Black to the Future (Sons of Kemet album)
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Black to the Future
| type = studio
| artist = Sons of Kemet
| cover = Sons of Kemet - Black to the Future.png
| alt =
| released = {{start date|2021|05|14|df=y}}
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio = Livingston Studio 1
| genre = Jazz
| length = {{duration|m=51|s=7}}
| label = Impulse!
| producer =
| prev_title = Your Queen Is a Reptile
| prev_year = 2018
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
Black to the Future is the fourth and final studio album by British jazz group Sons of Kemet. It was released via Impulse! Records on 14 May 2021{{cite news |last1=Allnutt |first1=Chris |title=Saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings: 'If I stop playing, I feel that physical yearning' |url=https://www.ft.com/content/752e8518-628b-4393-9eae-4898bbcc9722 |access-date=20 May 2021 |work=Financial Times |date=28 April 2021}} to widespread critical acclaim from music critics.{{cite web |title=Black to the Future by Sons of Kemet |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/black-to-the-future/sons-of-kemet |website=Metacritic |access-date=22 May 2021}}
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
|rev1=AllMusic
|rev1score={{Rating|4.5|5}}{{AllMusic | class= album | id= mw0003506473| title= Review of Black to the Future | first= Thom | last= Jurek| access-date= 20 May 2021}}
|rev2=Clash
|rev3=Exclaim!
|rev4=The Independent
|rev5=Loud and Quiet
|rev6=Mojo
|rev6score={{Rating|4|5}}{{Cite magazine |last=Eccleston|first=Danny |title=Wind power |magazine=Mojo |edition=June 2021 |page=83}}
|rev7=NME
|rev8=The Observer
|rev9 = Pitchfork
|rev9score = 7.4/10{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/sons-of-kemet-black-to-the-future/|title=Sons of Kemet: Black to the Future|last=Adjei-Kontoh|first=Hubert|website=Pitchfork|date=21 May 2021|access-date=23 May 2021}}
|rev10=The Skinny
}}
The album received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 84, based on 16 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album a 8.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.
=Accolades=
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Black to the Future on year-end lists ! scope="col"| Publication ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| List ! scope="col" data-sort-type="number"| Rank ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| scope="row"| Paste
| The 50 Best Albums of 2021 | {{center|26}} |work=Paste |date=29 November 2021 |access-date=30 November 2021 |author= |archive-url= |archive-date= }}}} |
|---|
Track listing
{{Track listing
| headline = Black to the Future track listing
| total_length = 51:07
| title1 = Field Negus
| note1 = featuring Joshua Idehen
| length1 = 3:03
| title2 = Pick Up Your Burning Cross
| note2 = featuring Moor Mother and Angel Bat Dawid
| length2 = 3:44
| title3 = Think of Home
| length3 = 3:32
| title4 = Hustle
| note4 = featuring Kojey Radical
| length4 = 5:18
| title5 = For the Culture
| note5 = featuring D Double E
| length5 = 4:01
| title6 = To Never Forget the Source
| length6 = 2:55
| title7 = In Remembrance of Those Fallen
| length7 = 5:06
| title8 = Let the Circle Be Unbroken
| length8 = 6:29
| title9 = Envision Yourself Levitating
| length9 = 8:22
| title10 = Throughout the Madness, Stay Strong
| length10 = 5:53
| title11 = Black
| note11 = featuring Joshua Idehen
| length11 = 2:42
}}
Personnel
Credits adapted from Mojo review.
Sons of Kemet
- Theon Cross{{snd}}tuba
- Shabaka Hutchings{{snd}}tenor saxophone, woodwinds
- Tom Skinner{{snd}}percussion
- Edward Wakili-Hick{{snd}}percussion
Additional musicians
- Steve Williamson{{snd}}tenor saxophone
- Joshua Idehen{{snd}}vocals
- Angel Bat Dawid{{snd}}vocals
- Moor Mother{{snd}}vocals
- D Double E{{snd}}vocals
- Kojey Radical{{snd}}vocals
- Lianne La Havas{{snd}}vocals
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Chart performance for Black to the Future ! scope="col"| Chart (2021) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| {{album chart|Flanders|26|artist=Sons of Kemet|album=Black to the Future|rowheader=true|access-date=22 May 2021}} |
| {{album chart|Wallonia|59|artist=Sons of Kemet|album=Black to the Future|rowheader=true|access-date=22 May 2021}} |
| {{album chart|Germany4|32|id=478223|artist=Sons of Kemet|album=Black to the Future|rowheader=true|access-date=21 May 2021}} |
| {{album chart|Scotland|18|date=20210521|rowheader=true|access-date=22 May 2021}} |
| scope="row"| Swedish Jazz Albums (Sverigetopplistan){{Cite web|url=https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/chart/97?dspy=2021&dspp=20|title=Veckolista Jazz, vecka 20|language=sv|publisher=Sverigetopplistan|access-date=21 May 2021}}
| 3 |
|---|
| {{album chart|Switzerland|59|artist=Sons of Kemet|album=Black to the Future|rowheader=true|access-date=23 May 2021}} |
| {{album chart|UK2|54|date=20210521|rowheader=true|access-date=21 May 2021}} |
References
{{reflist}}
{{Sons of Kemet}}
Category:Impulse! Records albums
Category:Albums produced by Shabaka Hutchings
Category:Albums produced by Dilip Harris
{{2020s-album-stub}}