When I Get Home
by Solange
  • Record Label: N/A
  • Release Date: Mar 1, 2019
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 322 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 243 out of 322
  2. Mixed: 43 out of 322
  3. Negative: 36 out of 322
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  1. jesusbronze
    Apr 26, 2019
    9
    By no means this is shade, but if you feel like you live in a world where you feel compelled to be Beyonce, you can always be Solange. Following the path of "A Seat At The Table", Solange's eccentric voice and style guide its listeners through the intricate lyrics and experimental melodies of this bold yet cohesive body of work.
  2. Kerry-Paul
    Mar 16, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A solid effort! Solange continues to blaze a trail and go places where your typical Pop or R&B star of this Era won't. It's a great follow up to the Iconic A Seat At Table. Her intelligence is leaps and bounds ahead of her Pop peers. I cannot wait to see what she does next!… Expand
  3. lifeimitatesart
    Mar 12, 2019
    7
    it's a pretty smooth record which can play quietly in the background in the dim lights of an empty room as just her previous work but it's seems a bit fragmented by initial listen. it looks like solange takes us on a journey but still haven't a final destination. she throw a challenge by making us staring at misted glass for almost 40 minutes straight and by the end of the album it startsit's a pretty smooth record which can play quietly in the background in the dim lights of an empty room as just her previous work but it's seems a bit fragmented by initial listen. it looks like solange takes us on a journey but still haven't a final destination. she throw a challenge by making us staring at misted glass for almost 40 minutes straight and by the end of the album it starts to feel like 40 minutes is not enough for solange to get home. and maybe it should be so because the title is a blur definition. solange is not intented to give an accurate predictions about the time when she finally gets home, she just states the fact of returning. it's not a bad record at least sonically it's a winning moment of this journey.… Expand
  4. Nadigg
    Mar 24, 2019
    10
    Everyone isn’t going to hear the beauty of this album. It’s not for everyone. And I didn’t get it on my first listen either. Not that it necessarily calls for a second listen but it deserves one. The more and more I Listen to this album the greater it seems to get. I would encourage anyone to At least listen twice.
  5. MusicSpy
    Apr 2, 2019
    6
    Solange attempts to do a full conceptual album but the poor lyric content, excess of interludes and tired sounds & production made the album boring and without any perspective. (6/10)
  6. hellokittypie
    Sep 3, 2020
    9
    I love her power, this album is a cohesive masterpiece, just like her first work. is by far one of the best records of 2019.
  7. sammyanthony
    Mar 1, 2019
    8
    A celebration of black culture and mockery to discrimination seems perpetual. But this time, Solange puts everything related to smithereens and let those tracks do their job to connect themselves. Not unlike A Seat at the Table, When I Get Home's concept shines through all the nodes.
  8. bodakyellow
    Mar 2, 2019
    9
    This album is way ahead of its time. Loving the elements of all kinds of genres, from jazz to trap, this album is the whole package. More lyrical diversity on some songs would have been appreciated. Favourite songs: Things I Imagined, Stay Flo, Almeda, Sound of Rain
  9. ewhite
    Mar 2, 2019
    10
    A beautiful, cohesive and well produced body of work. It might not be as good as her previous "A Seat At The Table" but it's still a great body of work that stands out. She mixed the elements of R&B, jazz and hip-hop just perfectly. Stand out tracks are: Things I Imagined, Way To The Show, Stay Flo, Dreams, Almeda, My Skin My Logo, Beltway and Sound of Rain.
  10. theanomalydiary
    Mar 9, 2019
    6
    Have you ever tried to like something to a point where you give it so many chances but you still end up being disappointed? Yeah, that’s what I experienced with this album. It's not bad but it certainly left me wanting more.
  11. gurvinder3
    Mar 12, 2019
    8
    An incredibly cohesive album pushing artistic boundaries.

