''True'' is the first
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. (EP) by American recording artist
Solange
Solange (died 10 May, c. 880) was a Frankish shepherdess and a locally venerated Christian saint and cephalophore, whose cult is restricted to Sainte-Solange, Cher. Saint Solange was the patron of the traditional Province of Berry, of which C ...
, first released on November 27, 2012
digitally through
Terrible Records
Terrible (formerly Terrible Records) is a Los Angeles-based record label and artist management company founded by Chris Taylor and Ethan Silverman in 2009. Originally based in Brooklyn, New York, the label operated as a joint venture imprint ...
. Following the release of her second studio album ''
Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams
''Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams'' is the second studio album by American R&B singer and songwriter Solange. It was released on August 26, 2008, by Geffen Records. Solange was heavily influenced by the "Motown Sound" of the 1960s and 1970 ...
'' (2008), Solange announced that she had parted ways with
Interscope Geffen A&M
Interscope Geffen A&M Records (IGA), is an American umbrella label owned by Universal Music Group, consisting of record labels Interscope Records, Geffen Records, and A&M Records.
History
Interscope Geffen A&M Records was established in 1999, ...
after releasing just one album on the label, and further revealed that she had chosen to go an
independent route, eventually signing with
Terrible Records
Terrible (formerly Terrible Records) is a Los Angeles-based record label and artist management company founded by Chris Taylor and Ethan Silverman in 2009. Originally based in Brooklyn, New York, the label operated as a joint venture imprint ...
. In 2009, Solange began the recording of a studio album, during which she suffered a "
breakdown
Breakdown may refer to:
Breaking down
*Breakdown (vehicle), failure of a motor vehicle in such a way that it cannot be operated
*Chemical decomposition, also called chemical breakdown, the breakdown of a substance into simpler components
*Decompo ...
" due to the amount of time and emotion she was putting into the recording process.
A
neo soul
Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contempo ...
album, ''True'' contains an eclectic sound that takes influence from
PBR&B
Alternative R&B (also referred to as alt-R&B, indie R&B, hipster R&B, dark R&B, emo R&B and left-field R&B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s and came to prom ...
,
new wave music
New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...
,
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
, 1980s pop, and
electronica
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...
, whilst the extended play's production is characterized as containing '80s references, keyboards and African percussion. The recording process took three years and was handled by Solange and producer
Dev Hynes
Devonté Hynes (born David Joseph Michael Hynes, 23 December 1985), also known as Blood Orange and formerly Lightspeed Champion, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and director based in New York City. From 2004 to 2006, Hynes was ...
. Together the pair produced, wrote and composed all of the songs, a decision Solange made due to their chemistry, friendship and work relationship.
Upon release ''True'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. Commercially, the EP debuted at number 157 on the US ''Billboard'' 200
as well as charting within the top sixty of the albums charts in
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
and Sweden. The album was promoted with the release of three singles including "
Losing You" and was further promoted with a tour of the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, France and Germany.
Background
In 2008, Solange signed a record deal with
Geffen and a publishing contract with
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
.
The same year she finished working on her second studio album ''
Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams
''Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams'' is the second studio album by American R&B singer and songwriter Solange. It was released on August 26, 2008, by Geffen Records. Solange was heavily influenced by the "Motown Sound" of the 1960s and 1970 ...
'' in 2008. A collection of 1960s- and 1970s-influenced songs, it was considered a departure from
her R&B-oriented debut upon its release in August 2008.
By December 2008, the album had sold over 114,000 copies according to
Nielsen SoundScan
Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
.
The album was positively received by critics, some of whom considered it far better than her debut. In support of the album, Solange began the Solange Presents Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams Tour in Britain in November 2008. The song "
T.O.N.Y.
"T.O.N.Y." is a song by American singer Solange Knowles. It was written and produced by Jack Splash and Cee-Lo Green for her second studio album ''Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams'' (2008) and released on March 31, 2009 as the album's third and ...
" was the third and final single to be lifted from the album in April 2009.
In October of the same year, Solange announced on her
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account that she had parted ways with
Interscope Geffen A&M
Interscope Geffen A&M Records (IGA), is an American umbrella label owned by Universal Music Group, consisting of record labels Interscope Records, Geffen Records, and A&M Records.
