Reviews (page 4 of 8)
Took me a couple of listens to find the sweet spot on this album but find it I did. An absolute throwback to the golden age of soul music a la Bill Withers. The lyrics can get a tad overwrought at times however the arrangements and grooves are always spot on. A very nice discovery. 4 stars
Wow, this might be the most contemporary album for me yet. I just stumbled onto these guys a few months ago and was really impressed. They're listed as being hip hop but I don't really know if that's the right designation. They're very unique.
BL: Literally never heard of Sault, no mention no familiarity no recognition of album covers. So this’ll be a blind listen. AL: I thought that this album was incredibly powerful and also fun. Designed to be a celebration of black culture amidst the 2020 riots this provided a positive outlook and message to young black youths who may be suffering crises around their race in the political turmoil of our time. Whilst also designed to have powerful moments and express sadness, anger and pain it exists as a reminder that every person and culture is beautiful. This stands as a perfect celebration of that FT: “Stop Dem”, “Wildfires”, “Don’t shoot guns down”, “Black”, “monsters” 4/5
This took me by surprise, never heard of it or them, pretty amazing songs and production. In a world that makes sense the music from this album would be used in Hollywood movies as short hand for the COVID era the way CCR is to represent the Vietnam era.
Love most of Inflo's work as a producer for Little Simz or Michael Kiwanuka. He's a very prolific artist, so it's hard to keep track of everything he does, especially with SAULT, his most personal project. Out of his many albums under that moniker, *(Black Is)*--along with its twin brother *(God)*--is probably the most striking thing the man has released so far, and this during a very pivotal moment of the BLM movement--whose necessary agenda is evoked or hinted at in quite a few moments of this topical record. Musically, Inflo keeps everything smooth and restrained by only adding as few layers as he can in the songs' instrumentation. A funky drum pattern here. A rhodes keyboard there. A few simple synth lines. A groovy bassline. Dignified and inhabited vocals from Cleo Sol... The end result is a very *moody* album, whose barebones production values always hit the intended mark--at least of you ignore a couple of short missteps that never detract you from the whole picture. Among the highlights, there are "Stop Dem" and "Hard Life", cuts that hearken back to 60s and 70s soul music, plus "Wildfires", whose music is as moving as its lyrics--lyrics that are clearly referencing George Floyd's murder, but also all the similar tragedies that occured before it. As for "Bow", it is an exciting example of what Inflo can do when he explores territories inspired by afro-beat (Kiwanuka's help on this one is a plus, of course). And there's also the mesmerizing "Black", basically an instrumental with a few vocals here and there, alternating between a repetitive loop over a trap pattern, a bridge sounding as if it had been borrowed from a Stevie Wonder song, and a jazzy and angular guitar solo... After a few middling tracks at the center of the album, SAULT finds greatness again with the incredible "Monsters", a track as poetic and topical as it is catchy. After that, "Miracles" references sixties soul again, with enticing doo-wop background vocals. "Hold Me" sounds a little more modern, but "Stay Up, Pray Up" closer the proceeding on a vintage note again, and this to great effects. All in all, a good record. I just wish Inflo had only used all the best cuts out of *(Black Is)* and added the few highlights of the (unfortunately) less restrained *(God)* so as to create a truly stellar album. Self-editing is not his strong suit, I've already noticed that for his work with Little Simz. But maybe I'm splitting hairs here. 4/5. Next please. Number of albums left to review: 531 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 224 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 109 (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 137
Surprising. Rich. Acoustically interesting
An important and conceptual work. Cool and effective.
Raw and honest
Dancehall vibes with a message. Really enjoyed
Musically, I really loved this album. Great rhythms and loops, the beat switches on the song black are great. The repetition is slam poetry to the max, love it. Thematically, it feels a little one dimensional. It’s like I want more emotion out of it but it’s really just one note to me.
