CLEO SOL
Mother
Produced by Inflo

https://cleosol.bandcamp.com/album/mother

Another Forever Living Originals release.
Folks that have heard it said the Sault Global collective has done it again.

https://digife.com

really contemplating buying the vinyl but the 40 GBP plus shipping price is killing me - it's working out to over $100 CAD which is way too steep

---

Frisson Radio | Saturdays 6-8 PM EST | 89.5 FM (Toronto) | www.ciut.fm
https://www.instagram.com/frissonradio

I bit the bullet. I know the album is gonna be good so I don't mind I guess.
I'm actually surprised she didn't get the same
rollout that Little Simz got (video, multiple vinyl variants, etc.)
It was just "Oh, it's out this Friday."

https://digife.com

Just don't know if I can swing $100 (Canadian) with shipping

---

Frisson Radio | Saturdays 6-8 PM EST | 89.5 FM (Toronto) | www.ciut.fm
https://www.instagram.com/frissonradio

I don't blame anybody passing on the vinyl.

But you're right, joint is sounding great so far.

Don't Let It Go To Your Head is....whew!

- Promises
- Build Me Up
- Sunshine (the end? maaaaan the groove)

I'm going to run this and the first album for a while.
In fact, I may just shuffle all the sault stuff this weekend.

https://digife.com

and I do mean meager, try buying the album from cleo-sol.com. I saved about five American dollars compared to buying it from bandcamp. The bad side to buying from her website is that you don't get mp3's.

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

So I might just purchase through there if I can muster up the courage to drop the cash

---

Frisson Radio | Saturdays 6-8 PM EST | 89.5 FM (Toronto) | www.ciut.fm
https://www.instagram.com/frissonradio

I hear you on being skittish on coping the vinyl at that cost. The main reason I plunked down the dollars this time is because I'm not certain this record will be available on US based vinyl website where I can avoid the British shipping costs.

If I see an American site, I be sure to post it up in this thread.

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

this is one of my albums of the year - just beautiful music man. having recently had a baby boy myself, this hits home on a spiritual level.

Her and Inflo and Simz and co are really a musical movement unto themselves.

5/5

This is really good, maybe not Rose in the Dark good but super solid all the way through. I'll save some nit-picking for later, right now I'll just enjoy these super-Stevie-influenced drums and go in for a second listen...

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

right now I'll just enjoy these
>super-Stevie-influenced drums and go in for a second
>listen...

I thought the same but wasn't confident enough in what I was hearing to properly describe it. It's subtle.

https://digife.com

dont let me fall
build me up

the flip on music?!

i liked rose better overall but im happy with it.

Definitely less consistent than Rose In The Dark, but the highs are much higher. Right now I'd say my favorite tracks are: Build Me Up, Music, 23 and Spirit. The tracks that I wanted a bit more from are Heart Full Of Love, Know That You Are Loved and We Need You.

Interesting that I see Stevie mentioned above because I definitely feel his influence here too.

Sol/SAULT/Inflo can't miss. On fire since 2019.

----------
https://93millionmilesabove.blogspot.com/
https://rateyourmusic.com/~Kosa12

>CLEO SOL
>Mother
>Produced by Inflo
>
>https://cleosol.bandcamp.com/album/mother
>
>Another Forever Living Originals release.
>Folks that have heard it said the Sault Global collective has
>done it again.

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

man this is a beautiful piece of art. I'm not gonna lie, I got a little teary eyed on Build Me Up, it just moved me. also Inflo's production reminds me of Charles Stephney, particularly his Rotary Connection stuff




<=========================================
https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PYzh4v9cSf4FDnq3yMQyqNqh79o=/800x0/filters:no_upscale%28%29/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4079674/jlio.0.gif

Yep. I’m actually listening to that song in the car now and came to post something similar.

I thought given the title and her life I thought it was going to be more of a “happy” album about her own motherhood— but I love how the opening is her processing her own relationship with her mother— and it holds much of the complexity I still grapple with in the relationship I have with my mom. I wrestle every day with the passed down trauma she gave to me, but I am also who I am in this world because of her love and brilliance.

Lol I just shared a whole lot, but that’s what the album is doing for me

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

I remember the first time i heard 'miles song' and I was like: this is some Rotary Connection shit for sure.

also
>Inflo's production reminds me of Charles Stephney,
>particularly his Rotary Connection stuff

I've been trying to put my finger on the feel for Mother, and Rotary Connection is a good one.

https://digife.com

>I've been trying to put my finger on the feel for Mother, and
>Rotary Connection is a good one.

yep, it's just like the slow groove from "I am the black gold of the sun"
which, btw, was very nicely covered in the 90s by nuyorican soul (louie vega and kenny gonzalez)

Really don't have any words
It's such a deeply personal record...just wow
When you think of the growth and how prolific the collective has been
5 quality albums in 2 years
Salute!
Hope this covid $hit resolves soon so I can see them live

---------------------------------------------------------------

If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

1. This is a really good album. They've done a great job of making this a Cleo Sol album
that has Sault sensibilities versus Cleo singing over unused Sault records.
Cleo on "Let Me Go" from 5 is not the same as Cleo on Mother.

