| Air | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 April 2022 | |||
| Genre | Choral, contemporary classical, [1] [2] funk [3] | |||
| Length | 45:06 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Forever Living Originals | |||
| Producer | Inflo | |||
| Sault chronology | ||||
| ||||
Air is the sixth studio album by English contemporary R&B group Sault, released on 13 April 2022 to positive reception by critics.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.2⁄10 [4] |
| Metacritic | 77⁄100 [5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic Guide |   [6] |
| Clash | 5⁄10 [7] |
| The Guardian | [3] |
| Mojo | [8] |
| Pitchfork | 83⁄100 [9] |
| Uncut | 7⁄10 [10] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Air received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 from six critic scores. [5] The editorial staff at AnyDecentMusic? scored characterized reviews as a 7.2 out of 10, with five reviews. [4] The editors of AllMusic Guide gave Air four out of five stars, with reviewer Andy Kellman praising the group's to choral music, as well as the vocals on "Luos Higher". [6] In The Guardian , Stevie Chick scored this release five out of five stars, calling this "boundary-breaking work for an entirely new and unexpected paradigm" after the group's funk and hip hop roots. [3] Shy Thompson of Pitchfork rated Air an 83 out of 100, with the site naming it the Best New Music of the week; Thompson's review calls Air "too manifold to be easily simplified" and noting that it is an important statement about love. [9] The same publication posted a review of the 39 best albums of 2022 so far on 13 June and included Air. [11] For The Quietus, Nathan Evans called this album "compositions deserve Fantasia -style visuals", that still retain some of the group's R&B roots. [12] Clash 's Robin Murray dissented, with a five out of 10 review that considers this work weak compared the band's back catalogue, calling it "disappointing and listless", but "at times pretty, at others curiously appealing". [7] Mojo 's Tom Doyle rated Air three out of five stars, calling it "impressive in its execution", but noting that it "too frequently tends to the bombastic". [8] In Uncut , John Lewis assessed this release a seven out of 10 for being "a rather audacious curveball" that is "a little stiff and metronomic in places". [10]
| Chart | Peak | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| US Top Classical Albums (Billboard) [2] | 24 | 1 week |
| US Top Classical Crossover Albums (Billboard) [1] | 2 | 15 weeks |
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