Ik dacht op voorhand, oh jee, nu gaan we het krijgen, een album dat je niet slecht mag vinden, want dan ben je een racist. Maar ik ben het aan het luisteren en er zit een lekker beatje in, goede zang. Ik luister niet per se naar de teksten, maar je voelt wel aan alles dat er een bepaalde mate van urgentie in zit. Maar niet op een vervelende manier met het vingertje omhoog. Dit komt prima over en het zit muzikaal ook lekker in elkaar.
very interesting sound but not a genre that i could listen to like that. i like the theme of the album
Grab that funky souls
Très bon album, presque gospel avec son côté un peu religieux malheureusement
PREFS : Stop Dem, Hard Life, Wildfires, Bow, Why We Cry Why We Die, Black, Eternal Life, Monsters, Miracles, Pray Up Stay Up MOINS PREF : Hold Me
It’s got Afro beat vibes, really good experimental album
enjoyable and important album
Milking some huge tits in a shed down by the river. I mean some serious canons here. A giant pair of swinging bazookas. Enormous swelling melons. Heaving breasts. Big boobs. Norks. Jugs. Bosoms. Knockers. Baps. Hooters. All rubbing in my face.
Great album!
Liked it. Good message, good music.
7/16, 44%
This one grew on me. I was not into it for the first two tracks. Why would you start an album like that? Luckily, it kicked into gear by track 3 and, when it did, it kicked in hard. "Untitled (Black Is)" blurs the lines of what I generally consider "R&B" to be. It's got strong electronic elements all through it. Not just the instrumentation but the way songs are structured. And it works. This odd, hybrid format proves to be a really solid platform for delivering hard truths and blazing indictments against the establishment. And that's where this album truly shines. The lyricism is top notch. Truly fantastic wordplay that pulls no punches. I didn't expect to dig this. But I did. I really did.
Fantastic vocals, and a great experimental album.
-Great production - Album flows well - good atmosphere - pretty innovative mixes together multiple genres
Really enjoyed this, soulful and pretty smooth at times. Unpredictable but not overbearing, and overall a very modern feel after a stretch of listening to a few older folk albums
I've tried to stop referring to other reviews in my reviews, as it feels less like my own opinion when I do mention it, but I feel as though it should be mentioned here. It is interesting how much people seem to hate this album for "shoving this movement down my throat". Now, there are plenty of good points within all these reviews, such as the amount of short interludes, or the lyrics leaving a bit to be desired at points, but I question why what I assume is a twenty-something white dude thinks this album is for them, or is trying to specifically tell THEM the message. This album felt a lot more like a love letter to black people for black people that also can be enjoyed by everyone, so viewing it as just "another piece of the BLM cog" and nothing more seems really ignorant. There are plenty of issues with this album as is, so why do you think writing a rant about BLM or any other black protests is gonna make you look like anything more than racist? Who knows, though, perhaps I'm wrong. As for me, I quite enjoyed this album. I agree the lyrics are a bit repetitive, but the musicality of it is really satisfying most of the time, and the just overall positivity of it was a nice refresher after so many of the albums on this list trying their hardest to be the most "nothing matters" shit and nothing else. I'm sure the score of this album is dictated more by politics than the actual thoughts on the album, and that seems like exactly the issue that people should realize as they write their rants on this random generator hardly anyone will ever see. Anything to get those likes and feel validated though, right?
Groovy and relevant and interesting. Perhaps a bit talkier than it needs to be.
It has some excellant moments but, as an album, its more than 20 minutes too long
Ret nice alternativ rnb, moderne, politisk, groovy
Clearly an important record that explores the black experience, including anger, sorrow and grief. It's musically excellent and very dancy. Great record.
Fav songs: - Hard Life - Don't Shoot Guns Down - Sorry Ain't Enough
Genres: R&B Formed: 2019 I’m not an R&B fan, but I enjoyed this album. I really liked the song “Don’t Shoot, Gun Down”. The songs are elegant in their simplicity, the vocals are angelic, and the lyrics are profound. Being a middle-aged white man, I can’t relate to them, but I’ve seen it too many times on the news. I guess the album is a bit experimental with songs ranging from less than 1 to almost 5 minutes. 20 songs, runtime 56:35
Going into this, I had no idea what to expect. It was from an artist I had never heard of from a more modern time period than I was expecting this list to have. But I enjoyed it. I wasn't happy when I saw there was 20 songs but they were short enough to where I stopped being annoyed to sit through it. It wasn't like a Fleetwood Mac situation where it was however many songs and each one was at least 4 minutes. I'd compare this to the Antony and the Johnsons record where it talks very candidly about an important topic such as corruption on the police force and how that translates to the undeserved killing of black people. It's presented in an easy to listen to format and if you weren't actively listening, you'd never know what was being said. I think it's a very important record as well because of the current racist climate we live in. Especially because we're in Black History Month and it's a time where certain white people will say they support the black community but not give them the time of day any other month.
