| Air | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 April 2022 | |||
| Genre | Choral, contemporary classical, [1] [2] funk [3] | |||
| Length | 45:06 | |||
| 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 transition 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 |
It's All True is the fourth studio album by Canadian electronic music duo Junior Boys. The album was released on June 13, 2011.
MCII is the second studio album by rock musician Mikal Cronin. It was released on May 7, 2013 by Merge Records.
Angels & Devils is the fourth studio album by English musician Kevin Martin under his alias The Bug. It was released in August 2014 under Ninja Tune. It peaked at number 50 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.
Ultra is the fourth studio album by British electronic musician Zomby. It was released via Hyperdub on 2 September 2016. It features contributions from Banshee, Burial, Darkstar, and Rezzett.
Room Inside the World is the third and final studio album by Canadian art punk band, Ought. The album was released on February 16, 2018, through Merge Records.
Cocoa Sugar is the third studio album by Scottish indie group Young Fathers. It was released on Ninja Tune on 9 March 2018. It won the Scottish Album of the Year Award for 2018. It peaked at number 28 on the UK Albums Chart.
Crush is the second studio album by British electronic musician Sam Shepherd, released under his alias Floating Points on 18 October 2019 by Ninja Tune.
Sault are a British music collective that make a mixture of R&B, urban contemporary gospel, house and disco. The project is helmed by songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Inflo, and includes vocalists Cleo Sol, Kid Sister, and Chronixx. Jack Peñate has also collaborated with the collective. The group frequently puts Black-centric issues at the foreground.
Untitled (Rise) is the fourth studio album from British R&B musical group Sault. The album has been met with positive critical reception.
Untitled (Black Is) is the third studio album by the British R&B musical group Sault, released on 19 June 2020 through the independent record label Forever Living Legends. The album has been met with positive critical reception.
Promises is a 2021 studio album by the British electronic musician Floating Points, the American jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra. It was released on 26 March 2021 through the New York label Luaka Bop. It consists of a single 46-minute composition noted for its "dreamlike" quality. The album has received acclaim from music critics, and was shortlisted for the 2021 Mercury Prize. Promises was the final album Sanders released before his death in 2022.
Nine is the fifth studio album by the British rhythm and blues collective Sault, released on 25 June 2021 on Forever Living Originals. Produced by Inflo, the album was only available on streaming services and as a digital download for 99 days, until 2 October 2021. The album received widespread critical acclaim, appearing on several end-of-year lists and received praise for its diversity of musical genres and styles as well as the lyrics' exploration of the urban black experience.
Time Skiffs is the eleventh studio album by American experimental pop band Animal Collective, released on February 4, 2022, on Domino. It is their first album in six years and marks the return of band member Deakin, who sat out of the recording and touring of the band's previous album, Painting With (2016). Time Skiffs was preceded by four singles: "Prester John", "Walker", "Strung with Everything", and "We Go Back".
Once Twice Melody is the eighth studio album by the American dream pop duo Beach House. It was released on February 18, 2022, through Sub Pop, with its four chapters being released throughout four months starting November 10, 2021. A follow-up of their seventh studio album 7 (2018), they began recording the album in 2018 at their home studio, Apple Orchard Studio, in Baltimore, with additional recording taking place at Pachyderm Studio, United Studio and Village Recorders until July 2021.
How Do You Burn? is the ninth studio album by American rock band the Afghan Whigs. The album was released on September 9, 2022, through BMG Rights Management, making it their first album since 1998's 1965 to not be released under Sub Pop.
Into the Blue is the third studio album by American indie rock duo Broken Bells. It was released October 7, 2022, through AWAL.
AIIR is a studio EP by the British R&B collective Sault, a sequel to their sixth album, AIR (2022). The EP was one of five simultaneous digital releases for free on 1 November 2022. Four of the five were released on streaming music services on 12 November. The download was available for only five days via a password-encrypted link and made as an offering to God.
Wait Til I Get Over is the first solo studio album by American musician Durand Jones, released on May 5, 2023, through Dead Oceans. It follows three albums by Jones as the singer of the group Durand Jones & The Indications, and is themed around his hometown in Louisiana. The album received acclaim from critics and charted in the top 40 in Scotland.
Tracey Denim is the third full-length studio album by British alternative rock band Bar Italia, released by Matador Records on 19 May, 2023. It has received positive reviews from critics.
Mother is the second full-length studio album by British soul singer Cleo Sol, released in 2021. It has received positive reviews from critics.
