Earth is the eighth studio album from British funk band Sault, one of five released for free via digital distribution on 1 November 2022 (along with 11, Aiir, Today & Tomorrow, and Untitled (God)).[1] The download was available for only five days via a password-encrypted link and made as an offering to God.[2] Four of the five (excluding Untitled (God)) were released on streaming music services on 12 November.[3]
| Earth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 November 2022 | |||
| Genre | Funk | |||
| Length | 39:14 | |||
| Label | Forever Living Originals | |||
| Producer | Inflo | |||
| Sault chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
editWriting for The Daily Telegraph, Ali Shutler reviewed all five simultaneous releases by Sault and gave them a collective four out of five stars, noting that Earth "blends soul with African drumbeats".[1] In an overview of the best music of the week on All Songs Considered, NPR considers the five releases "as sonically diverse as they are ambitious in their breadth and scale".[4] Damien Morris of The Observer reviewed all five albums and scored them five stars, noting that "anyone can find their own five-star classic among these 56 songs" and summing up that "it's clear that these albums are an act of supreme generosity, not indulgent superfluity".[5] Writing for Gigwise, Luke Winstanley called the collective releases "an absurd achievement" and scored this album nine out of 10 for balancing the band's "huge array of influences" and suggesting that "Stronger" may be the best song they have released.[6]
"Stronger" was nominated for Best Song, Musically and Lyrically at the 2023 Ivor Novello Awards.[7][8]
Track listing
edit- "Spirit Call" – 1:36
- "The Lord's with Me" – 8:21
- "Valley of the Ocean" – 4:19
- "God Is in Control" – 4:51
- "Power" – 2:33
- "Stronger" – 3:56
- "Fields" – 6:14
- "Soul Inside My Beautiful Imagination" – 3:35
- "Warrior" – 3:49
Charts
editEarth debuted on the UK Digital Albums chart from the Official Charts Company at 23. The same week, 11 was 8, Untitled (God) showed up at 23, and Today & Tomorrow was 26.[9]
| Chart | Peak | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[9] | 21 | 1 week |
References
edit- ^ a b Shutler, Ari (4 November 2022). "Phoenix haunt the Louvre, Sault offer songs to God – the week's best albums". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ Monroe, Jazz (1 November 2022). "Sault Release 5 Password-Protected New Albums". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ Richards, Will (12 November 2022). "Sault release four of their five new albums on streaming services". NME. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ Lee, Cristina; Tourus, Cyrena; Morrison, John; Hilton, Robin (4 November 2022). "New Music Friday: The best releases out on Nov. 4". All Songs Considered. NPR. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ Morris, Damien (13 November 2022). "Sault: Aiir, Earth, Today & Tomorrow, Untitled (God), 11 review – an act of supreme generosity". The Observer. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Winstanley, Luke (21 November 2022). "All 5 of the New Sault Albums, Reviewed". Gigwise. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Ahmed, Aneesa (18 April 2023). "Harry Styles, Cleo Sol and Inflo top nominations for 2023 Ivor Novello awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ Dunworth, Liberty (19 April 2023). "Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine, Harry Styles lead 2023 Ivor Novello nominations". NME. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
External links
edit- Earth at Discogs
- Earth at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
- Brief overview of the five albums from KEXP
