Reviews (page 6 of 8)
A decent album and not in a genre I generally find myself. A good find.
Starts off really slow and I don’t feel like the concept was explored as much as it could have been (the minimalism is likely intentional), would have to listen more closely to be sure though. It ends pleasantly enough Best song: Bow (we meet again Michael!) Worst song: N/A
I'd rather listen to Tank and the Bangas, but this is some interesting work nonetheless.
J'ai bien aimé Wildfires.
I don't know how I feel about this. I don't feel qualified nor comfortable talking about the lyrics as I come from a completely different part of the world with its own problems. Racism is bad obviously, but this is clearly an album for Americans by Americans. Musically very interesting though. There's enough variety in this that it kept my attention for most of the runtime. I could have gone without all the whispery interludes though. One or two is fine, but there was a point in the middle where every other song was just a woman uncomfortably whispering in my ear. I'm immune to ASMR instantly-shit-yourself hypnosis. I eat sauerkraut for breakfast. Fuck.
As Jackson would say, this was good but not my favorite. I’ll admit I was more distracted while listening today. The tracks were hit and miss for me. I don’t love songs that sound more like spoken word poetry. Loved the last track!
Good but didn't really hold my attention
Bra album. Bra låtar.
The production quality and the beats are very solid on this album, especially during Only Synth in Church and Monsters. Feels good to listen with headphones on. It does get a bit repetitive though and the lyrics aren't doing much for me.
Relaxing music, but not my field of interest.
Fine. I bet they would draw a crowd at The Fox.
Great production but it was too mellow for me, couldn't hear any emotion.
2.5
Nice to hear an album I have zero preconceptions about.
This was unexpected. On paper I should hate this album - 21st century R&B really is not my bag at all and I was not looking forward to this, but it's actually OK. It's not something I'm likely to revisit, but it was perfectly listenable. Plus, the drum sound on the first few tracks is incredible.
3.25
De thematiek en de boodschap zijn relevant en duidelijk. Deze zijn ook prachtig in de lyrics verweven. De muziek/stijl vind ik dan wat minder
Not really my thing but a fine album. Very confused by some of the most liked reviews though, especially one that stated people didn’t even think of race 15 years ago. What an ignorant thing to say
Un mic mac sans grand intérêt, mais je comprends pourquoi Robert a mis cet album c'est vrai que le nom SAULT était sur toutes les lèvres ces dernières années.
Very good album
Decent 3/5
Soulful and moody, but I prefer my activism louder. Bow was a fun song, when it was listing out african countries. Stand-out: Eternal Life
Chipotle background music
Wildfires is beautiful, bow was great. Black was an interesting song I feel like it wakes up sleeper agents. Eternal is chefs kiss and monsters was fantastic easily my favorite song i added it to my playlist. With this album the songs I liked I really liked but everything in between I didn’t really care for not that it sounded bad it just sounded like it was filling space I think I’ll have to give this another listen to really appreciate it for what it is. -B (not gonna do what you think I was)
Loving how the musical themes and production tell the story also. In “Stop Dem” when the vocal singing melody tries to come in but gets cut off showing how they thought it was over but it wasn’t. Synth on eternal life was crazy good. Saved that one. Rhythm on monsters was sweet. Also saved that one Very versatile and different, some songs were great some were eh
Energetic and empowering. Sound collage. Sonically resemble to Kawanuka, Alfa Mist,
This is like someone took all the rapping off a Kendrick album
Erg lastig album Begin heel sterk maar naar het einde een tikkie te chaotisch voor mij, gaaf dat het zo genreblend is maar dat maakt het ook erg lastig om naar te luisteren.
Suadente
Interrresting! One really strong track, rest is not that interresting to me
seems decent, not my vibe tbh
BLM/10 I don't want to rate this. Musically, I don't think it's very good. It is however an album very much in the spirit of BLM, which I personally agree with but don't identify with. Rating this album from my perspective does not do it the justice it deserves in the context it requires. The only thing I really want to say about this is that RTJ4 does a (imo) better job talking about specific issues in many of their songs and are sonically more in tune with how it can be expressed powerfully.
swingado, agradável escuta apesar das primeiras serem meio ruins
I enjoyed this album for the most part. Wildfires was the standout track with Eternal Life being an another good one.
Repetitive but nice
3.7 - Solange and Blood Orange each did this type of R&B meditation on blackness more successfully but this is also a good record within that vein. There's tons of atmosphere, built from the jump, with re-dubbed double-dutch chants and monologues reminiscing about black elders. It takes a few quiet detours that detract from the energy, particularly the boring "Black." But it ends on a high with "Miracles", "Hold Me", "Pray up Stay Up" that reinforce affirmations of blackness and black identity.
Good. Felt that I wasn’t the right audience for this, though.
Overall pretty good. The theme is prevalent throughout the album and although there are a few songs that could stand as singles, this is better as a whole. 3/5 May listen again
Felt a lot longer than it is. More a series of sketches than an album. Didn’t hate it.
Cantan muy bien, vale, y? Nada más.
Another album I’m familiar with from its recent release. Good blend of different styles and soil beats throughout deserves to have its place on the list.
3.5
This was good but nothing really grabbed me.
Solid
Appreciated the sound of this one, as it was unlike anything else in the list, but it sounded a little too radio 4-morning-podcast-y for me to get truly into it.
Good, not great. Great beats - odd lyrics. Nothing stands out. 3/5
Starkes Album mit einer Wichtigen Message, aber doch sehr lang
Veldig politisk. Veldig groovy, eller kanskje funky er et bedre ord? Jeg likte det godt, men det ble nok med en gang for meg.
