11 is the seventh studio album from British funk band Sault, one of the five released for free via digital distribution on 1 November 2022 (along with Aiir, Earth, Today & Tomorrow, and Untitled (God)).[2] The download was available for only five days via a password-encrypted link and made as an offering to God.[3] Four of the five (excluding Untitled (God)) were released on streaming music services on 12 November.[4]

11
An orange background with "11" in black
Studio album by
Released1 November 2022 (2022-11-01)
GenreFunk, neo soul[1]
Length43:59
LabelForever Living Originals
ProducerInflo
Sault chronology
10
(2022)
11
(2022)
AIIR
(2022)

Critical reception

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Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Ali Shutler reviewed all five simultaneous releases by Sault and gave them a collective four out of five stars, noting that 11 feels like a direct sequel to Nine, "pulling from Afrobeats and blues".[2] In an overview of the best music of the week on All Songs Considered, NPR considers the five releases "as sonically diverse as they are ambitious in their breadth and scale".[5] Damien Morris of The Observer reviewed all five albums and scored them five stars, noting that "anyone can find their own five-star classic among these 56 songs" and summing up that "it's clear that these albums are an act of supreme generosity, not indulgent superfluity".[6] Writing for Gigwise, Luke Winstanley called the collective releases "an absurd achievement" and scored this album seven out of 10, but noting that it "soon begins to sag".[1]

11 received Best Album at the 2023 Ivor Novello Awards.[7][8][9]

Track listing

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  1. "Glory" – 5:37
  2. "Fear No One" – 2:50
  3. "Morning Sun" – 3:59
  4. "Together" – 3:39
  5. "Higher" – 3:41
  6. "Jack's Gift" – 4:05
  7. "Fight for Love" – 4:57
  8. "Envious" – 2:33
  9. "River" – 5:41
  10. "In the Air" – 3:52
  11. "The Circle" – 3:05

Charts

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11 debuted on the UK Digital Albums chart from the Official Charts Company at 23. The same week, Earth was 21, Untitled (God) showed up at 23, and Today & Tomorrow was 26.[10]

Chart performance for 11
Chart Peak Duration
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[10] 8 2 weeks[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b Winstanley, Luke (21 November 2022). "All 5 of the New Sault Albums, Reviewed". Gigwise. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b Shutler, Ari (4 November 2022). "Phoenix haunt the Louvre, Sault offer songs to God – the week's best albums". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  3. ^ Monroe, Jazz (1 November 2022). "Sault Release 5 Password-Protected New Albums". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  4. ^ Richards, Will (12 November 2022). "Sault release four of their five new albums on streaming services". NME. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  5. ^ Lee, Cristina; Tourus, Cyrena; Morrison, John; Hilton, Robin (4 November 2022). "New Music Friday: The best releases out on Nov. 4". All Songs Considered. NPR. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  6. ^ Morris, Damien (13 November 2022). "Sault: Aiir, Earth, Today & Tomorrow, Untitled (God), 11 review – an act of supreme generosity". The Observer. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  7. ^ Ahmed, Aneesa (18 April 2023). "Harry Styles, Cleo Sol and Inflo top nominations for 2023 Ivor Novello awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  8. ^ Dunworth, Liberty (19 April 2023). "Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine, Harry Styles lead 2023 Ivor Novello nominations". NME. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  9. ^ "The Ivors". Ivor Novello Awards. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
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