Oh Solange!

I have been a dear fan and true lover of Solange since 2008. Solange and the Hadley-Street Dreams was the album that fully opened up my unapologetic weirdoblkgirlmagic. The production, the honesty that has always been her lyrics, and those signature heavenly Knowles' vocals made me a fan girl at a very young age. Then in 2012, she gave us True, another signature album that I got to take with me to college as a freshman year soundtrack of what I wanted my carefree to sound like.

Needless to say, Solo comes through with the albums at the most necessary times; A Seat At The Table completely sealed this theory. When asked what fans should expect this album to sound like, she told us "a project on identity, empowerment, independence, grief, and healing" and that is exactly what this is. My routine for listening to albums is first out loud in my room, then in the car, then in headphones. As soon as I played the album, I knew it wasn't leaving my rotation at all. In fact, A Seat at the Table has been the soundtrack to my life for 10 days and it's not letting up any time soon. 

This album is not one that can simply be listened to. It was something I had to sit and be open and absorb over and over again. I have listened to the album everyday since its release and have caught something different on every listen. Each song is a different layer of different vibes and emotions; it is as raw as a fan would want their favorite artist to be with them. And as if she needed any help, the feature list was full of genius. From Raphael Saadiq to an OG-sounding Wayne, The-Dream, Mama Tina, and life narrations from Master P, I had no idea A Seat at the Table Was 21 songs until I decided to look up the album credits. The production and instrumentation is beautifully arranged, vocals sound like sunshine after cloudy days, and the lyrics are that of ripping a page from your own diary's depths to the tune of all these things: making it ultimately seamless. 

On first listen, Cranes in the Sky snatched the spot of being my favorite and it still sits as the current running soundtrack to my life. The soundtrack to anyone who feels they're in a purgatory and trying to find any way to get out. The perfect tune to what being stuck in the middle sounds like but with each listen, it lightens you. Needless to say, being gifted to have a flawless visual to go with it had me in a musically euphoric state. The video was nothing short of aesthetically appeasing. As if blessing us with an album wasn't enough, she also released the visual for the anthem Don't Touch My Hair. Full of different evolutions of black hair, black magic, Solo's signature fashion, and her awesome choreo, it was a beautiful weekend of Solange release that I was NOT mad had years between it. 

It is now 10 days later and I still have not left A Seat At The Table. And I posses no desire to any time soon. This album is everything she promised: one of identity, empowerment, independence, grief, and healing. As she said "some sh*t is for us, some sh*t you can't touch".

Listen to A Seat At The Table on Apple Music, or Spotify and watch the videos for Cranes In the Sky  and Don't Touch My Hair below.

Thank you for the seat Solo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=YTtrnDbOQAU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=S0qrinhNnOM