Cupid Deluxe

Last updated

Cupid Deluxe
Blood Orange Cupid Deluxe album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Released18 November 2013 (2013-11-18)
Recorded2011–2013
New York City
Genre
Length51:10
Label Domino
Producer Devonté Hynes
Blood Orange chronology
Coastal Grooves
(2011)
Cupid Deluxe
(2013)
Freetown Sound
(2016)
Singles from Cupid Deluxe
  1. "Chamakay"
    Released: 12 September 2013
  2. "You're Not Good Enough"
    Released: 12 November 2013
  3. "Time Will Tell"
    Released: 18 November 2013
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.5/10 [3]
Metacritic 75/100 [4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
NME 6/10 [10]
Pitchfork 8.5/10 [11]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Spin 8/10 [1]
Vice B+ [13]

Cupid Deluxe is the second album by Dev Hynes as Blood Orange, and is the follow-up to 2011's Coastal Grooves . The album was released on 18 November 2013 in the UK, and was available worldwide a week earlier on iTunes on 12 November 2013.

Contents

Between albums, Hynes has written and produced music for the likes of Solange, Sky Ferreira, MKS, and more.

Cupid Deluxe shows a more expansive aural palette than the previous release Coastal Grooves, while still retaining the pop sensibilities that Hynes has showcased since his days in Test Icicles and Lightspeed Champion. The album features many guest appearances, including performances from David Longstreth (Dirty Projectors), Caroline Polachek (Chairlift), Samantha Urbani (Friends), Clams Casino, Despot, Adam Bainbridge (Kindness), Skepta and more. The album was streamed in full on Hynes' own YouTube channel on 5 November 2013. [14]

Speaking about the album, Hynes said it was inspired by "New York City, the Big Apple. I lived in Brooklyn for some time and finally made the leap into Manhattan. So a lot of the record is about that, transitions, life transitions. Moving from a stable position to an unstable position. Something we have all been through." [15]

Pitchfork Media ranked the record 35th among their top 200 albums of the 2010s article. [16]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Devonté Hynes, except "Always Let U Down" written by Paul Draper and Dominic Chad.

Standard edition CD, LP, Digital Download
No.TitleLength
1."Chamakay"4:20
2."You're Not Good Enough"4:21
3."Uncle ACE"4:17
4."No Right Thing"4:11
5."It Is What It Is"5:07
6."Chosen"6:45
7."Clipped On (feat. Despot)"3:11
8."Always Let U Down"5:14
9."On the Line"5:07
10."High Street"2:58
11."Time Will Tell"5:39

"Always Let U Down" is a cover of I Can Only Disappoint U by the English alternative rock band Mansun from their album Little Kix (2000).

Personnel

References

  1. 1 2 Walters, Barry (15 November 2013). "Blood Orange's 'Cupid Deluxe' Is a Marvel of Sweetly Pained, Outsider-Oriented R&B". Spin . Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  2. 1 2 Pitchfork Staff (8 October 2019). "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork . Retrieved 6 May 2023. The album follows a similar kitchen-sink-funk feel, as Hynes pilfers the best bits from disco, soul, and R&B...
  3. "Cupid Deluxe by Blood Orange reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  4. "Reviews for Cupid Deluxe by Blood Orange". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
  5. Sendra, Tim. "Cupid Deluxe – Blood Orange". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  6. Kot, Greg (17 November 2013). "Blood Orange, 'Cupid Deluxe' review". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  7. Costa, Maddy (14 November 2013). "Blood Orange: Cupid Deluxe – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  8. Gill, Andy (15 November 2013). "Album review: Blood Orange, Cupid Deluxe (Domino)". The Independent. Archived from the original on 23 November 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  9. Wood, Mikael (21 November 2013). "Album review: Blood Orange's bravely mournful 'Cupid Deluxe'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  10. Hutchinson, Kate (15 November 2013). "Blood Orange – 'Cupid Deluxe'". NME. Archived from the original on 22 November 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  11. Dombal, Ryan (13 November 2013). "Blood Orange: Cupid Deluxe". Pitchfork . Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  12. Hermes, Will (5 November 2013). "Cupid Deluxe". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  13. Christgau, Robert (16 September 2016). "Frank Ocean's Candidness and the Ambitious Blood Orange: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Vice . Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  14. "Youtube Cupid Deluxe (Album Stream)" via YouTube.
  15. "NME – Blood Orange streams new album 'Cupid Deluxe' ahead of release – listen". NME.
  16. Pitchfork (8 October 2019). "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 February 2021.