Blackheart | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 15, 2015 | |||
Genre | Electronica, alternative R&B, dance-pop | |||
Length | 63:42 | |||
Label | Our Dawn | |||
Producer | Noisecastle III (Scott Bruzenak) & Swagg R'celious | |||
Dawn Richard chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Blackheart | ||||
|
Blackheart is the third studio album by the American singer Dawn Richard, which was released on January 15, 2015, by Our Dawn Entertainment. The album was originally scheduled for an October 2013 release, [1] but was pushed back for the production of the third Danity Kane album DK3 . [2] None of the previously released singles ("Judith", "Meteors", "Levitate" and "Valkyrie") can be found on the final track listing.
Goldenheart put you on a battlefield in medieval times. Blackheart will put you in a place where you're stuck in a rainforest by yourself, and you realize that you have all this armor, but you have this blood on you as well.
The release of the album was initially announced in May 2011 in Rap-Up magazine as part of an upcoming trilogy of albums. [3] By July 2013, after the self-funded January released Goldenheart had sold a total of 9,000 copies domestically, Richard found herself lacking sufficient funds to produce her next album, leading to her starting a campaign via Kickstarter in which she asked her fans to donate a total of 25,000 dollars. With 133 backers lending 2,854 dollars, Richard was not able to reach her goal, however, and the campaign was unsuccessful. [4] At that time, the album was intended to be released by October 7, 2013, and to include 11 or 12 songs. [4] The logos and art work were to be chosen interactively by her fans, like the choice of the second single between two songs "Judith" and "Valkyrie". [5] The latter was later remixed with the singer JoJo. [6]
By early September 2013, the album was eventually postponed due to Richard, Aubrey O'Day, Aundrea Fimbres and Shannon Bex deciding to reunite as Danity Kane. [7] [8] In an interview with Billboard magazine on March 13, 2014, when asked about the status of Blackheart, Richard explained that it was still in production, and was the second installment of three albums to be ended with Redemptionheart. She elaborated on how it continues the story of the first part of the trilogy, while it would exist with a slightly dissimilar atmosphere, saying, "Goldenheart put you on a battlefield in medieval times. Blackheart will put you in a place where you're stuck in a rainforest by yourself, and you realize that you have all this armor, but you have this blood on you as well." Next to the digitally released singles "Valkyrie", "Levitate", "Judith" and "Meteors", a song called "Tide", described as ""Judith"'s step-sister" was not added to the regular track list of the album. [8] The latter song, however, can be found as a bonus track on the vinyl edition of the album. Richard explained in an interview with Billboard in October that her grandmother's death and her father's diagnosis with cancer inspired her to prove that she had a story to tell as well as wanting to make the people she had lost proud. And with her two member team — consisting of herself and her business partner Kyle Cabrol — Richard again flouted the odds with her new project. She grabbed the No. 1 spot on iTunes’ Top 100 Electronic Albums chart and the No. 2 spot on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart without any dramatic promo, conventional album marketing or even a label. [7]
On the release day of Blackheart Richard visited the New York City Apple Store to tape an episode of its "Meet The Musician" podcasts. [9] The first interview of her addressing the Danity Kane break-up was released in Rap-Up on the same day. Next to that Richard released a music video for the vinyl edition bonus track, "Tide". [10] Other promotional appearances during the release week included the Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club , [11] and the radio show Sway in the Morning . [12]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 85/100 [13] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Fact | 4.5/5 [14] |
Now | 4/5 [15] |
Pitchfork | 8.0/10 [16] |
Spin | 8/10 [17] |
Tiny Mix Tapes | 4/5 [18] |
Tom Hull – on the Web | B [19] |
Blackheart received widespread acclaim from critics, who noted the darker subject material compared to previous work. In reference to the album, Spin described Richard as a "prefab non-headliner gone rogue as a weirdo genius". [17] Pitchfork lauded the album for its personal content and vision [16] and described the project as "heaving, apocalyptic dance-pop, somewhere between Björk and Brandy". [20] Fact welcomed the change in direction of this album compared to Richard's other work, Armor On and Goldenheart . The non-traditional pop aspects of the album, such as the electronic and synthesizer production and verse structure were also welcomed. [14]
British newspaper The Guardian described Richard as "too good to ignore" in its review of Blackheart, stating:
