a return listen.
It started out poorly, but definitely got better as it went on. It felt like it was trying a bit too hard. That's not to dismiss the many messages the artist(s) were trying to get across, but it all felt a bit too contrived. I'm not explaining myself very well. Anyway, it was nice without being exceptional.
Every once in a while, I enjoy getting an album that I don’t know what I’m listening to, but really enjoy. That was this album. It was a touch R&B, I touch African jazz, a touch New Age, a touch electronic there was smooth feel, but an engaging sound that made me want to keep listening rather passively hearing it. Key song was Why We Cry Why We Die, mostly because the book vibe and vocal layering. Black is Beautiful!
I’m over 700 albums into this project and I would like to nominate this album for “worst opening track” award. Awful, made me expect a one star album to come. To my surprise there are some lovely moments in this album. It’s a bit scattered stylistically, but overall is a message of uplift for black people. It varies an important message. Some of the R&B and sort of near gospel style tracks are beautiful. I personally didn’t enjoy the ones with the repetitive chorus yelling, and thought those took away from it. However, I freely acknowledge that I, an older white woman, am not the target audience. In the end I’m glad to know about this group of musicians and I think they have much to offer.
This album was interesting. I have never heard of SAULT before but I liked it.
Started out liking what I was hearing, but each song got very repetitive very quick. A lot of good ideas, musically, but I lost interest about half way through. Would be a 2 1/2 if we could do halves.
The lyrical content is great, however I found the instrumentals lacking, especially in the first half. They livened up considerably in the second and I found myself enjoying it a lot more.
Stand-out tracks: Hard Life, Wildfires, Why We Cry Why We Die, Black, Monsters I like how musically diverse and at times experimental this album, a contrast between harsh sounds and mellow vocals. Certain tracks were nice to listen to or could at least be appreciated for their creativity, while others were just kind of added as in-betweens that I don't feel add much to the album apart from increased listening time. My biggest problem is how on the nose the lyrics are and the message of the album is very clear, but maybe even too clear. There is beauty in subtleness and sometimes too much directness can harm a piece of music or leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth which was the case with this record for me.
Highlights: Stop Dem, Hard Life, Sorry Ain't Enough, Bow, Eternal Life Mid modern RnB record. Don't know why it's on this list, there are far better modern records that could have taken its place. I guess the author of the list has a stick up his ass so he had to pick the most obscure shit he could have found. Musically it sounds as inoffensive as a 2020 record of this genre could, so of course I liked the sound. There's a gazillion other "smooth" records that sound exactly the same and I don't see what is so special with this one. Can't say that I liked the lyrics. It felt like a shallow take on the whole race and individuality thing and I didn't find it particularly tasteful. Two tracks that really left a bad taste in my mouth are Miracles and Black. I am all for racial equality, but this felt cheap and braindead. It especially comes off as sleazy and performative because of the context it was released in (2020 BLM protests). Overall the highlights are musically interesting enough to remain in rotation on some genre specific playlist, but the record left a bad taste in my mouth and I don't see myself revisiting it as a whole. I feel like if the sound from the first half continued on the second half the rating would be better. It did get a bit monotonous by the end.
Going in completely blind to this, no idea what to expect. Overall, I quite liked it. It's certainly a political statement. This is more like a soundscape art installation than an album. Out the Lies is an immediate reference to Understand What Black Is by The Last Poets, and is the album title also a reference?
Not my usual taste, but a really strong album overall. Some great songs and lots of powerful messaging.
Not something I would put on usually but there were some fine tracks.
Plays more like a series of artistic vingettes, rather than a traditional album. Still a solid listen, focused on tracks over lyrics. Favorite track was Bow
Alright, so like, I know this a newer addition to the list and, like, obviously the dude put this in there because he felt he needed an album that spoke to the 2020 Black Lives Matter moment, and while this isn’t BAD, I think, with 5 years time, it’s not particularly actually representative or remembered music of that time period. Like, I enjoyed quite a few songs, but it’s truly a band (collective?) I have never heard of before nor seems to have a big cultural impact (although, in the dude who made this list fashion, features some artists who have solo entries on this list lol he can’t help himself but like the same 10 musicians over and over)
Overall vibe and sound is pleasant to my ears. Wildfire is nice cool song. But after it I was constantly checking how many songs are still by there. And nothing was there to keep me interested.
Felt like I was in a bar too cool for me.
A fine album. Honestly, I had never heard of Sault until now. They may warrant further listening. But... the real masterwork that was also released in June of 2020 and captured the Black experience of that tumultuous spring very well was "RTJ4" by Run The Jewels. It is essential listening and more than deserves to be on this list. Pretty sure I've mentioned it before.
Nemam velika očekivanja čim vidim frišku godinu i čujem da kreće sa vokalnim samplovima ali je ovo bilo baš prijatno od početka do kraja. Opuštajuće a dovoljno zanimljivo da drži pažnju.