Solid. Good music. 3.5/5
слышала его в год выпуска. он приятный но не увлекает меня
A political album. The interludes are too much for me. I do not have any problem with BLM. I am all for it. But instead of actually saying something, they are just repeating the same few points. Music wise, I get it that it’s trying to mix in different black elements. It doesn’t sound bad, but most of the tracks do not interest me a lot. 5/9/14/16
I lose track of all the SAULT albums, they're that prolific. But I remember how Black Is dropped at just the right time in 2020. It could already sound a little dated, but sadly the issues are still there. The DIY beats add an urgency. The vocals are lush. It drifts a little towards the end. An important document of 2020 though.
Very interesting and diverse album 6,5/10 Fave: wildfires
there's some nice really tunes in here but i'm not in to the lecturing nature of the lyrical content.
6 stars out of 5 for Scott Kelly, as he continues his quest for a free pass for use of the the N word.
3.5/5. Pretty good, relatively easy listening, modern soul/RnB, with a fair amount of emphasis on black culture. I would not mind listening to this again.
From what I could tell there was an important and positive message in the lyrics. The musical presentation was boring and repetitive. I like longer albums, but that wasn’t a strength for this one. I may give it another listen in the future.
Good music but why are they talking the whole time
Disco liso, le hace falta condimentación y argumentos para tratarse de conceptual. En los títulos lo es, en el nombre lo es, en lo visual lo es, pero en lo mas importante que es la musica no lo es. Es un poco largo para la cantidad de arreglos que tiene y por mas de que pongas audios soniditos raros y te hagas el quirky no vas a hacer un album conceptual. Un album que se lo considera como tal pero que no cuenta nada, las escalas y reversiones de piques, mas lo ritmico aporta a sonidos interesantes 5/10.
6/10. Had its ups and downs. The songs seemed to be going for an understated but powerful aesthetic, which sometimes worked and sometimes felt a little sleepy. But overall a good album, if not an especially memorable one.
Had potential but ended up being boring. Plus I'm always a bit annoyed at modern inclusions on this list since I'm so familiar with excluded albums that I enjoy much more. 6/10
Listened Before? N This is a pretty good album. When I saw that it was described as "hip hop" I thought I was getting rap. Nope, it's just beat-heavy synth music with lots of different vocalists. I quite enjoyed it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Wildfires
Wildfires is very good, but the rest is okay.
I think I wanted to like this more than it was. I am not black and maybe this is what parts of that community want, but as an outside felt a bit patronising towards them. Like yeah of course you are beautiful but there is more to people than that. It makes black people feel very 1 dimensional.
i really liked it the first time i listened but paying more attention a lot of the songs follow the exact same formula so it gets boring quickly
Good message, but there was a surprising sense of sameness to it. More important, that sameness was one of mood, an almost lifelessness which betrayed the supposed passion for pride in her black identity. Held my interest for a couple of tracks, but I kept waiting for more, for it to go somewhere unique, challenging, ins[piring. For me, that didn't come.
I can see why this is an important album... but nope. Not for me.
12
Ça fait du bien de changer du rock, y a des sonorités cools mais rien de chamboulant
Enjoyed this, promising opening and continued at the same level, would have been better if they dropped a bunch of the ‘talking tracks’ though. Black was a great track.
Undoubtedly a remarkable reckoning with the issues facing the community and especially with its timing in 2020. The themes are unfortunately timeless. However, for all its political genius and genius, I cannot help but think that it exaggerates just how unlistenable this album is and how little replay value it has. For all its authenticity, it’s just not an album I was musically captivated by.
Decent but quickly forgotten album
Less preachey than I had feared (apart from the interludes), and more enjoyable than I had anticipated
14th March 2023 Listened on the drive to Rita rehearsals and finished the day after. Busy day with rehearsals, IWD call with NYC and house organising. A tour of black history through music, expertly produced and such a range of sound. Really liked it, 3.5 if I could.
I really wanted to enjoy this more than I did, has some really great songs bit alot of annoying "skits" and some very poor songs
Var skeptisk till en början men den var ganska okej.
C'est correct, une bonne petite ambiance, très smooth, parfait pour une soirée relax. Par contre vers la fin ça commençait à s'étirer
Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Yeah, was very distinctive as a project listen Favourite song: didn’t have one
Soulful, melancholic. Released soon after the George Floyd murder and the ensuing protests, which gives it additional emotional power.
BLM
Black
Interesting and eclectic but it tries too hard at times and not at all at others.
I liked a decent chunk of this but disliked a bunch as well. It’s pretty cool sounding but I was ready for it to be over.
It's kind of all over the place for me. But some decent music mixed in.
Though this was very message heavy, the delivery was varied and interesting to keep me engaged for longer than expected. It gets a bit tired by the end, but there are several tracks that are quite enjoyable.
Musically, I generally like what they are doing here and the message is really important right now. Nice mix of musical styles. I think this would have a tighter album had they cut it back by about 10 minutes or so. Fave Songs: Bow, Miracles, Sorry Ain't Enough, Hold Me, Pray Up Stay Up
Bold, imaginative and provocative but ultimately is too repetitive and defeats its own message.
Not a genre that I listen to much, but there were some decent songs on this. Appreciated the message of the album.
Nice album
I went into this one expecting not to like the music at all, since I usually dislike R&B. It wasn't quite what I expected. Definitely very high quality, with an accomplished mix of styles. The jazzier parts or more trip-hop leaning songs were my favorites on the album and really pretty enjoyable to me. Still, as a whole, it's simply not my style of music and I have no desire to revisit. I do strongly support the messages though, and tip my hat to accomplished musicians - just not my style.
Downtempo and chill. Decent overall, but it’s fades into the background a bit too easily.