The most ambitious and revelatory album of the year might be the lowest-profile, despite (or perhaps because of) its creator's mainstream connections. Dawn Richard's Blackheart is a wild ride through the kind of constantly shapeshifting electronics that make everyone else's so-called "innovation" sound timid – and the emotional peaks and troughs give a sense of purpose to her experimentation. It starts with a piercing [a capella] cry – "I thought I lost it all" – and its twists and turns thereafter take in Greek mythology and feminist retellings of the Billie Jean groupie archetype, as Richard tells a tale of failure, loss and ultimate triumph. Co-produced by Richard and the relative unknown Noisecastle III, Blackheart sounds like little else. There are brief reminders of Björk's Medúlla in the amphibious vocal layering of "Titans", Moby's "Go" in the frantic rhythms of "Calypso"[,] or Aaliyah's "What If" in "Adderall/Sold"'s lurch into rock, but they are only the barest hints. [21]
Tom Hull was less receptive, noting "some interesting beat production here", but ultimately finding the album "cluttered and cranky" overall. [19]
Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|
Fact | The 50 Best Albums of 2015 | 2015 | 1 [22] |
Spin | The 25 Best Albums of 2015 (Dan Weiss List) | 2015 | 3 [23] |
Rolling Stone | 20 Best R&B Albums of 2015 | 2015 | 6 [24] |
Tiny Mix Tapes | The 50 Best Albums of 2015 | 2015 | 20 [25] |
Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2015 | 2015 | 50 [26] |
Los Angeles Times | 2015's Must-Hear Albums | 2015 | * [27] |
From Discogs. [28]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Noir" (intro) | 1:23 |
2. | "Calypso" | 4:25 |
3. | "Blow" | 4:29 |
4. | "Billie Jean" | 4:37 |
5. | "Adderall / Sold" (outerlude) | 7:28 |
6. | "Swim Free" | 3:59 |
7. | "Titans" (interlude) | 2:06 |
8. | "Warriors" | 5:40 |
9. | "Projection" | 5:59 |
10. | "Castles" | 4:42 |
11. | "Phoenix" (featuring Aundrea Fimbres) | 4:04 |
12. | "Choices" (interlude) | 2:58 |
13. | "The Deep" | 5:07 |
14. | "Blackheart" (outro) | 4:30 |
15. | "Tide" (vinyl edition bonus track) | 4:30 |
Chart (2015) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Dance/Electronic Albums [29] | 2 |
US Top Heatseekers Albums [30] | 2 |
US Top Independent Albums [31] | 1 |
Region | Date | Label | Format |
---|---|---|---|
Worldwide [32] | January 15, 2015 | Our Dawn Entertainment | Digital download |
Bad Boy Records is an American record label founded in 1993 by rapper Sean "Puffy" Combs.
Joanna Noëlle Levesque, known professionally as JoJo, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She began performing in singing competitions and local talent shows as a child. In 2003, record producer Vincent Herbert noticed her after she competed on the television show America's Most Talented Kids and asked her to audition for his record label Blackground Records. After signing with the label, JoJo released her eponymous debut studio album in 2004. It peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200 and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling over four million copies worldwide to date.
Shannon Rae Bex is an American singer, dancer, and reality show personality. She was also a member of girl group Danity Kane.
Aubrey Morgan O'Day is an American singer and reality television personality, best known for being a member of the girl group Danity Kane. Following discord among Danity Kane and with her mentor at the time, P. Diddy, O'Day was fired from the group in 2008, but reunited with them in 2013 before a second disbandment. Danity Kane reunited in 2018 as a trio. She has also performed in the duo Dumblonde with former Danity Kane bandmate Shannon Bex since 2015.
Dawn Angeliqué Richard is an American singer-songwriter. She started her career after auditioning for Making the Band 3 in 2004. During this time, Richard became a member of girl band Danity Kane, from 2005 to 2009, and reformed the group with 3 of the original 5 members in late 2013. In 2009, Richard joined the duo Dirty Money with fellow singer-songwriter Kalenna Harper, and label boss Sean "Diddy" Combs to form Diddy – Dirty Money. With the group, they released the highly successful album Last Train to Paris, as well as two additional mixtapes before their disbandment in 2012.
Danity Kane is an American girl group whose most recent line-up consisted of Aubrey O'Day, Dawn Richard, and Shannon Bex. The group originally had five members, but Wanita "D. Woods" Woodgett left the group in 2008, and Aundrea Fimbres left in 2014. Formed on the third iteration of MTV's Making the Band reality television series in 2005, they signed to Bad Boy Records by Diddy.
Aundrea Aurora Fimbres is a retired American singer. She was a member of the pop music group Danity Kane. She is a soprano and was known for her melismatic vocal runs, and falsetto registered harmonies and also for having the highest vocal range of her fellow band members.
Danity Kane is the debut album by American girl group Danity Kane. It was first released by Bad Boy and Atlantic Records on August 22, 2006 in the United States. After winning the third installment of the reality talent contest Making the Band in late 2005, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Bad Boy vice president Harve Pierre consulted a wide range of high-profile hip-hop and R&B musicians to work with the quintet, including Timbaland, Danja, Bryan Michael Cox, Rami, Ryan Leslie, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Scott Storch, and Jim Jonsin, as well as Bad Boy inhouse producers Mario Winans and D-Dot. Recorded within five weeks, the making of the album was tracked by the second half of Making the Band 3's third season.
