Track Listing

1. Talk to Strangers
2. Grippo
3. Telegram
4. Act III Scene 2 (Shakespeare)
5. List of Demands (Reparation)
6. African Student Movement
7. Black Stacey
8. PG
9. Surrender (A Second to Think)
10. Control Freak
11. Seaweed
12. Notice of Eviction

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7896 in Music
• Released on: 2005-04-11
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Saul Williams is angry, no doubt about it. His previous album Amethyst Rock Star was feted for its brilliance; it was a fine extension of his day job as a poet. This self-titled follow-up is just as good, if not better. This is more rock-based, but certainly no less powerful- a new route to create an aural chronicle of everything that's wrong with 21st Century urban America.

Kicking off with the minor-key "Talk to Strangers" (complete with Serj Tankian on piano and backing vocal); the album proves to be uneasy listening both musically and lyrically. The startling blend of grimy, paranoid beats and industrial guitars is reminiscent of Tricky, and just as startling. However, the focus is always on Williams' restless observations on urban strife- the backing is merely an appropriately apocalyptic frame of reference. Even when Zach De La Rocha shows up for a guest vocal on "Act III Scene 2 (Shakespeare)", he's firmly put in the shadow by the hypnotic oratory on display. William's voice is certainly right for the job, and even casual listeners will find themselves hooked. Either as admirably intelligent musical poetry, or simply as a state of the nation address, this is essential listening. --Thom Allott

Customer Reviews

Intelligent music for everyone.
Okay, perhaps not for everyone's taste, but this is a refreshing antidote to the commercial mess that 'hip hop' has become. Along with The Coup, Dead Prez, Immortal Technique and a few others, Saul Williams has succeeded in resisting the tendency to 'sell out' (a rare accusation these days, as so many have done). Although I agree to a degree with the reviewer who criticised the 'unpolished' feel of some of the production, isn't that what hip hop was always about? If you are looking for a bubbly, idiotic, moronic corporate puppet, look elsewhere. If you are looking for intelligent, soulful hip hop, (and probably if, like me, you grew up with 1980s and early 1990s hip hop) you can't go wrong with this.

C - (must try harder)
Coming at you straight from the left field, actor, screenwriter, poet and part-time musician Williams' second album has more in common with the scrapbook post-punk experimentalism of TV on the Radio or Le Tigre than Hip-Hop. No doubt Williams himself would have it that way, as he goes to great pains to disassociate himself with the latter genre (or perhaps, more specifically, its commerical trappings) throughout this album. Saul Williams keeps his lyrical pencil sharp from beginning to end, with a battery of rhymes and spoken-word musings that range from scathing to unflinchingly honest and self deprecating ('Black Stacey' for example has the poet talk about a childhood racked with insecurities and a shaky racial identity). Unfortunately, the power of his spoken and written word is rendered largely impotent by the music. Sometimes, the experimentations work (List of Demands, Act 3 Scene 2, Telegram and the afforementioned Black Stacey), but mostly, they don't. His fondness for rock-tinged jams does lend the album's better moments a pleasantly refreshing air, but for the most part, Saul Williams (the album, that is) sounds sparse to the point of being under-developed, which is a real shame as Williams is an excellent lyricist/poet. (Perhaps for his third album, he should leave the music production duties to someone who knows how to use their equipment properly). To quote Williams on opener 'Talk To Strangers'; "There's nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come". Sadly, Saul Williams still has some waiting to do.

A breath of fresh air
I first herd Saul Williams when he was supporting NIN on a UK tour and, to be honest, I didn't know what to expect and was slightly sceptical.... However, I was so impressed with what I herd, I ordered the CD that night.

It's been a long time since I've herd an album, from any genre of music, that was, in my opinion, really special. With his thought provoking, and inspiring lyrics; eclectic rhythms and beats, Saul Williams really is a breath of fresh air for the music industry.

It would be hard to categorise this album and that's one of the many qualities that I liked about it.

If, like me, you're fed up with uninspiring, uninteresting music being pumped out by the majority of musicians and groups, the only advice I can give is to purchase this album and see what you think. After a few listens, I challenge anyone to honestly say they don't like it. Many of my friends are slaves to the pop music industry. Even so, I don't know a single person who doesn't like, at least, the majority of this album.