Reviews (page 8 of 8)
pure wibes
Superb album. All Sault albums are worth having!
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.
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.
Interesting. I can't say I really liked it that much, but the lyrics are pretty powerful.
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.
wasnt a fan..
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)
A valuable, but pretty uneven listening experience
A lot of albums that may not have been completely geared towards me as a demographic I can still get something out of. Music is normally an equalizer. This album, which seems to be an inspirational album, is one of the few times I did not feel anything. It just didn't hit me. A lot of the songs seemed very mantra-ish. There wasn't that song structure: verse-chorus-verse. Maybe that was part of it, I was waiting for someone to start singing, when the songs all just seemed to be intros. Not getting it at all.
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.
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
3/5
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
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
Enjoyed this far more than I had expected. Didn't fall in love but the vocals were smooth and some nice basslines going on
I mean it's a nice idea a concept album with something to say. It's just not very good and can even be cynically thought of as a cash in on trauma.
Does the fact that the band doesn't do press etc make the music more interesting or does it just help it get past hipsters? It's fairly minimal album musically and has a mix of detached vocals. It's desperate for you to know that it's MAKING A COMMENT. This is an IMPORTANT ALBUM. Fair enough for trying, but the music lacks soul. From the themes that it addresses, I'm sure there's meant to be emotional involvement but it feels more like a cynical grab to hang on to BLM and hope no one notices. There are many other albums out there that do it better than this. Best Tracks: Wildfires; Bow; Monsters
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
2.5/5. Very good. Id like to hear more.
Not the kind of thing that I usually listen to, but I really enjoyed this album.
Funk-soul suave. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
Cantan muy bien, vale, y? Nada más
very cool
Mezcla de hip-hop suave con toques de jazz. Poco innovador, más allá de ser fácil de escuchar.
Seems decent, again didn't engage me too much on the first listen.
pretty cool
British (again) pop album with an interesting background. The performers are unknown/unconfirmed, and the concept is akin to the BLM movement; this album being especially timely. That said, most of it didn't feel fully formed.
Pretty cool album. 6-7/10
Unique. Creative. Art. I don't know that I love the music, but I love that it's different.
Pretty easy to listen to. But if you like this type of music, then go listen to Moby, whom they mimicked, and get your money's worth.
An artful mixture of an outpouring of urgent grief and emotion, interspersed with snippets of the intimate daily lives of Black people and people from Black origins. I haven't ever taken a deep dive into SAULT's music before but I love the variety of styles and sounds and samples. I love that they hardly interact with the media and fascinated that they never do live shows. I'd love to meet them and talk to them about their processes and choices, so interesting. I particularly love more vintage R&B with the woman vocals/hook like Hard Life but also love their original take on that. It's like a battle march/war cry mixed with a house track! All of the voices are mesmerising I especially love the appearance of Michael Kiwanuka (I'm a big fan) on this album. It's a real snapshot of an intense and shocking point in time in June 2020.
Amazing album! To the point and effective
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
Liked this. Never heard of it before. Reckon it would improve on a second listen but yeah it was good
Solid listen.
This didn't talk to me.
Not keen
Really cool!
Boring shite
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.
