''Untitled (Rise)'' is the fourth studio album from British
R&B musical group
Sault. The album has been met with positive critical reception.
Critical reception
At
AnyDecentMusic?
AnyDecentMusic? is a website that collates album reviews from magazines, websites, and newspapers. Primarily focused on popular music – covering rock, pop, electronic, dance, folk, country, roots, hip-hop, R&B, and rap – albums are adjudg ...
, the editorial staff rate the album 8.7 out of 10, with six reviews.
Alexis Petridis
Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...
of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' gave the album five out of five stars, saying that Sault had released the best album of the year again, following ''
Untitled (Black Is)
''Untitled (Black Is)'' is the third studio album by the British R&B musical group Sault, released on 19 June 2020 through the independent record label Forever Living Legends. The album has been met with positive critical reception.
Release ...
'' and points out the exceptional musicianship, writing that the album "hardly yields highlights because the quality never wavers: whoever’s involved, it feels like they’ve been galvanised to the top of their game".
Jem Aswad of ''
Variety
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'' accentuates how timely the work is, with the worldwide response to the
George Floyd protests
The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internati ...
and struggles of black peoples in the United States and United Kingdom, writing, "Sault seduces listeners, drawing them in with beautiful sounds, and then hits them with uncompromisingly direct lyrics and messages that startle them into thinking about things they might not normally think about...
heir musicis definitively 2020, by, for and about these times".
In ''
Clash'', Robin Murray gave this album nine out of 10, also noting how the lyrics discuss contemporaneous issues, noting the diverse musical influences, from Brazilian rhythm to 1980s "boogie shimmer".
Jeremy Monroe of ''
Beats Per Minute
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'' scored this 81 out of 100, calling listening to ''Untitled (Rise)'' a "thrilling experience" with a spiritual dimension.
Gordon Rutherford of ''
Louder Than War
''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by journalist John Robb in 2010 and is now ru ...
'' gave this 4.5 out of five bombs, calling it a "another stab at winning the award for album of the year", following ''Untitled (Black Is)''.
Reviewing the album for
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, Andy Kellman felt that it was Sault's "most striking and affecting work yet."
For
Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog.
Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
, Marc Hogan gave a positive review the track "Fearless", calling it a highlight of the album that "pairs impeccably stylish, laid-back R&B with a message that meets the current moment".
Track listing
#"Strong" (Dean Josiah Cover and Cleopatra Nikolic)– 6:18
#"Fearless" (Cover and Nikolic)– 4:09
#"Rise" (Cover and Melisa Young)– 1:01
#"I Just Want to Dance" (Cover and Nikolic)– 4:21
#"Street Fighter" (Cover and Nikolic)– 3:09
#"Son Shine" (Kadeem Clarke, Cover, and Nikolic)– 3:16
#"Rise Intently" (Cover)– 0:50
#"The Beginning & The End" (Cover and Young)– 3:38
#"Free" (Cover and Nikolic)– 5:05
#"You Know It Ain't" (Cover and Young)– 3:26
#"Uncomfortable" (Cover and Nikolic)– 3:16
#"No Black Violins in London" (Cover and Young)– 1:28
#"Scary Times" (Cover)– 3:39
#"The Black & Gold" (Clarke and Cover)– 3:04
#"Little Boy" (Cover and Nikolic)– 3:52
Personnel
Sault
* Kadeem Clarke
* Dean Josiah "Inflo" Cover
* Cleopatra "Cleo Sol" Nikolic
* Melisa Young
Chart performance
References
External links
*
*
Aggregate reviews from Album of the YearReview from Album Reviews blogReview from Albumism
{{authority control
2020 albums
Sault (band) albums
Self-released albums
Albums produced by Inflo