Untitled (Black Is)

Untitled (Black Is) is the third studio album from British rhythm and blues musical group Sault. The album was originally released for free as a digital download and proceeds from subsequent sales went to charity.[2] The album has been met with positive critical reception.

Untitled (Black Is)
Studio album by
Sault
Released19 June 2020 (2020-06-19)
GenreRhythm and blues
Length56:35
LanguageEnglish
LabelForever Living Originals
ProducerInflo
Sault chronology
7
(2019)		 Untitled (Black Is)
(2020)		 Untitled (Rise)
(2020)
“We present our first ‘Untitled’ album to mark a moment in time where we as Black People, and of Black Origin are fighting for our lives. RIP George Floyd and all those who have suffered from police brutality and systemic racism. Change is happening…We are focused.”

―Mission statement posted online along with Untitled (Black Is)[1]

Critical reception

The editorial staff of AllMusic gave this album four out of five stars, with reviewer Andy Kellman calling it "an urgent outpouring of grief, anger, affirmation, and consolation, [that makes it seem that] virtually anything seems possible for their future".[3] Marcus J. Moore of NPR notes that the album's lyrics explore the entirety of the black experience, including anger at the killing of African-Americans by the police to sorrow at mourning and the intimacy of daily life.[4] Gordon Rutherford of Louder Than War gave this five out of five bombs, calling it a "zeitgeist" and the album of the year made of "powerful, potent protest album that is musically magnificent".[5] Tom Doyle of Mojo scored Untitled (Black Is) four out of five stars, calling it "another masterwork from a group with no peers".[6] In Q, Steve Yates gave the album four out of five stars, summing it up as "beautiful and potent stuff".[7] Lizzie Manno of Paste declared it an "album-of-the-year contender" and "a revolutionary soundtrack to 2020".[1] Salem Collo-Julin of Chicago Reader echoed these sentiments, calling this album the "soundtrack for the 2020 revolution" because the "revelatory jazz-soaked soul music on Untitled is a call to action".[8] Writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Dan DeLuca gave the release 3.5 out of four stars, calling it "a seductive listen" whose powerful lyrics timed with a Juneteenth release and roots in several black genres of music "raise... a fist against oppression and celebrates collective strength".[9] BBC 6 Music named this album as their number one recommended album of 2020.[10]

Accolades
Accolades for Untitled (Black Is)
Issuer Listing Rank
Mojo[11] 75 Best Albums of 2020 19
Uncut[12] Top 75 Albums of 2020 17
The Guardian[13] The Best Albums of 2020 5
NPR[14] The 50 Best Albums of 2020 1
BBC 6 Music[10] 6 Music Recommends Albums of the Year 2020 1


"Wildfires" was ranked the fifth-best song of 2020 according to The Guardian.[15]

Track listing
  1. "Out the Lies" (Kadeem Clarke, Dean Josiah Cover, Cleopatra Nikolic, and Melisa Young) – 2:01
  2. "Stop Dem" (Cover and Nikolic) – 3:38
  3. "Hard Life" (Cover, Michael Kiwanuka, and Nikolic) – 4:34
  4. "Don't Shoot Guns Down" (Cover and Nikolic) – 1:53
  5. "Wildfires" (Cover and Nikolic) – 3:27
  6. "X" (Clarke, Cover, and Nikolic) – 1:24
  7. "Sorry Ain't Enough" (Cover and Nikolic) – 5:00
  8. "Black Is" (Clarke, Cover, and Nikolic) – 1:53
  9. "Bow" (Cover and Kiwanuka) – 4:05
  10. "This Generation" (Cover) – 0:47
  11. "Why We Cry Why We Die" (Cover and Nikolic) – 2:44
  12. "Black" (Cover and Nikolic) – 3:54
  13. "US" (Clarke, Cover, Nikolic, and Young) – 1:06
  14. "Eternal Life" (Clarke, Cover, and Nikolic) – 3:59
  15. "Only Synth in Church" (Clarke and Cover) – 0:56
  16. "Monsters" (Cover, Nikolic, and Young) – 3:28
  17. "June Child" (Cover, Nikolic, and Young) – 0:59
  18. "Miracles" (Cover, Nikolic, and Young) – 4:18
  19. "Hold Me" (Cover and Nikolic) – 2:45
  20. "Pray Up Stay Up" (Cover) – 3:45

Personnel

Sault

  • Kadeem Clarke
  • Dean Josiah "Inflo" Cover
  • Cleopatra "Cleo Sol" Nikolic
  • Melisa "Kid Sister" Young

Additional musicians

  • Laurette Josiah – vocals on "This Generation"
  • Michael Kiwanuka – vocals on "Bow"

References
  1. Manno, Lizzie (22 June 2020). "Sault's Album-of-the-Year Contender Embodies Black Excellence and Justified Fury". Paste. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  2. Deville, Chris (19 June 2020). "Stream SAULT's New Album UNTITLED (Black Is)". Stereogum. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  3. Kellman, Andy. "Untitled (Black Is) – Sault". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  4. Moore, Marcus J. (19 June 2020). "SAULT's UNTITLED Lights Up the Full Spectrum of Blackness". NPR. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  5. Rutherford, Gordon (17 September 2020). "Sault: Untitled (Black Is)". Louder Than War. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  6. Doyle, Tom (October 2020). "Mojo Filter". Mojo. United Kingdom: 88. ISSN 1351-0193.
  7. Yates, Steve (September 2020). "Q Review". Q. United Kingdom: 112. ISSN 0955-4955.
  8. Collo-Julin, Salem (16 July 2020). "Sault's Untitled (Black Is) Is the Soundtrack for the 2020 Revolution". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  9. DeLuca, Dan (4 July 2020). "Who Is Sault? The Mystery Collective's New Album Doesn't Say. But It Speaks to the BLM Moment with Power and Real Grace". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  10. Peterson, Gilles. "6 Music Recommends Albums Of The Year 2020". BBC.
  11. "75 Best Albums of 2020". Mojo. London, England, United Kingdom (326): 52. January 2021. ISSN 1351-0193.
  12. "The Top 75 Albums of the Year". Uncut. London, England, United Kingdom: 78. January 2021. ISSN 1368-0722.
  13. Bakare, Lanre (14 December 2020). "The best albums of 2020, No 5: Sault – Untitled (Black Is)". The Guardian.
  15. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (30 November 2020). "The 20 Best Songs of 2020". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
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