The album was released in 2020 in the time of the protests for George Floyd's killing and others. It captures the zeitgeist of the moment. Interesting that it comes from a British group. I like the sound/groove of the album - parts of it remind me of the soulful side of Lauryn Hill. This is a strong 3.
Delar låter jättebra, men långt ifrån allt. Sticker ut, iaf.
First off, I am not an r & b person. It's not that I dislike it, it is never bad, but usually it is only good at best. And this album is good at best. The things I liked: the balatro synth, the afro beat and more African centric music, the political messaging. The things I disliked: the number of interludes, the more meandering songs, this album kinda just became background music really quickly especially the more "generic" r & b songs. Why we cry, why we die was probably made in under an hour. Mid 3.
Not my favourite SAULT album
This is a far better album than my rating implies. It is a real work of art: I am extremely happy it exists on this list and glad Ilistened to it but... it's not one I'm going to keep coming back to.
Good album! Appreciate the spoken parts. Sault is great but not my fav of theirs.
Another interesting album that I nerve would have heard without this project. I really enjoy and appreciate the fluidity of musical genres here. It is a bit atmospheric for my overall taste - it sometimes blended into the background. But there’s a lot of beauty to the music and it served the subtle but powerful messages. Also anyone who claims race wasn’t a topic 15 years ago and we were on some verge of a post racial society was living with blinders on - intentionally or otherwise.
Favorite track: Stop Dem
It was fine. It had some good grooves, but I got a little bored
I liked the message and vibe of this album. I was excited to see that Michael Kiwanuka is an artist on it and some of the songs definitely had a similar flavor to his other work I've heard. Although this was an R&B album, which is historically a genre that doesn't resonate with me, I thought this was a great modern take on it with really interesting rhythms. For a while I was thinking this could be a 4/5, but the albums length really got to me in the end (an hour) and the songs started feeling similar to one another, which meant that ultimately I don't see myself listening to this one much.
It was fine I guess. Not really my style of music. But it seemed good for the style it is? Appreciate the social message and recognize I’m not the target demographic.
wildfires is soo good why we cry why we die monsters
I always get unreasonably excited when we get an album that's from fewer than 15 years ago, so getting this 5-year-old album definitely qualifies for irrational exuberance. And I feel like Sault succeeded in not completely disappointing, although I do wish it could have had a little/a lot more musicality to it. It's interesting to place this and their subsequent album "Untitled (Rise)" in the midst of the Black Lives Matter upwelling after George Floyd's murder in the US in 2020, and this album definitely speaks to this experience (despite the largely British composition of the band). The highlights for me were the combo "Hard life" and "Don't shoot guns down", plus the Afrobeat-inspired "Bow" (especially since it features Michael Kiwanuka) and "Monsters". Not as great as I'd hoped for, and pretty light on musical variety, but still nice to see an album from 2020 represented here.
Not far off from some trip-hop/downtempo stuff I've listened to. Not too bad, I can dig it. Has its moments ("Wildfires", "Eternal Life") but the length of the album and overly repetitive nature of many of the songs ("Stop Dem", "Don't Shoot Guns Down") might knock a star off.
Never heard of them but enjoyed this album.
Apparently this group is as secretive as the band Ghost although quite different musically.
There's some cool songs on here, and some dreck. Perfect example of a 3.
This is another album that demonstrates the British slant of the list. I liked it, especially on my second pass, but I would need more listens to go to more than 3 stars. While squarely R&B, there is some spoken word, gospel, Afro beat, hip hop, dance components that make it rich for re-listening. The timing of the holidays is making it hard for me to dive deeper.
Loved the closing number. But the rest of it was too sedate for me.
This album takes emotive topics such as police racism and the Monsters 'among us', allied to the pride and beauty of being black, and mixes it all with hints of contemporary R&B, gospel and downtempo trip-hop. It's a bit Nightmare on Wax-ish and not bad at all. And telling people to put their guns down in such a calm, matter-of-fact way gives it more impact. High points for me were found in Hard Life, Eternal Life and Monsters. The music's not all to my taste, but the fact that we need songs like this is a poor reflection on society as a whole. I'd not heard of SAULT yesterday, but now I'm interested in checking out their back catalogue. Thank you 1001. A high 3☆.
While generally enjoyable, there was nothing particularly stand out
Nice grooves and beats.
Не шарив цей проєкт, але альбом сподобався. 3.5
I see why it’s in here because it was politically relevant or significant for the time but this album was pretty boring for me. Also, I don’t get why it’s called untitled with its title in parenthesis
There are some really beautiful pieces in here, but overall a lot of bad music. I love the message, but the music was generally not for me.
Play something a little simple about all the positive sound on here. I’d rather hear something more complex. The cut and paste music sections are interesting to me but overall not really something I will go back and listen to again.
2.5
I thought this SAULT album was pretty good. It's an interesting blend of electronic music and neo-soul/alternative R&B. The messaging is really good too. I think what holds it back for me is there's quite a number of sort of interlude style tracks that are either spoken word or just kind of a not quite baked electronica song. There is some great stuff here though -- I really liked "Hard Life", "Wildfires", "Bows", and "Monsters". Cleo Sol sounds great, and Inflo's production is pretty cool. 3.5 stars.
