Friday, November 13, 2009

Noughties By Nature #51: Saul Williams - Black Stacey

In a just and rational world, the stunning and eminently quotable work of Saul Williams would have seen him hailed as the Messiah by now. Black Stacey is part confessional memoir, part consciousness-raising rallying-cry, all righteous, fluid articulacy over flowing, portentous beats. Willliams' cool, composed and self-possessed narration, refreshing as a slug of cold water, argues down braggadocio in favour of a clear-eyed self-respect. The song's apotheosis is its languidly swaying chorus laid down over the steady piano-led pulse of an artist who knows where he's from, where it's at and where we should be heading. Someone get the man a pulpit and a personality cult.
Rhian Jones

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[Album: Saul Williams]

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