2. Before I talk about Mother, can we talk about Inflo for a second?
I'm sure we all recognize that the amount of quality the Sault Global collective
has released in the last 3 years is nothing short of impressive. But as the "leader"
of this group, I want to put name him as one of the most important musicians out right now.

I thought I read somewhere that Adele has him working with her on new music.

3. This is a long album. A few times I wondered if I was halfway through the album and I realized I was only at "Sunshine".
Side B is full of songs that sounded like album-ending songs so I kept thinking "OK, THIS is the end" only to hear a new song follow it.
I think that's because...

4. Half the songs have two movements to them OR...

From Cleo Sol's Instagram:
"I hope you enjoy ‘Mother’ And I hope you find some peace
P.s - There are a few hidden tracks"

So are the beat switches/2nd movements the "hidden" songs?

5. These are my favorites currently:

- Promises
- Sunshine
- Build Me Up (the beat switch to the 2nd movement? Man look...)
- Don't Let It Go To Your Head
- Music (my goodness, the 2nd movement probably called "Dangerous"? Bruh)
- One Day (once again, the 2nd movement)

The 2nd movements on songs are long enough that I'm kiiiinda mad we didn't get those as separate tracks.
Those "hidden songs" are definitely the best parts of the album.

While I really really like all of those songs, nothing has hit me like
"Why Don't You" from Rose In the Dark.

6. Oh yeah, the Stevie stylings are there. Good look thebigfunk.

7. Competition on AOTY is gonna be tough this year. At least for the music I've listened to.
Topaz Jones, Zo & Tall Black Guy, Mndsgn, Mach-Hommy are all up there.
Mother is right up there with them.

https://digife.com

I couldn't figure out why at first but I think it's because of a lot of what you note here: the two-part songs (or two-song tracks) almost make it hard to keep aware of where you are in terms of a track list. I normally don't care that much BUT

>3. This is a long album. A few times I wondered if I was
>halfway through the album and I realized I was only at
>"Sunshine".
>Side B is full of songs that sounded like album-ending songs
>so I kept thinking "OK, THIS is the end" only to hear a new
>song follow it.

YES. This is my current nit-pick. Right now, I don't dislike anything on the record. I like some tunes more than others but I'm not mad at anything, I don't get itchy fingers to skip ahead. But you hit on the head: there are a lot of wrap-up moments here, album closers and several of them come right in a row. It's a fake-out but not in a good way -- it keeps me from sinking into it a bit more, hearing it as an album...

Plus, musically and lyrically, it's not light. A lot of the lyrics are simply written but that doesn't take away from the heaviness of what she's talking about (it almost emphasizes it and complements it).

So yeah, it's going to take a bit to really wrap my head around this one. That's not a bad thing by any stretch though; it's a good problem to have.


>6. Oh yeah, the Stevie stylings are there. Good look
>thebigfunk.
>

What's resonating is that kind of minimalist drum work of Stevie that you also find on Minnie's records, a lot of classic Roberta Flack, so much other stuff from that period. Tight but also loose and flowing; crisp snares/kicks but often very hushed as a whole. And it's that drummming that connects direct to '00s-period neo-soul, too -- which makes a lot of sense as an inspiration to this album.

Combined with the confessional/honest element, this feels very much of that '70s period in soul/r&b but not derivative at all.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

>>Side B is full of songs that sounded like album-ending songs
>>so I kept thinking "OK, THIS is the end" only to hear a new
>>song follow it.
>
>YES. This is my current nit-pick. Right now, I don't dislike
>anything on the record. I like some tunes more than others but
>I'm not mad at anything, I don't get itchy fingers to skip
>ahead. But you hit on the head: there are a lot of wrap-up
>moments here, album closers and several of them come right in
>a row. It's a fake-out but not in a good way -- it keeps me
>from sinking into it a bit more, hearing it as an album...

When I get to "Music", that's kinda when I'm thinking
I'm near the end. I can see how this might keep you from
fully sinking into the album. And honestly, at 67 minutes long,
they could have at least ended it on "One Day", and I woulda been good.

But after putting this album down for the last month and now
revisiting it, I think Mother is better than Rose In The Dark.
Rose is kinda like D's "Brown Sugar". More consistent songs, etc.
Mother is definitely more like Voodoo...songs built on groove that
kinda mold into each other.