I think it must have been a while since some R&B appeared in my rotation, and I am grateful for that. This album is outstanding. I had not heard of the group or heard their music before. I also love that it was released just three years ago. The sound and style are intriguing and each track kept my attention and engagement. So layered. Spoken word at times, layered over electronic harmonies and rhythms, and some fantastic vocal work -- again, superb harmonies. Great cover art, too. In their music and in the cover art, they manage to find a balance between rich subtlety and major impact. Incredibly difficult to do, and seriously impressive. I read the Wikipedia entry about the group, and they take an unusual approach to their work. They avoid media attention, have never performed live, and sometimes their contributors are not named. Wow, that's a different and admirable path.
I thought I would get really bored of the repetition, but it stayed fresh the entire way through, never got stale.
Got a Dee-lite feel to this. I’ve heard songs from a more recent album prior to this, and I like their vibe for a party mood
first listen bold, tribal, and a celebration of Blackness
Really great vibe, will definitely revisit
You can tell within about 10 seconds that this is going to be a kickass album. And then it is! This is not usually my genre but I was completely in the pocket for Sault. Put some Sault on my fries! I want more!
Released early in the pandemic and at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests, Black Is encapsulates that moment in history with blunt lyrics and glittering production. By all means dance to these songs, but your brain will be getting even more of a workout.
This actually checks most of the boxes. Not ground-breaking but a quite refreshing blend of different genres; beautiful voices saying important staff; a clear and enticing concept bringing everything together. Just a little bit on the long side, could do with one or two less vignettes.
Quite interesting and evocative musically and very much worth one'e time, though perhaps not as powerful or as biting as it clearly wants to be as social commentary.
I LOVED the sound of this record, the vibes were immaculate. The lyrics hit hard, the spoken word breaks were cool. The thing holding it back for me is that too many of the songs felt half-finished, or like they needed more refining, like they had an idea that didn't get baked long enough in the oven. It gives the album an interesting looseness, but I think it detracted more than it added. I definitely will be checking out more from them though; there is something very special here.
Ridiculously prolific, this is perhaps the album that catapulted them to wider awareness. It's not really 20 tracks, more a soundscape in 20 parts, some of which like Monsters and Wildfires are beautifully rendered modern R and B, some of which are spoken word, some instrumental. Really needing to be devoured in one sitting (maybe a coffee break after track 10).
Loved this. Enjoyed the experimental sounds and spoken word. The lowkey vibe on most the album really drew me in. The vocals are smooth and sweet. Enjoyed from front to back.
First, I'm not sure any (or very few) recordings from the most recent (say seven) years should be included in a must listen to before you die list. I think an album needs to be tested by time to reach this status. I do appreciate being introduced to new music that are hitting some current hot topics. I wasn't very impressed with the first few songs... musak with a drum beat. As I listen to the rest, I did find a few songs with a little more groove to them but most of the songs felt empty and unfinished. I did like the song "Bow" but it sounded too different from the rest of the album. I want to hear more of Michael Kiwanuka's music. I have mixed feelings about this album. It would probably be better if half the songs were cut. Overall it's still a better than average album. I'm between 3 and 4 but I give it a 4.
I went into this completely blind — no idea what this was about, no idea who the artist(s) is, I even skipped looking at the release date. I totally enjoyed the album. Took a hit, geared up, took Tophee on a chilly walk after sunset along a dark country road, and listened to this album. I found it inventive, loved the variety of styles, I appreciated the lyrics and message. There were some compositional elements that got a bit overworked, but that's a negligible criticism considering the scope of the material.
Yeah i dug this. It's similar to other things I've heard before but blended differently, somehow. There's dub and afro-beat and doo-wop and hip-hip and other stuff all mixed together in an understated and chill way. My daughter dug the vibe. I don't normally go for empowering spoken word interludes, but here it worked. also, i could listen to that woman speaking all day long. I'm not sure if it's an "album I needed to hear before I die," mostly because it's kind of inoffensive and it sounds like the kind of music you'd hear in a hipster coffeehouse. But then again, I'd never even heard of this group before this, so ultimately, I'm glad it was on the list. I enjoyed the whole thing, it had a great flow, and can see returning to it. Monsters was a standout for me.
