To God Be the Glory with SAULT

SAULT gave us five new albums an official release on streaming services after making them available for five days in a password-protected folder.

Five albums by SAULT were uploaded in a password-protected folder on November 1, which the band promises will be deleted in five days. The secretive UK band sent a statement on its social media accounts, signing off with "Love SAULT" and characterizing the recordings as "an offering to God" with the password "in the message." Spoiler alert: god is love was the secret password. It is a collection of the bands' albums 11, AIIR, Earth, Today & Tomorrow, and Untitled (God) in a compressed format.

To honor the eleventh day of the eleventh month, SAULT has officially published five albums on streaming services, except for Untitled (God), which was released the day following the other four. In terms of the five albums, AIIR is the one that most closely resembles April's orchestral approach (amply titled AIR). Contemporary soul meets choral elements and African drum polyrhythms on Earth, retro '70s funk and rock on Today & Tomorrow, and expansive R&B with a mix of the gospel on 11 and Untitled (God), the latter two albums following in the footsteps of the group's breakthrough efforts, Untitled (Rise) and Untitled (Black Is).

SAULT — 11 (Listen)

This is an outstanding piece of work. Despite the personal content, it has an intimate sound, but the lyrics aren’t that poignant. If you want to start exploring SAULT's extensive career, I'd suggest starting with this album. Having heard the other projects, I was pleased to hear that the quality of 11 is constant while also being evocative of 5 and 7. Although the sequence occurs more rapidly than you'd anticipate, it's a reliable record. Most likely the most suitable and consistent of the enormous album release.

Standout Selections: Together / Higher / Fight for Love

SAULT — AIIR (Listen)

A lot nicer than AIR did earlier this year, this sequel works. Even though it's shorter by nearly half, the compositions on the previous effort are considerably looser but keep the album's trademark spiritual swell. The music here is far more exciting than AIR's, with highly structured shows that exploration is not beyond grasp but only at the tip of the fingers. While I wouldn't like SAULT to continue in this vein for all future albums, I would love to hear them give these instrumental orchestral releases another shot after this one. They probably have more potential, and this is not their best work. For the time being, though, aesthetics must languish here, longing for more.

Standout Selections: 4AM / Still Waters / 5AM

SAULT — Earth (Listen)

There's little doubt that this is SAULT's most eclectic album. In terms of instrumental depth, it's also their best album to date—an eclectic mix of cultural superiority and aggressiveness. However, the album may lack cohesiveness and timely resolution to highlight the theme. Despite that one apparent fault, it’s tough to ignore just how stunning this tracklist is—throwing frequent and intense blows that are too swift to catch with the virtuosity of timeless spiritual strength. Even though it's their least startling and compelling album, it's one of their better albums and one of their most respectable.

Standout Selections: Valley of the Ocean / Stronger / Warrior

SAULT — Today & Tomorrow (Listen)

This album has a great feel reminiscent of the 1970s jam band scene. This is undeniably their most guitar-driven album. Old school afro-centric sounds can be found on songs like Lion, while The Plan and Money fuse ska, reggae, and punk from the UK. Not quite ground-breaking, but still a refreshingly exciting and entertaining new course for the band.

Standout Selections: Heal the World / Lion / Money

SAULT — Untitled (God) [Listen]

The Untitled series of albums is by far the greatest and purest "series" of releases the group has done; thus, I reserved Untitled (God) for last. I reasoned that they would focus on the work and music for which they had received the most acclaim. That which I said was correct. This is a massive album with incredible flavor, class, and texture, but it's not quite as well constructed as Untitled (Rise). It raises the bar significantly if you want to call it a Gospel album. It's an exciting ascent to the pinnacle of what the band is capable of, the realization of spiritual resilience in sound and energy, and an easy addition to the rest of their LPs.

Untitled (God) is more than simply a blind homage to a mythical being; it's an in-depth exploration of the way of life. The album's 21 songs and 73 minutes of running time are well-used. Everyone in the gang is present (with some uncredited guests worth keeping a surprise). This is their most "complete" effort as a group, with flawless production, angelic harmonies, and 80s synth-riddled soul blanketing the atmosphere as steady and chunky percussion passes. Without letting its roots dry up, its message remains ever-present and unmistakable. In this sense, God is conceived not as an individual being or personality but as a set of resonating principles. Close your eyes, and you may see this simple concept of God in your mind's eye.

Standout Selections: Love Is All I Know / Free / Life We Rent But Love Is Rent Free