Reviews (page 6 of 7)
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
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
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.
Interesting concept but musically not for me at all.
Wildfires is a great song. Not much from the rest of the album really hit me. Kind of a surprising choice from the 2020s.
I wonder who listens this. What are their lives like? What do they for a living? What do they do on Sunday afternoons? I think know that would be more interesting then this music
I felt like the first track had promise, but then I got bored pretty quickly. Same message over and over, and musically not that great!
Pass.
Bit funky, bit preachy, much boring.
Not for me, this. The music and beats are good but the lyrics are weakly, fluffily preachy and sanctimonious. A shame because they clearly have talent and theres a great album in there somewhere.
favs: stop dem wildfires sorry aint enough miracles rating 2/5
Smooth soul idk just annoyed
Men NEVER get afraid! That's what I learned from the track "X" from SAULT's 2020 release "Untitled (Black Is)." Considering the date of release on this bad boy and the general political climate in 2020, I can see why this was added. Probably for the first track. Honestly, the second track is where it's at. That thing rules. Everything else? This is paint-by-numbers activism that seems to me would appeal mostly to people with white saviour complex. That's not to say there is nothing of value here. Activism is important, even if it isn't saying anything new, but musically, this record is so bland outside of the first couple tracks. Too smooth, minimal rage. I guess rage is often turned against marginalized groups in order to further paint them as objectionable. Man, society sucks. Unfortunately, this album did nothing to distract me from that or shine a light on any of the major issues in an interesting way. Another snoozefest that takes a spot away from seminal extreme music throughout history. It's ok, it's not like humans have emotions besides sad/happy! So smile and/or frown and turn the page, we have some more 2000's brit rock to listen to. I should "Sault" (as in Sault Ste. Marie. Get it? huh???) 1.5-2 HIGHLIGHTS: Stop Dem
Tør ikke å gi laveste rating grunnet budskapet :)
OK.
What a landmine of an album. There are pieces of art that if you don't like it some people consider you racist, and then at the same time there ARE people who don't like it because they're racist! So here goes. Most of the music on this album is really good - strong grooves; fun, unexpected sounds; excellent vocal performances. But then you have the laughably bad spoken word poetry: "Black is God. Black is excellence. Black is beautiful." This is fine from a middle schooler. But serious musicians/lyricists/artists would never write lines like this. And this isn't a single throwaway interlude track, this happens a number of times throughout the record. The nadir of this trend is the track "Black," on which we are treated to: "Black I'm black!" And now we've veered into parody. There are two ways to view this - either Sault is hopelessly naive and artless, or unbearably cynical. They string together Black empowerment throw-pillow slogans and expect to be taken seriously. I find this whole approach insulting. There is zero nuance, or depth, or complexity to the theme of race. Unfortunate. TWO STARS
I was bored listening to this. Even the lyrics, that should be it’s shining beacon, are much to be desired.
Going into this album I thought
This was an album of two styles: House/ Disco which I loved, and R&B/ Gospel which was just awful. I liked a few tracks and would have enjoyed an entire album that was along those lines. Monsters and Bow fell into this category. However, most of the album wasn't in this style and was just plain bad. Two stars.
A very slow, mellow R&B album that nearly put me to sleep. Most of the songs have similar generic beats and talk about being black.
We get it.
Nichts was bleibt
a little too repetitive for me, but really nice sound
There’s an album in here somewhere. For every good song there is 2 really bad interludes or a bad intro to a good song. I get that this record is a protest piece and I’m all for it. But I think what they’ve done on the album (the interludes) don’t have a lot of weight on the subject matter. Parts of this could have been left to liner notes in the LP. It kind of threw me off while listening to the record. But the actual songs are well done. I wish they would’ve put more energy into song writing than social commentary. And for that… my score is my score.
Many interesting things going on here as for the sound and atmosphere is concerned. No catchy songs though, it more a movie soundtrack kind of thing, which g’ets a kittel boring
Most of this album consists of loosely-structured tracks where the vocals are repetitive melodies/lyrics or spoken word bits, neither of which make for compelling listening. Very few of these numbers coalesce into actual songs, though the ones that do are effective, like "Monsters".
Lol. Stopped listening after Don’t Shoot Guns Down. Almost a comical exaggeration a of everything farcial about American racial politics, amounting to something akin to nationalistic propaganda. Victomhood doesn't equate to interest or innocence or anything close to perfection, and this album (everything from that cover to the name to the title of every track) is nothing more than a laughably superficial collection of tepid political comments (though some of the early music is certainly not bad).
