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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
Knowles’ fourth album is as fantastical and hopeful as its opening implies, a fluid collection of songs that spotlight her spectral voice and salute her hometown of Houston while also nodding to Stevie Wonder’s cosmic funk and the streaming era’s constantly shuffled focus.
100
This surprise-released, self-produced record is a reminder that Solange is an R&B frontrunner in her own right. It’s a celebration of women, black culture and – above all – music.
91
When I Get Home offers so much to be immersed in ... With the album and accompanying video, Solange emerges a true visionary with a piece of self-discovery that trusts its audience enough to eschew hand-holding and easy answers.
90
Driven by feelings, mindfulness and a newfound sense of purpose, the avant-garde album takes on an intensified jazz approach filled with sonic repetition, chord progression and freeform collaboration. And despite being light in lyrics, it's heavy in Houston traditions.
90
A Seat at the Table was an invitation into the woes that weighed heavy on Solange’s heart; When I Get Home is her gesture of consent to enter the warmest depths of her mind.
90
In essence, When I Get Home is a deeply personal album which ditches the standards of the pop industry in many ways.
90
Solange's abstract fourth album When I Get Home plays like a dream, but its logic is sound.
90
In a year where R&B and hip hop have proved the most innovative and original genres Solange has delivered a brilliantly crafted record that places her right at the top.
4mo
84
Solange’s fourth album is unhurried, ambient, and exploratory. Using everything from spiritual jazz to Gucci Mane, Solange conjures her hometown with exceptional songcraft and production.
80
Songs play out like mantras, her rawness manifesting as repetition.
80
Where 2016's A Seat At The Table commanded respect, action and validation to an extent, When I Get Home offers respite, support and hope.
80
Overall, ‘When I Get Home’ is a triumph, and is the kind of album you put on to reach your calming, safe place, when you get home at the end of a long day.
80
She offers brief but potent statements; over half the tracks are under three minutes and each one bleeds into the other like watercolors on her canvas.
80
Compared to A Seat at the Table, the balance of which processed anguish and anger, this is lighter and freer, above all else a luxuriant bliss-out.
80
With When I Get Home, the end result is a series of songs that feel like similar but still distinct microclimates, built out of samples that appear and vanish without a moment’s notice.
80
While When I Get Home is a valiant effort and (thankfully) distinctive to mainstream music’s consistently homogenized landscape, it could’ve benefited from less freeform and a little more stability.
80
When I Get Home is an uncompromising and leftfield sequel to ASATT, that captures the essence of why Solange is such a singular talent.
80
A beautiful stream of consciousness, ‘Home’ is the sound of an artist, donning a cloak of creative freedom. It’s a look that suits her.
60
The songs frequently sound like jams or extemporisations on a theme, where melodies float away vaporously or get stuck in repetition.
60
While more eclectic and adventurous than its predecessor, When I Get Home is let down by some stiff instrumentals and Solange's inexpressive singing.
60
Solange Knowles’s tantalising fourth album conjures fragments and fleeting impressions that get inside your head.
60
There are some good moments spread across When I Get Home ... but for the most part it just sounds like an album of interludes that vary in length.
Idk man it was nice but it came off a bit undercooked and redundant to me, Solange really wasn't an engaging enough figure at the helm here to carry these pretty subtle instrumentals. The beats aren't bad, they just really sound like they're shooting to just be as passive as possible so it'd help to have a singer with a lot of presence to really bring them to life, but idk Solange didn't really do that for me on this thing like she did on A Seat At The Table. Carti track is sick tho.
This album caught me from surprise in a good way. I really enjoyed her last album "A seat at the table" but the run-time on it made me return less on it with some of the deeper cuts on there feeling not as fully fleshed out. However with her newest album 'When I get home' shows Solange maturing as a songwriter and the production on here feeling lively. What makes this a great album in my eyes is the list of collaboration features that complement the aesthetics on here. The most ... read more
Holy shiiiit how did I not know about this
Solange’s voice is honestly just so goddamn sexy, let’s be honest. Her vocal deliveries are hust so smooth and effortless and she has this subtle swagger about her that can be infectious at times. This is a very good moody album to dim the lights to but at first listen it didnt seem to be nearly as emotionally or politically charged as her previous record. I definitely plan on doing a deep dive into this one
Solange’s voice is honestly just so goddamn sexy, let’s be honest. Her vocal deliveries are hust so smooth and effortless and she has this subtle swagger about her that can be infectious at times. This is a very good moody album to dim the lights to but at first listen it didnt seem to be nearly as emotionally or politically charged as her previous record. I definitely plan on doing a deep dive into this one
The production is such a highlight on this and I love just how different WIGH is from ASATT. Lighter subject matters, sexier and just happier in general. The colaborations are great as well and are easily the highlights.
Faves: Dreams, Almeda, My Skin My Logo (her laugh during her verse... no words)
Faves: Dreams, Almeda, My Skin My Logo (her laugh during her verse... no words)
Omg definitely my album of the year so far. All things here fits almost perfectly; production, lyrics, vocals, even the playboy carti and mane features works hella well in a beautiful, strange and confortable soulful experience.
(The 'almeda' track is pure gold)
(The 'almeda' track is pure gold)
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Year End Lists
| #1 | / | Los Angeles Times: Mikael Wood |
| #2 | / | TIME |
| #2 | / | Vulture |
| #4 | / | NOW Magazine |
| #4 | / | NPR Music |
| #5 | / | God Is In The TV |
| #5 | / | Okayplayer |
| #5 | / | Pitchfork |
| #5 | / | The Key |
| #5 | / | The Vinyl Factory |
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Decade Lists
| #13 | / | The Independent (2010s) |
| #30 | / | The Wild Honey Pie (2010s) |
| #81 | / | Pitchfork (2010s) |
MISC LISTS
| #3 | / | Complex (First Half) |
| #5 | / | Exclaim! (First Half) |
| #10 | / | Consequence of Sound (First Half) |
| #10 | / | HipHopDX (R&B) |
| #11 | / | Paste (First Half) |
More Lists
Track List
- Things I Imagined
- S McGregor (interlude)
- Down With The Clique
- Way To The Show
- Can I Hold The Mic (interlude)
- Stay Flo
- Dreams
- Nothing Without Intention (interlude)
- Almeda
- Time (is)
- My Skin My Logo
- We Deal With The Freak’n (intermission)
- Jerrod
- Binz
- Beltway
- Exit Scott (interlude)
- Sound Of Rain
- Not Screwed! (interlude)
- I’m a Witness
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Contributions By
philthy, thisisabtlgrnd, Toasterqueen12, parent, MusicXXY, venusasaboy, Leo Aguilar, patton, J_Ellis97, domvic
Added on: February 28, 2019