Sol-Angel & the Hadley St. Dreams

Performer: Solange
Artist: Bilal
Engineer: Rommel Nino Villanueva; Andres Bermudez; Gelly Kusuma; Christian Plata; Ryan Gilligan; Shinnosuke Miyazawa; Robert "LB" Dorsey; Patrick Magee; Andrew Coleman
Producer: Shea Taylor; Jack Splash; Bama Boyz; Mr. Familiar; Max Gousse; Karlin; Mark Ronson; Solange; Soulshock; Square; The Neptunes; Thievery Corporation
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Sean Hurley (guitar, keyboards, bass instrument); John "Jabb" Broussard (guitar, bass instrument); Phillip Todd (saxophone); Noel Langley (trumpet, flugelhorn); Neil Sidwell (trombone); Manny Patino (drums). Audio Mixers: Ben H Allen; Neal H. Pogue; Jack Splash; Manny Marroquin; Dave Pensado; Soulshock. Arrangers: Jack Splash; Karlin; Simon Hale; Soulshock. With her sophomore album SOL-ANGEL & THE HADLEY ST. DREAMS, Solange Knowles is out to change the fact that she's best known as "Beyonce's little sister." The family connection obviously hasn't hurt her, but where her debut was a tepid, run-of-the-mill urban-contemporary offering, Solange's follow-up is a creative spray of day-glo color, proving that this artist has a confident, unique identity all her own. Steeped in vintage R&B samples and a freewheeling aesthetic that borrows from jazz, blues, hip-hop, and electronica, SOL-ANGEL grooves, surprises, and seduces. Whether she's channeling Marvin Gaye ("Ode to Marvin") or the stripped-down Motown vibe of lead single "I Decided," or dabbling in hip-hop or electro, the disc is fun back to front. Help from the Neptunes, Cee-Lo, Mark Ronson, Q-Tip, Lil Wayne, and Bilal makes the package glitter, but it's Solange's quirkiness and exuberance that makes this one of the better R&B albums of 2008.

Though Solange Knowles didn't experience appreciable commercial success until the release of her second album, SOL-ANGEL AND THE HADLEY ST. DREAMS, she was already something of an R&B veteran by the time it hit the charts in mid-2008. While still a teenager, Solange had demonstrated a considerable aptitude for songwriting, penning a handful of hits for her sister, Beyonce, including 2006's "Upgrade U." Though her first solo album, which featured production from the likes of Timbaland and Jermaine Dupri, was something of a commercial and critical disappointment, her sophomore release, SOL-ANGEL & THE HADLEY ST. DREAMS, debuted in the Top 10 and saw Solange effectively drawing inspiration from both classic soul music and the slick post-modernist pop of acts like Gnarls Barkley.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.5