Not in my edition of the book! 2020. 3 stars. Pretty contemptible to see so many bigoted dipshit upvotes, though not, I suppose, surprising. This album caught a certain category of listener right in their black supremacy complex, didn't it? Decent drum machine and synth soul with great vocals. Points deducted for trying too hard with its "black is beautiful" message - imagine the reaction if a white band had put out an album with similar sentiments.
Pretty great. THe couple notes about this on WIkipedia made me think it was going to be like angry hardcore or Gil Scot Heron. Much more down to earth, think a modern day, more electronic Sly and the Family Stone with African vibes. And I continue to be angry that nothing ever changes, BLM didn't seem to do anything. The Police are even more heavily funded than ever. Seems like we went backwards. It's 2025 and we were promised Fully Automated Luxury Communism, but all we got was the same racist police state. Somehow (maybe because of the 2020 protests) that racist power elite got even more scared than they were before, and entrenched themselves even further in their hateful, crude, and violent ways. I really don't want this to end in a violent revolution. No one wants that. I love that this album really celebrated blackness and black people without being dicks about it. The positivity and love might be the thing to set us all free. It's a lovely thought anyway.
Not my usual listen but very good. A very thought provoking album. Racism, discrimination, and violence towards people of color unfortunately is still here. This is an album of hope, rising up, and overcoming.
Только из уважения ко всему ЧЕРНОМУ
Good
Fairly interesting production, a lot of interludey stuff that has no purpose though but I liked a lot of the normal songs
Musically beautiful and interesting, but lyrically repetitive.
6/10 Favourite: Why We Cry Why We Die Least Favourite: Don't Shoot Guns Down
Interesting but didn’t really hang together for me as an album.
Pretty good. Kind of chill. Strong message. It did stumble at times but did enough to keep me interested.
Ważne: nie oceniam ze względu na przekaz. Nie oceniam też ze względu na pochodzenie/rasę/orientację artystów. To po prostu nie moja muzyka. Trochę monotonna, trochę zbyt rytmiczna a za mało melodyjna. Za dużo mówionych wstawek. Nie byłam w stanie się zakochać w żadnym z kawałków i chociaż bardzo szanuję + uważam że takie albumy są potrzebne to nie jestem w stanie dać więcej niż 5.5/10
Some of this was a good listen but too many fairly bland sounding tracks. That’s not to detract from the message but I would have preferred more songs with some oomph.
Glad that this list dips into more modern stuff, but it does need more. A completely new artist to me and pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The songs flow effortlessly and it is never in your face unlike other artists of the genre. I think it went on too long and towards the end was repetitive.
Strong - Wildfires is an excellent song. Would come back for a handful of songs, but not for the album.
Fisting
i bet some people really hated this for flimsy reasons lol
A sonic visual pursuit into the soul.
I didn’t know this album or band, but the music is pretty darn exquisite. I respect the message, of course. And I appreciate how cohesive the album is. 3.5?
This was a really decent, modern entry to this list. For me it falls somewhere between a 3 and a 4 but I think the album is a bit bloated and a few tracks could be cut. For that reason I'll give this a 3.
ok but i wouldnt listen agian
I like the concept and messaging of this album. I like some of the songs. It's more interesting than it is great. 6/10
Didn’t expect the album to be as good as it was. Favorite track: wildfires other picks: hard life, don’t shoot guns down, sorry ain’t enough, monsters
This is pretty good. I enjoyed the singers voice and message. The musicianship is really great in particular the drumming.
I totally misjudged this album by the cover… some sort of metal album? Haha When it started I was like what the hell… Anyway, turns out I actually enjoyed it quite a bit and will definitely give it another listen.
It'Sault right
3.5
Good
Okay, good.
a complex and powerful album, but it felt more like poetry than music. this was not enjoyable to listen to as music.
Interesting album a couple of stand outs - similar sound running throughout most of other tracks
Have listened to this a few times and its just not really landing for me - the songs feel a little flat/lacking energy despite the strength of the message. I liked the Michael K cameos.
A very interesting album. There are some good tracks on it. Overall, however, I didn't find it interesting enough to listen to again. 3/5
The spoken-interlude-industrial complex must be stopped.
Some really cool bits but a load of shite on here. Just squeezes a 3
Some interesting concepts followed by some real duds
Vibey but too long
Um estilo diferente para o que estava acostumado, mistura autentica de sons, letras, algumas músicas me envolveram e outras nem tanto.
soulful, groovy, but somehow an album that did not lodge in my memory - I enjoyed listening to it, but 10 minutes later couldn't remember anything much about it
6/10
I liked this. Almost lost a point for being in all caps, but was reassured by Wikipedia that it's a frequent styling and not their official going-by name.
Really great vibes (even with some heavy subject matter). Not a huge amount of range, but super effective at what it does.
