Don’t Need A Hero Anyway

Sault “Free”

Sault’s second album this year is directly inspired by Black Lives Matter activism, but as much as the lyrics feel very of-the-moment, there’s not much said on the record that couldn’t have been said at any time in the past few decades or probably also the decades to come. Even a track like “You Know I Ain’t,” which specifically mocks the dubious surface-level support of white people in terms that feel particular to 2020, is still pretty much evergreen. A similar theme is explored in the lyrics of “Free,” which questions the arrival of supposed saviors a bit too late to change much of anything. The implication in both songs is that while support and awareness is appreciated to various degrees, the strength that developed in the absence of that has become more important and reliable. Whereas “You Know I Ain’t” is snarky, “Free” is more gracious and overtly spiritual – and not simply for invoking God’s love in the chorus. As the music shifts from breakbeat funk to an up-tempo gospel feel, it feels like ascending towards a more “galaxy brain” state of mind and perspective.

Buy it from Bandcamp.