Solange Knowles has just presented her new show ‘In Service to Whom’ in Sydney. The author of ‘Cranes in the Sky’ could have offered new music… or not, but what is certain is that the content of ‘In Service to Whom’ seems to stand out from everything that came before.
According to a chronicle published in MusicFeeds, the music of ‘In Service to Whom’ is detached from any pop notion present in the albums ‘A Seat at the Table’ (2016) and ‘When I Get Home’ (2019). “For a concert that lasted two hours, there were few songs” is one of the phrases contained in the review that describes the show as “confusing” and “seductive.”
Solange’s new live show borders on the “artistic installation” format and follows a “spiritual jazz” musical direction. On stage, Solange sings accompanied by a band of ten musicians, including two tubas, a cello, a double bass and a Moog, among other instruments. During the show, Solange “disappears” from the stage on several occasions, in an “extensive interlude” the artist is seen filling a bath with water, and in another she begins to roll on the floor.
If ‘In Service to Whom’ gives clues about Solange’s new sound, it is to be expected that the artist has decided to delve into her more experimental side, the same one that has earned her comparisons with Alice Coltrane, or that has led her to collaborate with John Carroll Kirby or Panda Bear.
A Popjustice user has had the opportunity to witness Solange’s new live show and has compared the music of the show with that contained in Julia Holter’s ‘Aviary’ (2018), one of the biggest crazinesses that pop has known in years. It seems that the continuation of ‘When I Get Home’ will be quite a challenge.