    Fav tracks: Almeda, Stay Flo, Down With the Clique, Binz
  12. musicwizard636
    Mar 2, 2019
    8
    Solange's new album When I Get Home is, much like her last, a bold artistic statement about black faith, love, and pride. However this time around, the production is rich in personality. The features are low-key and bearable. The essence of Solange flows throughout each song, making each unique track uniquely hers.
  13. tevin_pa9551
    Mar 8, 2019
    10
    For me being a fan of Solange since her Sol-Angel album, it's understood of her eccentric style. I loved "A Seat at the Table". I still believe it was the best release of 2016. I love her confidence, I can't see her sister being bold when crafting an album together. My first reaction to her latest record was exactly how she put... it was a record based around feel. I heard the music andFor me being a fan of Solange since her Sol-Angel album, it's understood of her eccentric style. I loved "A Seat at the Table". I still believe it was the best release of 2016. I love her confidence, I can't see her sister being bold when crafting an album together. My first reaction to her latest record was exactly how she put... it was a record based around feel. I heard the music and the production but I couldn't understand what she was saying. Felt like a D'Angelo album. it's 39 minutes of pure fun, dancing and her homage to the city of Houston. I watched a great video on a person who never heard any of Solanges' work but by him being from Houston he read the tracklist and knew certain towns, streets and intersections. That video was special. I understand why this is getting a negative review from the listener but she's never done the same thing twice. How I feel about it really was an prime example from the year 2015 for Kendrick's TPAB. I remember people hating the album when it was released. Solange is a 1 of 1 and I will continue to BUY her work because it's that DAMN GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!

    Favorites: Sound of Rain, Binz, Time (is), Dreams, Stay Flo and Way to the Show.

    Lastly, I believe the album flows well and by me having an open mind I love the jazz / funk influence surrounding the sound of the album.    … Expand
  14. kurvin1125
    Mar 4, 2019
    10
    She always amaze me. ugh. her mind. a musical genius. This album is a piece of art. A masterpiece rather
  15. Francesco98
    Mar 2, 2019
    10
    This album is a masterpiece! There are elements from different genres and the style is perfect! it is perfectly composed and the voice of Solage is clear and elegant. Really good!
  16. matthewmirliani
    Mar 2, 2019
    8
    Solange’s “When I Get Home” is equally hypnotic, equally frantic, equally comfortable, equally smooth. It’s a jazz-infused patchwork of sophisticated, avant-garde R&B, that may feel scattered at times — but is ultimately a sonically lovely stream of consciousness. My favorite track is the gorgeous “Stay Flo.”
  17. marcmyworks
    Mar 2, 2019
    8
    Solange proves she really is carving her own way as an artist by going even further away from the mainstream with ‘When I Get Home’. Her 3rd full length album is an urban lullaby filled with circular/repetitive lyrics and sonically sounds like Afro-funk contemporary Erykah Badu. Listen to: Stay Flo, Dreams, Time (is)
  18. PeterSant
    Mar 2, 2019
    10
    Solange surprised once more. It has evolved with each job and it proves that it is on the right track
  19. wntrtea
    Mar 5, 2019
    10
    i didn't know i needed this album until i listened to it. album of the year.
  20. montag30
    Mar 7, 2019
    9
    Brilliant, can't stop listening. Best album of 2019 so far, will probably be in my top 5 come the end of the year.
  21. systemBuilder
    Mar 7, 2019
    10
    In many ways this is the closest show to ST:TOS there ever was. Weekly self-contained episodes. Despite being on a star ship the leadership is drawn into solving a moral problem, usually from another species and just like Gene Roddenberry's original creation (Roddenberry wrote police episodes before Star Trek). The humor is sometimes flat, often amazing (Cupid's dagger). They areIn many ways this is the closest show to ST:TOS there ever was. Weekly self-contained episodes. Despite being on a star ship the leadership is drawn into solving a moral problem, usually from another species and just like Gene Roddenberry's original creation (Roddenberry wrote police episodes before Star Trek). The humor is sometimes flat, often amazing (Cupid's dagger). They are working on developing a dramatic side in S2. It's the second or third best Star Trek cast of all time (far better actors than ST:TNG). You must see this show and don't judge until you've seen S1E3.… Expand
  22. carrsean
    Mar 4, 2019
    8
    Having Playboi Carti as the only vocal guest here perfectly encapsulates what Solange is going for on When I Get Home. Carti’s lyricism here is vapid filling his allotted time with his typical ramblings about money and fame. Yet Carti has never been an artist to rely on his words, rather for his case - it’s all about the sound. His flow melts with the production and his voice perfectlyHaving Playboi Carti as the only vocal guest here perfectly encapsulates what Solange is going for on When I Get Home. Carti’s lyricism here is vapid filling his allotted time with his typical ramblings about money and fame. Yet Carti has never been an artist to rely on his words, rather for his case - it’s all about the sound. His flow melts with the production and his voice perfectly accent whatever he’s trying to say. His performance is almost hypnotic in quality, where his voice and melody are so sweet that its distracts from the fact that he’s not saying anything profound.
    And as Playboi Carti mastered this technique, it seems to have inspired Solange on her latest effort. I’m not saying that this record has nothing to say - far from it. The themes of black and female empowerment from A Seat at the Table radiate throughout the record. But where as A Seat at the Table kept intense eye contact as its heavy themes left little to nothing to one’s imagination, When I Get Home lacks that sense of directness and swaps it out for a more abstract approach to the same ideas. The powerful laments of black identity “Cranes in the Sky” and “Don’t Touch My Hair” are nowhere to be found here. In fact, the album rescues the idea of a traditional single all together. The songs instead bleed together here, favoring for the listener to take a moment and take in its breezy thirty eight minute runtime. Solange is on record that jazz is at the core of this record and you sense that in its untraditional mindset here. WIGH is heavily fragmented, as it comes off as a broken glass version of its predecessor. Solange's lyrics here refuse to be direct and instead create ideas that reflect black culture opposed to the structured vignettes. My Skin My Logo comes to mind where she laughs why repeatedly saying “gucci this gucci that” (bad paraphrase, but you should hear the song yourself as it is slow burning poetry), while the renowned Gucci Mane ad-libs in the background sounding like a baby, making noises like “a-ha”. Sure, Solange’s message gets across after a couple of listens, Gucci Mane’s appearances is the funniest this I have heard this side of the decade.
    This is definitely a s sister album to A Seat at the Table, just look at the covers of both. Yet each take Solange’s powerful message to exciting musical places. Their exteriors and methods may be different, yet the core and fundamentals remain the same. Whereas A Seat at the Table is more like Frank Ocean’s Blonde (both powerfully emotional statements that intensely engage you, When I Get Home is more like Endless (a looser, more abstract project that power comes from the project as a whole). People might not like it first listen, but it rewards multiple listens. But if you did not like A Seat at the Table for any reason, I’d stay away from this. Unless you’re one problem was with Solange herself. She removes her from the center of her own album to give you the space to see the world from her perspective.    … Expand
  23. aleppo
    Mar 5, 2019
    9
    For those complaining about the looser, less fully-formed nature of When I Get Home: that's the point! The album is structured similarly to A Seat at the Table, but the songs here are composed more freely, which is reflected in the release's sound and themes. Still, despite others' claims that her lyricism on the record lacks substance, Solange has much to say about the black (female)For those complaining about the looser, less fully-formed nature of When I Get Home: that's the point! The album is structured similarly to A Seat at the Table, but the songs here are composed more freely, which is reflected in the release's sound and themes. Still, despite others' claims that her lyricism on the record lacks substance, Solange has much to say about the black (female) experience, and she captures it deftly in this subtly ambitious exploration of and homage to her Houston upbringing.