Chyba najmlodsza plyta w zestawieniu jak do tej pory, bo rocznik 2k20, oczywiscie brytyjskiego pochodzenia, ale co dziwne plyta z podziemia, pierwsze slysze tytul lub nazwe bandy, jakze tajemniczego SAULT, ktory jest kolektywem prawdziwie indyjskim, nie dajacym zadnych wystepow livowych, nie udzielajacym wywiadow, a jedynie puszczajacym albumy do zycia, za ktorymi stoi pan pod pseudonimem Infolo, ktory wedlug tego co wyczytalem ogarnia strone instruentalna, na ktorej wokalnie slychac glownie panie Cleo Sol i Kid Sister, chociaz pojawiaja sie takze featury, ciezko tutaj o konkretny gatunek, bo prawie godzinny material to az 20 trakow, ktore znaczaco odbiegaja od siebie muzycznie, ale jednak wspolnym mianownikiem jest czarnosc, jak sam tytul sugeruje, wiec pojecie czarnosci jest motywem przewodnim calego krazka, od tego co to jest czarnosc, przez to dlaczego czarnosci jest trudno w swiecie po piekno czarnosci, wiec czarne zycie sie liczy, jak przystalo na rok 2k20 i nadal zaskakujaco aktualny, z jednej strony fajnie ze ma sie az taka chlube z swoich korzeni, ale z drugiej postrzeganie czlowieka tylko przez kolor skory jest tylko bardziej utrwalane, wiec afrobeat na miare naszych czasow, muzycznie dobry odsluch, ale kontent liryczny zachacza atakuje black powerowa filozofia, ktora zamiast laczyc ludzi stara sie budowac nowe podzialy, na plejke dodam najbardziej afrowy utwor w moim odczuciu, wiec bow ktory featuruje pana Kiwanuka, ktory brzmi prawdziwie afrykansko, jak na standardy tego nagrania w ktorym wiekszosc wokali to brytyjski angielski, wiec popularny temat dla niszowej grupy sluchaczy, moze za x lat bedzie wspominane jako cos co bylo ukrytym gemem czasow czarnego zycia ktore jest wazne
Not my cup of char.
I gotta be honest, I’m pretty tired of the incessant racial propaganda in America in 2022. Our culture worships black people. It doesn't take a genius to notice that blackness is ONLY praised, and whiteness, we're told, either doesn't exist, or is inherently evil. Every media outlet portrays blacks as empowered and every movie/show portrays whites as dumb, weak or evil. Every corporation glorifies blackness. BLM protestors unironically think they’re fighting the system when every news source and company and TV show and advertisement and CEO “coincidentally” say the exact same things they do. This racial tension only benefits the ruling class, and distracts from real issues of economic inequality or climate change. All over the internet it’s normal to hate white people for their color. Hell, even the week I’m writing this, a black man who had talked about killing white people online went and shot up the NYC subway. 15 years ago few people even THOUGHT about race, and we were on track to a world where race didn’t affect how you were seen. But today, everyone is rabidly fixated on race, and people’s entire personalities are centered on the color of their skin or their sexuality. People aren't proud of their accomplishments, no, somehow they are proud of their skin color. Years ago MLK promoted peace and harmony, but today, blacks are told to be perpetually angry and bitter. It reminds me of the constant war machine in Orwell’s 1984; if the people are consistently angry, their anger can be harnessed. Today there is a “forever war”, a constant stream of manufactured outrage. SJWs scour the internet to find ANY tiny example of oppression, usually in the form of 10 year-old tweets, so that their sad worldview remains intact. But the demand for racism is higher than the supply, so isolated events are blown out of proportion and used to justify dismantling everything about society. There is no aspect of life that isn’t viewed through the distorted lens of oppression. Our culture’s fatal obsession with identity has caused rifts that will take a century to heal. Identity politics only divides us all; it’s thinly veiled tribalism. Identity politics has destroyed honest political discourse among groups: every person is viewed mainly as a member of a group and not an individual, and it’s not the truth of what you say that matters, but whether you belong to the right group. Anyway, I didn't vibe with this album. “Black lives matter” is completely true as a STATEMENT, obviously, but as a MOVEMENT, it is destructive and counterproductive. Identity politics is a complete disaster. A post-racial world was within our grasp, but instead we are more divided today than we have been in decades, and it makes me sad. The music was 3/5. -1 point for the fact that a third of the tracks are just cringey racial affirmation ASMR. 2/5
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
This album has a sound and a swagger that is rare and special. "Monsters" in particular is an amazing song.
Loose, hypnotic, and rich with atmosphere. Goes down smooth. The group's approach of sidestepping media interaction and live performances is intriguing.