It was interesting. Modern R&B is still something I just have a hard time getting into. 3/5
interesting, thought it was metal by the name of the band, 3.5 stars
Genre-wise it does suit my taste more. But, it's still repetitive. Lyrically, it's blunt and it unapologetically speaks for Black pride. I'm one for being proud for your identity and overcoming past atrocities, it's just extremely repetitive. Almost everything I hear about today is progressive in this way and plasters Black all over it. It also has too many songs. Highlights: -
good vibe
I've listened to this album a few times now but I don't really get the hype. The production is fantastic and I support the overall message, but I find it lacking lyricly and vocally in places. Some of the songs are so repetitive that they are basically just chanted slogans that break up the flow of the album. Most of the songs with more traditional structures (like Wildfires) are great however.
Ish.
At times fun, at times soulful - but it gets in the way of itself with the self affirmations throughout the album. I get it maybe I’m not the target audience, but there are plenty of similar racial themes in hip hop and sometimes even more militant - yet hold your attention and are not exclusionary. It’s not the subject - it’s the delivery - pity because the music is quite a nice example of modern soul.
Important message but musically a bit dissonant for my liking.
Like the music, minimal jazzy soul. Very much an album of its time - June 2020 - as reflected in the lyrics. The accent on positivity and self-esteem is good, but some of the lyrics are a bit too simplistic and repetitive. If anything the love songs are the best
there is a word that sums up this album: power. SAULT speaks to a lot of important topics facing our world today, and they deal with heavy subject matter. it is not lost on me that this album was released during the summer of 2020. i am sure that's the same for most listeners; if you aren't paying attention to the lyrics, then the album cover will force you to understand. but "stop dem" literally has vocals shouting, "stop dem" and "don't shoot us"--how could it be any clearer their intent? but on this album there is still joy; it's a celebration about being black while fighting. with twenty tracks at 56 minutes, SAULT created untitled (black is) with a heck of a lot of genres. wikipedia has this album listed as soul, r&b, and funk--all of which are true, but there are world music, techno, and pop fifties sounds as well. a well rounded album.
This was an incredibly modern and powerful take on the current landscape that Black people face. The lyrics are thought-provoking, and the music is fresh and diverse, spanning across multiple genres and setting a high bar for what those genres can sound like in the 21st Century. The spoken interludes are incredibly empowering and poetic, as well. While this type of music might not typically be my cup of tea, I found myself in constant intrigue over this album.
A bit of style variation, not a bad album.
Good beats and cool grooves but I occasionally wondered if the album was a little too loose and formless. There are a lot of musical ideas but there aren’t a lot of full-fledged songs. A track like “Black,” for example, has a great hip-hop beat and a catchy hook but feels like it’s missing a rap feature. Other tracks loop a vocal hook over an instrumental for a few minutes but don’t ever develop into a song with verses and choruses. It’s not bad exactly but feels incomplete. There are some strong standout moments though. The singing on “Wildfires” is beautiful, the African funk of “Bow” was a highlight and the closing track “Pray Up Stay Up” has a great vibe.
Interesting album, definitely trying to convey one overarching message across the release. I kind of feel like this genre should be called something like "music-to-be-sampled". Each track gives me a vibe like it's meant to have something else on top, like a lead vocal line or even some rapping. The tracks that do have some lead vocals in them come across as pretty repetitive. "Wildfires" was a cool track, with more typical structure of a pop song. I liked the album more as it went on. I think the earlier songs having a more background-music type of sound led me to get off on the wrong foot. It felt long but it wasn't, it just had a ton of very short tracks which kind of validated my idea of music-for-sampling. I think a high 2/5 and close enough to a 3 to warrant it.
I had never heard of this band before and was really happy to hear something new. For the first 9 songs (barring Sorry ain’t enough) I thought I’d found a new favourite to stick on repeat. But this is an album of two halves. The second half just sounded like dull, ‘ooh ooh baby’ music - uninspirational R&B which I could frankly do without. But 8/20 songs that grabbed me by the throat is quite good odds. I would definitely listen to those again.
Album had a few bangers, very unique. My previous notes had fav tracks but got deleted. The backside started to feel repetitive (loops) and kinda annoying which was difficult to vibe with, was on the bus.
Very cool, very bluesy, religious.
I enjoyed this but not a lot stuck out in my mind. Speaking with Jen about this 1001 endeavor, it’s like the timing of the listen combined with current state of mind mixed with some kind of random aural simpatico all contribute to the rating for albums I’m not familiar with.
I cannot say wht but I don't dislike it
like the message more than the music
Good
The aesthetic of cover and title suggests a detached-but-not-really attitude, and Untitled sound like a mixtape before its music pulls a similar turn. At first, the sound is rather light against the themes gestured at. But as the record unfolds, it takes a kind of chronological track through build and release. I looked at SAULT (unfairly) as a novelty band. This has convinced me to listen to its twin and take the group more seriously, even if it didn't blow me away. I guess gospel music isn't meant to, most of the time.
I really enjoy SAULT, and I have to say that musically this is far from their best. Best approached as an art piece and social commentary, it's not a casual listen.
Great production
I am definitely not the audience for this. Obviously can appreciate it, but there you go.
Interesting experience. I mostly prefer rock-ish music, but I really like to adventure in other generes. That is why I'm here. And this was pleasing.
I have never heard of Sault, but the album cover is excellent, and I see the rest of their album covers are all of a piece. The music grabbed my attention and didn't let go, at least for the first bunch of tracks. As overtly political as the cover implies but not angry. I don't really know what to make of the first track, "Stop Dem" is fun and a little funky, "Hard Life" is just beautiful, "Don't Shoot Guns Down" is a percussive gem, Wildfires is lovely and inspiring, X is a short sip of chill beat poetry, but from there it starts to bog down. Some of the tracks, like Black Is and Eternal Life, overshoot the mark. But overall I enjoyed this album quite a bit. Favorites: Don't Shoot Guns Down, Wildfires, Monsters
Good, interesting, too soon to be in the list in my opinion
Sault, wat een toppers
It's a nice album, but it's not a crush for me.