Not my type of music.
Their third album. Soul / Funk. Race is not something I am.bothered about, either way. What's it mean to be black ? What's is mean to ne white ? I don't care. I'll judge those I meet on how they are as a person, it's that simple for me. As for the music, it meanders along and was uneventful on the whole.
Weird
2020 seems late for the theme to be considered what makes this sensitive. Sometimes-interesting collage of styles that I mostly don’t like. Stop Dem was good.
Spoken word style vocals aren't my cup of tea, but the production was great and it tied together nicely on tracks like "Wildfire" with more traditional vocals. If more songs were in that style I would've enjoyed this more.
Great meaning but the majority of songs are just too empty and not interesting. Too many songs about god and empowerment that falls flat. Some songs are great but not enough 2.5/5
Uneven but pretty low lows
Цей альбом раніше слухав, пам'ятаю, що багато про нього говорили. Мені він не подобався й на момент виходу. Тоді як раз активізувався BLM після вбивства Флойда і альбом отримав ще додаткову актуальність. На мою думку, blackness та black excelence тут розкрито максимально поверхнево та нецікаво. Вокалістка з дефолтним вокалом наспівує супер дефолтні тексти. Музично в декількох піснях є прикольні груві моменти. В цілому це досить стерильна музика в якій є непогані моменти.
An album of peaks and valleys. It was almost frustrating cause whenever there was a run of 2-3 tracks that were pretty good and I thought the album was picking up, there would be something just really dull. Overall quite disappointing, was really starting to drag by the end. Top Track - Bow, love me some Kiwanuka
Nothing burger of music with a good message
This album was not made for me, and that’s ok. But i also didn’t really enjoy it, and that should be ok too.
Maybe its because a few albums before this I got Disposable heroes of Hiphoprisy but these songs all felt like almost a pandering lip service to the issues in comparison and then the beats underneath are pretty run of the mill. I really am confused by this relatively modern addition. Maybe the motivation is that any wordsmithing that conveys a depth of information about the issues is just wasted when slogan-like hooks are more effective? Like some kind of distillation? Or maybe it veers more into a celebration vs just justifiable outrage? Full disclosure I'm not really a qualified demographic to really assess any of this, I'd like to hear a more informed take. I think as far as more contemporary music in this vein I better see L'Rain's 'I Killed Your Dog' on this list.
musically this is complete garbage in my eyes. repeating lyrics over and over again on multiple songs, boring production, race asmr between songs. theres a lot to be said about the message of this album. this to me feels like tiktok activism more than something thats actually trying to spark any real change in the world. i feel like theres so many other albums you could listen to that get a similar meaningful message across while also being interesting to listen to.
Album #976 Some of the music here is OK. I really like the drum sounds. The lyrics are infantilizing. Black people are God-like magical creatures who built the world. Yeah.
This does not need to be here! The people who made this list make me so angry sometimes. We get it, you’re super progressive or whatever.
I find the music to be soulless, it does have some good basslines. The lyrics are cheesy and it drags on, way too long. I find it to be pretty boring until the end where there are a couple songs with a bit of a Thievery Corp sound that are interesting.
5 years removed from 2020 and the staying power musically speaking is stale
ehh it's just ok Will I listen to again: 5%
BLMslop in the thousandty-eighty-nine albums... How sordid. It's been a while since I rolled what I assume to be a hip-hop album. I was getting absolutely inundated with these things a month or so ago, so I guess I'm rejuventated enough to run the gauntlet once again. Here goes. Okay, a funky soul R&B thing. Not quite what I was expecting. These Sault guys have been going absolutely bonkers with the album releases. Twelve albums in six years is crazy. Anyways, this album is pretty dull. Soul, R&B and funk are genres which already have a limited appeal to me, but something about this album just felt off. Many of these songs lack a clear focus, and some of the instrumentation comes off as tacky to me - especially the very contemporary percussive sounds. All of the empty platitude interlude sections also kinda bugged me. No clue why these kinds of albums insist on having those sections. "Sorry Ain't Enough" is solid enough. The vocals are decent, and the subdued instrumentation is solid - particularly in the bass department. The interlude sections on "Black" are solid. The rest of the album is fine for the most part, though nothing else really stuck out to me. The last three tracks kinda sucked though and I'm also not a fan of the constant interludes I, tragically, do not have a 2021 edition of the book, so I can't consult the entry for this album. Wikipedia fortunately comes in semi-clutch. Charity album. Well-received by critics. I mean, let's rip off the band-aid here. The inclusion of this album was obviously made on political grounds, similar to how virtually every contemporary pick on this list comes from some kind of minority group. The 2020 BLM protests were counterintuitive, misdirected and accomplished absolutely nothing, so I think I'm content with snubbing this one. In place of this album, I humbly submit "The Terror" by The Flaming Lips for inclusion on the list.
