11 (Sault album)

11
An orange background with "11" in black
Studio album by
Sault
Released1 November 2022 (2022-11-01)
GenreFunk, neo soul[1]
Length43:59
LabelForever Living Originals
ProducerInflo
Sault chronology
10
(2022) 		11
(2022) 		AIIR
(2022)

11 is the seventh studio album from British funk band Sault, one of the five released for free via digital distribution on 1 November 2022 (along with Aiir, Earth, Today & Tomorrow, and Untitled (God)).[2] The download was available for only five days via a password-encrypted link and made as an offering to God.[3] Four of the five (excluding Untitled (God)) were released on streaming music services on 12 November.[4]

Critical reception

Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Ali Shutler reviewed all five simultaneous releases by Sault and gave them a collective four out of five stars, noting that 11 feels like a direct sequel to Nine, "pulling from Afrobeats and blues".[2] In an overview of the best music of the week on All Songs Considered, NPR considers the five releases "as sonically diverse as they are ambitious in their breadth and scale".[5] Damien Morris of The Observer reviewed all five albums and scored them five stars, noting that "anyone can find their own five-star classic among these 56 songs" and summing up that "it's clear that these albums are an act of supreme generosity, not indulgent superfluity".[6] Writing for Gigwise, Luke Winstanley called the collective releases "an absurd achievement" and scored this album seven out of 10, but noting that it "soon begins to sag".[1]

11 received Best Album at the 2023 Ivor Novello Awards.[7][8][9]

Track listing

  1. "Glory" – 5:37
  2. "Fear No One" – 2:50
  3. "Morning Sun" – 3:59
  4. "Together" – 3:39
  5. "Higher" – 3:41
  6. "Jack's Gift" – 4:05
  7. "Fight for Love" – 4:57
  8. "Envious" – 2:33
  9. "River" – 5:41
  10. "In the Air" – 3:52
  11. "The Circle" – 3:05

Charts

11 debuted on the UK Digital Albums chart from the Official Charts Company at 23. The same week, Earth was 21, Untitled (God) showed up at 23, and Today & Tomorrow was 26.[10]

Chart performance for 11
Chart Peak Duration
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[10] 8 2 weeks[11]

References

  1. ^ a b Winstanley, Luke (21 November 2022). "All 5 of the New Sault Albums, Reviewed". Gigwise. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b Shutler, Ari (4 November 2022). "Phoenix haunt the Louvre, Sault offer songs to God – the week's best albums". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  3. ^ Monroe, Jazz (1 November 2022). "Sault Release 5 Password-Protected New Albums". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  4. ^ Richards, Will (12 November 2022). "Sault release four of their five new albums on streaming services". NME. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  5. ^ Lee, Cristina; Tourus, Cyrena; Morrison, John; Hilton, Robin (4 November 2022). "New Music Friday: The best releases out on Nov. 4". All Songs Considered. NPR. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  6. ^ Morris, Damien (13 November 2022). "Sault: Aiir, Earth, Today & Tomorrow, Untitled (God), 11 review – an act of supreme generosity". The Observer. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  7. ^ Ahmed, Aneesa (18 April 2023). "Harry Styles, Cleo Sol and Inflo top nominations for 2023 Ivor Novello awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  8. ^ Dunworth, Liberty (19 April 2023). "Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine, Harry Styles lead 2023 Ivor Novello nominations". NME. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  9. ^ "The Ivors". Ivor Novello Awards. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2022.