New Solange album prioritizes sound over lyrics

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“When I Get Home,” Solange’s fourth album, is beautifully produced. Each song blends perfectly into the next, so it’s best played from start to finish.

Daniel Scochemaro, Staff Writer

It has been three years since Solange released her third studio album, “A Seat at the Table.” The album was well received upon its 2016 release. Now, Solange is back with “When I Get Home,” which was released on March 1.

“When I Get Home” has the essence of a soft-soul album. It also contains a few elements of trap, while paying homage to the “chopped and screwed” sound that originated in Houston. The release of the album was followed by a short film exclusive to Apple Music subscribers.

“When I Get Home” truly focuses on the sound rather than the lyricism. The production quality on this project is beautiful, with each song perfectly transitioning into one another. The sound of the album is very soft, but still has a little kick to it with an underlying drum and 808 bass.

Solange creates a repetitive style with the lyrics, but it works in her favor since it is carried by the easy, flowing structure of the album. The repetition is intentional and it creates a hypnotic listening experience on tracks like “Dreams.”

The repetitive nature of the album is inspired by legends such as Stevie Wonder with his album, “Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants.” “When I Get Home” features a variety of artists and producers such as Tyler, the Creator, Gucci Mane and Sampha. The features on the record add extra flavor to the album with a few additional vocals, such as Sampha on the track, “Time (Is).”

Pharrell Williams also makes an appearance on the album, being credited for production on two tracks, “Almeda” and “Sound of Rain.” “Almeda” is a standout track on the album that features explosive production from Williams as well as Playboi Carti’s playful vocals and a smooth hook from The-Dream.

“When I Get Home” is not a long album, clocking in with a run time just under 39 minutes. Despite the short length of the album, Solange manages to keep the album consistently fresh with a smooth flow between each track. Music nerds will find a niche in the production value of the album, even for people who are not avid listeners of Solange’s music.

The album does have a few downfalls, such as the replay value that “When I Get Home” somewhat lacks. A few run-throughs of the album can make it lose the magic that you feel on the first listen. It also does not have the same feeling if some tracks are picked individually.

“When I Get Home” is at its best when it is played all the way through with no skips. However, there are still tracks that do not lose their contextual value when they are played by themselves. Those tracks are “Almeda” featuring Playboi Carti, “My Skin My Logo” featuring Gucci Mane and “Down with the Clique.”

“When I Get Home” does not contain as many ideas as Solange’s previous project, “A Seat at the Table,” but it still provides an abundant amount of ear candy, despite its minimal structure. The album is meant to evoke a mood through sound without saying a lot verbally. Solange makes use of her vocals in all the right ways, over jazz, soul and hip-hop beats. “When I Get Home” has something for everyone, and it is an album that proves Solange is only getting better at her craft.