But I had to step away from it to realize that.
Now that I'm back...I'm loving it.

https://digife.com

I’m new to both albums and I think Mother is far superior.

Mother definitely has higher highs.
I think the "album-has-4-closure-tracks" discussion thebigfunk and I were
having is us looking to find flaws in a serious AOTY candidate.

I really had to sit with Mother before I put it above Rose.

https://digife.com

I think they're different enough that comparing them much starts to fall short. What makes Rose so good, imo, is how tight and concise it is. I don't think there's anything on that album I would change, either song-by-song or as a whole.

What makes Mother so good is the opposite: its very open and sprawling and has an almost searching quality to it. It's a totally different energy for me than Rose.

They're both out-of-this-world records for me, both doing very different things very well.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

Marvin Gaye and Al Green come to mind as artists who were great at packing value into phrases that seem simple on the surface.

ROTARY CONNECTION! That’s what I was hearing. Yes.

Also, this and Rose in Dark sounds like something a more comfortable in his own skin Maxwell would have made more of. But that Embrya fallout changed him around. Luckily he eventually made it back around…

I am in on Cleo Sol all the way. She’ll be listened to day 1 the next time she shows up with anything. Wow.

I agree that MAYBE some of the movements could be separate tracks on Mother. Then again, maybe not. That ‘Dangerous’ section!? Okay, make that one separate.

>I couldn't figure out why at first but I think it's because
>of a lot of what you note here: the two-part songs (or
>two-song tracks) almost make it hard to keep aware of where
>you are in terms of a track list. I normally don't care that
>much BUT
>
>>3. This is a long album. A few times I wondered if I was
>>halfway through the album and I realized I was only at
>>"Sunshine".
>>Side B is full of songs that sounded like album-ending songs
>>so I kept thinking "OK, THIS is the end" only to hear a new
>>song follow it.
>
>YES. This is my current nit-pick. Right now, I don't dislike
>anything on the record. I like some tunes more than others but
>I'm not mad at anything, I don't get itchy fingers to skip
>ahead. But you hit on the head: there are a lot of wrap-up
>moments here, album closers and several of them come right in
>a row. It's a fake-out but not in a good way -- it keeps me
>from sinking into it a bit more, hearing it as an album...
>
>Plus, musically and lyrically, it's not light. A lot of the
>lyrics are simply written but that doesn't take away from the
>heaviness of what she's talking about (it almost emphasizes it
>and complements it).
>
>So yeah, it's going to take a bit to really wrap my head
>around this one. That's not a bad thing by any stretch though;
>it's a good problem to have.
>
>
>>6. Oh yeah, the Stevie stylings are there. Good look
>>thebigfunk.
>>
>
>What's resonating is that kind of minimalist drum work of
>Stevie that you also find on Minnie's records, a lot of
>classic Roberta Flack, so much other stuff from that period.
>Tight but also loose and flowing; crisp snares/kicks but often
>very hushed as a whole. And it's that drummming that connects
>direct to '00s-period neo-soul, too -- which makes a lot of
>sense as an inspiration to this album.
>
>Combined with the confessional/honest element, this feels very
>much of that '70s period in soul/r&b but not derivative at
>all.
>
>-thebigfunk
>
>~ i could still snort you under the table ~

---

Frisson Radio | Saturdays 6-8 PM EST | 89.5 FM (Toronto) | www.ciut.fm
https://www.instagram.com/frissonradio

in how this was made.

Gorgeous stuff.

___________________________________________________________
Giants, Knicks, Yankees, Rangers

https://www.instagram.com/p/CS_lvWuout1/

60% of @gyallikeclee vocals were recorded with Baby in her arms, Feeling & meaning behind everything. A couple vocal takes max, and she got it, She really tapped in to her ultimate self and told her story, family Discussions at the dinner table became songs. Our home is full of love, only love enter’s. it’s our sacred space ❤️we are one❤️

I called @benbaptie and asked if he can help us as we caught some momentum, creativity was just flowing. Ben is the best! beyond his great technical abilities he leads with feeling and can read the room better than anyone I know.

@michael_jablonka innocent guitar playing “honest”
@kadzmusic feel on keys “sent from god”
@2leftmusic tight drum groves “slick”
@alex_9000 free bass playing “never hits a wrong note”
@grahamgodfrey colourful percussion “immersed in syncopation”.
Their collective energy is what I’ve been searching for my whole life as a producer. God was truly with us.
Thank you @chriselliottmusic for pouring your heart into the string arrangements, such beautiful lines & movements.
Thank you Tom, Sophie, Emma,Guy, Lewis Wright ,Camilla. rak studios

Thank you Nathan Burke & Amber Letts & the whole forever living originals team.