electr. drums + git + Chor/Sprache , R&B, 2020 -> 2
Mehhh.
It seemed like it really wanted to sound inspired.
Some nice grooves and patronising, remedial "My First Protest Song" lyrics would like to meet decent songs to hold listeners' attention for the duration of yet another overlong album. It's pleasant background music and nothing more.
Pretty unforgettable.
This album grew on me during my second listen, but it’s not the kind of music I’d probably gravitate to for everyday listening.
powerful, dani does not like but david galea loves
I don't do whispering, this isn't good music, and the message a little too on the nose - albeit important and relevant in 2020. I appreciate why it's considered for the list given the context, but, musically, it's crap. Too many references to goddy stuff too. Racism and god-bothering. In 2020. What a strange, backwards world we live in. I thought Wildfires was something of a song, and Bow had a more interesting sound, but nah, this doesn't do it at all.
Not really my thing - hard to say whether it's technically good or not! Made it through though.
Doing my laundry on Saturday instead of Sunday and nothing seems right. This album feels like folding clothes.
I'm sure someone out there really likes this type of music. But that someone is not me
Not really my kind of thing, but nothing bad either.
Honestly, a few really great tracks here and there, but spread over an hour of a kind of experimental neo-soul killed those for me. Maybe not just my kind of stuff.
I can't give it 1 star because it's not unlistenable, but it's very much not my vibe. I understand that I am not the target audience for this album.
1. Out the Lies - 4 Starts with an interesting chant in the first half before some wonderful piano. The problem with the track is that it is a speaking track and not anything sung on it. I'm not a big fan of speaking tracks at all. 2. Stop Dem - 8 Really good instrumentals. Goes on for about 20 seconds too long but vocally the effects are brilliant. Really good track. 3. Hard Life - 6 Decent track. The vocals are superb and the effects on the vocals that eventually reiterate and become the bridge is a wonderful effect. It's too repetitive from the bridge onwards vocally but the instrumental change is excellent and the piano is a lot of fun before we're led into some brief speaking. 4. Don't Shoot Guns Down - 1 Repetitive. I understand the concept and point and message of the track which I agree with, it's just a very poor execution of it. 5. Wildfires - 9 Superb vocals. This is a simplistic track performed masterfully. Great bass, supporting claps and drums, and an outstanding voice lead to a superb track overall. 6. X - 2 The main vocal is awful as it fades between half-singing, whispering, and speaking. Background vocals are nice but the only make one brief appearance. 7. Sorry Ain't Enough - 6 Instrumentally this is absolutely fantastic. It looses me with how repetitive the lyrics can be and, when coupled with the slow pace, makes the track feel a little dragged out. Overall though, not a bad track. 8. Black Is - 1 It's a speaking track with barely any instrumentals. 9. Bow - 6 It's okay. Vocally it's enjoyable at times and a little stale in others. Instrumentally it's amazing. 10. This Generation - N/A It's like a reprise so it will not be rated. 11. Why We Cry Why We Die - 2 Instrumentally good, lyrically it's boring. It's just the title repeated endlessly over and over again through the whole track. 12. Black - 3 The female vocals on this track are the highlight. The rest is extremely dull music. The main problem is the female vocals are very very brief reprises from the monotony of the rest of the track. 13. Us - N/A It's a reprise if anything. 14. Eternal Life - 6 Very repetitive lyrically at times in the beginning but instrumentally absolutely amazing. Synthesizer on it is incredible. Acapaella didn't need to be one. Keeping the beatt and synth through that part would have been a better option. 15. Only Synth in Church - N/A Too short to be rated. 16. Monsters - 10 Absolutely brilliant track. Lyrics are superb, instruments are amazing both in synth and an absolutely excellent bass. Beat is excellent. Just an incredibly superb track. 17. June Child - N/A It's a reprise. 18. Miracles - 6 A bit too all over the place vocally. There's parts of it that are enjoyable and parts that aren't. Not too bad a track overall though. 19. Hold Me - 2 Really dull track with barely anything to it. 20. Pray Up Stay Up - 7 It's really repetitive but the beat and piano are absolutely awesome on the track you don't mind the lyrics as much as on other tracks on the album. Fun track. Average Rating: 4.94 Adjusted to 5-Point Scale: 2.47 Rounded Down: 2 Stars
Buu
This album is maybe the most 2020 crap ever produced, which makes this all the worse because SAULT are an extremely talented group with great production. Just a wasted album filled with saccharine platitudes about what black “is,” without ever taking a critical look at its message and delivery. The only reason this gets 2 stars and not 1 is because of the musicality of it. Seriously, I’m woke as hell but the inclusion of this album seems to be a dated, vestigial cultural relic of 2020. Just pick another SAULT album.
