Changing Their Sound
A Seat At The Table is a clear indication that Solange has found herself and settled into her long eluded identity: The soulful songstress/revolutionary. This is the most “involved” out the R&B singer’s albums: Being that she co-produced and wrote every song on the album. The rhythms and melodies are the love children of Neo-Soul and R&B. Lyrics that reflect the lives and everyday feelings of African-Americans and the like-minded sit on top of those rhythms to make a powerful piece: Many of the songs are anteceded by “testimonies” and the voices of loved ones (one of them being her mother, Tina Lawson) that add to the potency of the song that follows. Two crowed favorites have been “Don’t Touch My Hair” and “Mad” featuring platinum selling rapper Lil’ Wayne.
Don’t touch My Hair speaks on the role that hair has and the expression of in a woman’s life, reflect a woman’s culture, mood, experiences and everything in between. Mad tells the story of African-Americans and their “right” to be angry at certain things they may live through. According to the song and the matching testimonial (Dad Was Mad) those things are and not limited to the non-acceptance of afro-textured hair, the mass incarceration of black and brown people, police brutality and much more. The heavy presence of piano in both songs help to smooth out what can be hard subjects and opinions to preach on.
Something Worth Saving has placed Gavin Degraw in the same boat as Solange in some ways: Honest, new and completely transparent about their feelings and experience. Something Worth Saving is a collection of carefully chosen strings, cymbal hits, piano chords and choir like echoes that blend together to make ear soothing timbre. Then there are some songs like How Lucky Can A Man Get that reflect an early soft rocker Gavin. With bold trumpets and a leading electric guitar, the song makes for a groovy and hip-moving sound. Harder to Believe is one of the songs that add to the transparency of this album: With choir echoes being the most present in this song, it speaks on a rough past that most wouldn’t believe if they heard. The song is one that can be deem personable and relatable on different levels.
Say I am follows in those footsteps: Providing the listener with the story of a man in love proclaim his let go of loneliness and readiness for happiness. Strings and strategic piano cords are also present in this song.
Both albums revealed a new layer to their respective artist, and listener couldn’t have been happier.
