11

This album has been added to 2 public lists:

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  On Vinyl

  Greg

  • Root Genre: Soul / R&B
  • Primary Branch: Neo-Soul / Alternative R&B
  • Secondary Influences: Funk, Afrobeat, Gospel, Psychedelic Soul, Dub
  • Textural Identity: Warm, earthy and rhythm-led — deep bass, hand percussion, clipped guitars, soft keyboards, layered vocals and a looser, more organic feel than SAULT’s earlier records
  • Energy Axis: Medium (groove-heavy and fluid, with a relaxed pulse rather than aggressive peaks)

  11 stays firmly in Soul / R&B, but compared with 5 it feels broader, warmer and more organic. The post-punk austerity of the early SAULT records is less dominant here; instead, the album leans further into Afrobeat, funk and spiritual soul, with richer percussion and more communal vocal textures.

  The record’s rhythm section remains central, but the grooves feel less skeletal and more elastic. There is still plenty of negative space, yet the arrangements have a more rounded, almost live-band character. Tracks such as “Glory,” “Fear No One,” “Higher” and “Together” move between devotional soul, funk and Afro-diasporic rhythmic ideas without sounding like stylistic exercises.

  Small review: 11 feels like SAULT loosening their shoulders. Where 5 often sounded taut and minimalist, this record is more fluid and celebratory, with percussion and bass carrying much of the emotional weight. “Glory” opens with a restrained spiritual glow, “Higher” brings a stronger funk pulse, and “Together” has the kind of communal warmth that became increasingly important in SAULT’s later work. The album is not as stark or mysterious as their earliest material, but it gains something in return: generosity, movement and a more openly soulful atmosphere.

  Collection shorthand: Soul / R&B → Neo-Soul / Alternative R&B.

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  lorenzo