***ALBUM OF THE MONTH | August 2021***
Cleo Sol
Mother
Forever Living Originals
Listen Below
Forever Living Originals is the label that houses SAULT and its associated acts, guided by the twin musical powerhouses Inflo and Cleo Sol. Having released five SAULT albums and Cleo Sol’s impressive Rose In The Dark (2020) to incredible critical acclaim in the last two years, the run is set to continue with the release of Sol’s outstanding new album Mother.
The title itself might be clue enough as to the subject matter and, indeed, the style of the music contained within, but an Instagram post clarified it further: “I became a mother this year and it’s been the most transformative, uplifting, heart-melting, strength giving experience thus far that led me to write this album. We worked with a small team of hand-picked individuals, who helped make this music so special and whose intentions were aligned with the honesty I was looking for and who trusted that vision.”
It would be fair to say that those qualities Sol experienced in becoming a mother are all present in the album she has produced. The music itself is markedly different from both the SAULT albums she created with Inflo and the aforementioned debut album. Whereas SAULT albums are (to make a harsh generalization) driven by percussive force and are strident, forthright and lyrically confrontational, here the melodies consist of luxurious keyboards like the Fender Rhodes that swaddle proceedings in a cocoon of bliss.
Lyrically, it is similarly blissful and a reflection of the song titles—“Heart Full Of Love,” “Build Me Up” and “Know That You Are Loved” are the most obvious examples of the tone that permeates throughout. On the first of those she sings: “We both know you’ll find your own way / That’s the way a flower grows / A mother’s love will protect you from only so much / People change so put your faith in God” and these words are typical of the frank yet uplifting lyrics throughout the rest of the album.
The other thing that immediately strikes the listener is that there is a shift in structure which could be said to be roughly akin to the structure of “Superwoman” by Stevie Wonder. Of the twelve songs on the album, four of them are much longer than any other song from her discography and possess shifts in tone, pace and instrumentation around halfway through them.
Album opener “Don’t Let Me Fall” is not one of those, but it does introduce the notion that these songs are not all about becoming a mother but also the experience of having a mother. It is a reflection on her own childhood: “We were kids under the sheets / In this hoarded house / There’s no hope in these rooms of looped dreams / All these pictures looking at me / Mothers don’t leave.”
Later, during the gently uplifting “23,” she seemingly offers a gentle rebuke to her own mother: “Mama, please stop acting twenty-three / You’ve got responsibilities / Are you still stuck in your teens?”
There is also an element of gospel to some of the compositions, such as on “Heart Full Of Love” when it threatens to flare out to include a rousing crescendo with full choir in attendance. Surprisingly, there is a sense of restraint to the production which stops short of euphoric release and it benefits from that tension being retained.
Mother also serves as a reminder that Sol can sing, and I mean really sing. Her control is effortless and the vocal runs are beautiful even when singing in her broken-down, vulnerable, breathy tone. She can imbue lyrics with great sadness (“Don’t Let Me Fall”), purity and hope (“Music”) and blissful meditative states (“Know That You Are Loved”) with equal skill. If it wasn’t clear before that she could really sing, it is crystalline by the album’s conclusion.
Having already mentioned the genius of Stevie Wonder as a potential inspiration, further substance is given to that thought by the presence of what sounds like a Moog lurking in both “Sunshine” and “We Need You.” Another name that springs to mind is legendary producer and songwriter Charles Stepney. On the exuberant horn infused album closer “Spirit” there is more than a hint of Stepney’s work with Rotary Connection and Terry Callier.
Those touchstones notwithstanding, the overall tone and feeling of the album is testament to the dynamic work of Cleo Sol and Inflo. With scant readily available information, the exact machinations of their partnership are shrouded in mystery. But whatever they may be, it is a match made in musical heaven. Capable of summoning the spirit of Roberta Flack (“One Day”) one moment and then engaging in a slinky piece of flamenco-like syncopation (the end portion of “Music”) the next, they have created an album of sublime melodies and instrumentation.
The fact that this album could provoke a conversation in my mind as to whether it is better than the exceptional Untitled (Rise) goes some way to illustrate the quality of the work here. It is a thrilling companion piece to both Cleo Sol’s debut and the SAULT albums, and shows a pair working at quite dazzling and dizzying heights.
Notable Tracks: “23” | “Build Me Up” | “Spirit” | “We Need You”
LISTEN: