Bleep

Solange had a tough task in making When I Get Home. After all, her previous LP, 2016’s A Seat At The Table, was widely regarded as one of the best records of that year. It had scored Solange her first number one album in the United States and established her as a major pop star. No pressure, then.

Of course, When I Get Home makes all of that expectation seem like small fry. This is another masterful set of contemporary pop vignettes from Solange, one in which she turns towards her home city of Houston for inspiration. For one thing, When I Get Home is punctuated by narratives from women of the city’s Third Ward, the same district that Solange grew up in. Though this LP largely works with the same painterly blend of funk, neo-soul and hip-hop sounds found on A Seat At The Table, the looseness of beats like ‘My Skin My Logo’ nods to the chopped ‘n’ screwed sound of Houston artists like DJ Screw. This feeling of freedom extends to Solange’s own performances, which maintain the gravity she found on A Seat At The Table while also incorporating a more playful, off-the-cuff feel.

As was the case with A Seat At The Table, the supporting cast of When I Get Home finds Solange blending musicians from the hip-hop mainstream with outsider figures and indie artists. Vocal features are diverse - Gucci Mane, The-Dream and Sampha all show up - and the production credits see the likes of Tyler, The Creator and Metro Boomin rub shoulders with Panda Bear and Dev Hynes.

Solange’s acclaimed third studio LP When I Get Home is another ambitious and brilliant record from the Knowles sister.