History
Interscope Geffen A&M Records was established in 1999, ...
after releasing just one album on the label, and further revealed that she had chosen to go
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
with her next album, stating that "although it's been a wonderful journey and experience at Interscope Records, after truly recognizing what's important to ME as an artist, I decided it was time for me to continue my path on a more independent platform
..I'm excited about continuing to dive in, experiment and creating music and art with no boundaries, fears or expectations. Gonna be fun folks."
Recording
![Lightspeed Champion at Primavera Sound Festival](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Lightspeed_Champion_at_Primavera_Sound_Festival.jpg)
In an interview with ''
Vibe
''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...
'' on July 7, 2010, Solange said she suffered "a little bit of a
breakdown
Breakdown may refer to:
Breaking down
*Breakdown (vehicle), failure of a motor vehicle in such a way that it cannot be operated
*Chemical decomposition, also called chemical breakdown, the breakdown of a substance into simpler components
*Decompo ...
" while recording her new album: "I literally gave up my sanity for a while to do this record.
..We literally were waking up in the morning and just making music all day and all night.
..It just started to wear on me in so many different ways. I started having these crazy
panic attack
Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing ...
s." Solange explained how she made sacrifices "mentally, emotionally and financially", and continued, "It's more than an album to me. It's a transitional time in my life." Regarding the musical direction of the album, she said the inspiration came from
new wave and stated, "This is a
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
record, but the lyrics can get pretty dark at times."
The extended play was recorded in five cities including
Santa Barbara, LA,
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, NYC, and on the German autobahn.
Dev Hynes began work with Theophilus London, who called Solange stating that he had just been working on a record with Hynes and thought she should have been a part of it.
[Exclusive Q&A: Solange Talks ‘True’ EP, New Label, & Next Album , Rap-Up](_blank)
/ref> Following the call, Solange visited Theophilus at the studio, where she met Dev and after hearing his music, the two embarked on a friendship and a working relationship. Solange stated that the EP's recording process was done over a two-year period, but the first six months was a period where Solange and Dev Hynes swapped ideas and established a cohesive sound. Over the next two years, the pair co-wrote and co-produced thirty songs, with "Locked in Closets" and "Don't Let Me Down" being the first two songs to be recorded.
During the recording of ''True'', Solange worked with Pharrell Williams amongst other producers, however the songs were never used for the extended play.
Whilst in Santa Barbara, where the pair first started to work together, they were experimenting with different sounds, different sonics and different collaborators. There were other producers who were working with them and Solange stated "it just became really clear to me that the music me and Dev were creating together was very special, and from then I just transitioned into wanting Dev to produce the record."
Whilst recording ''True'', Solange took influence from production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, known for their work with Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
as well as listening to large amounts of SOS Band and Chaka Khan, records that were also produced by Jimmy Jam.
Music and lyrics
Consisting of seven tracks, ''True'' is primarily in the neo soul
Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contempo ...
genre but contains an eclectic sound that takes influence from R&B, new wave music
New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...
, dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
, 1980s pop, and electronica
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...
. Solange stated she was inspired by new wave music
New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...
and that "This is a dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
record, but the lyrics can get pretty dark at times." During an interview Solange confirmed that she had been experimenting with a moody, electronic sound
''Electronic Sound'' is the second studio album by English rock musician George Harrison. Released in May 1969, it was the last of two LPs issued on the Beatles' short-lived Zapple record label, a subsidiary of Apple Records that specialised in ...
for her next project. Nick Levine of the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
compared the extended play to the work of Madonna and described its music structure as a "tribute to early 80s pop-RnB music", stating the EP's production contains sweet keyboard sounds and beats that sound like that of a "battered old Casio drum machine."
A reviewer from Pitchfork described the songs as having no huge choruses but instead "its hooks bubble up quietly and quickly, then dissipate as the songs return to their downbeat simmer". The same reviewer stated that Hynes plays with non-traditional structures, letting the songs meander in and out of grooves. The album was described as containing no "filler" and an accessible and authentic piece of pop. The EP's songs have a diaphanous new wave via synth funk sound that was compared to the work of Little Dragon by Andy Kellman of
. The lyrical content of the album details a relationship gone wrong that "provide
aching, wistful, and frustrated contrast to the animated and slowly swaying backdrops" according to Kellman from AllMusic.
music, described as having a "pleasantly upbeat" sound that lyrically speaks about love that has become complicated.