Steady Rotation: "Temporary High In the Violet Skies" by Snoh Aalegra

Swedish native, Snoh Aalegra, released her latest album on July 9th, 2021. This album, Temporary High In the Violet Skies, is a collaborative effort from Snoh and an eclectic mix of producers in the alternative R&B/ Hip Hop genre, including No ID, Christian Rich, Tyler the Creator, and The Neptunes. No ID has produced for Snoh since her 2014 album, There Will Be Sunshine, and the twin producers Christian Rich have worked with her since her second album, Don’t Explain. This album is overall more up-tempo than her previous album Ugh, those feels again but still has a familiar vibe that is solely Snoh.

One of the things that made me excited about hearing this album is hearing Tyler on production with someone outside of the Odd Future collective and hip hop artists. While he has made memorable guest verses (i.e. his verse on Goldlink’s U Say) but having an artist like Snoh on his production allow for his music to leave in a different arena.

No I.D., along with his production collaborators, provided more of the slower grooved tracks like We Don’t Have to Talk About It and Lost You. Sensei Bueno and Swagg R’Celious did a great job with Violet Skies, which has an interpolation that reminds me of Pharrell’s use of Stevie Wonder’s Superwoman on Frank Ocean’s Sweet Life. At the time of this publishing, I wasn’t able to confirm it but the groove is undeniable. This song also lead in by the precursor interlude, Temporary Highs, which was also produced by Sensei Bueno and Mellowdust. She ventures to confronting a distant lover on On My Mind , which felt like Drake needed a placement on it. Next, Snoh go to a more mature, sensual theme with Taste. Afterwards, Snoh brings the groove of the album back to another beautiful ballad, she co-produced with Mellowdust and Sensei Bueno, called Everything. The album wraps up nicely with neo soul bounce of Dying 4 Your Love and the vibe driven Save Yourself.

The album still needs more time to marinade in my headphones before I can give a final determination on it but overall, its a very good album that makes me want to hear more from Snoh. I hope to hear her do more work with most of the same producers and maybe an actual collaboration with BadBadNotGood and Thundercat. What are your thoughts on the album? Share your thoughts with us on our Facebook page or on Twitter.