Samaan aikaan sillai raikas ja vihanen! Toki tällai vähemmistöön kuulumattomana tällasii poliittisii levyjä lähestyy eri tavalla. Kiva kuulla generaattorista taas jotain hieman uudempaa. 3/5
Kiinnostava ja oikein miellyttävä. Pitää kuunnella joskus vielä. 3.5/5.
Wildfires lienee levyn kovin hitti, ja se on kyllä jees. Muuten tykkäisin enemmän, mutta pari raitaa ei oo kovin mielenkiintoisia niin jätetään nyt 3/5
One more that I had no idea about going in. It was OK, not my thing, but well produced and with good vocals. Too heavy on the race politics for me lyrically. Passed by without causing any discomfort but without catching my attention either. Stripped down R&B, with what I think of as typically British minimalism.
Cool concept. Very rhythmic.
This was great, poignant messaging wrapped up in a well-paced and catchy lil parcel. My favorite track was Monsters.
Really good - but not sure it will hold up over time.
Cool vibe but just didn't grab me.
Hip hop trance r and b soul type music. Pretty good mellow music.
Interesting, loved the message.
This was fun!
I went back and forth on how I would rate this album. One minute I'm really digging it, and the next I can't wait for it to end. I think ultimately this album suffers for being too long and too boring. The beats on every song are SO good, but the vocals come off as minimalistic and uninspiring and way too repetitive. Standout tracks include Wildfires and Monsters.
Sonido contemporáneo. Hago de electrónica con consciencia "black". Está bien la radio que desencadena para ambientar.
Above average, but too new to call a 'classic' or anything that should be on a list like this. 3/5
My first album of the 2020’s shame there’s only 5 albums for this decade at the moment I could name a good few modern albums that deserve to be on this list… The album opens with out the lies which is half a little chant then it’s this little important statement. I really don’t like the happy screaming vocals of stop dem again it’s important but not good. I think one of my problems of hard life is that instead of being interesting the song just keeps on layering extra seconds and repeating the exact same lyrics again and again. Don’t shoot the guns down is a shortie and other than whatever was put over the vocals this is awesome the lyrics are surprisingly powerful and the drumming work is excellent. Wildfires is apparently the group’s biggest song and it’s a great song, none of this music is my kinda thing but it’s a song that I completely understand the appeal for ( same for the whole album really). X is a good little interlude. Sorry ain’t enough is a very powerful song again like wildfires this genre as a whole doesn’t appeal to me much but I get it. Black is, is a shortie and a bit of a reprise of the first track and yeah it works after all these songs even if i’am not a fan of interludes. Bow has a great rhythm and good lyrics but some of the elements layered on i’am sceptical about. This generation is just a little interlude. Why we cry why we die is too repetitive for me to be honest. Black starts off too repetitive but then it gets interesting when the female vocalist arrives. There are too many interludes us is one of them. Eternal life comes out of that previous interlude though and it’s great the synths really make this track. Only synth in church is nice but it feels like filler. Monsters is a very good song I might just be in the groove of the album but I really enjoyed this tune. June child is ANOTHER interlude. Miracle’s has some great bass work in it i’am still not sold on the style but it’s good music. The penultimate track hold me is a bit too electronic for me really but I cam see the appeal. The album closes with pray up stay up and I really don’t like this song the piano is the best part. I mean I get it I really do but not for me 3/5.
I liked the vibe, but got about 3/4 through before I stopped listening.
Not what I was expecting but an important album which caught the mood
Overall, it's too woke for its own good. I liked, if not loved, a lot of it. But it comes across ultimately as over stuffed if not over long. I have a sneaky suspicion this will be remembered as a product of its time more than anything else.
I couldn’t imagine a more appropriate Juneteenth release. Filled with anger, sorrow, power and a demand for change. The production is so raw and in your face (especially the drums) that at times it almost hurts. Absolutely brilliant! Unfortunately I also knew what to expect when I saw the 20 song tracklist… And this album doesn’t change my mind regarding the overflow of interludes. The lyrics in general are strong enough to get Sault’s message across. There really is no need to keep hammering the same nail; even when delivered via whispering poetry. Best: Stop Dem / Bow / Why We Cry Why We Die / Monsters Worst: Don’t Shoot Guns Out / Black / Pray Up Stay Up / almost every interlude (but especially June Child)
Fully convinced that the guy who made this list decided to put this album in instead of posting that black square on social media. Monster and Black are bangers, lotta cool sounds on this album but as a whole it's just not for me. (obviously?)
I’ll give this a 3, but I know Sean would have given it a 1
Always feels like an amalgamation of music with sault
Powerful black voices, would not be a typical choice but I enjoyed it.
There's some interesting tracks on this. Not really my bag though
Listened to on 7/21/22 3.5/5 Favorite song: wildfires This album was SO powerful and the best social commentary on race in 2020
I had never heard of this and the fact it's so recent, I'm surprised this made the list. I'm not sure what i think of this? It has a good beat, the lyrics are okay and I don't hate it, so it was fine. Not a fan of this style of music, so I can't say I'll listen again, but I can appreciate the effort.
This was good, some nice stuff here and a few saves.
love noise.. love instrument
There's a lot of 'lazy' two word reviews for this album floating around - "its great" or "it sucks". In my view - it's OK, not amazing, but certainly not rubbish. I'll attempt to give a bit more justification for my rating. Firstly - it's an electic mix of lo-fi chill soul/rnb and funk, with live drums mixed together. it works, it's easy to listen to and interesting enough Secondly, it's a mix of actual 'songs' and then short poetry based skits. It's unusual, so I see why it's highly rated. The songs themselves are mostly well written and produced, the lyrics are a current topic, and though the overarching theme is clever, the actual music and lyrics aren't particularly ground-breaking. It's a chill out with a glass of red wine at 11PM whilst thoughtfully overlooking the city lights with this in the background kind of album. It's a innovative idea for an album, and executed reasonably well. 7/10
An interesting and powerful album. Ultimately, the music wasn't anything super special to write home about, but the message made up for it in a lot of ways. A little repetitive after a while, though.