Ujevnt. Det er mye kult der, det er tematisk og estetisk samstemt, men jeg synes det blir litt for sprikende og intetsigende musikalsk. Jeg tror dette prosjektet hadde vært sterkere om det var vesentlig kortere, eller at det hadde blitt jobbet mer med. Svak 3.
En litt slappere versjon av Childish Gambino
If you're gonna listen to only one of these 20 tracks, I think I recommend Don't Shoot Guns Down. It's got enough of the alternative sound and general message of the project, I find it's a selling point. When you keep listening there's also a more 2000s RnB influence, lots of quality production, and statement pieces on the reality of black human beings. On a personal note, I find it too literal. I can appreciate making the message clear and connecting with your audience, but I like being able to ingest a piece like Don't Shoot so that I slowly get a large picture/emotion/understanding. I'm not sure why this record is on this list and it makes me very curious about the book. As someone who hadn't heard of them, I find Sault a very impressive project, I can appreciate the talent on this effort. 3.3/5
Love the message and the musical variety, and the production values are spectacular, but this album commits a few cardinal sins - i.e., child-like chanting and lots of talking. 2.5/5.0: Mixed
this was incredibly tough to get through for me. it felt more like slam poetry that a cohesive album. i appreciate that this was more about the lyrics than anything but lyrics cant carry an album. the tracks that actually focus a bit more on the instrumentals are really good. the rest are pretty minimalistic and tend to be a bit boring. two stars overall, plus one for the message.
A nice surprise. They’ve got a message, but they delivered it beautifully in a soulful trip hop style. Stand out track ‘Wildfires’
nice message ganz chillig aber Idk obs ein staple wird für mi. 3.5.
Some good tunes on this, didn’t really get into it in a huge way. Will need a relisten
This was fine. Not really a cohesive album per se but a number of decent tracks. I liked it but not a lot of extra interest.
Альбом нелегко найти, но я все же послушал. Опустим политический аспект, хотя тут это нелегко (описанные в альбоме проблемы конечно стоят внимания, но они относятся к другому государству и другой культуре, поэтому комментариев по их поводу не могу давать). Музычка мне понравилась, есть очень интересные мотивы, классический соул в смеси с современной обработкой, афро-мотивами, трип-хопом. Не является для меня открытием, поскольку подобная музыка была придумана еще полвека назад, но все равно неплохо. В целом средненький альбом, в котором сильно больше политики, чем музыкальных идей.
This feels like an intensely personal and passionate expression of life and anger and experience as a black person living in the world that I honestly can't relate to but it's painful to know how many millions do. The album has a lot of unique styles/tones/genres represented and it's a very cool blend. It's not my usual cup of tea, but it's attention grabbing. It did kind of fade into the background for me after a while. Standouts were "Wildfires" and "Bow" Cool listen but I won't really go back to any of it. Pretty solid 3/5 and it's important that people keep making this kind of music but I wish they didn't have to.
Wel goed, maar niet mijn smaak
I feel like the racial tone that Untitled (Black Is) has falls too much into cliché empowerment and prostest lines that really loose their meaning, as they are mild, and mostly used to serve the album's rhythm. Therefore, if you are looking for an album that makes a great social-political critique and commentary of the racial realities of african-american people living in the US, this is not worth your time. ...it is fun at times tho.
Hard to relate personally but glad I heard this album
I’ve never gone too deeply into the SAULT discography. I like 5, but have never listened to this one front to back. It’s alright. Probably something I would listen to a song or to, but I don’t know if I would feel the need to play the whole thing again. I get the message it’s going for, but I don’t think there’s enough meat here. Favorite songs were Wildfires, Only Synth In Church, and Pray Up Stay Up.
It was ok but if you’re making a 20 song album about this topic I’d have thought you’d have more to say
3/6
⭐️⭐️⭐️ i heard this before when it came out in 2020 (if i remember correctly) it's... okay? i like the messaging, and there were some high moments here and there. i just didn't find the music all that compelling overall. loooots of spoken-word filler between tracks as well, don't care for it
Not for me xx
A smooth R&B album with good voices singing. Not a genre I usually listen to but not something I would skip if it got played on random.
I had no idea what to expect going into this. And when I started the album I still didn't really know what was going on. It kicks off harshly and intensely. But settles into some really slinky grooves. The auditory equivalent of a dairy milk wrapped in tin foil. The drums on the first few tracks really stand out. Lovely, crunchy, garage band tones. I was a little disappointed they didn't stick around. I feel like the electronic drums that usurped them at times took some of the 'cool' away. There's an absolutely righteous guitar solo at the end of 'Black' that could've been lifted from one of the smackier John Frusciante albums, especially with the jangly organ accompanying. This album goes everywhere. It's got blues, gospel, jazz, afrobeat, R&B, some unexpected experimental synth stuff. I initially thought it might be incohesive having almost continually changing scenery throughout, but the one thing that anchors the whole album is the vocals. Maybe that's something clever about giving the album it's 'identity'? Fuck yeah.