Soulful and groovy with a kind of What’s Going On meets afrobeat vibe filtered through a London 2020 streetwise production. Thematically it’s all about George Floyd and Black Lives Matter movement, but not aggressively or unpleasantly like Gangster Rap, but poetically and obviously and often positively. Maestro producer Inflow uses Michael Kiwunaka in a few songs and it definitely sounds very much like a Kiwunaka record. I love Bow which reminds me of Fela Kuti. Soulful, political, afrobeat and groovy. Worth the critical acclaim.
This one was a difficult one to work while listening to. But it was very well written, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would
Mixed. Künstlerkollektiv
Really like this but the distorted vocals on some of the tracks ends up spoiling the experience rather than adding anything to it.
Good combination of dub triphop gospel and black power in one. Downloaded their 5 new albums, wonder how they are.
4.5 stars. Really enjoyed this. Started kind of slow and took a bit to get into, but it really picked up toward the middle and onward. Standouts are "Bow" and "Eternal Life" and "Monsters".
very good, not many albums in the 2020s are good like this!
Love it
Pretty good album. It's all very consistent, but the song "Black" should've been shortened by like half cuz that song drags on with it's annoyin ass ding diddly dong ass goofy ass silly ass melody. 7/10
I hadn't listened to the full album and it was interesting to listen to it given the context of the summer of 2020.
Black Lives Matter
Io ho un debole per R&B. Caldo, bel ritmo. Il massimo lo avrei dato se avesse avuto qualche chicca. Mi dispiace per le altre 4 stelle che ho messo ad album storici ma al cuore non si comanda.
Very cool album, and the newest on our list. A couple great songs on here and an overall great listen. Loved their album covers for a few albums too.
Very cool album! Wasn't aware of this album/band, surprising given how recent it is. Lots of great acts contributing to this one, and it definitely has the conglomerate feel to it. Themes and message are strong, music is also strong, some really cool tracks on here. And I can say I enjoyed the interludes. Wouldn't crack my year-end list or anything, but definitely a great album. Favorite tracks: Stop Dem, Bow, Black, Eternal Life, Pray Up Stay Up. Album art: Simple, effective. 4/5
Molto figo, non lo conoscevo. Originale, ritmico, elettronica pop e rap. molto bello
Very good, not something I'd usually listen to but worth a go
The newest album on the list so far seem to be an ensemble on artists and musicians from Great Britain. The collective creates music in various different styles, mainly electronic, funk, r'n'b, reagge and indie. This album, together with another untitled one from the group, was motivated by George Floyd's death, which is very visible in the lyrics. Many of the songs sound like anthems for a bigger movement, or are just a commentary of the sad reality that we are facing today. Although the issue is still far from resolved, the album probably would seem even more powerful to me, if I first hear it in 2020, not two years after. Untitled (Black Is) has an interesting composition - there are 20 songs, with many short bridge-songs in between, providing more commentaries or just changing the mood and feeling of the album. There is few songs, that are really good without the context of the record, like for example "monsters". Heavy hitting song, but with a nice vocal and great beat, really stays with you for a while. I feel like this type of an album couldn't be rated just from a musical or instrumental point of view. This is more of a performance, reaction to the situation in the world, which is closer to me than what, for example, Bob Dylan was singing 50 years ago. I will gladly come back to this album again, trying to understand the message and definitely I will listen to few more of the songs on my usual playlist.
Che figata
Great vocals, production, mixing and spoken word. Chill and soulful (typical thing to say about black artist music but my vocab is failing me). Beautiful moments throughout.
Smooth and sultry.
Powerful lyrics
Different, very eclectic, some really good tracks in there.
Wildfires best vibes from this great album
loved the vibez
Thoroughly enjoyed this album. 4/5
Wonderful journey
Interesante disco hip hop.
