| Country, God or the Girl | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 16, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2010–2012 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 46:58 (standard edition) 63:09 (deluxe edition) | |||
| Label | A&M/Octone | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| K'naan chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Country, God or the Girl | ||||
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| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 74/100 [1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| PopMatters | 6/10 [3] |
Country, God or the Girl is the fourth studio album by Somali-Canadian hip hop artist K'naan. It was released worldwide on October 16, 2012. [4]
The album was first announced in February 2012, with a release date of May 1, 2012. Coinciding with the announcement, he confirmed that he had collaborated with Nas, U2 lead singer Bono, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, American hip-hop and electronic artist and producer will.i.am and Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. [5]
"Is Anybody Out There?" was released as the lead single from More Beautiful Than Silence . It features vocals from Nelly Furtado. The song was released as a promotional single in the United States in early January, and as a single worldwide on January 24, 2011. [6] The single made its chart debut on the Canadian Hot 100 at number 67, before peaking at number 14. [7] It notably topped the New Zealand charts and peaked at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Nothing to Lose", featuring American hip-hop artist Nas, was released as the second single from More Beautiful Than Silence on February 1, 2012.
"Hurt Me Tomorrow" was released as the album's first official single on May 1, 2012, notably the album's original release date. It peaked at number 12 on the Canadian Hot 100 [8] and at number 37 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart. [9]
Country, God or the Girl received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 74, based on 5 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". [10] K'naan wrote an op-ed criticizing himself and his attempts to make the album more palatable for American audiences. [11]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Seed" |
| Sham & Motesart | 3:35 |
| 2. | "Gold in Timbuktu" |
| Chuck Harmony | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Waiting Is a Drug" |
| Harmony | 3:17 |
| 4. | "Better" | Tedder | 3:15 | |
| 5. | "Simple" |
| Sweetwesty | 3:26 |
| 6. | "Is Anybody Out There?" (featuring Nelly Furtado) |
| Sham & Motesart | 3:58 |
| 7. | "Hurt Me Tomorrow" |
| Tedder | 3:47 |
| 8. | "The Sound of My Breaking Heart" |
|
| 3:51 |
| 9. | "Nothing to Lose" (featuring Nas) |
| Harmony | 3:57 |
| 10. | "70 Excuses" |
| Sweetwesty | 4:11 |
| 11. | "Bulletproof Pride" (featuring Bono) |
|
| 4:42 |
| 12. | "The Wall" |
|
| 4:27 |
| Total length: | 46:58 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Sleep When We Die" (featuring Keith Richards) |
| Alex da Kid | 4:00 |
| 14. | "More Beautiful Than Silence" |
| Harmony | 3:53 |
| 15. | "Alone" (featuring will.i.am) |
|
| 3:49 |
| 16. | "On the Other Side" (featuring Mark Foster) |
| Harmony | 4:29 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17. | "Coming to America" |
| Harmony | 4:02 |
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [15] | 129 |
| US Top Rap Albums ( Billboard ) [16] | 13 |
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 45 million records, including 35 million in album sales worldwide, making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. Critics have noted Furtado's musical versatility and experimentation with genres.
Country Grammar is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Nelly. It was released on June 27, 2000, by Universal Records. The production on the album was handled by Jason "Jay E" Epperson, with additional production by C-Love, Kevin Law, City Spud, Steve "Blast" Wills and Basement Beats. Nelly contributed to all lyrics on the album, with Epperson and City Spud also contributing. With the album's release, Nelly and his “St. Lunatics” crew cemented the St. Louis sound firmly amongst other southern hip hop artists in the year 2000, such as Juvenile, Trina, Ludacris, OutKast, Three 6 Mafia and UGK. Country Grammar also introduced the world to Nelly's unique musical style of pop-rap and radio “singalongs” with a Missouri twang. It was supported by four successful singles: "Country Grammar ", "E.I.", "Ride wit Me" and "Batter Up". Its lead single, "Country Grammar ", peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. Its second single "E.I." peaked at number 16 on the Hot 100, number 12 on the UK Singles Chart and number 11 on the ARIA Singles Chart. "Ride wit Me" peaked within the top five on the Hot 100, ARIA Singles Chart, Irish Singles Chart and UK Singles Chart. The album's fourth and final single, "Batter Up" featuring St. Lunatics members Murphy Lee and Ali, achieved moderate chart success.
Keinan Abdi Warsame, better known by his stage name K'naan, is a Somali-Canadian rapper, singer and filmmaker. He rose to prominence with the success of his single "Wavin' Flag", which was chosen as Coca-Cola's promotional anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Besides hip hop, K'naan's sound is influenced by elements of Somali music and world music. A Grammy Award-winning artist and FIPRESCI Prize-winning director, he is also involved in various philanthropic initiatives.