Good overall, but at times a little too lo-fi and or first draft for my taste. Felt like some songs had a great foundation but might have benefited from being fleshed out more.
Pretty much what I expected.
Tempted to give this a 5 out of spite based off of how racist some of these reviews are but sadly I thought this was just decent
I already had this and had forgotten about it, what does that tell you? It’s ok but a bit background, doesn’t really challenge you at though pleasant enough.
For those who don't know, SAULT is a black British music collective that combines elements of neo-soul, funk, and urban contemporary gospel. They were largely anonymous, but these days are known by two big-name collaborators, producer and multi-instrumentalist Inflo and vocalist Cleo Sol. Together, they released multiple albums within the span of a few years, to be timely with their efforts in tandem with recent sociopolitical events in the Western world related to the urban black experience, and Untitled (Black Is) was certainly utilized to address such. The group made it clear with their mission statement alongside the release. This album was meant to address issues of systemic racism and police brutality that have endured in the United States, the United Kingdom, and other such countries. In particular, what was fresh on people's minds at the time was the civil unrest that sparked following the murder of George Floyd, after he was fatally asphyxiated by a police officer. Of course, other black people have needlessly died at the hands of police, including Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, but it was George's death that resonated the most with people. I could see how a group like SAULT would be motivated to capture the essence of these systemic issues with an eclectic blend of soul and funk, while also looking to be empowering for black folk at a time of turmoil. Parallels could be argued between this record and Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, a classic soul record also released at a time of civil unrest. But this is where I need to bring up the three P's of good political art - power, populism, and precision. While the populism is evident here in the apparent messaging, there is some inconsistency in the power and precision. Regarding power, there are some noticeable moments in this record, such as on "Black Is", where the musical backdrop quiets down as the vocal lead takes on more poetic prose. Not exactly bad, but given the weight of the messaging, there could have been more immediacy and impact in the presentation. Conversely, there are moments on "Stop Dem!" and "Black" where vocal pickups clip at the front of the mix, as Inflo can't quite keep the production from getting rough in spots. As for the precision, while there are a few mentions of the issues at hand, such as the chants on "Stop Dem!" or the callout of the racist policemen on "Don't Shoot Guns Down", a lot of the language here comes off as a bit too respectable in tone, with not enough detail or genuine insight to effectively challenge the systems in play, leaving certain sentiments on this record ringing hollow. It is frustrating because I think there is a place for music to address these types of issues with racism and police brutality, and SAULT attempted to do just that here. I can see why this was picked for the 2021 edition of the book, given that the civil unrest of that previous summer was still fresh in people's minds. But at the end of the day, problems in the execution wind up leaving me wanting more.
A pretty solid album with a powerful message
feels more like something that should be in the library of congress rather than something I'd put on in the car. but it's worthy of being on the list
The songs aren't the most standout individually to me, but listening through the whole thing, it has a decent bounty of atmosphere
no thaks
No strong positive or negative reactions to this R&B album. I liked it better than some R&B I've listened to, but I didn't love it.
Nice. A mix of r&b/soul, jazz, trip-hop (maybe), funk, and who knows what else. Prominent tasty basslines throughout.
I didn’t get all the way through this one, as I just ran out of time. But what I did hear, I mostly enjoyed…it kind of surprised me. I am going to settle on three stars.
Not really sure how to describe this album. On one hand its very uplifting, but on the other, i lowkey didnt like the music. Like some vocals were good, but i feel the song medium was wasted on it.
nothing super special for me, but the songs I liked had a good beat/groove to them. otherwise not much stood out, this genre just isn’t really my thing in general
Good neo-soul, but they have better.
Call to action, soundtrack for the 2020 revolution george floyd, message = 10 - music 3 Hands up don't shoot
Not my favourite
Uhhum
Enjoyed the first song but as R&B just isn’t my thing it didn’t do much for me. Not bad just wouldn’t listen to it again
This will be my final album from the 2020's to review, and it happens to be an album that I've listened to before. I can't remember what list I saw this album on (probably on Metacritic or Rolling Stone), but I remember checking it out and thinking it was pretty good. I haven't listened to it since that first listen, but I'm excited to dive back into this today! I thought this was a good album overall. There were some songs that weren't my taste musically, but the songs that were my taste were really good. From a songwriting standpoint, I thought this album did a great job of diving into several different themes, all of which were tied back to the black experience. These themes really resonated with me on a personal level, even as a white guy. I was raised by two parents who were overtly racist, much like how their parents raised them, and I've spent a good amount of energy as an adult, trying to unlearn the ugly things they taught me. I enjoy hearing firsthand accounts of the black experience, because for so long, everything I heard about it came from my prejudiced parents. But back to the music: I really loved the vibe of "Wildfires." The bass and percussion were awesome, and I really enjoyed the soft vocals. Sault used something that sounded like a spring echoing, like those cheap toy microphones, that I really enjoyed. I also thought this song created a great sense of place, that really sucked you into the atmosphere of the song. "Sorry Ain’t Enough" had some great keyboard or synth playing that I really liked. The bass playing was great too, giving this song a great soul-like feel. On "Bow," I really loved what sounded like a wah pedal. The song got even better when the percussion kicked in, and then it got kicked up another notch when the guitar started. I also loved how this song segued into "This Generation." "Eternal Life" was my favorite song on the album. I love synthesizers, and this song had a perfect synthesizer arrangement. Overall, Black Is was a pretty good album. Some songs were a bit of a bore, but the songs that weren't sounded great. The real star of the show here though is the songwriting, which dove into some really great themes.
