Usually, I haven’t been the type to listen to Solange’s music, but after seeing the positive and uplifting feedback that the black community has given her latest album A Seat at The Table, I couldn’t resist but give the entire thing a listen.
While giving the album a listen, I immediately thought of Beyoncé’s Lemonade because it instantly had this black girl magic to it, that made it just as amazing as her sister’s album. Although Solange’s album differs in genre of music, serves the black community the same purpose. It is one of the few albums that we can listen to and relate. Overall the album is calming and (unlike Lemonade, no shade to Beyoncé) the album is available on multiple platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify.
The Interlude: Tina Taught Me perfectly sums up the main idea of the album, and that to have black pride does not in any way mean that you’re putting down white culture, but more so building the black community up. I love that it brings attention to the fact that all everyone is taught in America history and therefore why there isn’t a white history month. The album features artist such as Lil Wayne, Sampha, Kelly Rowland and much more.
The biggest hit from the album so far is Don’t Touch My Hair which is a song with a calm beat but a very strong message. As a woman of the black community I was instantly relating to this song the first time I gave the album a listen. It perfectly explains why black people don’t like anyone touching their hair and that it’s not just hair. It is the “crown” we wear and more or part of who we are.
If you’re still reading this and wondering why you should give A Seat at The Table then perhaps you should keep reading. I would definitely recommend giving it a listen in order to try something new music wise. Of course if you like hip-hop you loved Lemonade, however with Solange’s latest album being included into a different genre of music, it requires you to have an open mind when giving it a listen, however once you open your ears, you instantly let yourself escape into something great.
The best part of the album is that it talks about real issues through a medium where people are more likely to listen. While some may just listen to the album because they believe the beats are catchy and make for great background or study music, the words of each song speak nothing but the truth. It’s naturally music to the ears but with a strong message as well. Each song demonstrates a difference aspect on what it is like to be black America. If I was only given one word to be able to describe the able it would definitely be “woke” and not in relating to the past tense of wake, but in being aware of what’s going on in the community relating to racism and social justice.