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

He's done a lot of stuff with Dornik.
And his two beat tapes/demo albums are worth checking.

I type this while REALLY liking this ROMderful album.
I love this collection of young UK musicians right now.

https://digife.com

Thanks for the awareness

This crew can’t miss

>CLEO SOL
>Mother
>Produced by Inflo
>
>https://cleosol.bandcamp.com/album/mother
>
>Another Forever Living Originals release.
>Folks that have heard it said the Sault Global collective has
>done it again.

Woah.

I bellyache all the time about folks writing about albums they haven’t heard in full. Usually that’s because people will show up negative about something they skimmed.

This tho!? I’m halfway through this and I’m in the process of being blown away. Excellent. There’s a lot of great things happening on this. Overwhelming.

I haven’t been this caught off guard since the first time I heard Marvin’s I Want You with adult ears. Wow. Thanks for pointing this out to me twice on this board.

and how amazing it is. or how it should be 10 min long. you know.

Mr Bongo is offering the LP for $54. Pretty good considering you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for shipping costs compared to ordering the album directly from Cleo Sol's website.

Here's the link: https://us.mrbongo.com/products/mother-vinyl-lp?_pos=1&_sid=65c19826b&_ss=r

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

Wasnt until I got the "oh yeah, it's running late" email did I remembered that I ordered. And even then, I didnt remember it.

Covid brain fog is real




*************************************

Fuck aliens

-Warriorpoet415

#2dopebrothersandastackofwax

https://www.instagram.com/bobgeorge87

https://www.instagram.com/thirtythree.three/

I hope you don't have long COVID or that you didn't spread it to folks around you.

Out of curiosity, where did you order the album from? I'm assuming you ordered it from her bandcamp because I pre-ordered it directly from her website and I didn't have any issues.

Hopefully you get the album shortly, especially since it is pretty expensive.

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

I had Covid back in March/April of last year and yeah, it was pretty bad. Caught pneumonia on top of it. Ended up in the hospital for about 11 days, and yup, gave it to my daughter and my ex.

I ordered it from Rough Trade, and it's now been pushed to February...smh




*************************************

Fuck aliens

-Warriorpoet415

#2dopebrothersandastackofwax

https://www.instagram.com/bobgeorge87

https://www.instagram.com/thirtythree.three/

~
~
~
~
~
Days like this I miss Sha Mecca

and is just amazing from start to finish.

Going through some big life changes right now and this is quickly becoming the soundtrack.

I take back everything I said about sequencing/length. I wouldn't change a single thing.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

I came across this post the other day while searching for another one. I was tempted to up it.

Definitely an album everyone should listen to at least once.

I love every song on this album.

Similar to how I love Voodoo.

It’s such a great vibe throughout.

And it has such a simple yet very important theme.

This is a great reason to put it back in the rotation.

Glad to see some footage of her live show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hSC2CiawAo

https://digife.com

or really any of the associated acts except Little Simz

Procrastinating on some housework this morning so between that and the new Lupe I've got my agenda set, lol. Thanks for the link!

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

At the Royal Albert Hall in London

An incredible concert, and felt like it was an 'I was there' special moment - not many non-classical music artists get to play in this venue so it was a big moment that she played there.

Setlist was all her solo material, off Rose in the Dark, Mother and the Winter Songs EP. So no SAULT material unfortunately, but her own songs took up a 90 minute performance. She briefly mentioned that her partner 'flo' produces all the material, so a small nod to who is behind it all.

She was backed with a small choir, band and a string section. I loved that the band played the tracks off the Mother album in full, with the breakdowns and little interludes that really make that album. Also special guest Chronixx came out to duet with her on the reggae inspired track 'Shine', then at the end she did 'Woman' with Little Simz!!

---------------------

http://www.last.fm/user/dagu85

That is one of my faves

Don't remember her doing Miles Song unfortunately

The only song I didn't know before was an unreleased song - she said that it was the first her and Flo wrote together, but wasn't released in the end. It had more of a straight forward RnB/pop feel with a big chorus, so slightly different to the sound she's known for... but still incredible!

Because I don’t think I ever would’ve gotten into this if it wasn’t for The Lesson. Amazing album. Funny thing is I was just revisiting it the day this post was upped.

I'm hoping for a repress.

They've repressed all the Sault albums and Rose In The Dark...
I wish I would've copped this one when it first dropped... but the Cleo albums are so fucking expensive.

--

"You can't beat white people. You can only knock them out."

I had to drop for Rose in the Dark, but definitely need this to complete her discography of solo albums. Can't wait to hear what she does next either with Sault or solo.

Can't get enough of this project...what a talent...

Integrity is the Cornerstone of Artistry...

I like more and more as time goes on.