Not my cup of tea for sure. I understand the cultural importance around the time of release, but I doubt this has the staying power to still be on a top 1000 albums list in another 10 years - musically it’s just not that great.
2.43
Light on actual songs. Not sure what to make of it. When they attempt a song it is quite pleasant. But the rest? I am in a generous mood so I will give it a 2
Mostly too samey/easy listening, but these ones were good: Bow Black Eternal Life Monsters Pray up Stay Up
schwierig, paar coole Lieder (mag den minimalistischen Beat), paar ganz schwache. Fand die Message teilweise zu sehr ins Gesicht. Gegen Ende ist es mir zu lange vorgekommen.
I really dislike R&B - and this endeavor doesn't change that much. Not saying this isn't well done, it's just not for me.
What, no PEUPPER?
Trying to catch up so saying very little. Very political, but musically quite good. Not my thing though. 2.5, but rounded down.
This album, with a little help from the Imagine video released a mere 3 months prior, is the reason we live in a perfect world today. Bravo!
I am not black, so it didn't really resonate with me as it might have. I liked some things in the album. Wildfires is a nice song. It does get bogged down in repetition and the total length and amount of songs 2,5 stars
1. liez - 1.5 2. ztop - 1 3. hard - 1.5 4. gunz - 1 5. uuild - 2 6. X - 0 7. zorry - 1.5 8. black - 0 9. bouu - 1 10. generation - 0 11. die - 1.5 12. black - 1 13. uz - 0 14. eternal - 1 15. church - 1 16. Monster's - 1.5 17. June - 0 18. Miracles - 1.5 19. Hold - 1 20. Pray - 0
Sorry ain’t enough is a great track and I’ve added that to my rotation. I don’t feel like there’s enough in each of the other tracks to make it stand out. The subject of the music is also something I don’t naturally relate to, however much I agree with the words
Pro Evolution Soccer ass soundtrack
Started really well but became rather "Meh!".
Yeah fine
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............
Alle sangane handla om kordan da e å væra svart
I remember NPR talking about this album in mid-2020 and then naming it album of the year. That checks out. As far as R&B goes, I found it pretty tuneless.
I wanted to like this so very much but I did not. It was musically really uninteresting to me with the production being really boring in my opinion. Also most of the songs boil down to one or two phrases repeated over and over again
This album is not bad—it’s very competently made—but I really don’t care for it even a little. Honestly, it doesn’t inspire many good feelings in me since it’s an extremely 2020-core album. The very conceit of the project is that it’s some revolutionary statement that will “speak truth to power” and “get into good trouble” or whatever, when really it’s just a mid-ass R&B album with a bunch of inane lyrics. Living in the Trump 2.0 era makes you really cynical about what the point of this kind of crap ever was. But hey, I’m a white guy, so take my opinion as you will. Best song: Hard Life
While I appreciate the message, this was not for me. I am not sure I even finished listening.
Didn't find it very good.
I've deducted a star for the artist's name being in all caps. 2/5
The songs in this album are the kinds of songs that they play at the beach, which are super repetitive and you would maybe enjoy if you like that kind of music, or you're on drugs. A couple of the songs were actually pretty decent, but still, nothing too exciting. I think that the whole album was trying to raise awareness for Black Lives Matter, which is great, but purely focusing on the music - it is not really my type, so it is a bit of a meh from me.
