Album Review: Gentlewoman by Cleo Sol

On her fifth album, the SAULT vocalist crosses a rotating cast of players to stripped-down acoustic soul with a full band and writes songs about the people who aren’t there anymore.

Courtesy of Forever Living Originals.

Nina Simone once said‚ freedom is no fear‚ and the album on which she chased her own first‚ 1982’s Fodder on My Wings‚ came decades after she’d started singing about everybody else’s․ Cleo Sol has been on the giving end of that arrangement for six years now․ Five solo records‚ all of which have been produced by her husband Inflo for Forever Living Originals‚ directed outward to God‚ to a lover‚ to her children‚ balancing SAULT’s lead with her own facilite‚ and Gentlewoman’s announcement of a new direction is that she can speak life into her family (releasing exactly five years since the masterpiece of Mother)‚ she said‚ only once she can speak life into herself․

The first words that come out of her mouth on I Only Look to You‚ a bit of piano balladry‚ are “Finally‚ I’m looking out for me”—after five albums of pouring reassurance outward‚ it sounds like a door swinging the other way․ The whole verse is torn to shreds‚ relearning how to trust‚ done wasting time where she doesn’t belong․ In the chorus‚ the forgiveness (the “Father‚ for they know not what they do” part) is immediately followed by the words “The only way to heal myself is to forgive them․” Escaping through forgiveness is furthered by the bridge‚ “I’m getting stronger” and “it is time to set me free.”

Still‚ Inflo continues to give her the biggest arrangements of her career․ “Sweet Thing” starts with his bass guitar‚ and soon Camilla Pay’s harp meets the strings under conductor David Campbell‚ the choir under director John McGough‚ and James Williams’s drums․ She tells someone “You bring out the God in me” and hopes he knows he’s not alone․ Rick Nowels provides guitar on the dancehall-influenced “Force of Love,” in which love is “personal” and what they’ve been through made them strong‚ and a bossa nova-influenced track called “Sentimental Love”․ On “Together,” she rides bongos and Nick Ramm’s piano‚ convincing us “There is no doubt we are meant to be together․” She means it․ But “Nothing’s ever perfect/But we make it worth it” is a promise any singer could make to anyone․ The words on these songs settle for less than the band behind them․

While Inflo plays time-waltz himself, words stop settling on “Family Ties.” She sings, “Look me in my eye and you lie/Then I call you out and you cry/Tell me how you can stand by someone who’s making threats/This ain’t family ties․” Estrangement is laid out from the beginning, noting “I know I’m my mother’s child/I could never be that cold/When you need me the most․” She can’t fix someone else’s demons‚ and she says so․ And she forgave‚ the cycle held the other person back anyway‚ and now she has to be the change․ “Honest Talk” strips further‚ to acoustic guitar only․ It’s the first verse anyway: if they leave you‚ they were going to do it anyway‚ and I’ve got to be the change․ But the second verse‚ in contrast‚ is self-reflective: “An honest talk with myself/How have I not seen this?/Can’t change the direction that somebody’s going in/Insecure people do insecure things/You can have the world/Still feel like something’s missing․” “Let Me Cry” is brightened by the piano and the live instrumentation behind a song that asks only one question: can she please just be tired․ “It’s a bit of a long‚ long day‚” she sings‚ “I’ve been waiting so long․” The three songs put the same amount of restraint on the production that the lyrics push forward‚ with the musicians in the background knowing when to get out of her way․

In “Their Smiles Are Not the Same‚” she sings over the bongo-laced arrangement that she learnt again not to lose herself‚ but that the people around her have changed․ She’s not to blame‚ but she should have caught it the first time․ “Someone has to lose/So I have to choose/I know my heart is kind/But trust me‚ I’m no fool․” At the two-minute and thirty second mark, it opens up․ The drums and the choir and the strings all arrive at the same time and the effect is she is singing the same thing over a room․

God is addressed in a multitude of songs. It’s no secret that when you’ve listened to her discography, Cleo pours her soul out and is fearless when she stops consoling. “Thank You,” a dark time-waltz on which Inflo plays nearly every instrument‚ and a synthesizer‚ and at the end‚ sings the record in a higher register than anywhere else on the record․ God is told to let her mourn on “Let Me Cry,” asked to show the way on “Imagine,” a slow-burn piano piece that makes its way to a bridge where she names what the trials cost: “It’s a tough‚ tough‚ tough‚ tough‚ tough situation/But I know it will change after the rain/Now you finally know your worth․” Faith runs through everything here and it is not cheap She prays‚ and sometimes she just asks‚ and sometimes she just sits down and talks that doesn’t sound preachy․

One of the best R&B songs of the year, “All Because of Love,” gives: “I don’t wanna burden you with things I’ve been through/Even though it’s anger‚ babe‚ I swear it’s not at you/I’m just speaking my truth.” She recalls someone who shows up when nobody else does: “Just like magic‚ you appear when nobody cares.”The bridge hands the song over to God’s will: you will survive‚ you’ve got the fight in your heart and the blessing of life․ Then she stops singing and starts talking․ She thanks him for being there‚ tells him she knows it’s been hard‚ and wonders whether she has actually been there for him․ “It seems like everybody goes when it’s really tough times․” She also tells him not to go a day without giving thanks for something․ In “Little Things,” Max Ramey plays the bass‚ Austin Bohlman plays the drums‚ James Payne plays the guitar‚ Kate Hainsworth plays the horns‚ and sings “It’s just the little things/Gives me hope in this big‚ cold world,” with the other musicians surrounding her․

Great (★★★★☆)

Favorite Track(s): “Sweet Thing,” “Let Me Cry,” “Family Ties,” “All Because of Love”