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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.
8mo
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.
8mo
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.
8mo
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.
8mo
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.
8mo
90
In essence, When I Get Home is a deeply personal album which ditches the standards of the pop industry in many ways.
8mo
90
Solange's abstract fourth album When I Get Home plays like a dream, but its logic is sound.
8mo
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.
8mo
80
Songs play out like mantras, her rawness manifesting as repetition.
8mo
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.
8mo
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.
8mo
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.
8mo
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.
8mo
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.
8mo
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.
8mo
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.
8mo
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.
8mo
60
The songs frequently sound like jams or extemporisations on a theme, where melodies float away vaporously or get stuck in repetition.
8mo
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.
8mo
60
Solange Knowles’s tantalising fourth album conjures fragments and fleeting impressions that get inside your head.
8mo
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.
8mo
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
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)
The nose/eyelid jewelry is my favorite part of this album; she looks STUNNING on the cover.
Solange continues her exploration of value and identity through a sonically textured, thematically dense record. While it will take some time for me to digest the lyrical content, the way that Solange creates songs is fascinating. Her music has an inherent sense of community built into it through the diversity of sounds and voices. I think the album particularly shines from 'Almeda' to the end as it ... read more
Solange continues her exploration of value and identity through a sonically textured, thematically dense record. While it will take some time for me to digest the lyrical content, the way that Solange creates songs is fascinating. Her music has an inherent sense of community built into it through the diversity of sounds and voices. I think the album particularly shines from 'Almeda' to the end as it ... read more
Year End Lists
| #60 | / | Uncut |
Decade Lists
| #81 | / | Pitchfork (2010s) |
MISC LISTS
| #3 | / | Complex (First Half) |
| #5 | / | Exclaim! (First Half) |
| #10 | / | Consequence of Sound (First Half) |
| #11 | / | Paste (First Half) |
| #18 | / | Stereogum (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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In Library (185)
Contributions By
philthy, thisisabtlgrnd, Toasterqueen12, parent, MusicXXY, venusasaboy, Leo Aguilar, patton
stereogum.com
Watch Solange’s 'When I Get Home' Short Film 
stereogum.com
Stream Solange’s New Album 'When I Get Home' 
Added on: February 28, 2019