Wow! First introduction to Sault. What a pleasant surprise! Poignant and beautiful. Great songs, good music. Loved "Bow" particularly.
A pretty long album and some of the songs weren’t it for me but I liked the artist and want to listen more
I liked it much more than expected. 3/5
A little too experimental for my tastes, but I really enjoyed the journey.
Difficult to score this. It was quite varied in a way I liked. There were some really nice tracks (Wildfires, and a couple of others) while others were a bit unfinished. It held together a little poorly, but the overall tone stayed with me. Probably another that would rise with more listens.
this was weird in a way that i enjoyed. not sure i’ll come back to it, but i enjoyed the experience.
there is potential
It made me learn how some minorities feel.
Better than Coldplay
This album has a lot of power behind it. The melodies/harmonies are beautiful, as well as the messaging. For me, this is just not something I will revisit.
01) Out the Lies - 4,0 02) Stop Dem - 7,5 03) Hard Life - 7,5 04) Don't Shoot Guns Down - 6,5 05) Wildfires - 8,0 06) X - 4,0 07) Sorry Ain't Enough - 7,5 08) Black Is - 6,0 09) Bow - 7,0 10) This Generation - / 11) Why We Cry Why We Die - 7,5 12) Black - 7,5 13) Us - / 14) Eternal Life - 8,0 15) Only Synth in Church - / 16) Monsters - 7,5 17) June Child - / 18) Miracles - 7,0 19) Hold Me - 7,0 20) Pray Up Stay Up - 7,0 TOTAL: 6,84 (68/100)
I expected more from this album. Love the singles of Sault. This album as a whole, I think I get it, but it just do anything for me.
Very interesting music. Not my cup of tea but I’d give it another try.
An unapologetic document of The State of Things that also knocks. Atmospheric, lovely vocal performances, and the bass work rocks. It is a little too long and I'm not a fan of the ASMR-style vocals interspersed throughout. I'm trying to not write about global reviews too much anymore, but people here saying this album is "trying to make [them] feel bad for being white" truly embarrass me. You are out of your mind if you think people were not talking about race 15 years ago, c'mon. If an album by Black musicians about being Black and proud makes you mad and defensive, that's on you, man. You can just say it's not for you and move on lmao
Started OK but then went about 20 minutes too long
This album sounds like 2020.
I like when the music gets a little triphoppy but it's also giving college student's musical thesis
Check your white privilege at the door when listening to this album. This was intriguing to say the least. Eye-opening, albeit a tad repetitive, but overall a good listen.
Some decent grooves and the overall chill vibe was surprising. Not too bad really.
Liked the beats. 3/5
Some songs are very nice. Other are kind of weird. It evens out to about average.
Surprisingly mellow album enjoyable
The Inflo/Little Simz issue made me think, in an apophenic way, about judgement calls. I assume that the deal was made in good faith; if so, then putting on a show of that (financial) magnitude points to hubris. OK, poor judgement... Sault have produced some of the most engaging music of the last decade in the UK. They've also put out a lot of filler. I wonder whether a steadying hand might have shaped something much more significant out of them. (This album tilts filler. Nothing at all wrong with it, but it only highlights the collective's real genius sporadically.)
black is beautiful
This is fascinating. I really liked it immediately. After a while I started to drift, but I suspect it’s deserving of repeated listenings.
point0.
A bit repetitive and religious for my taste
Aika uus levy ja aivan tuntematon artistikin. Sekä aika outo levy. Levy yhdistelee afromusiikkia, mutta on enimmäkseen kummiskin varmaan RnB. Tykkäsin levyn konseptiluonteesta ja välisoitoista, mutta kappaleet ei niin erikoisia. Wildfire oli silti hyvä. Parhaat: Wildfire, Black, Monsters
Powerful political R&B, respect the message ☮️
Some thoughtful media rations on the black experience and worthwhile lamentations about racial injustice. I liked the recontextual nature of the monologue about the color black. Instead of offering a solution for every systemic problem black peoples face, this album tends to focus more on the exercising one’s frustration or grappling with the extreme wrongs that have been done to black people on small and large scales. “Hard Life” is worth a listen for that gritty bassline. Michael Kiwanuka makes an appearance on this albums most infectious track, “Bow”. While this album doesn’t offer some ground-shaking depictions or intricate stories (if you were looking for TPAB just go listen to it), there’s plenty of meditative and at times cathartic songs to make up this project. 3/5.