"Ride for You" is a song by American girl group Danity Kane. It was written by Bryan Michael Cox, Kendrick "Wyldcard" Dean, and Adonis Shropshire for the group's debut album Danity Kane (2006), while production was helmed by Cox, with Wyldcard and Shropshire serving as additional producers. Recorded during the production of the third season of the MTV television series Making the Band, the downtempo song was released as the album's second single in fall 2006 and peaked at number 78 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
American singer-songwriter JoJo has released six studio albums, two mixtapes, two extended plays (EP), two re-recordings, twenty singles, fifteen promotional singles and 34 music videos. After JoJo competed on the television show America's Most Talented Kids she signed a seven-album record deal with Blackground Records in 2003 and released her eponymous debut album the following year at the age of 13.
DK3 is the third studio album by American girl-group Danity Kane. It was released on October 27, 2014, by Stereotypes Music and Mass Appeal, in association with BMG Rights Management. It was the group's first album in six years following their first disbandment, as well as their first album without original group members D. Woods, who left the group in 2008, and Aundrea Fimbres, who left five months prior to the album's release, leading to the removal of her vocals on much of the material for DK3. Danity Kane reunited with production team the Stereotypes to work on the majority of the album, with producer Dem Jointz contributing the song "All in a Day's Work".
"Bad Girl" is a song recorded by American girl group Danity Kane. It was written by Mary Brown, Jim Beanz, Devin "DLP" Parker, Danja and Missy Elliott. Produced by Danja and featuring guest vocals by Elliott, the song was released by Bad Boy Records on July 1, 2008 as the second and final single from the band's second studio album, Welcome to the Dollhouse (2008). It peaked at number 85 on the US Billboard Pop 100, marking the last release from the group before their early 2009 breakup.
Armor On is the first EP and second major release by American recording artist Dawn Richard as a solo act. Dawn Richard is best known for being a part of Diddy – Dirty Money and Danity Kane. The album and track listing for Armor On was revealed on March 7, 2012. The album serves as a prelude to her upcoming album Goldenheart Trilogy, the first of which was released in January 2013. Armor On was released exclusively on iTunes.
Matangi is the fourth studio album by British rapper and singer M.I.A. It was released on 1 November 2013 on her own label, N.E.E.T. Recordings, an imprint of Interscope Records. M.I.A.'s longtime collaborator Switch primarily handled Matangi's production; Hit-Boy, Doc McKinney, Danja, Surkin, and The Partysquad provided additional contributions. The album was recorded in various locations around the world and featured uncredited input from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Its title is a variant of M.I.A.'s real first name and references the Hindu goddess Matangi. The lyrics feature themes related to Hinduism, including reincarnation and karma, and the music blends Western and Eastern styles.
Goldenheart is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Dawn Richard. It was released on January 15, 2013, by Our Dawn Entertainment. After her group Diddy – Dirty Money disbanded in 2012, Richard continued to develop her musical identity and worked with creative partner and manager Andrew "Druski" Scott, who co-wrote Goldenheart with her. It is the first in a trilogy of albums by Richard about love, loss, and redemption.
Jeffery Lamar Williams, known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip hop and trap music. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, Thug initially released a series of independent mixtapes beginning in 2011 with I Came from Nothing. In early 2013, he signed with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, and later that year he released his label debut mixtape 1017 Thug to critical praise. Since May 2022, he has been held without bail in the Fulton County Jail on RICO, illegal drug and illegal weapons charges. He has been denied bail 4 times.
Reflection is the debut studio album by American girl group Fifth Harmony. It was released on January 30, 2015, by Syco Music and Epic Records. Lyrically, the album discusses themes of female-empowerment, romance, heartbreak and confidence. Musically, Reflection is primarily a pop record and showcases synthpop, "grungy" hip hop and R&B sounds. The album features guest appearances by American rappers Kid Ink and Tyga, as well as American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor, and collaborations with several producers including Ori Kaplan, Dr. Luke and Stargate.
Dumblonde was an American alternative dance pop duo consisting of Danity Kane members Shannon Bex and Aubrey O'Day.
Tahj Malik Chandler, better known by his stage name Saba, is an American rapper and record producer. He grew up in the Austin neighborhood of the West Side of Chicago. He is a co-founder of the musical collective Pivot Gang with his brother Jerrel Chandler, their late cousin Walter Long Jr, their high school friend Logan Yutters, Jevunte Wheeler (squeakPivot),and Jimmy. He is also one third of the supergroup Ghetto Sage, with Smino and Noname.
Redemption is the fourth studio album by American singer Dawn Richard, which was released on November 18, 2016, by Local Action / Our Dawn Entertainment.