Solange vs. Beyonce

We've all seen Everybody Hates Chris right. We've seen the way that Chris has to put up with the fact that his younger brother is bigger, better, faster & stronger than him & that he (Drew) gets a lot more girls, than he does. Add to that the fact that he has to have wear hand me down clothes from him too & the hilarious results are there for us all to see.

Now translate some of what goes on in Chris' life to Beyonces' current situation. What situation? Imagine being thee RnB superstar of current times. You have one of thee most well known female face of recent years. You sell millions upon millions of albums. You have released arguably one of thee most recognisable songs of any genre of the current millenium. You have modelling & make up contracts with some of the leading fashion houses. And to top it all off your boyfriend/fiance/husband (i forget which) is arguably the biggest Hip Hop mogul alive. Then your little sister releases an album that is far superior to anything you have released to date (group or solo). That situation.

I actually bought a copy of Solanges 1st album (Solo Star) & I would never have thought that 5 years later she would be at the helm of such an accomplished project. I've said many times that i'm a sucker for live instrumentation & that is where the immediate appeal of Sol-Angel & The Hadlet Street Dreams lies. There is an accesibility throughout that in most cases would be to the detriment of the overall sound. But in this case the sultry tone of Solanges' voice marries perfectly with what's going on behind her. The spacey yet soulfully understated vibe of the opening track, God Given Name, show exactly how far this Lady has come in 5 years. Listening to the middle part of the vocals of this song there is absolutely no denying that the younger Knowles can go a long, long way. The live instrumentaion also means the music is able to move in the same circles as the Amy Winehouses, the Duffy's & the Kylie Auldists of this world & more than deserve to be in there company. Songs such as Dancing In The Dark, Sandcastle Disco & the superbly crafted tracks 6 O'clock Blues & Ode To Marvin, take this album to a level of maturity that Beyonce hasn't even got close to. Even the more out there cuts, Valentines Day, This Bird & Cosmic Journey, are so much more than filler. Especially the latter which features Bilal & an unexpected but superb change of pace. All that, then the seductively uplifting Champagnechroniknight-cap rounds things off masterfully. This album manages to cover such a variety of genres in such a accomplished fashion that I actually cant believe the name Knowles is associated with it. Solange is now officially on my favourites of the year list. If she continues with future releases of this quality, she could very well knock big sis' off of her lofty perch.

As for Beyonce. let's be honest. As much as her voice truly is a thing of greatness & as catchy as her singles are, her albums thus far are standard RnB fair. So, seeing her li'l sis' raise the bar so high must surely inspire her to reach new heights next time too.... right?

p e a c e

Solange - Sol-Angel & The Hadley Street Dreams selection

Bonus: Solange - F%$k The Industry (Remix) ft. Wale
(courtesy of 2dopeboyz)