***ALBUM OF THE MONTH | June 2020***
SAULT
Untitled (Black Is)
Buy via Bandcamp | Forever Living Originals
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There are times when convention goes out of the window. This is one of them. There is no need for any contextual input about this album other than the raging fire of racial injustice that fills our TV screens and Twitter feeds and turns the streets of global neighborhoods into incandescent forges of a possible future free from prejudice and ignorance. Everything else but the power of this artistic statement can wait.
A glance at the titles on SAULT’s Untitled (Black Is) reveals the narrative at play and the scope of its ambitions. Ambitions that are fully realized through a dazzling distillation of the constituent elements of soul and hip-hop music. From the mesmerizing, stripped-back call and response chanting of opener “Out The Lies,” through the spoken word, Malcolm invoking “X,” to the closing “Pray Up, Stay Up” that is steeped in gospel-soul stylings and an irrepressible positivity, it navigates from righteous ire, through love for God to a point somewhere unspecified in the future when Black people are freed from subjugation and equality is a living, breathing being to be cherished and nourished. The sequencing alone is genius.
The opening lines of the album (on “Out The Lies”) set the character of the album: “The revolution has come (out the lies) / Still won’t put down the gun (out the lies).” By utilizing call and response to open the album, it immediately places the album in the grand tradition of struggle and places it distinctly in the lineage of the Black music that has accompanied it. The chanting gives way to Melisa Young (Kid Sister) whose spoken word section soothes the soul with its humanity and warmth.
“Hard Life” is another example of the detailed thought that characterizes the album in its entirety. Starting with sparse syncopation and a rumbling, truculent bassline, it adds Cleo Sol’s effortless vocals and some necessary incendiary lyrics: “I ain’t gonna wait no more / Gonna start a war / I ain’t gonna wait no more.” The seeming simplicity of the lyrics gives rise to a transcendental state of mind before the victory is achieved and the sweet soul melody kicks in to accompany the positivity of the lyrics: “Things are gonna change / Finally we’ve reached the end.” The song’s change from war cry to victory march mirrors that oft quoted idea that the arc of progress heads towards justice and it is remarkable.
Another highlight is the Afrobeat beauty “Bow.” Warped guitar lines, a ridiculously sinuous bassline and a roll call of African nations combine to make an utterly irresistible groove with empowerment at its heart. As it segues into “This Generation,” it offers the most precise and powerful reason for the need for direct action: “It’s time to wake up / We have walked the walk many years / Many times / We have walked in silence / We have expressed our voices / People have died / We have walked the walk / We have talked the talk / Nobody’s listening.”
Despite the album’s length (20 songs), the quality never drops. The warped keys of “Sorry Ain’t Enough,” the solemn groove of “Why We Cry Why We Die” and the hypnotic repetition of “Black” all linger long in the memory and burn with both beauty and injustice. Inflo’s incredible warped synths on “Eternal,” Cleo Sol’s deliciously layered vocals throughout and Young’s uplifting and empowering spoken word on “Us” point to the fact that this is a team effort where everyone brings their best to produce something even greater than the sum of their parts.
Those responsible for this majestic, prescient and urgent piece of art are certainly better known than they were when last year’s dynamic 5 and 7 were delivered anonymously. That anonymity may now be depleted, but it allows us to give the credit for this astonishing accomplishment.
Having breathed fresh life into decades old hip-hop tropes on Little Simz’s wondrous Grey Area (2019), Inflo (Dean Josiah Cover), who also part produced Michael Kiwanuka’s similarly brilliant KIWANUKA (2019) from last year, elevates his status to superhero levels. Singer-songwriter Cleo Sol shows that beyond the effervescence that her debut album Rose In The Dark (2020) demonstrated she has real weight as a singer and writer. Melisa Young, meanwhile, adds much depth to these proceedings with her spoken word interludes that sparkle with charisma and wisdom.
That core may well be augmented by other voices (among them Kiwanuka and Kadeem Clarke), but it seems clear that they hold responsibility for this towering achievement and as such should be lauded to high heaven for this epoch-marking, lightning rod of resistance.
Just as D’Angelo’s Black Messiah (2014) landed at the perfect time, so this monumental piece of work arrives with a bible in one hand and balled fist in the other to demand equality and freedom for all at exactly the right moment.
Now, not later, no more dreams deferred.
Notable Tracks: “Bow” | “Eternal” | “Miracles” | “Out The Lies” | “Wildfires”
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