I like what they are going for, but musically it doesn't hit as hard as I want it to.
A 2020 album... Wow. Super enjoyable, a quieter new funk style that I really click with. Put it on next time you have a backyard BBQ party, people will love it.
I really liked the vibe of this one and would love to know a bit more about it
Just terrible. Would have sounded derivative in 1996, now just puzzling why anyone would make something so dull. Couldn't even finish it
Really liked this. Feels like Common for some reason
-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
2/5 not my cup of tea
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.
I wish the music was as striking and powerful as the album artwork. Love the concept, but the delivery leaves a lot to be desired. Couldn’t get into it.
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
very 2020 but the subdued vibe mixed with the vocals hits
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
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.
Powerful and uplifting message flow throughout a record was released at the exact right time. Cleo Soul's vocals take centre stage, supported by the talent and sometimes funky, sometimes angry, sometimes hopeful backing band. Sometimes the band falls into "Jungle" territory, where it's style over substance, but the direction, care and emotion always comes back to the forefront. Fave track: Wildfires
I'm surprised to see such a new record make the list, and such an excellent choice at that. This was one of my favourite albums of 2020 and it was a joy to revisit. Very timely, thoughtful, and evocative release from the mysterious British collective. It's such a compelling stew of heterogeneous influences thoughtfully recontextualized into something profound and meaningful. I feel like I'm also impressed at the ambitious scope of this album. While it occasionally feels a little more stylish than substantial (which, it is EXTREMELY stylish), the passion and care are undeniable. The more obvious moments are consistently overshadowed by this record's many highlights and clarity of vision. Fave tracks: Hard Life, Wildfires, Bow, Miracles
Good, and fine production, but it didn't do much for me (though again I don't think I'm the audience)
Interesting….
A good discovery.I loved the voices and the tone. Although after the 7th song it gets a little repetitive, it is a good album.
Interesting. But not for me
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
2.5
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
I liked this album at first, then it got pretty experimental, then it got good again. Not music meant for me but it’s still really good and the Spotify radio that came on after it was great and I’m still listening to it
Funk-soul suave. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
Given the subject matter, I wanted to have high praise. My perhaps too honest opinion is that it is essentially an art project from a decent art school. The music feels like an after thought to "the message." I thought, maybe I could like it as background music but the art house nature keeps it from fading into the scenery. That all sounds harsh because I do appreciate and support the message and think there is some talented drive loops in there.
Meh
Begon wel aardig maar al snel werd het iets te
Ik was erg enthousiast na de eerste paar nummers, maar het werd toch behoorlijk saai allemaal.
SAULT zou volgens de media de Banksy van de r&b moeten zijn en de plaat als een meesterwerk moeten worden beschouwd. Ik hoor het nog niet zo goed. Het kabbelt me teveel voort.
Saaaaaaai.
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
I did not know that this album even came out in 2020 but a lot was going on that year. This album came out after Georg Floyd was murdered. The music reflects the emotion, however, the music itself is not memorable at least not in the way other protest albums have been.
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
Väldigt bra! Gillar hur det hålls själfullt trots det faktum att de flesta beats är väldigt simpla.
I really want to like this. I appreciate the Black affirmations. Sorry Ain’t Enough and Bow were great. The rest was just sleepy ☹️
SAULT are making some great records. Love the retro feel they manage to have while still sounding modern. Possibly too long, but putting out three albums in a year would have been ridiculous does make it feel a little more like a mixtape than an album to my ears though. I generally prefer the more 'up' first half to the second, but it's all good.
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.
Very good, and a very distinctive sound. Puts me in mind of Masters at Work output. In terms of production and polish maybe a little inconsistent - but that’s a very minor quibble.
