Sweet Sol Music

When I posted on 22nd September that Cleo Sol had released her third album the week before, little did I realise that a week later - and in true SAULT style - a fourth album would follow.

 

So, for the last month, I have been soaking up albums #3 (Heaven) and #4 (Gold), a total of 19 new songs that combined would fit comfortably on a CD but are two thematically if not sonically different propositions.

 

Heaven unsurprisingly draws deep from the well of Cleo's faith and love, for one's self, family and friends and calling out those that have and would do harm. It's a source that she has returned to frequently. If at times the aspiration for a universally resonating message can mean that the words at times distanced from the narrator, Cleo imbues every syllable with a deceptively easy grace and passion that draws you in and brings you along.

 

I'd previously described Heaven as a lighter offering in the sense that it's nine songs are done and dusted in half an hour but lyrically there are sharper, more painful moments. Old Friends is a reflection on a lost relationship,

 

You had my trust and we had choices

But you told my secrets to strangers

(And I hate the fact that we’re over)

 

Miss Romantic is anything but, focusing on the aftermath of a friend's toxic relationship,

 

Now it's all gone left, he said, she said
You knew there were issues before you got there
But he's older, you just don't understand
He should be responsible for an older man

 

Album closer Love Will Lead You There inevitably ends on an optimistic note,

 

So many times, I've gone wrong
But your love, it stayed consistently strong
Never doubted, our faith kept me holding on
Blessings I don't talk about, it's between me and God

 

Gold picks up the pace with a bass-and-piano driven groove birthed in the 1970s that runs throughout the album, bar the occasional stripped back piano ballad. Reviews so far have frequently name dropped the likes of Stevie Wonder and Erykah Badu but perhaps inevitably I'm reminded more of Lovers' Rock artists like Sylvia Tella and (especially) Carroll Thompson. 

 

God is present in the narrative phrasing throughout though it never feels overbearing or preachy. Lost Angel acknowledges, Our Gods may be different / But they see us all the same, but there's plenty to draw from and resonate with in the songs for those that find their way through life without the need for belief in an omniscient being (or beings). 

 

The album ends with the title track, a positive, empowering message - to herself? her partner Inflo? a friend? 

Focus on your dreams and go
I know it's hard for you to trust
Fear will slow you down and not help you grow
But what do I know?

 

Does it really matter? The music itself has a healing, soothing effect, Inflo's sympathetic arrangements and production giving Cleo's - okay, I'll say it - angelic voice flight up into the heavens and wrapping the whole aural experience around you like a longed-for hug.

 

'Cause we gon' keep on smilin'
'Cause it's hard, but we'll work it out

 

I am painfully aware that my previous Cleo Sol posts have elicited zero comments so this may well go the same way. As someone who hasn't had a great deal of interest in contemporary R&B and soul music and is bemused by the latest appellation neo-soul, Cleo Sol is an exception and an exceptional talent. These two albums may not change your life but they may change your mind.

 

Both Heaven and Gold are available on vinyl, CD and digital formats and today is Bandcamp Friday which means that the artists will receive 100% of any purchases there. 

 

In my previous post, I promised a new Dubhed selection. That's been temporarily paused in light of the double whammy of new albums but, as promised, you can find resurrected links to my previous Cleo Sol/SAULT selection from March 2022 right here.