Solange Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams Early Album Review

Solange Knowles has had a hard road in establishing herself as a solo star. She has always found herself searching for the limelight after being dimmed by her sister Beyonce's massive star power. Now in an effort to prove herself she is releasing her second album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams.

The first single off of Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams is the Neptunes produced I Decided, Part 1. The song has a definite old school vibe. The music sounds as if it is from a completely different era which is both a good and bad thing. Also included on the album is I Decided, Part 2 which was re-made by The Freemasons. The new production gives the song an even more 1960's style.

Staying with the 1960's and 1970's vibe is the second single Sandcastle Disco. The track is produced by Soulshock & Karlin. The song works better than the first single however ultimately the track is just forgettable.

Mark Ronson produces 6 O'Clock Blues. The song has a definite Amy Winehouse vibe to it with its vintage feel. The song is a feel good track which is easy on the ears.

Valentine's Day just might be the best track on the album. The song has that same old school vibe; however it will be more accessible to the mainstream as a whole.

Bilal joins Solange on the Soulshock & Karlin produced Cosmic Journey. As the title explains, the song sounds completely from outer space. The song features interesting vocal effects; however that is about as far as it goes.

This Bird is the most introspective track on the album with Solange talking about her personal life and overcoming everything to make it.

Ode To Marvin is a 2008 re-imagining of what Marvin Gaye would be doing today as an artist. The song has a social conscious and musically is similar to Marvin however the delivery is severely lacking.

ChampagneChroniKightCap is an interesting way to close out the album. The song just does not seem to fit in with the rest of the album and was not all that necessary in the grand scheme of things.

In terms of experimentation, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams is one of the most abstract albums delivered from a mainstream artist. However, the delivery is severely lacking. Overall Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams gets 7 out of 10. If you are a fan of Solange make sure you pick up Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams when it is available in stores on August 26^th.