Very good heard this when released and I preferred untitled (rise) - but after listening to this again I thought this one is way better
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
This album took me on so many journeys, both with its beautiful, varied music and its beautiful, varied messages. It is so very much about today, and yet a very old story. I was moved, I was taught, I was heartbroken, I was inspired, I was hopeful.
This album from 2020 was unexpected, being so recent. It was unfamiliar and it was stunningly beautiful.
I loved this. Hopeful, uplifting, great music. Really great.
The last three albums from Steely Dan, Janis Joplin and The Who were classics that pegged my rating needle at 5, so I can’t help but worry about following those up with something I have had no concept of from 2020. Within the first minute all that was swept away. This is an incredible work that stuns me with its gravitas and unflinching examination of the racial trauma of our time in a moving, emotional piece of art. I was absolutely entranced by this album. It directly expresses outrage, grief, anger and fear imbued with such beauty exuding pride and affirmation that it lifts and inspires. I marvel at the talent that was able to pull off this seemingly impossible feat. This album speaks urgently to our time. If only everyone could listen...
Good enough. Fitting for 2020
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
This was released in 2020? I thought this list was older than that. Good to know. I like how this album sounds and there are moments that ring out through the sameness, but lyrically it felt a bit like how PHILADELPHIA is a gay movie made for straight people. It's a tad on the nose, isn't it? There's obviously power in the repeated simplicity of saying something like "black is beautiful," but I guess I was kind of hoping it would dig deeper than that. (Not that it has to.) Maybe it does and I'm just tuning out due to the relatively relaxed nature of the music behind the lyrics... God knows I'm the last person to pretend to have any authority in this arena whatsoever. But if I want a glimpse into the black experience I feel like I could do better by reaching for a Kanye album or that last Stevie Wonder double-cheeseburger we just listened to. And those would have the added benefit of having some, you know, honest to god good songs.
Meh
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!
It was fine. All in all it wasn't really for me and the songs all just blended together.
At first listen this album has a great groove but it was repetitive. As I thought about it, I realize the repetition was to drill the very important messages about being black into our brains. Powerful.
Didn't super enjoy it.
Pretty terrible album. Overtly political and lacking substance. Pointless to be on this list as it’s not actually good music. 0.0/10
Cool vibes
How does this have so many 5 stars? I don't find this groundbreaking or even really interesting. If you like the same repetitive beat, repetitive lyrics through an entire song then this is for you.
Didn't realise the list went up to 2020. Not for me.
I love the variety in styles, but most of the tracks felt repetitive
An interesting one
Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Stop Dem, Pray up Stay Up Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Very 2020. Not the biggest fan of this kind of soul/R&B though I see the appeal. Appreciate the message but not my vibe.
I already fell in love with this album.
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.
This is a toughie. The production is great, the message is essential, but the lyricism and vocals seem designed to appeal to the blandest Guardian music pages Radio 2 I buy one album a year and it's usually by Ed Sheeran type bore. Are the lyrics kept simple and unchallenging so that they don't alienate these people? Are the vocals so MOR to ensure more people get down to the message eventually? Everything about this album should appeal to me, but a lot of it seems to be kept so tame when right now it feels like it should be time for action, rather than a strongly worded letter. The problem with What's Going On by Marvin Gaye is it made a revolutionary message sound so pleasant nobody went away remembering the important bit. This album seems to fall into the same trap. Sod it though, I'm the worst sort of white, liberal bore myself. Maybe it's not aimed at those who want parity between people of colour killed unlawfully by the police and police killed (ideally both should be zero, and the police should have more stringent firing policies for racists, homophobes and misogynists). It's not aimed at people who would happily pay good money to watch everybody involved in GB News killed slowly in a pay per view. They probably know much better than me - I couldn't have made this album. Ah well. It's a good album with a big problem for my ears.
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.
bad
Figo, mi piace. Black power!
