Shorn of context, Sault’s latest album is both noteworthy and delightful — at least at first. Production veterans Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the duo who made Janet Jackson swing, frolic through the credits. Not that Chapter 1 sounds anything like Jam & Lewis’ imperial period: these 10 short tracks mostly foreground Sault in orchestral soul mode, with the occasional funk detour. Bass-led and garlanded with cinematic strings, songs such as Fulfil Your Spirit find the singer Cleo Sol hovering over a classy live band who percolate expertly below. The opening track God, Protect Me from My Enemies rolls stealthily, all wah-wah guitar and fusion synth melody. That title hints at some of the turmoil beneath this record’s elegant surface. Sault’s leader Inflo remains locked in a legal battle with former colleague Little Simz, whose last album, Lotus, was full of rage and sorrow over the affair. Here, more than one song takes aim at unnamed opponents. "You’re a loser, hate that I’m a winner," chant Sol and Inflo. Frequently, Sault serenely claim the high ground. But the ongoing war between two of British music’s most talented creatives means the sweet sounds of Chapter 1 leave a complex, if not bitter, aftertaste. — Kitty Empire The Observer
Sault. Chapter 1.