-This is already opening up VERY cinematic. -Drum production on Stop Dem is crisp. Using kids vocals is eerie, but fitting. It's like Sesame Street meets Apocalypse Now. -Hard Life again, good production. Sorrowful gospel. -Solid basswork throughout this album. I dig the bongos on Sorry AIn't Enough. -LOVE the talkbox effect on Bow.
Very interesting concept, politically charged album with dialogue about black culture. Not all the songs were great musically. But very interesting message overall. This band is strange in a good way.
wasnt a fan..
A valuable, but pretty uneven listening experience
These guys came up as a recommended similar artist after listening to Kiwanuka. Not as good, but still decent. Bow (with Kiwanuka) had a great beat. A couple others started with strong beats and then fizzled. I might've taken Don't Shoot Guns Down more seriously if it didn't have a weird quasi-robotic voice. Wildfires is waaay better - I'd recommend it to anyone. Undeniable messages here but too many throwaway or half-baked tracks. Felt like a chore to get through and it shouldn't have.
3/5
Putting the dominant message aside for a moment: I like this album's music, especially some of the bass riffs; on the other hand, I find it inconsistent, quality wise, with some great tracks (Wildfires, Monsters) mixed in with a lot of -alsos. Then there is the matter of the artists' remaining anonymous. On one hand, it feels pretentious; on the other hand, given that message again, I can see why they'd want that extra layer of personal protection. Overall, I like this album, not as much as for its music (I prefer Sault's later albums for a start) as for the artists standing up for a good cause.
Musically I’m not there with this album but I appreciate its political importance
Cantan muy bien, vale, y? Nada más
Seems decent, again didn't engage me too much on the first listen.
pretty cool
Pretty cool album. 6-7/10
Liked this. Never heard of it before. Reckon it would improve on a second listen but yeah it was good
Not objectionable, one stand-out track that I remember (Bow) but mostly I'm left feeling a little bit underwhelmed. I prefer more whelm in my music.
Interesting. 2020 album in the top 1001. I’d like to know the history. Was good.
The album has a great message, obviously, but musically it isn't very interesting. Most tracks are just a beat with some voice samples.
I like what they are going for, but musically it doesn't hit as hard as I want it to.
I really liked the vibe of this one and would love to know a bit more about it
-Hwatever vocal effect (duplicates?) On the lyrics "We are the original people / And we don't believe in evil" in "Stop Dem" is pretty cool. Also a chill drum-based backseat and bass line -"Bow" has been the stand out song so far. Cool afro-beat vibe, but also mixing in electronic music and like a rock and roll guitar -There were a few okay tracks, with "Bow" really standing out, but much of the rest was pretty weak
Modern soul with a slight electronic/dance vibe. I'm usually not much into that kind of music, but I somehow liked this. 3/5
It has character, but I don't need to listen to it again
Best Song: Wildfires. The best straight song that I could imagine listening outside of the context of the rest of the album. Worst Song: Don't Shoot Guns Down. The lyrics were a bit too on-the-nose to be poetic. Overall: An intensely political album that feels at time like spoken word poetry. This isn't music that can (or probably was intended) to be listened to in the background. It demands your attention. At many points it feels closer to theatre than music.
alright
Good, and fine production, but it didn't do much for me (though again I don't think I'm the audience)
More fun than I expected, but not my cup of tea.
I thought this album was cool, but it didn't ultimately keep my interest all that well
Not my favourite, but one I'll probably come back to, might not it more after a couple of listens. Very modern, hip hop without the rapping
Ik kende een paar nummers en had hier daarom zin in. Een heel album was toch een beetje teveel.
A good one, but started fading after first several songs
It’s a gorgeous album with a powerful and eternal message. I’d like to come back to it to see how it hits me a second time.
This is good
Slatt
A good sounding album that never really goes for any emotional or musical highs, just stays in the middle ground. Pretty cool
I really enjoyed this album and the message behind it. Loved the vibes as well.
Really enjoyed it, good music, strong message and quite enjoyable 3.5/5
Some fresh beats on here, important themes and the like. I would put it somewhere between 3-4 stars, may listen again
Peak 2020, I guess? Not necessarily for everyone, but for black Americans. So, how did SAULT delivered the rage, the pride, the sorrow, the frustration, and the joy of the black experience in the USA? Particularly in 2020, when the infamous murder of George Floyd sparked protests and even riots across the globe? Boring, monotonous electronica beats, of course! Sprinkle in some little speeches that sounds like ads for a beauty soap bar to reinforce the message. I mean, I respect it. It has great beats, and a (hopefully) genuine cause. But it gets boring very quickly. It felt bland and emotionless, but I guess it's minimal emotions mirror the experience of many common black people in the USA. It's decent, genre bending too I guess, bit it's not as revolutionary as for example, Kendrick's "To Pimp a Butterfly", released four years before this, and maybe Beyonce's self-titled too, released even earlier. In 2020? Imo, it can be overshadowed by Run the Jewel's surprise album, "RTJ4". Still, I enjoyed listening to this, but it made me want to revisit the intoxicating frustrated energy of the mentioned albums - which are about the American black experience too.
An album full of grief, anger and hope. Wildfires is the obvious stand out.
Never heard of this group before. Here we go... Smooth. I thought it might be metal, it's more hip hop R&B.
3.5/5. Def alotta great and powerful ideas/affirmations here, but imo a lil too sparse and meandering sometimes
Nothing really grabbed me here, but I did like the sort of kitchen sink production of it. Which I've probably said before. But I liked the flow of the album - it felt like one piece. But it also had that feeling of IMPORTANCE that was distracting to me - but that was probably because of the Wikipedia page, which I shouldn't have read. Anyway, not one I would listen to again, but sounds like a lot of work went into it.
