{"id":3945,"date":"2019-03-03T11:48:07","date_gmt":"2019-03-03T16:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=3945"},"modified":"2019-12-17T19:57:17","modified_gmt":"2019-12-18T00:57:17","slug":"album-review-solange-when-i-get-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2019\/03\/03\/album-review-solange-when-i-get-home\/","title":{"rendered":"ALBUM REVIEW: Solange – When I Get Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Emma Kopelowicz<\/em><\/p>\n

After almost exactly two and a half years after the release of <\/span>A Seat at the Table<\/span><\/i>, Solange surprised her fans by sharing a new visual concept album entitled\u00a0<\/span>When I Get Home<\/span><\/i>. The artist teased the album\u2019s release with a personalized page of sci-fi and Western-inspired images and videos on the social media website\u00a0<\/span>BlackPlanet<\/span><\/a>. Fans were left enthralled by the \u201cBlack Westworld\u201d imagery Solange created and anticipated her next album to have a more futuristic sound with a tinge of Southern flair. <\/span><\/p>\n

When the album finally dropped, fans were not disappointed and pretty accurate in their predictions. <\/span>When I Get Home <\/span><\/i>is a record full of avant-garde R&B beats and poetic lyricism that swells with emotion. The artist\u2019s latest release demonstrates that Solange is back and just as innovative, nuanced, and brilliant as ever.<\/span><\/p>\n

Solange is a singer-songwriter purist in the sense that she does not require any assistance from writing teams to help her shape her vision. The artist takes credit as the executive producer of this 19-track album with all lyrics and melodies attributed under her name. This distinct separation from the cut-from-the-cloth pop star formula sets Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s little sister apart from the mainstream success of her family. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, Solange did receive some backing vocals from an impressive cast of artists, from Pharrell Williams and Tyler, The Creator to Gucci Mane and Panda Bear from Animal Collective. The artist also brought Sampha back into the recording studio after their collaboration on the chart-topping anthem against micro-aggressions, \u201cDon\u2019t Touch My Hair,\u201d from <\/span>A Seat at the Table<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

If <\/span>A Seat at the Table <\/span><\/i>was documentation of black women\u2019s struggles and the exploitative oppression of black culture then <\/span>When I Get Home<\/span><\/i> is an empowering, declarative statement of the artist\u2019s black heritage. Her love for her hometown of Houston, Texas also shines through her regional hip-hop influenced beats, references to the neighborhood she grew up in, and the inclusion of local rap heroes like Devin the Dude.<\/span><\/p>\n

The record opens with the soothing, jazzy track, \u201cThings I Imagined,\u201d in which Solange repeats the song\u2019s title with her signature falsetto riffs. The rest of the album seems to follow suit stylistically with a hazy combination of electric jazzy piano and synths, plus the artist\u2019s repeated powerful, ambiguous lyrics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sounding more like one long experimental jam session rather a collection of distinct songs, <\/span>When I Get Home<\/span><\/i> is definitely Solange\u2019s most ambient album. The ebb-and-flow progression of the tracks keeps the listener intrigued, especially when she throws in an abrupt chord change. The transition between the \u201cS McGregor\u201d interlude and the full-length track \u201cDown with the Clique\u201d encapsulates this technique.<\/span><\/p>\n

Solange\u2019s vocals float above the dreamy synths in songs like \u201cDreams\u201d and \u201cBeltway.\u201d Meanwhile, the melodies and backbeats on tracks like \u201cWay to the Show\u201d and \u201cStay Flo\u201d feel like updated versions of 90s R&B slow jams. Solange\u2019s sonic mood board reveals her inspirations from late 70s soul to 90s Southern rap.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlmeda\u201d is a real stand-out with its pulsing rhythm and Solange\u2019s annunciation of the track\u2019s prideful lyrics about her black roots and culture. She lists a range of uniquely black traits in front of a beat that is reminiscent of the \u201cchopped and screwed\u201d remixing technique that originated in the 90s Houston hip-hop scene. The next song \u201cTime (is)\u201d beautifully flows in from the previous track as the ringing chord of the electric keyboard brings the record back to a sense of softer soulfulness.<\/span><\/p>\n

On \u201cMy Skin My Logo\u201d Solange freestyles with Gucci Mane in front of a melody collaboratively produced by Steve Lacy and Tyler, The Creator. Solange\u2019s natural laughter as she reaches the middle of the verse adds a refreshing element to the track and truly showcases her more freeform approach to the production of this album. As the creative helm of this project, Solange isn\u2019t afraid to loosen up a little and add in some personal flair here and there. <\/span><\/p>\n

When I Get Home <\/span><\/i>is a compilation of tunes that sometimes hover a little too much over esoteric territory and other more impactful pieces built up of impressionistic, nuanced layers. Overall, the album is a spellbinding arrangement of ethereal melodies and enigmatic lyrics that celebrate one artist\u2019s transcendent vision to honor black womanhood and her hometown of Houston.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Emma Kopelowicz After almost exactly two and a half years after the release of A Seat at the Table, Solange surprised her fans by sharing a new visual concept album entitled\u00a0When I Get Home. The artist teased the album\u2019s release with a personalized page of sci-fi and Western-inspired images and videos on the social […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15726,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1524],"tags":[157,699],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3945"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3945"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3948,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3945\/revisions\/3948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}