A Seat at the Table

Rating

Album: A Seat at the Table
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Rise	More Info...	0:01
2)	Weary	More Info...	0:03
3)	Interlude: The Glory Is in You	More Info...
4)	Cranes in the Sky	More Info...	0:04
5)	Interlude: Dad Was Mad	More Info...
6)	Mad (Feat. Lil Wayne)	More Info...	0:04
7)	Don't You Wait	More Info...	0:04
8)	Interlude: Tina Taught Me	More Info...	0:01
9)	Don't Touch My Hair	More Info...	0:04
10)	Interlude: This Moment	More Info...
11)	Where Do We Go	More Info...	0:04
12)	Interlude: For Us By Us	More Info...	0:01
13)	F.U.B.U.	More Info...	0:05
14)	Borderline (An Ode to Self Care)	More Info...	0:03
15)	Interlude: I Got So Much Magic, You Can Have It	More Info...
16)	Junie	More Info...	0:03
17)	Interlude: No Limits	More Info...
18)	Don't Wish Me Well	More Info...	0:04
19)	Interlude: Pedestals	More Info...	0:01
20)	Scales	More Info...	0:03
21)	Closing: The Chosen Ones	More Info...

Album: A Seat at the Table
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Rise	More Info...	0:01
2)	Weary	More Info...	0:03
3)	Interlude: The Glory Is in You	More Info...
4)	Cranes in the Sky	More Info...	0:04
5)	Interlude: Dad Was Mad	More Info...
6)	Mad (Feat. Lil Wayne)	More Info...	0:04
7)	Don't You Wait	More Info...	0:04
8)	Interlude: Tina Taught Me	More Info...	0:01
9)	Don't Touch My Hair	More Info...	0:04
10)	Interlude: This Moment	More Info...
11)	Where Do We Go	More Info...	0:04
12)	Interlude: For Us By Us	More Info...	0:01
13)	F.U.B.U.	More Info...	0:05
14)	Borderline (An Ode to Self Care)	More Info...	0:03
15)	Interlude: I Got So Much Magic, You Can Have It	More Info...
16)	Junie	More Info...	0:03
17)	Interlude: No Limits	More Info...
18)	Don't Wish Me Well	More Info...	0:04
19)	Interlude: Pedestals	More Info...	0:01
20)	Scales	More Info...	0:03
21)	Closing: The Chosen Ones	More Info...

Performer Notes

Audio Mixer: Mikaelin Bluespruce.
Solange Knowles started writing her third album in New Iberia, Louisiana, a town where her maternal grandparents lived until a Molotov cocktail was thrown into their home. That setting helps explain how A Seat at the Table turned out drastically different from Knowles' previous output. There's no revisitation of beachy retro soul-pop and new wave akin to "Sandcastle Disco" or "Losing You." Nothing has the humor of "Some Things Never Seem to Fucking Work" or the bluntness of "Fuck the Industry." There certainly aren't any love songs in the traditional sense. Instead, surrounded by a collaborative throng that includes Raphael Saadiq, Dave Longstreth, and Adam Bainbridge, Knowles composed and produced alleviating pro-black reflections of frustration and anger. They regard persistent dehumanizing burdens dealt to her and other persons of color in a country where many are hostile to the phrase "Black Lives Matter" and the equality-seeking organization of the same name. Remarkably, tender elegance is the mode for much of the album's duration, as heard in the exquisitely unguarded "Cranes in the Sky" and dimly lit left-of-center pop-R&B hybrids "Don't You Wait" and "Don't Wish Me Well." Those songs crave release and reject character assassination and stasis while hinting at inevitable fallout. Their restrained ornamentation and moderate tempos are perfectly suited for Knowles, an undervalued vocalist who never aims to bring the house down yet fills each note with purposeful emotion. When the rhythms bounce and the melodies brighten, as they do during a short second-half stretch, the material remains rooted in profound grief and mystified irritation. In "Borderline," a chugging machine beat and a lilting piano line form the backdrop of a scene where Knowles and her partner tune out the world for the sake of their sanity. Then, after Nia Andrews and Kelly Rowland's half minute of proud harmonic affirmation, along comes "Junie," a squiggling jam on which Andr 3000 makes like the track's namesake (Ohio Players and Parliament legend Junie Morrison), where Knowles delivers a sharp metaphorical smackdown of a cultural interloper like it's merely an improvised postscript. All of the guests, from Lil Wayne to Kelela, make necessary appearances. The same goes for Knowles' parents and Master P, who are present in the form of short interludes in which they discuss segregation, self-reliance, cultural theft, and black pride. These segues shrewdly fasten a cathartic yet poised album, one that weighs a ton and levitates. ~ Andy Kellman

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] fantastic-sounding LP that takes sonic cues from dusty soul sides while sounding as timely as a freshly sent tweet."

Mojo (Publisher) - Ranked #22 in Mojo's 'The 50 Best Albums Of 2016' -- "Anger manifested softly...[she] projected a hope for redemption."

Pitchfork (Website) - "[I]t already seems like a document of historical significance, not just for its formidable musical achievements but for the way it encapsulates black cultural and social history with such richness, generosity, and truth."

Clash (magazine) - "Solange fully embodies the educator on A SEAT AT THE TABLE, a role she personifies with a gusto so rarely seen in popular music....An expertly-curated, a near-perfect record..."

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