Saul Williams wears many hats. He’s a poet, an actor, a rapper, and an activist. His music blends most of these things together well. Especially on his break out self-titled album released 2004, filled with anger, beauty and scalding rhymes. He followed that up with the pay-what-you-want opus The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, where it seemed like Williams was really hitting his stride as a rapper, but still keeping listeners on their toes. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that Volcanic Sunlight would have more in common with indie dance artists like LCD Soundsystem (QRO live review) than with anything going on in hip-hop right now.
The album opens with a spoken word poem on “Look to the Sun” before the beat drops, the energy spikes, and everything fans have come to expect from Williams gets turned upside down. This is definitely a new direction for Williams, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This is an album filled with heavy beats, handclaps, and cowbell. It also gives Williams a chance to really sing instead of rhyming, something he first tried on his cover of “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”
Williams may bring the party on tracks like “Girls Have More Fun” and “Dance,” but the real standout on Volcanic Sunlight is the six-minute “Triumph”. This track sounds like the best developed on the record. It doesn’t stray too far what Williams does best, but still brings a new and different intensity to his lyricism, fueled by a cowbell beat and a surprisingly singable chorus.
Williams continues to defy the idea of genre on his newest release. With Volcanic Sunlight he’s taken a step into the dance world, with surprising and listenable results. It may not be the album of the year, but it’s definitely worth a second look. Fans of Williams’ take-no-prisoners style of rapping may find this next step perplexing, but give it time. And for those unfamiliar with Williams’ work, this is as good a place to start as any.
Williams certainly took a risk with this release, but it paid off. This album could have been a complete disaster. Instead it’s one of the most intriguing releases in Williams’ catalog.