Here's the thing: I stopped listening at the track "Black". And this track is everything I dislike about the album so far and I couldn't listen further because of how uninteresting and unappealing this experience was. I appreciate every artist who doesn't just make music for the masses and just for the grooves, but with greater meaning and passion for an important theme, on this album its black identity, black empowerment, black pride etc. But if you want to spark some thoughts or have a listener feel something, you need to show some emotion - be angry, be sad, be happy, be eccentric or powerful or raw. I didn't hear anything of this at all on this album. Just one track after another being as unappealing and repetitive as can be with bland messages and no clear statement at all. What is the point being made on this album? "Black." "I'm black." "We all know black is beautiful, you know? Well now you do." What are these lyrics? The instrumentation on this thing also is as minimal as can be. Either there's just one instrument looping around some chords or it's just a beat that every time goes on way longer than it needs to be. There are some beats on here that I liked, but the repetition and length of it took the patience off me every single track. In the last two years I digged deeply in the Hip Hop culture and found some great artists which by now count as some of my most favourite artists ever, some of theme are often making music on or around this topic as well like Kendrick Lamar on good kid, maad city or especially on To Pimp a Butterfly. I watched the fantastic Beyoncé live concert from a couple of years ago and saw some great power and determination. It wasn't exactly my type of music but I loved how full of expression one can be when you are passionate about something. I'm sure SAULT didn't do it for nothing and I am a bit curious if the other records pull it off better because I heard it on some other reviews, but this record just doesn't do it for me and renders a honorable concept extremely bland and boring. And that's a shame.
When I first saw it, I was really looking forward to listen to it. I expected and emotional album with deep messages. Unfortunately it did not catch me as I expected. Some tracks were good but all in all its too long in my opinion.
jag gillade det. lite för konstigt emellanåt och för långt.
Chill background music
Chill
Really good
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 was expecting something, but it wasn't this. Pleasantly surprised by this album.
NPR ranked "Untitled (Black Is)" as it's #1 album of 2020, and while it's not my #1, SAULT certainly made an album of the moment that captured the zeitgeist and feels timely and cathartic. There is a lot of variety on the album, yet it still feels cohesive. It is pleading and desperate at times, and hopeful and uplifting at others.
I appreciate the concept, but ultimately the music is too repetitive to hold up well to repeat listening.
I appreciate the concept of this album but only liked one song well enough for a relisten
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.
R&b. Interesante
Some nice beats but mostly shite
My second time this week getting an album from the recent five years thinking meh, modern music doesn't grip me and for the second time I'm floored. I can see why SAULT is classified as R&B/Soul but there is so much more to this album that doesn't fit into those genres. There's some Jazz, 80s Pop, New Wave elements. It's a very poetic, easy listener of an album. 4.5/5.
meh
Very good. Very impressive. Very clever. Just didn't love it
Interesting
“Dancefloor positivity idealized and politicized, most militantly on this third album, which surfaced just in time for a BLM moment we're free to pray lasts approximately forever.”
Wow, an album from 2020. Must be one of the most recent albums on the list. One of the things I love about this project is that I listen to things I normally wouldn't. Some of those things turn out terribly as expected, but others, like this one, are really pleasant surprises. This album just exudes a warm feeling that envelopes the listener. Really nice. 4 stars.
I like all of their stuff but slightly preferred the other one released in this year.
Never heard of this band before but they're pretty cool. Starts off a lot stronger than it ends, and it's quite a mixed bag at points, but overall really enjoyed 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
October 27, 2021 This broadened my horizons and was an enjoyable listen!
I loved this, I don’t know how I’ve never heard of this
Genre bending all in the service of this intense introspection. Don't Shoot Gun Sound then turns that into an immediate regrounding in the physical. This is cool to listen to as an art piece, but I don't know that I would come back to it. Clearly its a masterpiece.
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
Boom the first track hits! then I got in tune with my inner blackness which is weird cause Im 43 and a chubby white dude from CA.
A little too new agey and strange for my tastes. Might hit right for some people but nothing very interesting to my ears