Was kind of all over the place, and a bit boring at the same time somehow. You'd think an album about oppression would show more emotion
Well, has a few nice melodies but overly earnest and simply overblown.
interesting - not enticing though
This didn't really feel like an album, more like a bunch of sketches of what might become songs. Some of these were cool, but it didn't feel like it was ready for me to hear yet. I dunno, I wasn't inspired I guess.
Nope. Not for me...
i had never heard of this before, but I enjoyed it. good vibes all around.
Slow rap / hip-hop
The execution of this concept album fell flat. There were some interesting moments, but overall it was not very interesting, musically speaking.
Not good. Long boring grooves that all sound the same.
2.5
So the music on this is great, but lyrically, it really isn’t my jam. I’m all for the cause, but it’s too religious for me.
If you’re into contemporary social justice and politically charged lyrics, then this album will likely resonate with you. Personally, I’m a bit burned out on the constant news and media barrage, but I have to say, the music and production on this album are top-notch. It has a dark, synth-driven atmosphere and leans heavily towards an experimental and innovative vibe.
Not for me
Kinda boring. Might be nice for a romantic dinner or something, but that ain't my bag either.
Lost me on track 8. “Black is God. God is us”. That’s typically, I’m moving on from this record type lyrics.
Simply not for me... I don't think there were a majority of the tracks that were "bad" (which is why it is not a 1).
ligger på vippen mellem 1 og 2 - beats er helt ok, men den er laaang og kedelig og de der tekster er lidt cringy for mig
I think what I felt most from this album was disappointment, and some confusion stemming from that disappointment. On the surface, this felt like it was going to be a big statement of an album, one born out of the social and racial turmoil that came out of the death of George Floyd in 2020, and the uprising of the Black Lives Matter Movement and its newfound prominence in our society. The spoken word poetry in the first track gave me hope that I was going to get what I expected. It plays like a prologue to something significant, something that is going to explore the black experience in America, to analyze it and critique it, to help the listener understand it. What I did get, though, was something a little more surface-level. Some tracks have more interesting or profound lyrics that try to cut into the thick of what I described above. But some tracks? Some of them feel like a series of songs that relies heavily on the repetition of certain phrases or lyrics. These phrases range from deep-sounding to bordering on obvious or not carrying a lot of meaning outside of the surface-level. I don't like saying this, as I really hoped for something different. It's entirely possible that I just don't and couldn't understand the significance of some of the words, seeing as how I am not a black American. But still, as far as my own experience can take me, I didn't understand or connect with this on the level I was hoping to. Some of the tracks are boring, some of them are slow. I really hate to give something like this, something that is clearly deep and meaningful to its creators in both a personal and bigger way, a low rating. But I just didn't find it to be what I expected, and I didn't connect with it like I wanted to. Two stars. Standout Tracks: Don't Shoot Guns Down, Monsters, Pray up Stay Up
I could not relate.
I was down with it at first and then it just dragged. Pity because it has some potential
Das chönnt halt grad so guet eifach ergend imne Lade ergendwo laufe. Halt e fetti Hendergrond musig. Eigentelch hed sie nüd schlächts, vorallem för das dass sie im johr 2020 use cho esch, was meischtens scho mol es rächt schlächts Omen hed. Trozdem ergendwie nüd woni bsonders cha gniesse, obwohls gwössi Lütt secher au als höchi Konscht gsänd, wasi scho au cha verstoh.
More a message than music. Doesn’t really speak to me.
I know the name SAULT and I know that they have a new record out (or coming out soon?), but I'm not super familiar with their discography. Maybe I'm just having a bad day and I'm in a shitty mood but I wasn't feeling this record. It overstayed its welcome and I was just kind of ready for it to be done. It felt droning and there wasn't a whole lot that gripped me. I usually love r&b but this didn't do much for me. I'm giving it a 2/5. It might have been higher if I weren't in a foul mood lol.
Couple of OK songs but most tracks get boring fast even though they are short.
There's plenty of other albums out there that deal with topics of racism and discrimination that are far more interesting sonically and lyrically. This plays off like poor slam poetry, and I guarantee you it only got on this list because sites like rolling stone and pitchfork want to virtue signal being against racism without doing anything of value. This album is pure tack, I'm sorry
Found this rather dull and boring
Loved the old-timey gospel and choir numbers. Did not like the voice overs that presented truths like the singer had just newly discovered them for the world. Very off putting.
