Back catalogue: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: You might not have a fixed image of who or what Sault are, given their skill in maintaining a degree of anonymity, but as they notch up their sixth album it's hard to ignore the imposing presence they cut on the experimental fringe of modern UK soul. They started out in 2019 with raw funk and Afrobeat inspired excursions, reflecting on varying perspectives of the Black experience. On Air, the group shake off their previous groove orientation to offer something more orchestrally-inclined, and to their credit they pull it off in remarkable fashion. Lyrically they're focusing on self care and individuality within the Black community, injecting a sense of uplift into their message where they previously reflected on inherited pain and tribulations. Their rapid output doesn't come at the expense of the quality and depth of their expression, making this another essential step forward for one of the most intriguing crews out there right now.

Review: SAULT's body of work is almost untouchable. The mysterious collective has turned out plenty of it in the last couple of years with no fewer than four fantastic albums. This one is a complete left turn, though, which ditches the edgy alt-rock, sou land jazz for an altogether more subbed and symphonic sound. It is a soaring astral soundtrack with plenty of wide open spaces, grand arrangements and plenty of uplifting and celebratory sounds drawn from hugely spiritual choral music and contemporary classical.

Review: The mysterious London-based music collective Sault are in the process of reissuing their first five albums on vinyl, in full, after they were released as a free digital download in late 2022. AIIR is among the lesser-cited of the quintuplet bunch, being a five track EP and sequel to their sixth album AIR. Providing a rapturous counterpoint to that album while building on its choral themes, this LP could consist of anything from outtakes from the making of AIR to true reprises; it's hard to tell. What we do know is that the music here would have been as equally suited to the high-flung parabolae of grandiose mid-century American filmmaking as it now is for the modern music lover. Pieces like 'Still Waters' and 'God's Will' - with their divine harp flourishes, choirs of angels, and complex string and timpani movements - are evocative enough to recall sublime pastoral classics like Watership Down or A Matter Of Life And Death - not just UK music royalty.