In her third full studio album, Solange offers a refreshingly intimate, yet powerful take on identity and blackness in America. Although “A Seat at the Table” mirrors many issues of visibility and vulnerability outlined in her sister’s groundbreaking video album, “Lemonade,” Solange looks inward where Beyoncé did not.
Through the use of second-person narrative and sound bytes of family and friends, Solange speaks directly to the listener, empowering and encouraging them to embrace their emotions and feel secure with their place in the world.
The album starts off with the brief, melodic “Rise,” an embrace of vulnerability with the lyrics, “Fall in your ways so you can crumble / Fall in your ways so you can sleep at night.”
The three-part harmony swells as the gentle piano accompaniment gently pushes the song ahead with delicate yet sharp crescendos.
Another stand-out on the album is her collaboration with Lil Wayne entitled “Mad.” “Mad” is led into by the interlude “Dad Was Mad,” a recording of Solange’s father speaking about his experience with racial discrimination. The interlude then fades into “Mad” with a sprightly, jazz piano introduction. In spite of the title, “Mad” is not a song meant to incite anger, but rather offer a validation for it. It’s a piece meant to deconstruct the angry black woman narrative. The steady, slow and concrete bass beat is underneath a delicate piano riff, which accompanies Solange’s powerful vocals and complements the iconic, gritty voice of Lil Wayne.
“Don’t Touch My Hair” is a song similarly tied to its interlude, “Tina Taught Me.” Here, Solange’s mother, Tina Knowles, talks about accepting the beauty in black people in spite of the the stigmatization surrounding cultural pride. The underlying beat of “Don’t Touch My Hair” begins simmering and the recording flows straight into the song. “Don’t Touch My Hair” is both one of the more upbeat and confrontational songs on the album. The production is layered and rich without being distracting, allowing Solange to stand out while blending with Sampha’s harmonies and melodic commentary.
“A Seat at the Table” is a groundbreaking, empowering album with a cohesive and positive message for both the individual and American society as a whole.
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