Amazing new band
Cool ,fellow and a very laid back vibe
Of all the recent albums to be on the list, this is a really interesting choice. It wasn't one of my favourites of the last couple of years but, going back to it, it's inclusion fully makes sense A diverse blend of genres, with thought-provoking spoken word on important abd always-relevant topics throughout, it has a lot of depth and I'm sure there's still a lot more to get out of this record on future listens. On a surface level I'm torn between a 3 and a 4, but think a 4 is more appropriate with this in mind
There is an urgency, a conscience, a soulfulness, and a solemnity to this album that I find enthralling and encouraging. Black Lives Matter! ... and the fact that there has to be a movement and a slogan and marches and lives lost to get people to understand that fact is absurd. And yet, despite the struggle and the forces at play against this foundational truth, there are those that find beautiful ways to make that phrase ring in the ears and minds of many. That hopefulness and creativity in the face of struggle, is an inspiration and a reminder to others that we can all be the good we want to see in the world.
Mjög næs fönkí R&B með mjög alvarlegum undirtónum í textum. Set þetta band á skoðunarlistann.
It's well intended and funky and I enjoyed the sparseness of the arrangements that dip into R&B, world, jazz and gospel with chilled vocals. Lyrically, they keep the message simple but it works for and against; they words are at odds with the sensual, feel good nature of the music. If you're wanting to change the world (which I assume they do with political agenda) and you want to be heard, then you need to SAY IT LOUDLY. That said, as a listening experience, it's actually quite a pleasant album. Maybe they should have stuck lyrics on about yoga or meditation?
Impressive in ambition and delivery, and well worth a listen
It is a positive surprise for me. I did not know this project. And I really liked. A solid rhythm base, with combinations of multiple styles. Lyrics that complains about the racism, use of guns and keep alive the memory of African's countries.
Not a fan of R&B but this album was one of the few I could listen to without being annoyed or bored (lots of variety!). I could focus on the lyrics too and overall was a nice experience.
The most excellent and righteous mixtape.
Subdued, yet celebratory. Love the influences on this thing, and the production is crisp and nice. Think it gets a smidgen navel-gazey at times, but otherwise it's solid. Favorite tracks: "Bow", "Stop Dem", "Miracles"
A brilliantly crafted statement album by this anonymous collective, which sounds completely fresh and bops along with an infectious energy.
Liked it but didn’t listen all the way through
A long one to kick things off! First time listening to 90% of this album, Wildfires I think is the only familiar song to me. The punchy darker songs of "Hard Life" "Why we cry why we die" and "Sorry Aint Enough" I also liked as an honest exploration of the black experience at the moment. Particularly enjoyed the afrobeat of "Bow" with Michael Kiwanuka as a mid album change of pace. Miracles I think was my highlight of the album, really enjoyed the "choral" vocals and resilience portrayed in the lyrics. But there are a lot of gems in this one. Great album to start with. "Pray up stay up" was also a warmer end to the album, appreciated.
pure wibes
I think this is very, very good, but not an all-time classic, an honor many critics bestowed on on it upon release. A great combination of styles - in a way that defies categorization. There are elements of funk, soul. afro-beat and R&B, all melding in an impressive manner. As a protest album it swings for the fences in terms of scope. It may be the best mainstream all in protest album since What's Going On. Nice company to keep.
This was very good. Seems like it came out in response to the killing of George Floyd in the summer of 2020 and the themes clearly reflect that. I had never heard of this album or this group before, but I will be checking out their other music for sure.
J'ai dû l'écouter 3 fois pour être sûr, mais je pense pas que ça vaille un 5. Très bon nonobstant
la grosse conne qui écouté le mauvais album (il était super cependant)
SAULT is a band that I got into back in 2020 when they released their two big albums: Untitled(Black Is) which was released on Juneteenth and a few months later Untitled(Rise). The group is an enigma. Apart from the the Producer Inflo, most of the musicians on their albums are anonymous. They've never done interviews or released any videos. Their album Nine only came out for 99 days on Bandcamp and streaming services making it a "true" limited edition. The music is great and explores many style throughout their releases. This album and Rise is full of songs about positivity, struggle and protest. The production and musicianship and strong throughout and the theme of the album stays consistent from start to finish.
it's a 4 all day. Found it over lockdown and it manages to be overtly political but pretty chilled at the same time
Super intéressant. Le propos cherche à améliorer l’estime de soi des personnes de couleurs. Je trouve ça très bien, mais puisqu’il ne s’adresse qu’indirectement à moi, ça devient lourd à mi-chemin de l’album. Le groove, le son, les effets, ... tout ça est super le fun et rafraichissant.