++: Stop Dem, Don't Shoot Guns Down, Bow, Monsters +: Out the Lies, Hard Lies, Wildfires, X, This Generation, Why We Cry We Die, Only Synth in Church, June Child, Pray Up Stay Up +-: Sorry Ain't Enough, Black Is, US, Eternal Life, Miracles, Hold Me -: Black 5,1/10
Respect for the message but hyper not my type of beats.
An OK album love the song wildfires for that I gave it a - 2.5/5
La música no está mal, es una problemática extranjera y medio meh.
Call me cynical but this oddly hollow and soulless album seems to have attached itself to an issue without much of substance to say.. If you told me it was AI generated I'd believe you.
so weird this is made by Brits
This doesn't sound like it was released in 2020. It feels like it's stuck in the past, and it doesn't make the past sound that good.
I don’t mind the political nature of this album - this is what music is supposed to do. My gripe is around the flow of the album. It seemed like every time I was started to feel a vibe, the next track would be spoken poetry with a backbeat. Will not revisit.
It was oddly preachy about being black in a really surface-level and cringy way? Very much felt like a thirteen year old's school project of uplifting cultures rather than anything meaningful or touching. Which is a shame because some of the songs were quite cool in their sound. I loved the drums in Bow and Wildfires was pretty good too. Don't Shoot Guns Down and a few other songs brought some interesting sounds together, I just hated the cringy reinforcements. Like genuinely painful to listen to and I definitely skipped a few songs which I try hard not to do during these reviews. 2/5 stars.
really liked a few of these songs but the rest were either really boring or not appealing not really for me but i like the message
Good message but I was not a fan of the execution. Too much whispering and the songs themselves aren't great. Some of these lyrics are also really cheesy which dampens the importance of this topic. I wish this album was better considering how important the message is but it sucked.
A sprawling collection of politically charged, groove-heavy tracks. Many feel underdeveloped, as if they were ideas rather than fully realized songs. SAULT’s secrecy and mystique are intriguing, but when the music doesn’t consistently hold up to the weight of its themes, the result is an album that feels more like a collection of rough sketches than a fully formed statement.
Curiously weak delivery of an important message.
Some cool beats sometimes but not into it
Come on… It’s just too early to say that this is so important and special that it needs to be on this list. I completely understand and respect the message, but still… I enjoyed the track X though, but this type of music is just not for me
No thanks.
Fine but not for me.
this that typa shit #blackouttuesday niggas listen to really uninteresting and vapid, although there are some great song, but its just far too on the nose for me to really feel moved by it at all. disappointing because this is all produced by inflo and I love their work with Little Simz. I was expecting something far more interesting
I like some of the beats, and it's a chill enough time, but I don't think much of this as a whole to be honest. It's so one-note, and I don't think they're even saying anything particularly meaningful or profound. And it's really long. 2.5 rounded down.
The album did not appeal to me. I thought I understood at least where the album was coming from, but then I realized this was recorded in 2020, not the 60s. I don’t know anything about this band, who is in it or even how many members, except that they are black (source “I am black. Black. Black. I am Black. Black. Black.” From the track “Black”) Almost every track was super repetitive which isn’t a problem really except when the repetitive parts are super aggravating sonically. The skits were super cringe and patronizing. I didn’t hate the album though. A lot of the tracks were pleasantly bumpin. I liked “Wildfires” and “Why We Cry, Why We Die” especially. Maybe good for ambient music, but overall, the experience of the album was not great, and at least from my perspective (FWIW) not great rallying music.
The album attempts to send an important message, but that doesn't mean the music and their attempt are great. If you're going to have lots of songs that are repetitive, you have to make damn sure the part repeated is good; they failed to do that on a lot the tracks. The more slow, bass driven soul songs were good. The others subpar. As for their attempt at sending a message about racial injustice (if you can even call it an "attempt"): could have been executed better. That's all I'll say.
It's a really cool instrumental album - there is a lot going on that I really like. That being said, especially at this time in 2020, it isn't anything novel to put these sounds together. This is stuff that producers have been doing for decades at this point. To me, it really feels like the core of this album is trying to capture the racial reckoning that was the year 2020. It is a sort of interesting snapshot in time as to what the discourse was at the time but five years later it feels out of place to say that "Black People are Gods among us." and that "Black People are older than time itself." And on top of that, it doesn't really explore the emotion of blackness either - it's more of a speak and spell of racial grievances and catch phrases boiling over that year. Honestly - you can get the same experience scrolling twitter and listening to the chill hip hop beats stream.