    Highlights include 'Stay Flo,' 'Almeda,' and 'My Skin My Logo'.    … Expand
  24. jude5420
    Mar 11, 2019
    6
    Pretentious, fragmented, beautiful, quirky and sadly unlistenable. It seems very intentionally “mixed”, as a multi headed dragon fusion of hip hop, jazz,and R&B, and it all seems a bit dope drowsy and feels a bit too “I’m too cool for this trifling school”....So many ideas, spasms, purrs, coohs and jams, that grind towards deadbeats, and so I won’t be back to listen.......

    ....and those    Pretentious, fragmented, beautiful, quirky and sadly unlistenable. It seems very intentionally “mixed”, as a multi headed dragon fusion of hip hop, jazz,and R&B, and it all seems a bit dope drowsy and feels a bit too “I’m too cool for this trifling school”....So many ideas, spasms, purrs, coohs and jams, that grind towards deadbeats, and so I won’t be back to listen.......

    ....and those interlude affectations....    … Expand
  25. prestonhung
    Mar 5, 2019
    7
    I know that a lot of people do not like this project, but personally, I like this project. Although hard to digest, it has more substantive tracks, more punchy and quirky beats, and overall a step more experimental for Solange. Decent/Strong 7.
  26. spenceryang8
    Mar 8, 2019
    6
    While more eclectic and adventurous than its predecessor, When I Get Home is let down by some stiff instrumentals and Solange's inexpressive singing.

    FAV TRACKS: ALMEDA, BINZ, BELTWAY, DREAMS, STAY FLO

    LEAST FAV TRACK: JERROD
  27. TurkeyBoi
    Mar 1, 2019
    5
    I feel like I may be a little biased considering how much I loved A Seat At The Table, but this new Solange album just feels like a bit of a misfire to me.

