Bathe In The Delight

Solange “Down with the Clique”

Solange is a rare example of a pop singer catering to the market and chasing trends by becoming more arty and esoteric. This is not to say that her work is contrived or insincere, but rather that pivoting away from mainstream pop and R&B – the domain of her extraordinarily famous sister – and towards a general “Pitchfork reader” demographic has allowed her to follow her muse and synthesize sounds from the more out-there Brainfeeder-ish reaches of contemporary jazz and funk into something more palatable to a wider audience. I’m a firm believer that the music ecosystem needs artists who can play this part, and Solange does it well enough to occupy an Erykah Badu-like role for a Millennial cohort.

“Down with the Clique” is not a cover of the Aaliyah song, but rather a meditative ballad that might qualify as a “slow jam” if it didn’t feel so ambiguous in tone. The arrangement sounds a bit like a fragment from electric period Miles Davis that’s stuttering a bit too much to settle into a tranquil loop. The smooth but off-kilter quality suits Solange’s voice, which can be a little character-less but sounds quite lovely when she pushes into the highest end of her range. The effect of her phrasing here emphasizes the sensuality of the chords, and softens the more jarring elements of the rhythm.

Buy it from Amazon.