After hinting that a new project was on the way, Solange dropped her fourth full-length album at midnight, right at the intersection of Black History Month and Women’s History Month.
Like a true artist, Solange wrote every single song on When I Get Home, which NPR called an “undeniable ode to [her] own hometown of Houston.” Featuring a handful of uber-talented collaborators like Raphael Saadiq, Devin The Dude, Gucci Mane, T-Pain, and Tyler, The Creator, the album is once again a love letter to the type of Black cultural traditions white America often frowns upon.
Though it’s only been out a few hours, fans took to social media to sing Solange’s praises.
I find this album to be so dreamy. So funky. So trippy. So groovy. I fux with this. 🙌🏾 #Solange pic.twitter.com/cAo7aNJbsb
— Son of Baldwin (@SonofBaldwin) March 1, 2019
I’m on my third listen of Solange. I’m enjoying it more each time.
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) March 1, 2019
So I see Solange is coming straight for our souls. Whew chile.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) March 1, 2019
Solange really put her whole cowboy boot into this album. Like I am in love. pic.twitter.com/6seycU2Ceh
— black skin! black braids! (@fwerin_) March 1, 2019
Can we all just agree that #Solange makes music for all of us who miss the days of R&B when you just put on an album and pressed play from start to finish and not skip a track! #WhenIGetHome pic.twitter.com/h6dP5n8NXm
— JerseyHousewife (@iamthatgirlshea) March 1, 2019
Look at Solange extending BHM 🙌🏾 We finna have March too this year!! pic.twitter.com/KlOVvwyFrr
— Samual Kahsay (@SamualKahsay) March 1, 2019
My skin is moisturized. Scalp oiled. Sheet mask in place. Water glass is full. Candles lit. My mind, body, and soul are ready to receive this blessing. #WhenIGetHome pic.twitter.com/hD2Md2xGIb
— Sylvia Obell (@SylviaObell) March 1, 2019
And of course, Solange’s mother, Tina Knowles Lawson, could not contain pride for her baby girl’s latest creative offering.
“Just listened to the album two times!! Still in a groovin state of mind,” Lawson wrote on Instagram. “Love this record !!!!! I hear influence from Marvin a couple of times. I also hear H-Town all over it !!”
Poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib praised Solange for “consistently taken to the task of doing more with less, from a sonic standpoint.” He concluded, “It feels like each project is becoming more sparse, but also more filling.” Meanwhile Vulture editor Hunter Harris tweeted, “When I Get Home” was “hitting parts of my ears I didn’t even know I had.”
When I Get Home feels like a much-needed balm to our hectic times. Between its sublime melodies and its Blackity Black lyrics, Solange has managed to deliver yet another album that feeds our ears and our souls.