Not sure how to rate this. Parts of this album truly irked me, but there were other aspects that felt truly affirming. I have to applaud the ambition on display, too. I am, however, in no particular rush to listen again
Album is consistent in style and approach yet each track takes a different idea and works with it well. In the first few songs, we go from spoken word to psychedelia to gospel to afrobeat to R&B pop, back to spoken word followed by neo-soul. The spoken word tracks act more like politically charged skits characteristic of golden age hip hop. Very different yet the mood is the same, united by the appreciation of black culture and the unjust deathly bias in American society. The songs are decent themselves, production and mixing are fantastic, and the instrumentals and vocals are great. I think I just have two related major issues. The first is that the songs are fairly repetitive. They have a strong idea but they never take them anywhere, so hardly any of the tracks blow you away. You hear the first minute of a song and you pretty heard it all. The second is that the lack of mixed styles is a bit underwhelming. They clearly demonstrate skills for interlaying elements of such genres, but they don't even do anything with it. It's no wonder they were able to write 80ish songs over just 2 years if they just come up with a simple idea and go with it. Fortunately, none of the songs drag on long, and there's enough diversity to keep you entertained despite the hour length. It's a chill experience that most people should enjoy. Favorites: Hard Life, Wildfires, Black, Monsters
Definitely an important listen-- powerful, moving, and timely! I especially liked the spoken word parts. Due to the protest nature of the album, it's not one I'll go back to for casual listening but I found it well done and emotion inducing!
I love the variety in styles, but most of the tracks felt repetitive
Very listenable but I too am in danger of giving everything 3*
It was fine background music. Once again I feel like I need to adjust my ratings otherwise everything gets a 3.
I had never heard of this album or group until today. It was interesting and a pretty enjoyable listen. I will probably come back to this one again some time.
Great music, unfortunately not my kind of music.
A new band and new music for me. There were a few tracks that I would be tempted to skip during a re-listen. This is not my favorite music, but there were tracks that caught my attention. I probably will never re-listen to this, but it was an okay one-time experience.
jag gillade det. lite för konstigt emellanåt och för långt.
Nisam očekivao ovako novije na ovom, pošto sam naviko na sve staro u vražju mater. Iznenadilo me ovo, inače za njih sam čuo preko bandcampa, međutim nisam ih slušao. Mislio sam da je to neki rap, ali jok. Nekakav instrumental uz r&b, soul elemente, ritmično je i dobro je. Bilo bi vjerojatno bolji album da su se neki filleri od pjesama izbacili, ili makar skratile pjesme. Favoritne: Hard Life, Hold Me, Monsters, Pray Up Stay Up.
Nije loše, zaintrigirao me i održao pažnju pošteno
Banda sonora d'un any punyent, 2020, i específicament del moviment Black Lives Matter, el disc és representatiu del seu moment, també en l'aspecte musical, amb un alternative r&b elegant i sumptuós, que agafa elements del jazz, soul, black music en general. Només li falten cançons més encisadores
I appreciate the concept, but ultimately the music is too repetitive to hold up well to repeat listening.
I like the stripped down music. There isn’t too much complicated, and I think that’s a benefit considering the music alone. The lyrics however, are another story. There is far too much repetition of the same line over and over again. And it’s not just one song. There are several. When considered with the lyrics, the music isn’t interesting enough to hold this album up. It’s still something worth listening to though. My real problem is the the 1001 list picked the wrong Sault album from 2020. I was very excited when I saw Sault come up because I thought it was Untitled (Rise), which was a pandemic discovery for me. Untitled (Rise) was released several months after Untitled (Black Is) and it’s better. The repetitive lyrics are still present, but to a lesser degree. And the music has more layers, providing more interest. The 1001 editors made a mistake, not in picking Sault, but in the 2020 album of their’s that they chose.
meh
Very good. Very impressive. Very clever. Just didn't love it
Not my favourite, but one I'll probably come back to, might like it more after a couple of listens. Very modern, hip hop without the rapping
My first modern album from this project! It was definitely musically interesting (and clearly politically powerful) but I'm not sure I'd come back to listen again. I enjoyed the soul vibes. My top pick was the popular 'Wildfires' - a beautiful and serene protest song #BLM
302. Ok
5.3/10
I don't know, I guess this just wasn't my genre. It had its moments, but I mostly was just listening to get it over with. Didn't spark much. Two stars.
I liked the message, but the music just isn't my style
Meh. 2/5
나쁘지는 않은 느낌이었는데 듣기 좋은 느낌의 음악은 아니었던 것 같다. It didn't feel bad, but I don't think it was the kind of music that was pleasant to listen to.
I like my soul with a bit more edge to it.
I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. This is an R&B album. The track Wildfires is pretty cool, but most of the rest of the album is not particularly memorable. It's also a bit long at 20 tracks and 56 minutes; there were definitely some moments where it seemed to drag. I doubt I would come back to this one.
Musically ok
Can see with the context of when it was released why it made the list. I didn't think it was very good though, second half was better than the first but generally felt like a lot of underworked ideas. Small bits of potentially interesting music that weren't developed very far. Spoken word bits felt too vague to be powerful or even interesting. Feels to me this album was notable for the time of it's release than good in its own right.
First half was dull and light, second half the beats kicked in. Black the best track - but even that felt like a mixture of ideas. The heavy bass did not serve to complement the light female vocals, only made them more underwhelming. I agree with Sharkey, lyrically way too obvious. Not sure this will be in revised versions of the list in a few years.
