Cécile McLorin Salvant Oh Snap
Cécile McLorin Salvant's Oh Snap arrives as a bold gesture of reinvention, a record where studio play and vocal craft collide to striking effect. Critics agree the collection rewards risk-taking: across two professional reviews the album earned a 75/100 consensus score, with praise aimed at moments that marry poetic songwriting to adventurous production.
Reviewers consistently point to standout tracks as proof of the album's gains. “Expanse” emerges repeatedly as one of the best songs on Oh Snap
Critics balance enthusiasm with reservation: some tracks read as studio curiosities, playful experiments that occasionally threaten coherence, yet reviewers agree that Salvant's wit, genre-mixing instincts, and vocal command keep the project compelling rather than indulgent. The critical consensus suggests Oh Snap is worth attention for listeners seeking the best tracks on the record and those curious about how far her reinvention can stretch. Below, detailed reviews map where the album's experimentation pays off and where it frays within its adventurous scope.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Take This Stone
1 mention
"Take This Stone, featuring Salvant’s folksy harmonising with favourite fellow singers June McDoom and Kate Davis, is a standout"— The Guardian
Expanse
2 mentions
"The meditative, pandemic-induced Expanse"— The Guardian
What does blue mean to you?
2 mentions
"What Does Blue Mean to You , a brushes-cushioned, quietly conversational and then starkly soul-wailing epiphany inspired by Toni Morrison’s Beloved"— The Guardian
Take This Stone, featuring Salvant’s folksy harmonising with favourite fellow singers June McDoom and Kate Davis, is a standout
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
I am a volcano
Anything but now
Take this stone (feat. June McDoom & Kate Davis)
What does blue mean to you?
Brick House
Oh Snap
Second guessing
Expanse
Eureka
Thank you
A little bit more
Nun
A frog jumps in
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 2 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Cécile McLorin Salvant returns with Oh Snap, an adventurous record whose best tracks prove her reinvention is both fearless and fluent. The review singles out “Take This Stone” as a standout for its folksy harmonising, while “What Does Blue Mean to You?” registers as a quietly conversational then soul-wailing epiphany. The meditative “Expanse”, playful Auto-Tuned “A Little Bit More” and the synth-hooked title track also demonstrate the album's ingenious range and technical daring.
Key Points
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The best song is "Take This Stone" for its folksy harmonising and clear standout status.
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The album's core strengths are fearless experimentation and superb vocal craftsmanship across genres.
Themes
Critic's Take
Cécile McLorin Salvant leans into playful experimentation on Oh Snap, and the best songs - notably “Expanse” and “I Am a Volcano” - reward that risk with fully formed vision. The record thrives where her arrangements cohere, as on “Expanse” with its shimmering '70s modal jazz cocoon, and where bold textures meet her voice, as on the percolating synths of “I Am a Volcano”. Even when tracks become studio-play curiosities, Salvant's wit and inventiveness keep Oh Snap compelling rather than frivolous. Overall, the album's strongest moments show her balancing adventurous production and lyrical intimacy to produce the best tracks on Oh Snap rather than mere experiments.
Key Points
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"Expanse" is the album's best track because it balances adventurous production with a deep, shimmering modal jazz intimacy.
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The album's core strength is Salvant's willingness to mix genres and studio experimentation while retaining poetic songwriting and vocal command.