“Welcome to Solange and the Hadley Street Dreams”, purrs Solange Knowles as she invites the listener into her world of laid-back electronic soul, starting with the track ‘God Given Name’, in which she declares her independence from big sis Beyonce: “Let my starlight shine on its own, I’m no sister”.

“If I had to describe the sound of my record”, says Solange, “I would like to think that it is as if The Supremes, The Marvelettes, Dusty Springfield and Minnie Riperton were to make the music they did in the 60s and 70s now with a modern touch”.

Defining herself against her sister and in line with the Motown greats and soul divas of old, Solange’s second album, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams, is awash in the soulful sounds of retro lounge funk and meandering grooves. For an artist who places emphasis on self-definition, this is an album with soft-edges.

Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams finds its beat and gets its groove on in the second track ‘T.O.N.Y.’ Like the album opener, this is a song about independence, this time with charisma, vocal attitude and musical oomph: "I'm not in a rush to be rejected, bye-bye Tony".

Horn-driven chaser 'Dancing in the Dark' is a funky little gem, while the lounge piano version of the Supremes-inspired single ‘I Decided’, produced by The Neptunes, is a hand-clapping stand out, as is its funky remix by the Freemasons, ‘I Decided – Pt. 2’.

Swirling all the way through the songs are the pleasant Hadley Street sounds of “ooh, ooh, ooh”, “bah, bah, bah” and “oh nah, nah, nah, nah”. They infiltrate the creamy and dreamy ‘Champagnechroniknightkap’ and infuse the upbeat ‘Sandcastle Disco’ with luscious harmonies. “I play the tough lass but with my heart on my sleeve”, sings Solange. “Baby don’t blow me away, you know that I’m fragile”. Playing the part of the new-age soul diva, Solange comes across as a chick with both attitude and heart.

“Can we lay in this space until forever?” she asks in her sweeping electronica epic ‘Cosmic Journey’, featuring Bilal. At six minutes, however, it starts to feel like forever. “Let’s go, let’s go”, she whispers as the throbbing music ebbs in and out, before rapid electro beats fire in the background and the duo talk about “flying so high”. After a while, the drawn-out psychedelic ambience of the track begins to get tedious.

However, tracks such as ‘6 O’Clock Blues’, produced by Mark Ronson, make up for the wishy-washy tracks that float in-between and ultimately make Solange’s album of lush soul and Motown funk a pretty blissful listen.

Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams, by Solange Knowles
Label: Polydor
Released: 18 August 2008
ASIN: B001D84NMY

Bliss-out to Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams and buy it online. You'll save some money to put towards Solange's first album, Solo Star. Plus, check out the video to 'Sandcastle Disco' below!