Didn't care much for this. I'm not sure why this is so well-regarded. It's too repetitive and the songs aren't like, dynamic enough? 2/5
"Wildfires" is nice, the rest it's nothing special.
Not for me. It was alright, with a couple of cool instrumental ideas.
Does not resonate with me. Feels like pre-packaged beats with vocal loops that are shrill, at best, due to the way the songs are mixed. Cool cover but the music misses me.
I respect the fact that it was released for donations only during the George Floyd protests. And it was relaxing to put on while working. But the actual music itself sounds like coffee shop music, like it sounds like Starbucks music I'm sorry. And the spoken word poetry is pretty bad in a local slam poetry way. I won't shit on this too much because I respect why it was made. It was ok.
kind of bored me and i just wanted it to end at first, a lot feels like filler. gospel and r&b are pretty low on the totem pole for types of music I generally like but songs like monsters and miracles work for me a bit more and it ends a tiny bit stronger. not a fan of the musical style talking at me though lmao 2.5
I very much doubt that I'm the target audience for this album. Initially I enjoyed the beats and there's some really nice progressions in there. Compare this, however, to Public Enemy, NWA, RATM - they went for the jugular, they meant it with a passion. This album is watered-down with lightweight easy-to-swallow commercial chants for an ASMR generation. 2⭐️
didn't realize i knew anything by Sault until Wildfires came on. not my favorite musically, i'm sure this would have hit harder if i was looking at lyrics instead of driving. a couple of these tracks really felt like the audio track for an experimental art video tucked away in a corner of a museum. thought Stop Dem did a pretty good job at being chilling, and was delighted to see michael kiwanuka pop up as a feature 2.5
I was not in the mood for all of the spoken word today I am sorry
Highlights: Stop Dem, Wildfires. In a nutshell: it's lacking something It's supposed to be an album about self empowerment, experiences of racial oppression and being proud to be black. I quickly picked that up with Solange's "A Seat At The Table" and "Things Fall Apart" by The Roots (why is that Roots album not on the list?). The aforementioned albums "hit me in the feels". I didn't get that with Untitled (Black Is). The loops bored me. The spoken word tracks interrupted rather than bolstered the tracklist. Excellent lead and backing vocals though. Overall: 3/10
Takes an hour to get nowhere 2.3
Enough here for a solid 3 EP
not bad, not too inspiring either
# Album Name: Untitled (Black Is) # Artist: Saulte # Rating: # Comments: Never heard of these guys/gals before. Interesting they are very secretive about their identity. Maybe it coincides with their messaging. The first four tracks were absolutely trash. Repetitive, boring. Then wildfires came on. Now thats a good song. I dont give AF if you want to make some political/race statement but just make sure the music is good man. Sadly, the album started out very poorly. The music was just such a low quality imo. Wildfires is a good song though. Thats how it should be. The second half of the album picks up with a few decent songs like eternal life and monsters. Overall the music, messaging and theme isnt for me. I think those with the high scores are more focussed on the message rather than the quality of the music. # Top Tunes: Wildfire / Eternal life / Monsters # Would I listen to it again? No, only the highlighted tracks.
We were so close to a post racial world before stuff like this nonsense took over the lizard brain of politics. Too many people identify themselves by ethnicity and sexuality, which is weird because neither is an identity, they are merely meaningless adjectives. Michael Kiwanuka appeared on this album. I enjoy and respect Michael's abilities as a performer and songwriter, so I would recommend instead that the listener go and savor his album KIWANUKA instead of this nonsense. That is an album that actually makes interesting melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic music that shares humanity and elevates it by expanding the big tent for everyone rather than vilifying and shrinking the tent with polemics. I'm giving it a 2 simply for the production chops.