5/10
This was an enjoyable album. The talking interludes were interesting. Not bad, but did break up the flow of the album for me. I liked the music, but can't see myself searching this on out again.
I'm glad there are some newer albums in the later editions, I've been in a rut of listening to the same few artists recently. This isn't something I would normally find and listen to, but I quite liked it. There is some cringy early 2020s "self-care" messaging in it, but the main message of Black people not wanting to be killed by the police is evergreen.
enjoyed it
Lmao your message has expired loooooool. Commercialising a race might not be cringe in itself, but when the only thing you can say for it is "black is good", it's kind of cringe. At least Sonic can run fast Soulless soul, listenable slop
I think this album is an example of less would have been more. Though there were sections I liked, they were rinsed and repeated so much it lost meaning.
Pretty fun and vibey album but it drags on a good bit. It's still a decent listen, but if it was 35/40 minutes long instead of 56 it would've been much more enjoyable
Cool album, kind of a minimal, modern take on funk and soul, didn't think I would enjoy it this much. The songs mostly consist of a prominent beat or melody, which takes up most of the sonicscape, and strong and loud vocals, which tell the story in a sort of protest/chanting fashion. This provides a unique sound and atmosphere, I haven't heard anything like it before. The music is minimal, but still powerfull and engaging. The lyrical themes talk about the struggle of black people. The album manages to deliver the message, just not too strongly in my opinion. Would give it 3.5 if I could.
Untitled (black is) - Sault 678 albums in I only have the time for 2 and a half listens today, and this strikes me as an album that constantly gets better. I think I'll keep this one in my library. Chilled out, easy to listen to A very high 3/5 but with room to get better.
Pretty good
Not something I would normally listen to but I enjoyed it.
Not even sure how to describe this. Every song is different. It’s a collage of styles and ideas. So I kinda liked it. 3/5
I didn’t expect a 2020 album to pop up from this generator — I assumed it’d lean toward older ones, so this was a surprise. I’m a big fan of SAULT, and Cleo Sol in particular. It’s interesting how the group is made up of individual artists with careers of their own who came together, since usually it’s the other way around — bands go solo. The album is full of gospel influences and is unapologetically political, which can be heavy at times. Music is usually an escape for me, and this one brings me right back to reality — especially with the weight of 2020 in mind. It reflects the pain and power of the Black experience, particularly around the time of George Floyd and the aftermath. It’s empowering and necessary, even if it’s not always easy to listen to. The production is fantastic, and hearing Michael Kiwanuka on a track was a highlight. There’s a lot of soul, a lot of truth, and it’s deeply rooted in Black creativity. I respect the message, even if it’s not a project I’d return to often. I tend to lean toward their less political R&B, though I know even that isn’t completely apolitical. Even as someone who isn’t Christian, I found the gospel and spiritual elements moving. SAULT always opens my eyes to perspectives I may not fully live, but deeply care about. Listening to this album also made me reflect on global struggles — like what’s happening in Palestine — and how music like this connects different fights for justice. It’s an important album, and I’m glad it made the list. The Black struggle is ongoing, and albums like this are a necessary reminder of how far we still have to go. Favourite tracks included: “Miracles”, “Wildfires”, “Hard Life”, “Sorry Ain’t Enough”, “Bow”, “Black” and “Eternal Life”
It sounds good but treading familiar tropes and sounds
zwei bis drei
Me pareció muy raro, una mezcla muy random de estilos, con segmentos hablados ahí medio poéticos, de repente un par de rolones y luego unos ritmos africanos que no entendí muy bien como combinaban con el resto. Eso sí, una gran producción.
- I knew this was English before I looked up the Wiki entry ..... I can't put my finger on why I knew it; but there's a certain lack of soul ..... A couple of good tracks but somehow more boring than it should be. -
need to relisten
My son tried to get me into this a while ago, and I had the same reaction this time. It's fine.
3.5
Interesting. Decent enough. No stand out song
Some great stuff, but overall to repetitive and sometimes really boring.
Oh this shits gonna fire! Did not finish
Untitled (Black Is) is actually a pretty solid album for being my first album from the 2020s for this project. It is also pretty interesting to see that this is probably the most Christian album that we are likely getting on this project. As for the album itself, there is good and there is not so good. The music here was stuff i generally enjoyed having a nice R&B sound with a lot of the songs feeling very distinct from each other yet still fitting together quite nicely. I guess if i had to complain about something, it would be the vocals. They aren't horrible, i just find something off about them. This is a solid album but i do feel there are better albums from 2020. Best Song: Monsters Worst Song: Black
This is a really tough one to rate because I don't particularly like the music but the words are fantastic - beautiful, sad, poignant. This really plays more like a spoken word record with simple electronic music in the background. It is not something I would ever listen to again but I am very happy to have heard it once and would recommend it to others for a single listen. But for the rating? I don't know. I'm sort of going back and forth because, great though the words are, it is a little repetitive. I wouldn't listen to it again with the exception of Bow with Michael Kiwanuka which I enjoyed a lot. I think that probably makes it a 3/5 for me.
