Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 110 Best Albums of the 2010s, representing a varied cross-section of artists, genres, and styles. Click “Next Album” below to explore each album in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & album index here.
SOLANGE | A Seat at the Table
Saint/Columbia (2016)
Selected by Marcus Willis
In a year best characterized by death, anger, and fear, Solange’s A Seat at the Table served both as a musical light at the end of a dark tunnel, and as a perfectly-timed statement about the state of the world as it pertains to Black folks in general, and Black women in particular. The painstakingly-crafted album contemplates, mourns, and celebrates what it means to be Black in America, where your personal space, autonomy, and mere existence are subtly and overtly called into question on a regular basis. Atop production both gorgeous and hard, soaring and grounded, Solange lays down soothing melodies that lighten the subject matter’s exceptional weight. The lyrical sparseness of her 2019 follow-up When I Get Home was not a failure; it’s instead a testament to this record’s remarkable fullness, and how little left there was to say.
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