Première fois que j’entends parler de ce collectif. La groove de Stop Dem est excellente et sa position après la douceur de l’ouverture par Out the lies est parfaite. Beaucoup de sonorités intéressantes dans cette production. Belle surprise. Pièces préférées: Stop Dem, Monsters, Black
un album rafraichissant, une belle balance de bon grooves et d,expérimentation. Blues, electro, pop, etc. Tout y est mais bien balancé et ca s'écoute vraiment super bien 4
Not the kind of thing that I usually listen to, but I really enjoyed this album.
Funk-soul suave. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
Unique. Creative. Art. I don't know that I love the music, but I love that it's different.
Really enjoyed this! I knew a bit about SAULT but was pleased to read more, a very unusual album but loved a lot of this
Really cool!
Ok. I like this a lot....Love the sparseness of the production...I know nothing about the band/collective but will investigate more...as 50yo white male i realize that I may not be the average target/consumer of this. (am I racist to say that?) Anyway it has class and its amalgam of modern funk/soul/jazz is highly appealing. Great stuff.
Yes, Black certainly Is. Well done everybody.
well-tempered
Loose, hypnotic, and rich with atmosphere. Goes down smooth. The group's approach of sidestepping media interaction and live performances is intriguing.
Really liked this. Feels like Common for some reason
Terrific music, such a great downtempo feel, sinister and dark
Probably the best of all the "completely new to me" suggestions from this app. Definitely will revist.
Pretty cool album with some influences that are hard to define, but still with a clear purpose. It's hard to establish that it will some kind of classic in the future, but for sure it will influence the next classics.
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.
Not my style of music. But I appreciated the experimentation and the significance historically of when it was released and world events at the time.
not sure
solid 3, some funky stuff
Cool album, pretty dense for some, I reckon. If this one makes you feel uncomfortable, you're probably the problem...
Quality, timely and valuable. I’m not personally a fan of whispered spoken word, but that’s a matter of taste. Good mix
This is a 3.5 star album for me, because it is good, but it feels formulaic in too many ways musically. The purpose, the design and composition of the entire album, and the lyrics bring it up and do make it have some impact. However, that impact was never felt in the music for me personally. I'd like to listen to more of their albums, but I was a little disappointed that the music didn't do its part in the heavy lifting to make this a more impactful and memorable album.
Pretty good British R&B with touches of House, electronica, etc. Somewhat like the Roots?
I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this
I’m not a fan of combining politics with music for the most part. I use music for joy and nostalgia. That said, I still think there’s space for political music as artists have a right to express themselves and sometimes, music should be thought provoking. I can think of a few albums I received that were political, and yet, very well written. This album unfortunately missed that mark for me. I will give it a 3 still, but it’s not something I’ll go back to.
A decent, melancholy chill hop album with a message. It gets a little long but packs a punch on the best tracks. Top tracks: "Stop Dem," "Don't Shoot Guns Down"
I am very much not the audience for this! But it's good. It's fine. 2020 was weird, dog.
Not big on the spoken word parts
It’s an R&B album released in June 2020, it’s exactly what you’d expect. Sonically it’s very pleasant.
No me gustó mucho. Hay trip hop y rap ahí, con cosas reggae también y demás. Seguro mucho contenido social que no puedo seguir por el idioma. 5/10
Really beautiful album. So soulful, positive and diverse. Not what I was expecting after reading about SAULT. While it isn't my general cup of tea, I really enjoyed it. Favorite tracks were Out of Lies and Monsters.
Songlets. I thought the bears were enjoyable and some good rhythm but these didn't seem to evolve into songs, it was more like a demo.
A record with a powerful statement and a sound to match it. It is mostly made up of a mix of soul, R&B, and jazz with a couple of spoken word interludes here and there. I just personally think that we're lucky to be finally living in a time where records like these can gain the social traction they deserve.