    The two best things about this album, Solange's voice and the production, are as brilliant as ever, with some songs being attributed to some of the most intriguing figures in music today, such as Dev Hynes of Blood Orange, Tyler, the    I feel like I may be a little biased considering how much I loved A Seat At The Table, but this new Solange album just feels like a bit of a misfire to me.

    The two best things about this album, Solange's voice and the production, are as brilliant as ever, with some songs being attributed to some of the most intriguing figures in music today, such as Dev Hynes of Blood Orange, Tyler, the Creator and Panda Bear of Animal Collective. The production, across the board is misty, moody, beautiful, and the best thing about this album.

    Solange's voice is also fantastic, weaving some beautiful harmonies into some of these songs, expertly letting her voice float above these wonderful beats, and on first listen, it sounds incredible.

    Unfortunately, bar some of the tracks on this album, When I Get Home seems like a little bit of a disappointment, mainly on the songwriting front and some of the odd features she ends up sprinkling around this record.

    The songwriting on this album is some of Solange's weakest, and on tracks where the production is even slightly weak, or her vocal performance isn't quite as stunning as some of the other tracks, it's awkwardly noticeable. Early cut 'Down With The Clique' features some of the weakest production on the album, and Solange's repetitive and boring lyrics on this track makes it less of a highlight than you would've thought it to be, especially considering Tyler, the Creator was involved in the making of this song, as well as Standing On The Corner on producing duties.

    The track 'My Skin My Logo' is annoyingly repetitive, with Solange's worst vocal performance on the album on here, despite some genuinely great production from Tyler. This track also brings us to another reason why this album didn't sit quite right with me; the features on this album are terrible.

    Two of the high-profile features on this album include lyrical-genius (/s) Playboi Carti and Gucci Mane, and when Gucci comes in on the aforementioned track, his presence seems duly noted, like he was drafted in at the last minute and doesn't know why he's there.

    The Playboi Carti feature on the track 'Almeda' is horrible. This is coming from a guy who adored 'Die Lit'. He doesn't fit the vibe of the track at all! I don't know how he ended up on this song, nevertheless this album, his voice over this slow, R&B cut is so grating and annoying. It's a hilarious moment on the album, but maybe not the effect Solange was going for.

    I do like the general vibe of this album though, it's silky, smooth, lushly produced, and Solange's voice is genuinely fantastic, but too often her feature choices or songwriting lets the album down, which is a massive shame.    … Expand
  28. HueyLewis
    Mar 3, 2019
    2
    It feels uninspired and lazy, just like my review some might say. Have a good day.
  29. Evic21
    Mar 3, 2019
    6
    In comparison to "A Seat at the Table", this album is a solid evolution in her sound; however, the album cannot measure up lyrically. How Solange wrote these lyrics without realizing how uninspired and pathetic they sound is beyond comprehension. The album leaves no impact, memorability or something meaningful to say. "When I Get Home" is shallow enough to be played in the background whenIn comparison to "A Seat at the Table", this album is a solid evolution in her sound; however, the album cannot measure up lyrically. How Solange wrote these lyrics without realizing how uninspired and pathetic they sound is beyond comprehension. The album leaves no impact, memorability or something meaningful to say. "When I Get Home" is shallow enough to be played in the background when no one is really listening.… Expand
  30. mik0
    Mar 4, 2019
    5
    I feel like on “When I Get Home”, Solange takes us on a journey. The problem is she’s not sure where are we headed and I’m not sure if I wanna go. The album is a collection of pleasant sounds that form absolutely nothing.

    Solange clearly tried to break particular rules on her latest album, she shouldn’t have cause the result is rather messy.
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Awards & Rankings

11
#11 Best Album of 2019
28
#28 Most Discussed Album of 2019
6
#6 Most Shared Album of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
89

Universal acclaim - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. musicOMH.com
    Nov 20, 2019
    90
    In a year where R&B and hip hop have proved the most innovative and original genres Solange has delivered a brilliantly crafted record that places her right at the top.
    Read full review
  2. The Wire
    May 7, 2019
    90
    Knowles’s instincts guide the cultural conversation in a way that feels healing, intentional and authentically collectiveminded. A well-constructed spell, cast with intention. [May 2019, p.63]
  3. Mojo
    May 1, 2019
    80
    All credit to Knowles, though, whose vision is so cohesive that the 19 short tracks feel like one long, utterly immersive piece. [Jun 2019, p.86]
See all critic reviews »