Sol Angel and the The Hadley St. Dreams

AHSI - Solange Knowles newest LP is showing us that she is her own star. She has a pretty voice and she can definitely hold a note. I was pleasantly surprised that she did not sound or try to sound like her famous sister Beyonce. In the song Bird, a soft ballad, displays her vocal skills as well as dealing with mature content. Decided I and II shows her up-tempo style as well as showing us a variety of styles through her album. I give her latest project 3 eyeballs.

ASSI – Solagne is an artist who is definitely out of the box, lyrically her songs are unusually different, the music is in sync with the lyrics or vice versa, and it seems that she found the right producers for this project. I actually like how she used her vocals to blend with the music instead of merely singing the songs. Her Sophomore Album “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams” was released on August 26, 2008 and was number one the first week. When I first listened to the CD I did not give it the proper attention it deserves, I knew it was different based on her video for “Sandcastle Disco” and live performance of the same song on Tyra; however, I decided to give it another listen yesterday. The drums are funky on “Sandcastle Disco.”

Surprisingly I began to appreciate her lyrical style and where she is coming from musically. There are no musical comparisons between her and Beyonce. Solange’s music is adult, yet bubbly, fun, and a mixture of Pop, Alternative, Rockish, and R & B. If you give “Sol-Angel” a chance, I promise you will add it the entire album to your iPod, “I Decided” is a relatable song that men, women, young, and mature adults understand. You know when you decide that a particular male or female should be yours regardless of what the other person thinks. Have you every fallen for someone and realized you could have been in love, if you had not wasted time lusting after the wrong person? Well “T.O.N.Y” is that song. It is an upbeat dance tempo that will have you nodding and moving in agreement. The slow melodrama “God Given Name” sounds autobiographical.

“Would’ve Been the One” has three different music genres wrapped into one song, when it starts her voice is reminiscence of En Vogue then it quickly changes to a Rock then Pop, and Soul. I am partial to “6 O’Clock Blues” it is slow, comforting, and appreciative of your love one song. Most artist try to put a little something something on the album to have universal mass appeal; however, Solange’s album is eclectic and is all over the place in a good way. It truly has crossover and urban appeal. As I see it “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams” offer listeners a different flavor that takes you on a “Cosmic Journey” a song that features Bilal to a “Champagnechroniknight-Cap” that will have you hitting replay for another listen. I give “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams” 4 blinks.