I don't know about this. The message here is so on the nose at times that it loses it's intended impact. There's often no nuance or emotion to it, and it should be a charged subject. That being said, there was quite a few styles going on here which was interesting. It often was a bit showy for me though. It's not bad, but not going to be going back to it 2.5
whoa interesting... this is for someone i'm sure, just not for me
veldig blm. veldig politisk. veldig patriotisk. For all del veldig for at svartes liv betyr noe, men syns generelt at alt som blir for patriotisk e slitsomt. Det blir så svart hvitt liksom... som egt e heile problemet :--)) Kult uttrykk på musikken då. Litt Jungle stemning, alternativ hiphop/synth. Beste sang: Wildfires
Interesting proposal but some songs were way too thematic
Rating the music not the politics
no
I can appreciate the sentiment/message. The sequencing is great and the album flows well. However, I don’t like modern r&b. At least not to the extent that I’d listen to an hour of not very hi-energy r&b. A lot of the short tracks or even ordinary tracks were annoying (I’m looking at you, Black). Production is also crystal clear.
Maso
Should have been better. Started with purpose, intent and some groove, reminiscent of Go! Team. Lost its way.
Fine, nothing especially bad or good.
Feels like a very uninspired choice from someone trying to change up the list a bit for a new edition of his book. This is fine, but completely unchallenging both musically and thematically. It sounds like someone earnestly trying to get a message across that has already been given to us in far more interesting ways.
ah zoinks scoob. ah jeez. ah gah. Man I listen to olivia rodrigo and mcr man - electric soul is so not my thing. I promise I'm not racist I swear.
I was bored, not by the message because I love it, but by the music.
This wasn't bad, but was not my favorite. There were a lot of skippers here. It is just super digital, which I was not a fan of. It had some really good songs tho. The transitions were neat. Liked Songs: "Hard Life" , "Don't Shoot Guns Down" , "Wildfires" , "Sorry Ain't Enough" , "Eternal Life" , "Only Synth in Church" , "Miracles"
Not for me, but I can appreciate the musicianship.
It wasn't bad music, but i couldnt even remotely relate and felt like it really wasn't made for me. Also way too many interludes.
Yawn. I won't get into the politics of the album since I am really not the one to comment on them. The music is just boring. Barely passable on that front and easily skippable. The political message is also done infinitely better by multitudes of other artists.
Clearly I'm not the target audience idk
Gil Scot-Heron auf Wish bestellt. Paar gute Beats. Slopfest
Sounds like an A level Travelling theatre group
Pre Listen: Not really looking forward to this one based on Title, Album Cover, and release date. Hoping it won't sound astro-turfed, corporate or preachy. Low expectations. Notable Tracks: Out The Lies | Black Is | Black | Us - I have a simple smell test I apply to many political works of art this decade to determine if the message is actually progressive or regressive: If you replace a demographic in a lyric/verse with a different one, and it completely changes the tone of the message, it's probably regressive. Don't Shoot Guns Out - Holy fucking christ could you make the message behind the song anymore in your face and unpoetic? This is the musical equivalent of video game yellow paint. Sorry Ain't Enough - The best song on this album, both from a lyrical perspective and musical one. It's actual music. It's perhaps the only alright song on this album. Black - What the fuck is this. Worst song on the album musically by a landslide. DJ Toenail ass beat. Might be the worst song I've heard on here to date. Post Listen: This shit was so fucking banal. Exactly what I was expecting. Before beginning this complete rant of a review I want to clarify I'm quite left-leaning in my politics, to a degree that I think your average left-leaning American politician is just a Conservative Lite. I hold ideals of equality, freedom, and justice for all in exceptionally high regard, and believe that modern U.S. society is in desperate need of sweeping reforms. That being said, this album was such a nothing-burger in terms of messaging, musical substance, and politics. The beats and sounds were beyond simple, the occasional audio editing with distortions or sampling could've been done in Garage Band in 15 minutes. On the subject of politics especially, this album felt like the most tip-of-the-iceberg messaging I've ever had the displeasure of listening to. I could boil down the lyrical message behind most tracks to "Black people good. Being black is hard. American society bad". Even back in 2020 this sort of political messaging was quickly becoming so worn out. This is the kind of shit right-wing pundits would point to on their podcasts, talking about how asinine the left-wing movement is for promoting this, and if this is your only exposure to political music, you'd agree, because it just sounds so awful. This music is the kind of shit only performative liberals listen to. This is the kind of music people who did the social media "black out" back in 2020 listened to, while continuing to support corporations who perpetuate their oppression, vote for candidates who act against their best interests, and forget about it all within a month. The comments under almost every video was just the most narcissistic circle-jerk of self-congratulatory back-patters, going "We're so proud of you for being here" or "If you're here you get it." Almost made my eyes roll out of my head. Many of the 4 to 5 reviews on here read similarly. Despite all my issues here, the album had some alright Synth work, the B side was better than the A side by a sizeable margin, and they gave all proceeds from this album to charity apparently. This being a non-profit is all that's keeping it from being a one. 2/5
Pretty and preachy.
Not really my thing but know the impact this has had.
I like Monsters, but the rest was like a poetry slam that I didn’t enjoy with basic beats that I didn’t enjoy
A blind person could tell you what this album was about based on the album cover
Ok in places, but not something I’d revisit. Quite liked Hard Life.
Really not my thing.
This got a lot of buzz when it came out and I really couldn't understand why,
all over. vocals. preach. groove.
Musically - I like it a lot. It does get repetitive and I had to skip to the end of some songs. Then I made the mistake of reading others reviews. Made me go back and listen/read the lyrics.
fav songs: bow miracles conscious, political, strong themes/inconsistent music 25/100
This must've hit you so hard if you were on the "right side" of things during the peak woke. Okay, provocations aside, it's not really that bad of an album but I feel it's destined to be forgotten simply due to having nothing that special besides the then-current commentary.
It's rather poor, but there's one good tune
C
I think this album belongs here, but it's not the most entertaining to me. Wildfires is the clear standout.
An album that was not meant for me.
Honestly, not very good. I’d rather listen to more interesting things.
Ça partait bien, mais finalement c'était plutôt chiant.
I felt like this was all over the place and too long of an album.