Fascinatingly different album. Weird structure, but feels like an artefact from 2020. Puts me back in the space of pandemic anxiety and praxis in radical politics. Now what’s being called “Woke 1” was a real moment of no-bad-ideas-in-a-brainstorm type of art, media, and debate. That being said, the moments on this record, while musically interesting, are hard to differentiate the authenticity/performative dilemma of that era. Very good at capturing the moment, but feels dated 6 years later.
DISCLAIMER: THE THINGS I DO NOT LIKE ABOUT THIS ALBUM HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE LYRICAL CONTENT OR OVERALL THEMES OF THE PROJECT. THE PRODUCTION IS A LITTLE DRY AND SOME PERFORMANCES LEAVE ME WANTING MORE. ACAB.
Nice, but not for me.
Vissa låtar är bra melodisk soul. Andra känns mest som utfyllnad. 2,5 av 5.
3/5
Lyrically, this was powerful, but it’s a shame that I found the music fairly dull. There is something quite effective about pairing potentially angry lyrics with a more pedestrian set of beats and easy soul and R&B sound, but I prefer my angry music to be more abrasive.
I liked it.
Følte meg truffet, godt å vite at jeg har rettigheter. Slutten av Hard life, da begynte det å bli bra. Hyggelig gjenhør med Cleo Sol Only synth in church var kul Monsters var grei Liten svensk radiosending inni der🥸 Var litt Speisa, følte det ikke helt men det hadde potensial, hadde noen kule innslag her og der
The concept behind this was interesting, and I can appreciate what SAULT was trying to do with it. There’s a lot here about Black identity, history, anger, pride, and the general atmosphere of 2020, so it feels more like a statement than just a collection of songs. Musically, though, R&B just isn’t really my thing. There were some good grooves, bits of funk, gospel, soul, and spoken word that kept it from becoming completely one-note, but I never got especially invested in the songs themselves. I respected the subject matter more than I enjoyed the album.
Very middling
Dont know what the fuss is all about
DJ Toenail
Made me wish I was black.
Decent and inoffensive. There are good ideas here, but it seems a little under baked.
For an album that landed within a month of George Floyd's death, this is an incredibly prescient listen to rediscover that time in 2020. However, I think the album is not particularly special as a listening experience - it's a largely pleasant, if muted, mish-mash of styles.
Man, this album caught me off good and probably you too. You got really confused with the narration cutting in and where the voice was coming from. A great meld of funk, soul, rnb with a strong message advocating strength despite, or more so because of, racial adversity. My biggest critique is the mix tape style the album is delivered, a few moments where I was really sinking into the tracks got cut short with a Segway into another movement. But, all in all enjoyable listen, great headphone album to pick up all the nuances and layers. Give it a go!
I am neutral when it comes to politics and social issues, so I won't comment that regarding this album. Other than that, I like the production of this album, it's smooth and pleasant. Maybe not many songs that stands out (maybe Wildfires is a track that's worth mentioning as standout), but as a whole it is a nice listen.
I remember this record being insaaaanely hyped at the time and feeling like I didn't quite get it and ngl I still feel the same. What, really, is the difference between this and that band Jungle except the (obviously very good) political message. I just think it's overrated is that problematic of me?
Again, I wanted to like this one more than I did. I could see it being one that grows on me with time. At least we got out of our general trend of rock for something different. I wasn’t able to devote much time to the lyricism but it is obviously charged from what I did hear and the track titles. It got better towards the middle third of the run, whereas I didn’t love the beginning.
glad i finally checked an album out by them
Some really fun loops that run on a little too long at times. Feels like this one might have been rushed
I had never even heard of SAULT so I was excited to hear something new to me. The album was good. Glad I heard it but I don’t know if I’ll seek out more from this band. 3.5 stars
Three stars, some of them had a decent beat some bits better than others. Politically sound but lyrics were often very repetitive.
