Not everything works on Solange’s new album but she has enough originality and quality production to forge her own identity. (Photo by Leslie Kee)
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REBECCA ARMENDARIZ
Friday, September 05, 2008
Solange
is
always
going
to
be
subjected
to
comparisons
to
her
older
sister.
Beyoncé’s
success
in
acting,
modeling
and
music
along
with
her
marriage
to
rap
mogul
Jay-Z
could
easily
overshadow
any
accomplishments
by
the
22-year-old
mother,
singer
and
B-movie
and
television
star.
But
the
first
single
from
Solange’s
sophomore
album,
“Sol-Angel
and
the
Hadley
Street
Dreams,”
“I
Decided,”
reveals
her
intention
to
separate
herself
from
big
sis,
at
least
in
her
music.
Her
style
differs
from
her
sister’s
radio
pop
hits
while
maintaining
an
upbeat,
accessible
sound
to
attract
fans
from
across
the
musical
spectrum.
Solange’s
style
is
all
her
own
—
at
least,
she’s
molded
it
out
of
a
specific
set
of
influences.
She
sharpens
her
combination
of
doo-wop,
blues,
girl
groups
and
jazz
with
a
hip-hop-edged
sword.
“I
Decided,”
produced
by
the
Neptunes,
is
a
modern
Phil
Spector
track
perfect
for
hipsters
drinking
martinis
in
a
basement
lounge.
Though
Solange
is
five
years
younger
than
her
successful
sister,
her
sound
is
more
sophisticated
and
developed.
She
channels
Erykah
Badu’s
soulful
“Call
Tyrone”
on
a
more
upbeat
“T.O.N.Y.”
Cee-Lo
of
fabulous
pop
duo
Gnarls
Barkley
wrote
and
recorded
this
and
“Sandcastle
Disco”
with
Solange.
“Dancing
in
the
Dark”
could
appear
in
a
film
about
spinsters
with
its
sassy
instrumentation
and
marching
band-esque
trumpet
and
xylophone
lines.
Her
style
mirrors
Amy
Wine-house’s
in
its
retro-fabulousness.
While
she’s
undoubtedly
talented,
her
voice
can,
after
a
few
tracks,
begin
to
grate
on
the
listener.
Her
vocals
reach
slightly
screechy
proportions
on
“Would’ve
Been
the
One,”
a
song
that
pays
homage
to
the
Supremes.
But
while
Diana
Ross
and
sister
Beyonce’s
voices
come
from
the
bottom
of
their
bellies
with
richness,
Solange’s
can
emerge
pinched
in
her
throat
(though
some
similarities
between
the
sisters
can’t
be
ignored).
Solange
released
her
debut
album
at
age
16,
titled
“Solo
Star.”
“Feelin’
You,”
the
first
single
from
that
record,
veered
into
reggaeton/dancehall
territory.
It
wasn’t
exciting
and
followed
in
the
path
of
every
teenage
girl
group
made
up
of
singers
with
no
real
talent.
Since
“Solo
Star,”
Solange
has
helped
on
most
ex-Destiny’s
Child
members’
albums
and
acted
in
a
few
films.
Solange
also
created
“Baby
Jamz,”
or
hip-hop
nursery
rhymes
for
kids.
Finally
this
year,
close
to
six
years
after
her
debut
release,
“Sol-Angel
and
the
Hadley
St.
Dreams”
emerges,
along
with
her
own
identity.
Solange
played
a
part
in
most
of
the
songwriting
on
the
record,
and
the
guest
stars
she
wrangled
to
help
her
are
another
achievement.
D.C.
based
Thievery
Corporation
produced
“God
Given
Name,”
and
Mark
Ronson
(DJ
and
brother
of
Lindsay
Lohan’s
lady,
Samanatha)
helped
on
“6
o’clock
Blues.”
Solange
only
tries
to
pull
off
ballads
twice,
late
in
the
album.
“Cosmic
Journey,”
is
as
cheesy
as
the
title
suggests
and
features
the
breathy,
theatrical
voice
of
Bilal.
The
sounds
of
shooting
stars
or
comets
are
too
much.
“This
Bird”
is
slightly
more
enjoyable,
though
nothing
special.
The
album
ends
with
a
synth-infused
version
of
“I
Decided,”
the
“Part
2,”
which
is
Solange’s
attempt
at
getting
any
of
these
lazy-tempo
songs
to
play
in
the
clubs.
“When
hearing
this
album,
I
hope
the
listener
is
taken
back
to
a
time
when
music
was
melodic,
sweet
and
soulful,”
Solange
said
in
a
press
release.
Mission,
for
the
most
part,
accomplished.
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