Album Review: A Seat at the Table by Solange

If Solange had only stayed out of her own way, this would easily be the best album I've heard this year. The songs are consistently good, the mood is consistent throughout the album, and it fits perfectly into 2016. At 30 years old I would say Solange has found a fantastic lyrical and musical voice. So where was the mistake. The interludes were the mistake, we don't need them. There are nine of them on this album and they are meant to help reveal inspiration behind the songs, but the truth is the songs don't need the help and all they end up doing is killing the flow and mood of the album. I would recommend listening to the album by reducing it down to the 12 songs and you'll be quite happy with the product.

With that said let's talk about what works on this album. First it should be noted that Solange has a beautiful voice and the songs are written to really take advantage of her talent as a vocalist. The performance of these songs and the music structured around them, sparse, add to the emotion of this album. That's where this album really comes in as an album of 2016. It feels reflective, sad, angry. It feels like an album written by a 30 year old who is watching her country deal with an angry presidential election, deal with racism, and be old enough to look at these things with a more mature eye than that of a 20 something. Of the albums I've heard this year if someone were to ask me in ten years to pick one album to represent 2016, I would pick this album. Who knows maybe in 10 years the interludes would add something to this album that today it doesn't need.

Following the Rhapsody rating method I give it 3 out of 5 stars for Pretty Good.