Album Review: Solange "SoL-AngeL & The Hadley St. Dreams"

With a mix of old-school soul, jazz, blues, & electronic, Solange has made quite a statement with her return to the music scene. Her unique new sound & creative visual aids make for a very interesting change to what we are used to in today's music industry. This go-round, Solange has demanded the attention of those who, like me, have always counted her out before. And for all who pay attention, you might be pleasantly surprised by how refreshing her material &, yes, talent really are.

Now, as much as I love SoL-AngeL & The Hadley St. Dreams, I have to start out--only briefly--with a somewhat negative critique. The album's opener "God Given Name" might state just how Solange Knowles feels about who she is & the comparisons she receives regarding her older, *slightly* more successful sister (Beyonce, for those in the dark), but I'm more one for showing who you really are & why you deserve our attention, rather than just saying it. The good thing is: just about all the rest of Solange's sophomore album does just that--in a pretty incredible way.

Solange gets going in an excellent way with "T.O.N.Y.," a creative & enjoyable song that starts demonstrating the sound Solange is going for in a wonderful way. "Dancing In The Dark" creates a lighter & very fun mood, while one of my favorites, "Would've Been The One," is a catchy, effective mix of old- & new-school music that has Solange demonstrating those Knowles pipes quite well. The album's second single "Sandcastle Disco," which anyone who reads this blog knows I'm basically a huge fan of, is followed by the first single "I Decided - Pt. 1," another tune that's great fun.

SoL-AngeL & The Hadley St. Dreams continues into a slower & seemingly more heartfelt section with "Valentine's Day" & "6 O'Clock Blues," which, as the latter's title suggests, has a refreshing blues-influenced vibe. I feel like I should apologize for it, but everytime I listen to the album, I completely forget "Ode To Marvin." The song is as nice as the next one, but just doesn't stick out I guess. I do, however, remember "I Told You So" quite well, which has Solange singing her booty off & includes those irresistible "ba-ba-ba"s.

A bit of a different sound then arises with the Bilal-assisted "Cosmic Journey." Another one of my favorites, it brings together the electronic-type music that I like & the R&B music that I've always loved. I applaud Solange for taking a chance with this song & doing a beautiful job of it. The album closes out with "This Bird," a tune with a similar subject (&, imo, problem) to the first track. However, Solange has a small speaking part in this song that I just love because her goofy personality is one of my favorite things about her & for her to include that side of her in her album is something I admire. "I Decided - Pt. 2," the Freemasons remix of Solange's first single released across the pond, is also included, which I am thankful for.

One thing that confuses me about SoL-AngeL & The Hadley St. Dreams (& don't get me wrong--it's neither a positive nor a negative) is the sequencing &, more specifically, the songs that were (&, more so, weren't) included. For example, some of the confirmed &/or bonus tracks that were left off the final tracklisting include "Champagnechroniknightcap" (with or without Lil' Wayne), "Wanna Go Back" (featuring Marsha Ambrosius & Q-Tip), the Estelle-assisted "Same Song, Different Man," "White Picket Dreams," & even Q-Tip's feature on "Sandcastle Disco." I only mention this because, of the ones I heard, any of these songs could have easily fit in with the rest of the album. Also, they are all good &, although I haven't heard the song with Estelle, anything with her is pure fire. I do wonder though if something happened that made Solange remove both of Q-Tip's features from the album...

Anyhow, I am pretty much obsessed with Solange's new album. SoL-AngeL & The Hadley St. Dreams is such a refreshing set with solid material & excellent execution. Solange has definitely proven that she can not only be a good artist, but a groundbreaking one as well. The world really needs a talented artist who can blend all that is great about music into one incredible sound.

Rating: 4/5 Stars