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Album: A Seat At The Table

Artist: Solange

Released: September 30

What makes me especially attracted to A Seat at the Table is that Solange doesn’t veer on the line of pretentiousness or shorthand epiphany nor does she does proclaim the wrongs of society and then retreat to their money or celebrity.  The album serves as one of the best politically-driven albums to come out this year. ‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ serves as an uplifting anthem for women of colour who face controversy in the public world over their natural hair. Solange shows appreciation for her hair as triumphant trumpets blare and Solange and Sampha sing in unison: “What you say, oh / What you say to me?” The track embodies ownership and resistance and serves its role as a middle-finger to the micro-aggressions and patronising questions that women of colour face on a daily basis. Highlights include the cathartic song ‘Mad’ where we witness Lil Wayne confess about his health problems and his attempted suicide and interludes such as ‘Dad was Mad’ and ‘Tina Taught Me’ that highlight Solange‘s parents experiences as they look back in retrospect on anger, childhood and pride.

By Ethann Herlock Laird