With sister Beyoncé pumping out mega hits for the past decade, Solange has generally taken the backseat to her superstar sibling's explosive fame... and, in terms of her own creative preservation and selection, that might have been the right move for her. With her new EP 'True', Solange situates herself in a nest of cutting-edge R&B/ 80's pop themes that are thick with a laid back coolness, experimental nature, playfulness and a humble reserve that prove she truly is a creative and star in her own right... and dare I say, possibly slightly more hip than her consistently over-the-top sister.
What allows Solange to reach such gorgeously light moments of breathlessness and floaty heights is her ability to hold back. There are definitely those moments of voluminous exaltation one yearns for from a pop song, but they are dropped into the music in no particular pattern, and very much an organic part of Solange's studio performance. The vocal heights of each song are compounded by lead-ins of more subdued verses and plenty of riffing and improvisational harmonizing. There is also a clear knowledge of buildup v. steady flow and although homogenous, no two songs are the same and generally take many unexpected turns.
Below, please enjoy the video for the first single off of the EP entitled 'Losing You', an old-school neo-groove drippping with sentimentality and a genuine and authentic homage to traditional african percussion and style.