On September 30, Solange dropped her latest project, A Seat At The Table. The album is comprised of 21 tracks (11 full songs, eight interludes, and one closing track) that revolve around the black experience in America. On paper this may sound a bit broad, but after listening to the actual product it all makes sense. In a Twitter discussion with fans, Solange described the album as being "meant to provoke healing and journey of self empowerment." With contributions from a myriad of talented artists like Lil Wayne, Kelly Rowland, and Raphael Saadiq, her latest effort was bound to be great, but WOW.
From beginning to end, Solange gives the listener a beautifully crafted album filled with a sort of liberating pain. All in all, it's a solid album. Arguably the best Solange album to date. But what's a great piece of art without someone offering their mediocre opinion of it?? Allow me. Though the album is a complete piece of art that flows like a woke waterfall, these 7 songs especially spoke to me:
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1. F.U.B.U. (feat. The-Dream & BJ the Chicago Kid)
This is a song meant for black people and I'm completely here for it. I was on board off of the strength of the song's title and first few lines. Then, Solange made sure that I planned to listen to this song every day by giving The-Dream and BJ the Chicago Kid guest slots. To me, The-Dream is like two people in one; the singer and the writer. Honestly, I'm usually not a fan of The-Dream, the singer (the writer is phenomenal for his work with Beyonce alone), but he gives a solid performance on this track. Additionally, BJ the Chicago Kid helped close out the track with his smoothest gospel runs. He deserves a church solo and/or a much longer feature in the very near future.
Best lyrics: "Don't feel bad if you can't sing along, just be glad you got the whole wide world." Preach, Solange.
2. "Mad" (feat. Lil Wayne)
With the help of Lil Wayne, Solange tackles the topic of feeling, justifying, and releasing anger. The pair discusses both processing and moving on from anger, which I thought was pretty cool. Instead of dismissing the anger, the musicians advise listeners to try to process, move on, and grow from it. As black people, our anger is often deemed either unjustified or especially aggressive which is extremely unfair, to say the least. Black women in particular are perceived as being in an almost constant state of anger, which is insane, but I digress. On the track, Wayne even opens up and raps about real stuff like how his anger actually played a role in him attempting to commit suicide in the past. It's a pretty powerful track.
Best lyrics: "You got the right to be mad, but when you carry it along you find it only getting in the way."
3. "Interlude: Tina Taught Me"
I can't remember the last time that an interlude really stood out to me, so kudos, Solange. Moreover, I can't remember an album that completely flowed, interludes and all, so wow. The one minute and sixteen second-long track features the voice of Solange and Beyonce's mom, Ms. Tina Lawson. On it, Ms. Lawson shares her love for the celebration of black culture. It's really empowering and insightful, to say the least.
Best line: "'They have a black history month, but we don't have a white history month', well, all we've ever been taught is white history, so why are you mad at that?"
4. "Weary"
Solange shares how tired she is of this crazy world and its ways, and personally, #ImWithHer. This world is insane. Luckily, Solange delivers some sweet vocals on this smooth, thought-provoking track. Though her vocals are silky smooth, her lyrics are as sharp as ever.
Best lyrics: "A king is only a man with flesh and bones...he bleeds just like you do." This is powerful. She's saying no matter what titles we give each other on this crazy earth, we're all mortal beings at the very end of the day. We're all humans and we at least deserve to be treated as such.
5. "Don't Touch My Hair" (feat. Sampha)
Please endure a brief moment of me fangirling over Sampha: Sampha's vocals are as smooth as ever and I'm so proud that he's finally getting some recognition from his peers. He deserves it! Now back to regularly scheduled fangirling: Solange starts the song by singing the words "don't touch my hair", so I was instantly sold. Growing up in predominantly white areas, I've had to politely avoid (way too many) fingers reaching out toward my hair. This has always baffled me. I've never been so intrigued by a person's physical attributes that I just had to reach out and invade their personal space in order to appreciate it. I just don't get it. At any rate, some people are so overcome with their curiosity that they feel the need to do this and I'm glad that Solange touched on this and more within the song.
Best lyrics: "Don't touch my crown"
6. "Scales" (feat. Kelela)
I feel like this song is either an ode to or a warning to a Houstonian man. Either way, it's dope. Solange and Kelela beautifully harmonize while singing about a man who drives a car with candy red paint and wears a gleaming grill. It's a 10 out of 10 for me.
Best lyrics: "Your love is kind, but your love ain't blind."
7. Interlude: I Got So Much Magic, You Can Have It (feat. Kelly Rowland & Nia Andrews)
So this is one of the shorter tracks on the project, but I love everything about it. The heartwarming harmonies, the southern accents, and the intentional low audio quality (it sounds like three friends who recorded a song for fun on an iPhone). It's lighthearted, yet extremely powerful as the girls sing about how they're magical (no lies detected). It's as beautiful and effortless as their magic. It's a simple, yet beautiful song that every little girl should feel confident enough to sing. Great job, ladies. I say come up with a group name and put a record out ASAP.
Best lyrics: "Don't let anybody steal your magic... but I got so much y'all!"
This collection of songs has almost led me to believe that Solange has personally released this album now because she knew that I needed it. She's like that best friend who knows you better than you know yourself. She knew that I needed this album for comfort and reassurance, before I knew I did. She knew that I needed such an empowering plethora of messages to get me through this dark time in our country. She knew to save me a seat.
