Sault’s Chapter 1: more like business as usual than a bold new beginning

It’s ironic that Sault - a UK band who initially strove to stay anonymous - are releasing their latest album under the cloud of a very public scandal.

Last year it emerged that Little Simz, the Mercury Prize-winning rapper who enjoyed a fruitful three-album partnership with producer Inflo, was suing him for 1.7 million pounds in unpaid debts.

His real name is Dean Josiah Cover, and along with vocalist Cleo Sol, he’s the driving force behind the Sault project, which so far has delivered 13 albums in just seven years, as well as two EPs, and two live performances.

The first of those, at Drumsheds London, involved a choir, string section and art exhibition, and received glowing reviews. But the response to their second, a five-hour set at All Points East festival, was decidedly more mixed.

Sault have enjoyed critical adoration since their inception; did the lackluster reckons signal a change in their fortunes?

That remains to be seen, but the new album Chapter 1 (a title that presumably indicates new beginnings), can’t help but be viewed through the lens of Inflo and Simz’s creative breakup.

Last year she released Lotus, which details her side of the story over music that, I think pointedly, sounds a lot like the backing Inflo had provided on previous work.

So it’s hard not to read Chapter 1 as a volley back in her direction, particularly titles like ‘God, Protect Me From My Enemies’, ‘Good Things Will Come After the Pressure’, and ‘Don’t Worry About What You Can’t Control’.

These all suggest a rather zen-like response to an unfair allegation, but the lyrics paint a different picture: the title track features the refrain “You’re just a loser, and hate that I’m a winner”, and ‘Puppet’, which closes the album, starts with the line “I’m not your puppet”.

There’s every chance these lines aren’t about Simz, but the fact that they’re sung by Cleo Sol, who is a) married to Inflo, and b) was also a frequent Simz collaborator until recently, make the inference hard to ignore. It all feels a bit ugly, particularly after Lotus’ nuanced account of Simz’s struggle.

But the music, by and large, is great. On previous albums Sault have moved through soul, gospel, garage rock and neo-classical, and there are touches of each here, even if the second half threatens to tip into a mid-tempo, string-laden malaise.

They’ve also made a habit of weaving in new collaborators alongside existing ones. Here that includes two somewhat unlikely names: Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who over their extensive career have helped pen #1 hits for Janet Jackson, George Michael, Boyz ll Men, Mariah Carey, and Usher.

Returning guests include American rapper Kid Sister, and British singer Jack Peñate (best to resist speculation about the absence of frequent Inflo collaborator Michael Kiwanuka).

It’s impossible to pinpoint what any of these artists bring to the table, as Sault’s sound remains consistent if malleable. The most exciting moments are the insistent funk of ‘God Protect Me’, the fractured breakbeats in ‘Puppet’, and the way ‘Good Things Will Come’ pivots from something eerie and sparse into reassuring warmth.

But it’s tough to shake the feeling that the well has started to run dry on a project that once seemed endlessly rewarding. Even the addition of hitmakers like Jam and Lewis can’t stop Chapter 1 feeling like business as usual, rather than the bold new beginning its name suggests.