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In spots, it sags, and a couple tracks seem more like sketches than neatly bundled songs, yet it's one of the year's more entertaining and easily enjoyable R&B releases, fronted by someone who does not take herself all that seriously.
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On her sophomore set, Solange not only takes on a sound that differs from her pop-driven 2002 debut, but demonstrates that unlike her sister Beyoncé--who she vehemently refutes comparisons to on 'God Given Name'--she has no reservations about sharing personal experiences.
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This is such a smartly executed, classy set of songs that's miles away from the hoochie pop being turned out by young female R&B vocalists these days.... As long as she keeps things flowing and upbeat, things hum and only the two gauzy ballads (including a duet with the undervalued Bilal on 'Cosmic Journey') miss the mark.
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Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams is as silly, day-glo, eccentric, and all over the place as its title.
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Elsewhere the album could be either too relaxed or too eccentric for many. But it's a fine, rich and extremely likeable record, nonetheless, and it deserves to find its audience even without that famous surname.
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Entertainment WeeklyThe younger Ms. Knowles cooks up tasty variations on old-recipes. [5 Sep 2008, p.77]
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Solange combines retro warmth and current cool in ways her more commercially successful sibling probably can't.
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The various elements are spun like syrup round a spoon; creating a deliciously moreish concoction, the sort you’ll want to dip into time and again.
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It's not a case of Solange performing best when she jettisons her ambition, but rather her need to find a way to let her avant inclinations work with rather than against her pop instincts, and maybe the best way for that to happen is to let the former emerge organically through the latter.
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Solange simply doesn't have the pipes to pull off her songs, and her attempts at "mystical" psychedelic-soul (the six-minute-plus opus 'Cosmic Journey') are embarrassing.
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Venturing off into the unknown plays well for Solange--the mix of organic, old-school instrumentation and more electronic elements makes for a loose, fun and reverent record.
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Sol-Angel is savvy R&B with a gloss you can check your reflection in, but it falls short of what she intended: to make the record Dusty Springfield or Minnie Riperton would have made, were they around in 2008.
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This is a peppy album, rich with thumping horns, crisp percussion and light piano melodies. As homage, it’s impressive. But Solange can’t quite keep up.
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Sol-angel and the Hadley St. Dreams boasts Thievery Corporation at the production helm, giving little Knowles' album a sophisticated sonic texture of jazzy pop, lounge inflections, and brassy drama.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 33 out of 37
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Mixed: 1 out of 37
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Negative: 3 out of 37
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Jan 28, 2021
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DougD.Aug 31, 2008
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JarrellC.Aug 29, 2008