Alpha | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 9, 2021 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 33:12 | |||
Label | Stone Woman | |||
Producer |
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Charlotte Day Wilson chronology | ||||
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Singles from Alpha | ||||
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Alpha (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by Canadian singer/songwriter Charlotte Day Wilson, released on July 9, 2021, via her independent imprint Stone Woman Music.
The album was preceded by three singles: "Take Care of You" featuring Los Angeles singer/producer Syd was released August 13, 2020 with the non-album b-side "Summertime", [1] while follow-up singles "If I Could" [2] and "Keep Moving" [3] were released May 20 and June 11, 2021, respectively.
After a decade in the music industry, Alpha is Wilson's first full-length album. The album is preceded by three EPs, the latter two which are commercially available. [4] Like her previous work, all of her tracks are written, produced, and released by Wilson and employ collaborations with fellow Toronto-based artists. This included frequent collaborators BadBadNotGood and Daniel Caesar as well as Mustafa and singer Merna Bishouty.
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 79/100 [5] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Clash | 8/10 [6] |
Pitchfork | 7.6/10 [7] |
The Line of Best Fit | 7/10 [8] |
Announced in May 2021, the album was released on July 9, 2021, by Wilson and distributed by The Orchard. [9]
Alpha received favorable reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 79, based on 4 reviews.
Reviewers were particularly complimentary of her voice on the album. [4] At Pitchfork , reviewer Dan Van Nguyen noted, "A sense of spiritual power defines much of Alpha... the body of the artist with the bourbon-soaked lounge-singer shimmer now sounds inhabited by the spirit of a transcendent preacher... yet Day Wilson funnels the evangelism into a focus on the self, always looking inward." Chris Taylor at The Line of Best Fit said, "There's no denying the talent on display across the album. Wilson's voice is a singular one; all at once offering heartache, confusion, hope and growth... Wilson's harmonies take on an almost choral quality where they had once been a whisper." [8]
The album was shortlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize. [10]
The song "Adam Complex" was selected by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to soundtrack the "In Memoriam" segment at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022.[ citation needed ]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Strangers" |
|
| 2:06 |
2. | "I Can Only Whisper" (featuring BadBadNotGood) |
|
| 2:45 |
3. | "If I Could" |
|
| 3:03 |
4. | "Lovesick Utopia" |
|
| 2:55 |
5. | "Mountains" |
| 4:09 | |
6. | "Danny's Interlude" (featuring Daniel Caesar) |
|
| 0:35 |
7. | "Changes" |
|
| 2:59 |
8. | "Take Care of You" (featuring Syd) |
|
| 3:34 |
9. | "Keep Moving" |
|
| 4:39 |
10. | "Wish It Was Easy" |
|
| 3:12 |
11. | "Adam Complex" |
|
| 3:16 |
Total length: | 33:12 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
12. | "Even Is the Lie" |
|
| 4:06 |
13. | "Take Care of You - Remix" (featuring King Princess, Amaarae & Meshell Ndegeocello) |
|
| 3:34 |
Total length: | 40:53 |
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