Solange Knowles is definitely in formation this year. She has no longer just been the little sister of Beyonce Knowles; she has stepped out of her zone and created a name for herself.
The musician is not new to the singing game, but she has definitely busted out of her bubble and expressed her talent.
The singer song-writer released her fourth album “A Seat at the Table.” This album takes listeners through a journey of love, loss, black womanhood, being black in America and a feeling of completion. Knowles speaks to her viewers on the hardships of being black and a woman.
She also brings in exceptional interludes that are done by Tina Lawson (her mother), Matthew Knowles (her dad), and Master P (entrepreneur) in between the songs. The interludes give a true expression of stories that black people experience in their everyday lives. The album was released less than a month ago, and it’s already number one on iTunes.
“A Seat at the Table” starts the journey with the first song, “Rise.” It opens to a soft sound with the piano behind the singer singing, “Fall in your ways, so you can crumble,” and “Fall in your ways so you can sleep at night,” repetitively. This song sets the foundation for the album: self empowerment. Solange is emphasizing that people are “stuck in their ways” and how individuals should be growing as a person each day.
This song leads into “Weary,” in which Solange is sending messages to black women and men about being alert about the problems blacks are facing in America. She starts the song off by saying, “Be weary of the ways of the world . . . I’m weary of the ways of the world.” Then, she starts to say how she is going to look for her body, referencing to finding her place in society as a black woman. After “Weary,” the listeners experience how Solange deals with her problems as a black woman in America in “Cranes.” She speaks on how she tries to drink, dance, run, sleep and sex herself away.
The audience is then taken to a collaboration with Lil Wayne on a song called “Mad.”Solange is now describing how she has a lot to be mad about because she is a black woman and she has so many stereotypes associated with one being the “angry black woman.”
“Don’t Touch my hair” featuring Sampha, seems to be everyone’s favorite on the album. This song speaks to black hair and how it has been ridiculed by a white dominated society. Essentially, she is saying black hair is a part of her in every way; it’s her rhythm of what she knows, her crown, and her pride.
Another highlight of the album is the song “F.U.B.U (For us, by us),” that featured BJ the Chicago Kid and The Dream. This song is expressed as a liberation for black people. The song is for them as a way to show them that they have come a long way. She then goes to say how whites get so much from black people and then forget about blacks as a whole.
The album ends with “Scales,” featuring a duet with Kelela. This song expresses a sense of healing and feeling of encouragement. She sings, “You’re a superstar, always shining in the night.” This album is an original album and will change viewer’s perspective on social issues that have always been a problem in our society.