Love the start of the first track, Out the Lies, as a matter of timing. March 2025 in the United States is not a pleasant place to be. We need to figure out our revolution strategy pronto; everyone seems to be fumbling around while a duly elected monster undermines the fabric of our democracy. But that song is just a rallying cry that I can appreciate in this moment. I was disappointed by the next several songs from a musical standpoint - too much repetition, the beats were too heavy. But I do vibe with the political message. Wildfires, Sorry Ain't Enough, and Bow (Michael Kiwanuka! My favorite find from this album journey!) were also brights spots.
I am intrigued by this album. It is not really in my wheelhouse, but I did enjoy listening to it. My greater issue is including an album from 2020 on this list. I will have to check-in on the album here and again to see if it sustains over the years, but I can happily say that that doesn't bother me at all. Maybe it will grow on me.
Pretty cool, Doechii and Little Simz clear
Wildfires is a banger
This is another album I feel is included more for the interesting narrative around the artist, rather than its actual sonic merits. There’s some adequate hip hop and lo-fi stuff happening here, but there’s a lot that barely even tries to get your attention.
There were some really cool songs sprinkled into this record. I couldn’t see myself listening more than once but I respect the individuality from song to song.
This album has a powerful message and I think it gets that across reasonably well. It can be a bit meh at times, but I think I also have to keep in mind that the core focus of this album is black empowerment and the words of affirmation are not for me.
I thought it was solid beginning to end. Maybe loses a bit of steam but hey.
I love that this conceptually revolves around social consciousness. Beats and production are really good. R&B portions are a little too modern for my tastes. Afrobeat influence is present, but not nearly prevalent enough. Vocals, despite being well performed, just never seem to catch my attention. Maybe it's because the vocal is often just a repeated chorus, often a single word or line. There is a message there, but it's lost in monotony. It's better than most of what I've heard released in the last 5 or so years, but still just not something that really hits me in a way that makes me want to listen to it again.
I loved the song wildfires already, good album for speaking on blm
There is clearly a lot of talent involved in the making of this album, from the song writing, lyrics, singing, musicianship, and production. It also has a powerful message. I just didn't fully connect with it. Enjoyed it, but I don't see myself listening to it again. The best comp I could think of was Arrested Development.
This is certainly an album of its moment. It doesn't strike me as particularly innovative (musically or thematically) or influential, but it's so far from the worst thing to come out of 2020. Favorite track: "Wildfires"
Итс окэй. Грув, атмосфера. Лучшая песня - Wildfires.
I went into this with an element of trepidation. Identity politics and RnB sounded like a catastrophic mix. However, this is a good album - not spectacular but very enjoyable. The sound is much more like a trip hop end of RnB and it floats on nicely.
Definitely a product of the year it was produced. Some of the skit tracks are so cringy they made me chuckle. I'm generally not a fan of hip-hop beats without somebody rapping a verse, they tend to get repetitive. A handful of these tracks managed to keep my foot tapping regardless, with simple yet catchy beats that make good background music. Very torn over this album as a whole. Just going with my gut here.
Stroy
meh? sono sicura sia stato importantissimo, ma non mi è piaciuto troppo
I liked the first half but second half was kinda meh. Wildfires was my fave track
It’s alright, probably won’t listen to again though
Enjoyed this. It felt very appropriate given this was the first day of Black History Month.
Really interesting beats. The vocals are pretty corny. I don't know. Go into this album pretending you can't understand english and you won't bring any of your own baggage into it.
It came in the right time but for the future i dont think this album gonna have a similar impact. Wildfire fits to the latest tragedy in LA. It has many great Tracks but the deeper cuts will have a hard time too shine in the future. Still appreciating and loving the art behind it. (3.5/5.0)
Very creative music. I think this is very interesting musically and lyrically too.
73% Best: Wildfires; Bow; Why We Cry Why We Die; Monsters Must-Hear? No
What a unique listen. I'm really glad it was on the list. You need to listen to it as an album versus singles and hearing it straight while running helped it click. Good to have something like this on the list. I grew some listening to it.
Some of the beats are solid. The production / mixing is pretty solid. The music is too polished, a bit safe and ultimately a little bland. The lyrics are about some powerful stuff, but there is no fire. Or a song like Bow is just asking for more passion in the vocals. Most of the vibe feels repetitive, all having a kind of low energy vocals.
The combination of soulful vocals with stark and sparse beats, along with a timely, resolute-but-positive mission statement (plus genuine mystery about who SAULT even were, at the time I first heard it) make this a captivating prospect. I think the album starts off really well, with ‘Stop Dem’ and ‘Don’t Shoot Guns Down’ providing arresting, slightly ominous grooves, before peaking with the sumptuous ‘Wildfires’. I find it a bit hit and miss after that, though - the energy and tension that’s been built up at the start dissipates over the next 40 minutes.
There was a lot to unpack here. Pretty much every style and genre was represented. It was enjoyable if not confusing.
really interesting album. I'd never heard of Sault before yesterday. Huh...