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Oct 7, 2016A cathartic yet poised album, one that weighs a ton and levitates.
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Oct 7, 2016A Seat at the Table is in no hurry to deliver a knockout punch. Instead, its subtle grooves and delicate vocals underplay the steely resolve, the long-simmering ache in the words.
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Oct 18, 2016A Seat At The Table is an expertly-curated, a near-perfect record that serves as a timely, musical manifesto on how to be black and proud.
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Oct 4, 2016The interludes are all derived from the same sonic template as the songs, so the borders between tracks can be hazy, giving the album a meandering feel. That said, ultimately there’s something refreshing about Solange’s dreary, almost funereal compositions.
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Oct 3, 2016It’s lusciously written, produced, and arranged.
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Oct 4, 2016The album radiates universal beauty and truth in the tradition of Stevie Wonder and Minnie Ripperton--and the whole world could simply use more of that.
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Oct 3, 2016A Seat demands a careful listen, and rewards it richly. This is Solange's strongest album to date.
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Oct 7, 2016A Seat at the Table is her strongest work to date.
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Oct 3, 2016It’s her exploration of the nuances of black life that makes this one of the year’s standouts. Even in a time when black pop artists have grown especially political, the work feels critical.
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Dec 2, 2016Album number three is her finest, and most topical, yet.
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MojoNov 22, 2016A sensitive, sure-footed triumph. [Jan 2017, p.99]
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Oct 7, 2016There’s no pure pop moments like Losing You and she may never generate the same amount of press inches as her elder sister does on a regular basis, but this third album is an endlessly compelling one.
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Oct 10, 2016Her music is smart, rich and thoughtful enough to pull it off.
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Nov 14, 2016A Seat at the Table is intensely rich and gracious in its candor, so much so that it’s quieter, painstakingly personal moments are every bit as robust as direct aggression. Its soulful flow is luscious and languid, and simply dazzles in the graceful, airy beauty of Cranes In the Sky, where Solange’s voice floats to stratospheric altitudes.
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Oct 11, 2016Weariness gives way to willingness as Solange unpacks and ultimately celebrates Blackness, from the politics of Black hair in Don’t Touch My Hair (featuring Sampha) to a reclamation of Black masculinity in Scales (featuring Kelela).
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Oct 5, 2016A Seat at the Table, her third full-length album, is the work of a woman who’s truly grown into herself, and discovered within a clear, exhilarating statement of self and community that’s as robust in its quieter moments as it is in its funkier ones.
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Oct 26, 2016Daunting and at times exhausting, A Seat at the Table is still an undeniably important work.
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Oct 3, 2016Though at times it rages, it also rebukes division and seeks dialogue. In the same way black art is enriched by its complicated history, A Seat at the Table shines due to Knowles’ unwavering commitment to her own complexity, both musically and personally.
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Dec 13, 2016Here's an album of beautiful R&B songs, and she's chosen to intersperse them with messages of black empowerment.
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Jan 6, 2017It’s a master-stroke on a landmark record of staggering intelligence, depth and musicality.
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Oct 3, 2016Her minimalist distillation of R&B, which takes into consideration not just the genre's rich musical history but also its penchant for social commentary, has resulted in a stunning statement that redefines the old chestnut about the personal being political.
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Oct 6, 2016The wealth of talent on A Seat at the Table is well-showcased--it’s among the most exquisite productions of the year, each track silken-smooth and replete with quietly virtuosic instrumental flourishes—and in service of a story of pain and healing.
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Oct 4, 2016A Seat At The Table--like the headlines of 2016--is the score of black pain, black rage, black strength and black joy. And for everyone else enjoying the enticing R&B, it's for the rest of us to quiet ourselves, listen, learn and respect.
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Oct 3, 2016It’s safe to say that though big sis Beyoncé has run her close recently, she’s once more the most intriguing Knowles sibling.
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The WireDec 21, 2016She draws you into the shadows and crumbling concrete of America, a nation in which, as Knowles pointed out in a recent online essay, “a former Ku Klux Klan leader is running for Louisiana senator.” [Dec 2016, p.54]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 343 out of 391
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Mixed: 16 out of 391
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Negative: 32 out of 391
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Oct 3, 2016
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Oct 27, 2016
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Oct 3, 2016