Air | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 13 April 2022 | |||
Genre | Choral, contemporary classical,[1][2] funk[3] | |||
Length | 45:06 | |||
Language | English | |||
Label | Forever Living Originals | |||
Producer | Inflo | |||
Sault chronology | ||||
|
Air is the sixth studio album by English contemporary R&B group Sault, released on 13 April 2022 to positive reception by critics.
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.2⁄10[4] |
Metacritic | 77⁄100[5] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic Guide | [6] |
Clash | 5⁄10[7] |
The Guardian | [3] |
Mojo | [8] |
Pitchfork | 83⁄100[9] |
Uncut | 7⁄10[10] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Air received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 from six critic scores.[5] The editorial staff at AnyDecentMusic? scored characterized reviews as a 7.2 out of 10, with five reviews.[4] The editors of AllMusic Guide gave Air four out of five stars, with reviewer Andy Kellman praising the group's to choral music, as well as the vocals on "Luos Higher".[6] In The Guardian, Stevie Chick scored this release five out of five stars, calling this "boundary-breaking work for an entirely new and unexpected paradigm" after the group's funk and hip hop roots.[3] Shy Thompson of Pitchfork rated Air an 83 out of 100, with the site naming it the Best New Music of the week; Thompson's review calls Air "too manifold to be easily simplified" and noting that it is an important statement about love.[9] The same publication posted a review of the 39 best albums of 2022 so far on 13 June and included Air.[11] For The Quietus, Nathan Evans called this album "compositions deserve Fantasia-style visuals", that still retain some of the group's R&B roots.[12] Clash's Robin Murray dissented, with a five out of 10 review that considers this work weak compared the band's back catalogue, calling it "disappointing and listless", but "at times pretty, at others curiously appealing".[7] Mojo's Tom Doyle rated Air three out of five stars, calling it "impressive in its execution", but noting that it "too frequently tends to the bombastic".[8] In Uncut, John Lewis assessed this release a seven out of 10 for being "a rather audacious curveball" that is "a little stiff and metronomic in places".[10]
Track listing
- "Reality" – 3:58
- "Air" – 5:54
- "Heart" – 3:52
- "Solar" – 12:34
- "Time Is Precious" – 7:03
- "June 55" – 5:31
- "Luos Higher" – 6:10
Chart performance
Chart | Peak | Duration |
---|---|---|
US Top Classical Albums (Billboard)[2] | 24 | 1 week |
US Top Classical Crossover Albums (Billboard)[1] | 2 | 15 weeks |
See also
References
- 1 2 "Sault Chart History (Top Classical Crossover Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
- 1 2 "Sault Chart History (Top Classical Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
- 1 2 3 Chick, Stevie (19 April 2022). "Sault: Air review – a daring act of creative rebirth pays off". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- 1 2 "Air by Sault reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- 1 2 "Air by Sault Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- 1 2 Kellman, Andy. "Sault – Air". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- 1 2 Murray, Robin (20 April 2022). "Sault – AIR". Clash. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- 1 2 Doyle, Tom (July 2022). "Filter Albums". Mojo. No. 344. p. 90. ISSN 1351-0193.
- 1 2 Thompson, Shy (21 April 2022). "SAULT: Air". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- 1 2 Lewis, John (July 2022). "New Albums". Uncut. p. 31. ISSN 1368-0722.
- ↑ Bloom, Madison (13 June 2022). "The 39 Best Albums of 2022: Our Favorite Music of the Year So Far". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ↑ Evans, Nathan (22 April 2022). "Reviews | Sault". Retrieved 12 November 2022.
External links
- Air at Discogs (list of releases)
- Air at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
- Aggregate reviews from Album of the Year
- Review from Album Reviews blog
- Review from Albumism
- Review from Free Style Bristol