Day330 - monaters is a good one
The songs that weren’t all about black pride were good. But overall a low 2
This music is fairly minimalist, and depending on what small selection of instruments were chosen for each track, it either works for or against the music. Hard Life has good overlapping vocal harmonies with light percussion, piano, and bass – and very little else. It's also well-mixed and fairly smooth. Other tracks, like Stop Dem, Don't Shoot Guns Down, and Miracles have much worse production quality. The vocal echo effect in many of the songs is very hit-or-miss for me. It works excellently in Hard Life, but is nearly unlistenable in the preceding track, Stop Dem. Another vocal effect I'm not a big fan of is the blurry distortion seen in (e.g.) Wildfires, Monsters, and Sorry Ain't Enough. It's a jarring contrast with the rest of the instrumental, and an exception to the otherwise-good mixing. (Props to Sorry Ain't Enough for emulating Marvin Gaye, though!) The messages in the lyrics are important, but I think they're delivered unconvincingly. Don't Shoot Guns Down, X, and Black Is are egregious examples of this. There's little emotion or even audible comprehension of the lyrics in the singing. It sounds like a very drunk (but average) person reading somewhat enthusiastically from a teleprompter. I still hold that a political message in music needs to be delivered in earnest while still being listenable. Untitled (Black Is) tends towards the latter – listenability – while forgoing the former. 2/5 Key tracks: Hard Life, Sorry Ain't Enough, Pray up Stay Up
Really tried to find something here, it’s just not my bag.
I found this rather dull. Perhaps I didn’t listen close enough but I completely missed whatever message this was trying to deliver. Not terrible beats and performance but also very repetitive. 2.5 and rounding down bc nothing really stood out.
Untitled (Black Is) lacks that It Factor™️. I hate to say this, because I’m normally a huge fan of this style of soul and R&B, especially from the 21st century, but I could not get into this at all. Sure, it’s well-made, and there’s a couple songs that have a presence, but nothing here stands out loud and proud. Actually, most of this record is a wallflower – a background listen. That might be because of the length and/or the interludes, which seem to aim for a ✨required full listen✨, but even a Record™️ needs a stand out track or three. Untitled has nothing. It’s a tepid, soft, ethereal vibe, and while that may have been the goal, the execution leaves little for me to latch onto in the end. That doesn’t mean SAULT are bad musicians, but rather too refined, too measured. While that might attract a music snob or two, it does little to attract new fans. And considering the sheer number of phenomenal records tackling similar themes and sounds throughout the 2010s that are not represented here, the stark divide between SAULT’s calculated maturity and the actual emotion of, say, Black Messiah, were evident as I listened. I don’t want to call it forgettable, but maybe negligible. It’s fine, but it lacks any real oomph. So many other records give me the same vibe with a little more presence, and I’ll just stick to listening to those.
idk i got kind of bored
A couple good songs. You have to imagine this one is here to represent the larger movement going on in the United States at the time. There’s a couple good beats but nothing really special compared to its peers. The lyrics as well leave a lot to be desired. Just meh on both fronts and I’m sure there are better albums that represent this movement better. Rating: 2.5
There’s some interesting stuff here, and I see some potential, but too much of this was a kind of cool rhythm with a phrase or statement repeated over and over. For a smooth vibe, it has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Admittedly, this album is targeted at a specific audience to which I do not belong, but I can’t imagine this format getting old for anyone. I do applaud this album for its merit as an artistic expression.
😴
Honestly, it feels like this album was just made for the sake of being made. Maybe it doesn’t hit the right spot for me because I’m just an Asian kid that lives in a country where racial divide isn’t really a thing. Cool as art
The melodic stuff is quite nice, the rest very boring.
Overall, there are some interesting and decent songs. While a few of the messages work well others come across as sloppy and a bit haphazard, lacking cohesion at times. 2.5..
Some of the songs had a good groove. I got annoyed by the talking.
Long and sort of same-y the whole way through. I got it in the first 10 songs, didn't need the rest. Not really for me, probably won't play again.
The backing music is great. I like the mantras. But there needs to be more. Most of these tracks are JUST the mantra, or just a total waste of track time. Like, there needs to be some more here. Also, all the God stuff is cringe af.
I’ve got a feeling this one is going to linger. So, I like it plenty now, but figure I’ll love it this time next year
Albums under 10 years old should have to be added to the book by a committee. Rob just can’t be trusted to choose newer albums on his own. The last song was the only one that stood out to me in anyway. And it was different than the rest of the album by quite a bit.
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Gonna have to agree with a number of other reviewers here and say that this album has some interesting moments but the repetitiveness and minimalism of the "songs" plus all the interludes/affirmations/ASMR things really detract from what could have been a decent album. I get it, this isn't meant to resonate with me. 2 or 3 cool songs and 17 duds. Not a great ratio. Favs: Monsters, Stop Dem, Eternal Life
Definitely not for me.
I wanted to like this, but it just fell flat for me. It too often felt contrived, though Monsters was a standout track for me.
Underwhelming. Was fine.