Had mixed feelings about this album. On one hand- I appreciated the themes addressed by the album (black excellence, police violence) and some of the afrobeat inspired songs (Bow). On the otherhand, the repeated use of stripped down beats on a loop got old for me. Overall- not bad, but not for me. 2.5/5
Erikoinen albumi. Kaukana omasta musiikkimausta mutta silti itse asiassa varsin hyvä levy. Laittaisinko kuitenkaan spontaanisti tätä soimaan vapaapäivän ratoksi? Tuskin. Listan hienous on, että tällaistakin tulee kuunneltua, mitä ei muuten tulisi laitettua soimaan. Onko levyllä joku sanoma? En tiedä, en tullut perehtyneeksi mutta black-sanaa kovasti hoettiin eli liittyisikö mustan väestön asioihin jotenkin…? No mene ja tiedä. Hyvä albumi. 3/5
Had a good message; musically was pleasant but a bit repetitive. I liked Sorry Ain't Enough best
It's got some good tunes and good production, but, a bit like listening to Billy Bragg singing about socialism for an hour, it's great is you identify with the subject matter but is a little repetitive when you don't. I definitely prefer this way of delivering a message to the hip hop method though
3 out of 5. This album has a vibe and the beats are good.
Decent enough listen, but nothing really jumps out at me. Reminds me of Kiwanuka, not surprised to see him collaborating on a few tracks.
Sault then. I’ve been mildly aware of them without actually hearing them. Got the impression it would be my kind of thing, but by the time that happened, they already had about 6 albums and I felt overwhelmed. This being in the 1001 has forced me to overcome the feeling of having missed the boat. 20 tracks, about a third of which are more like segues, but that doesn’t have to mean not worthy. I have no idea if this is typical of their albums, but it works pretty well here. There’s plenty going on that varies throughout the album, but I still managed to come away thinking it was a little bit samey. Sparse but interesting arrangements sit amongst beats which I assume are mixed slightly high on purpose. On top of which a nice vocal. Nice is hardly a compliment at all, is it? The context tells me I should be going ape for the voice, but I’m not. I’m on board with the pro-black messaging and I think as a theme for the whole album, it is realised successfully. I wasn’t desperate to loop back to the start as soon as I finished and I’m not sure what to do next; persist and see if this lands better with me following additional listens, or check out their catalogue to see how this fits in. My interest is piqued, and even though they now seem to have 14 albums (they’ve been very busy!) I am tempted to explore further. For now I’ll stick with a strong 3 stars. It was certainly not as impactful as Gabriels whom I am inclined (perhaps wrongly) to think of as comparable contemporaries.
Recht gechillt Aber mochte die musik grundsätzlich
This modern r&b album lyrically goes over the current themes and issues revolving around racism. The beats were pretty good, and I like how, even though the album is newer, I can immediately see its place in this list because of its cultural significance.
Cool beats and understated style
Ehh not really anything special
Actually it's 2.5/5
Very interesting album but for some reason I can’t give it more than a three
Me sorprendió para bien. Me gustó.
I like the concept but it just didn't interest me that much, a lot of songs were just dull
Never hard of this before - pretty cool and interesting mix. Would listen again. 3.
Enjoyed this one, the backing tracks made me think Kendrick Lamar was going to come in at any moment, wouldn’t surprise me to learn if the songs on this album have been used as samples on rap songs. Enjoyed the message throughout as well, I’ll never begin to truly understand what black people endure, but listening to albums like this helps remind me that the fight for equality is ongoing and we all play a part.
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
Wildfires is amazing, but the rest of the album has trouble keeping up with that
Not bad, but not my thing.
The woman’s voice is so beautiful silky smooth, but honestly the entire album was kinda boring. I tuned it out while working and it was just some background sounds.
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.
Surprisingly fitting music for work engagement. Loved the beats and variety.
Never heard of them but enjoyed this one. Lofi working music
A really cleanly and well produced album, with a very meaningful subject matter, but they could've been a bit more creative with the lyrics, no? They kinda got a Steven Universe vibe to it. And a whole lot of songs here just feel like long loops, unfortunately. But when they're groovin, they're really going. Favorites were Hard Life, Bow, and Eternal Life.
(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.
It's half stylish, half pretty empty (simple? streamlined?) but I did like it and I'm not sure why. I think it's just mostly solid and isn't doing too much, so it's hard to dislike that much about it 5.6/10
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
As one part of R&B legends Houmous & Chutney I can really see where they went with this one. 3.2 5/10 Good Things Come After The Pressure
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.
Monsters fannst mér ansi skemmtilegt lag, restin var ágæt en ekki mjög eftirminnileg.
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.