Suit is the fourth studio album by American rapper Nelly. It was intended to be released on August 17, 2004, before being delayed and released on September 13, 2004, by Universal Records. Production for the album was handled by several producers, including the Neptunes, Jazze Pha, Doe, AHM, Jayson "Koko" Bridges, Kuya Productions, Soulshock and Karlin, Ryan Bowser, Big Boi and Beat Bullies. Released in conjunction with Sweat, Nelly intended to release a single album before conceptualizing and releasing two albums simultaneously, both of which would contrast each other's themes. Nelly characterized Sweat as "more up-tempo" and "energetic" while describing Suit as more of "a grown-up and sexy vibe [...] it's more melodic".
Loose is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado, released on 7 June 2006, by Geffen Records and Mosley Music Group. Recording sessions for Loose took place from 2005 to 2006. Timbaland and his protégé Danja produced the bulk of the album, primarily a pop album which incorporates influences of dance, R&B, hip hop, latin pop, synth-pop, reggaeton, new wave, funk, and Middle Eastern music. Lyrically, it explores the theme of female sexuality and has been described as introspective.
The discography of Nas, an American rapper, consists of seventeen studio albums, one collaborative album, one group album, five compilations, four mixtapes, one extended play, and seventy-nine singles. Nas has sold over 20 million records in the United States alone, and 35 million albums worldwide.
"Turn Off the Light" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado from her debut studio album, Whoa, Nelly! (2000). Written by Furtado, and produced by Gerald Eaton, Brian West, and Furtado, the song was released as the album's second single on 2 July 2001, reaching number one in New Zealand, Portugal, and Romania, as well peaking within the top 10 in several other countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
"Say It Right" is a song by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado from her third studio album, Loose (2006). It was written by Furtado, Tim "Timbaland" Mosley, and Nate "Danja" Hills, with Furtado crediting the Eurythmics' song "Here Comes the Rain Again" as her inspiration. The song was released as the third single from Loose on 31 October 2006 by Geffen Records and Mosley Music Group; in Europe, it was released as the fourth.
"All Good Things (Come to an End)" is a song by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado from her third studio album, Loose (2006). It was written by Furtado, Tim "Timbaland" Mosley, Chris Martin, and Nate "Danja" Hills. The song was released as the album's third European single in November 2006. It was released as the fourth single in the United States and Australia. The single features Chris Martin, frontman of the band Coldplay, harmonizing throughout the song. The original version of the song included Martin saying a few words at the beginning and singing the chorus behind Furtado.
"Give It to Me" is a song performed by American producer, songwriter and rapper Timbaland, released as the first single from his second studio album Shock Value (2007). The song features vocals by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado and American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. All three artists co-wrote the song together with American rapper Attitude and American producer Danja, who co-produced the song with Timbaland. Mosley Music Group, in association with Blackground Records and Interscope Records, serviced the song to contemporary hit and rhythmic radios in the United States on February 6, 2007, and later to urban radios on March 10, 2007. "Give It to Me" is an electro song that embodies the sensibilities of club music. The song features the protagonists addressing their critics about their successes in the music industry.
Canadian singer Nelly Furtado has released seven studio albums, 33 singles, one video album, one live album, two compilation albums, three extended plays, and 23 music videos. She released her debut album Whoa, Nelly! in 2000 and it became a commercial success selling 6 million copies worldwide. It has been certified multi Platinum in countries such as Canada, United States, Australia and New Zealand. The album spawned four singles including the successful top 10 hits "I'm Like a Bird" and "Turn Off the Light". In 2003 she released her second album Folklore, while the album did not match the success of her previous album in such markets as the US and Australia, it did however become a success in several European countries. Folklore has sold 2 million copies worldwide. The album produced two European top 10 hits: "Powerless " and "Força", while "Try" peaked inside the top 10 in Canada.
"In God's Hands" is a song by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado from her third studio album, Loose (2006). It was written and produced by Furtado and Rick Nowels. The song was first released on 30 July 2007 as the album's fifth and final single in the United Kingdom and was later released in various formats across Europe in the fall of 2007. Furtado recorded a new version of the song as a duet with Australian-American country singer Keith Urban the following year, which was released in North America in April 2008.
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The discography of K'naan, a Somali Canadian rapper and singer, consists of four studio albums, one live album, one extended play and 22 singles.
"Wavin' Flag" is a song by Somali-Canadian artist K'naan from his album Troubadour (2009). The song was originally written for Somalia and aspirations of its people for freedom. The original single was a hit in Canada and reached number two on the Canadian Hot 100 as the second official single from the album, after the single "ABCs", a minor hit. After an earthquake in Haiti in 2010, a remake of the song by an ad hoc supergroup of Canadian artists, credited as Young Artists for Haiti, became a charity single in Canada, reaching number one on the Canadian Hot 100 in its own right.
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