It was all over the place which was deliberate yet the songs fell flat and were boring
Cool I guess. Didn’t really resonate with me, seems more like a societal/political statement than a musical one so I dunno. It was fine in parts. A little preachy though.
confused-is this hip-hop or spoken word? either way, it is way too long
Musically this is so boring. Almost every single song is just a looping sample that just drones and doesn't change. Hard life is pretty good, but like why do these songs just have random ASMR sections. We're trying to listen to music guys c'mon. Some of the songs on this album do not need to be here like it's just looping chants that have meaning, but it loses weight after you say it for 2 minutes straight on an hour long album. And some of these songs are just so corny like we can do better than looping "Black. I'm Black. Black." like we can add more depth it's not gonna hurt anyone. Some of the album is actually pretty great, but every track just goes on way too long. Every time I'm really messing with the song, it just ends and then the beat just loops for like 2 minutes more. Bow, Eternal Life, and Monsters are fucking gas though.
Album #85: Untitled (Black Is) - SAULT Genre (W): Soul, R&B, funk No singles. I have not listened to this album before. Thoughts?: The production sounds nice but the album drags a lot. Kind of a let down and a boring album with nice messages. Favorite songs: Stop Dem, Wildfires, Bow
It’s alright, a bit too ‘artsy’ for me if you exclude the context in which it was made
This is really well-produced, with some nice beats. I really appreciate the important message being conveyed lyrically, especially given how sensitive this topic is. Unfortunately, though, it just doesn't have enough musical energy to fully engage me.
4/10
Ok
Até queria dar uma nota melhor nas honestamente esse álbum não é pra meus ouvidos. Até achei uns momentos legais mas no geral achei cansativo. QoA Cloudscape.
Beats that sound like the example albums from PlayStation music software with the most cringe student poetry level lyrics. One or two tracks that broke through to actually be interesting but otherwise just blah.
Untitled is titled Black Is so I'm not following. It's semi-interesting electronica R&B album. The racially angled piece has some things going for it but I was not fully sold. No track really grabbed me. Some of the mixing is good with unique styles to the songs that kept me lightly engaged. Without the Floyd incident, this would not have resonated as much with the public or critics. The record is different but makes the list for the surrounding police brutality tension. I would not have come across this on my own and can move on unmoved...2.22 stars.
Didn't hate it, but I don't see myself going back to it anytime soon.
Seriously super repetitive, I would replace this with Max Roach freedom suite as there's barely any jazz on this list. Seems this is more of a political driven addition rather than on it's own merits cause musically it's quite boring, 2 or possibly 3 stars. But I am still on the holiday and not fully concentrating on these items lately so it's on me. perhaps I will revisit this project at some point
There's probably 3 minutes of melodies and voices that I liked, but most of it sounds so senseless to me
So it's not untitled then.
ugh
Kind of hit or miss, very BLM, probably did numbers in 2020. Some songs slapped others fairly forgettable. Feels like it made this list out of white guilt.
what is this ahahah. bow está nice y es porque es colab. No sé, es como experimental y siento que es DEI.
One of the few relatively modern albums on the whole list. Have heard of Sault but not listened before, let's hope for something innovative and fresh. It's just a person speaking over basic melodies for most of the album. Not super interesting. The one song with a tonne of listens is Wildfires, that one is at least melodic. The lyrics tell an important message, albeit one that has been told many times before. There's not a whole lot of variety here, either Definitely lacking the innovation I was hoping for. RnB for me is about rhythm and tempo, and I don't really think this album explores either in an interesting way. Monsters is my pick of the album.
I'm not sure I get what this is trying to do, but I liked a few individual tracks
Not my thing.
This album reminded me of the movie CB4 when one of the group goes to black power and raps I” I’m black tall and I’m black tall and I’m blackitty blackitty black y’all. What was meant to make fun then is played for seriousness here and it just doesn’t work.
2 Stars (5/15)
Me gusta como suena la bateria y las voces.
Zone out a lot. Lots of repeat rhythms and words
Very bland and forgettable album, no clue why it's on this list
There is a cool vibe to this album, but that’s about it. It’s kind of bland, just sort of there. Not much too it, to be honest. Underwhelming. Would rather go to a Destiny’s Child, Salt N Pepa, or SWV album. 2-stars.
It seems they made a good R&B/Soul album, but decided to release only the discarded and poorly made songs.
The less words the better.
El disco me ha acabado pareciendo más interesante que cuando empecé a escucharlo y rescato alguna que otra canción. Vocalmente es una maravilla y tiene sonidos que me suelen gustar por lo general
After reading some of the public reviews of this record, I really wanted to like it, but I couldn’t. It just isn’t that good.
Haven't heard of this artist before. No doubt it talks about important issues but when it comes to music itself it isn't that interesting. It still had some nice tracks though 2/5
This album definitely shouldn’t be on this list - not because it’s bad, but I think it was added in 2020 because it was written in response to Black Lives Matter protests INSTEAD of being added for musical significance. I can appreciate that this album is an emotional response to the condition of the world, but that doesn’t excuse that this album went nowhere pretty quickly. Musically this really droned on for me, the message quickly faded into songs that established a cool beat and then did nothing with it. Seems better suited to be background music at an art installation rather than something to actively listen to again, in my opinion. 4/10.
2 - message was great but the actual music didn’t resonate
Best wel cringe. Alleen wildfires is lekker
I found it a bit boring ngl. I did like some songs like Wildfires tho, but the album did not feel as a whole.
Continuing a long line of civil right protest music into the 2020s and the BLM movement. Start A Universal Love Trend!
I didn't dislike this album and actually found myself enjoying some of the songs, but the virtue signalling lyrics started to grate after a while. While I enjoyed it, this record isn't for me, it's for 22yo girls from North London with rich parents who describe themselves as "spiritual", take gap years to work with NGOs in South America, and do Capoeira on the weekends.