Reintroducing you to the woman formerly known as Beyonce’s little sister is Solange Knowles’ most recent EP, “True”.
The songstress has delivered to the world what can be described as the soundtrack of her evolution as an artist. Her progression is evident stylistically and vocally on this seven-track compilation. Knowles teamed up with the talented British producer/musician Dev Hynes and, needless to say, her new, unconventional sound and sultry look suits this lady wonderfully.
Solange takes us through a story of unrequited love, infidelity, and heartache with her infectious lyrics and rhythmic beats that are reminiscent of post-disco and New Wave in the early 80’s.
With sounds of handclaps echoing in the background and an up beat tempo riding the track, “Losing You” introduces you to a whirlwind of romance and serves as the breakup song in this collection of songs about heartache. Upon mentioning that this EP is essentially a story of heartache, it’d be fair to assume that that the singer would be belting out her pain over a typical slow melody to express her sentiments. However, contrary to that belief, Solange somehow manages to embody a mellow sound on these tracks while still commanding everybody listening to jolt with dance moves.
After revisiting moments in time with a lover and a recent breakup, the Knowles lets out a foul-mouthed plea to be left alone so that she can move on. This leads the listener into the second track, “Some Things Never Seem To F***ing Work”. In that same breathe, she tosses between longing for love in “Locked in Closets” and begging her lover not to break her heart in “Don’t Let Me Down”.
Earth Wind and Fire’s brilliant bassist Verdine White joins the Hynes-Knowles duo to sprinkle some of his funky flavor on the final track, “Bad Girls”. In the last few seconds of the song, Solange’s smoothed out melodic harmonies begin to fade, ending the confused love story.
“True” marks Solange’s first release under Brooklyn indie record label, “Terrible Records”, founded by Chris Taylor and Ethan Silverman. With the EP also being her first body of work in four years since her 2008 album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams.” Due to the overall accessibility of this EP, it’s safe to say she has successfully broken into the indie-pop genre effortlessly.
If True is supposed to keep her growing audience interested before the release of her upcoming album this year, consider the world tuned in. Ms. Knowles, you’ve got our attention.
