Nine (Sault album) explained

Nine
Type:studio
Artist:Sault
Cover:SaultNineAlbumCover.jpeg
Alt:A black background with matchsticks spelling out "NINE" on it
Genre:Rhythm and blues, neo soul
Label:Forever Living Originals
Producer:Inflo
Prev Title:Untitled (Rise)
Prev Year:2020
Next Title:Air
Next Year:2021

Nine is the fifth studio album by the British rhythm and blues collective Sault, released on 25 June 2021 on Forever Living Originals. Produced by Inflo, the album was only available on streaming services and as a digital download for 99 days, until 2 October 2021.[1] The album received widespread critical acclaim, appearing on several end-of-year lists and received praise for its diversity of musical genres and styles as well as the lyrics' exploration of the urban black experience.

Critical reception

The editorial staff of AnyDecentMusic? characterized eight reviews as an 8.2 out of 10. Kitty Empire of The Observer rated the album five out of five stars, calling Nine a "masterclass in anger and balm" and praising the spoken-word sections of the release.[2] Jem Aswad of Variety praised the music for being "Black-centric and racially based, and forceful without being dogmatic or too in-your-face", with the lyrics exploring the experience of growing up as a minority in Britain.[3] Stereogum listed Nine as the album of the week, with reviewer Ryan Leas also noted how the release discusses the band members' origins and using the music to dig into "complexities and layers of Black experience".[4] After the album had been made unavailable for streaming, Will Dukes wrote an ode to Nine for Rolling Stone, calling the album release strategy "a fitting tribute to our ephemeral age" and praising how the group balances competing emotions with music that "dances with that specific existential despair, at once lighthearted and deathly serious".[5] Tarisai Ngangura of Pitchfork Media compares the "repetitive, earwormy melodies" paired with "ominous undertones" to children's rhymes; the review assess all tracks on the album pointing out the heavy lyrical themes and the band's ability to laugh through them.[6]

Barney Harsent of The Arts Desk wrote a five-star review, calling this one of the albums of the year, noting the varied genres of music and instrumentation as well as the album's ability to heal. Sofie Lindevall of Gigwise scored Nine a nine out of 10 stars and points out the diversity of genres and the powerful social messaging, including the spoken word piece by Michael Ofo.[7] Another nine out of 10 came from Uncuts John Lewis who points out how London-centric the music is.[8] Kyle Mullin of Exclaim! scored Nine an eight out of 10 for the "multitude of genres, styles and moods" present on the tracks that "span a spectrum between polish and grit".[9] The editorial board of AllMusic Guide gave this release four out of five stars and included it as the "Best of 2021", with reviewer Andy Kellman speculating that the tracks are outtakes from the band's previous albums, leading to the eclectic mix of styles that "play out like fragments of a concept album about grim street life caused by a lack of opportunities and endangered by a surplus of looming threats", but notes that even if they are outtakes, they are "no slapdash addendum" to the band's catalogue.[10]

Publication! scope="col" class="unsortable"
ListRank
AllMusic GuideBest of 2021
The Arts Desk[11] Albums of the Year: 2021
Consequence[12] The 50 Albums of 2021
The Guardian[13] The 50 Best Albums of 2021
NME[14] The 50 Albums of 2021
Uncut[15] The 50 Albums of 2021

Nine was nominated for Best Album at the 2022 Ivor Novello Awards.[16] [17]

Chart performance

Chart! scope="col"
PeakDuration
United Kingdom (Official Charts)[18] 702 weeks

Personnel

Sault

Additional personnel

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sault Announce New Record Nine, Which Will Be Available for Only 99 Days. Bloom . Madison . 2022-11-12 . 2021-06-16 . en-US . .
  2. Web site: Sault: Nine review – a masterclass in anger and balm . . Empire . Kitty . Kitty Empire . en-GB . 2021-06-03.
  3. Web site: Sault's Nine Is a Blast of Innovative, Socially Conscious R&B — Available for Just 99 Days. Awad . Jem . . en-US . 2022-06-25 . 2022-11-12 .
  4. Web site: Album Of The Week: SAULT NINE. . Leas . Ryan . 2021-07-29 . 2022-11-12 . en-US .
  5. An Ode to Sault's Disappearing Album Nine. Dukes . Will . 2021-10-09 . 2022-11-12 . en-US . .
  6. Web site: SAULT: NINE Album Review . Ngangura . Tarisai . . 2021-07-01 . en-US . 2022-11-12.
  7. Web site: Album Review: SAULT – Nine . Lindevall . Sofie . . 2021-06-25 . 2022-11-12 . en-GB.
  8. . September 2021 . Lewis . John . 26 . New Albums . . 1368-0722.
  9. Web site: If the Bruising Storytelling of SAULT's NINE Doesn't Captivate You, Their Rhythms Will. Mullin . Kyle . en-CA . 2021-07-07 . 2022-11-12 . .
  10. Web site: Sault –Nine . Kellman . Andy . . en-US . 2022-11-12.
  11. Web site: Albums of the Year 2021: Sault – Nine . Harsent . Barney . 2021-12-31 . 2022-11-12 . en-GB.
  12. Web site: The 50 Albums of 2021 . . 17 December 2021 . 18 December 2021 .
  13. Web site: The 50 Best Albums of 2021 . . 17 December 2021 . 18 December 2021 .
  14. Web site: The 50 Albums of 2021 . . 17 December 2021 . 18 December 2021 .
  15. Web site: Sault's Nine on Year End Lists . Album of the Year . 17 December 2021 . 18 December 2021 .
  16. News: Carl . Smith . April 7, 2022 . Ivor Novello Awards 2022: Adele, Ed Sheeran, Dave and Inflo lead list of nominations . live . . https://web.archive.org/web/20220407045511/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/ivor-novello-awards-2022-adele-ed-sheeran-dave-and-inflo-lead-list-of-nominations__35678/ . April 7, 2022 . May 21, 2022.
  17. News: Rhian . Daly . 19 May 2022 . Sam Fender, Dave, Little Simz and more win at The Ivors 2022 . live . en-GB . . https://web.archive.org/web/20220520041132/https://www.nme.com/news/music/sam-fender-dave-little-simz-more-win-the-ivors-2022-3229592 . 20 May 2022 . 21 May 2022.
  18. Web site: en-GB . Sault Full Official Chart History . . 2022-11-20.