Dark Days, Bright Nights

Last updated
Dark Days, Bright Nights
Bubba dark days.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 9, 2001 (2001-10-09)
Recorded1999–2001
Studio
  • Westlake Studios (Los Angeles, CA)
  • The Frat House (Atlanta, GA)
  • Down The Hall Studios (Atlanta, GA)
  • 1210 Studios (Atlanta, GA)
  • Mix It In The Mix (Atlanta, GA)
  • The Dungeon Recording Studio (Atlanta, GA)
Genre Hip hop
Length62:57
Label
Producer
Bubba Sparxxx chronology
Dark Days, Bright Nights
(2001)
Deliverance
(2003)
Singles from Dark Days, Bright Nights
  1. "Ugly"
    Released: August 6, 2001
  2. "Lovely"
    Released: 2001

Dark Days, Bright Nights is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist Bubba Sparxxx from Georgia. It was released on October 9, 2001 via Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, at the Frat House, Down the Hall Studios, 1210 Studios, Mix it in the Mix, and the Dungeon Recording Studio in Atlanta. Production was handled by Shannon Houchins, Timbaland, Khalifani, Organized Noize, and Gerald Hall. It features guest appearances from Timbaland, Backbone, Bohagon, C.I., Duddy Ken, Kosha, Sebastian and Sleepy Brown.

Contents

The album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 with 132,000 copies sold in the first week released. [1] A couple months later the record was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America with an excess of 500,000 copies sold, [2] making it the most successful of his six full-length albums to date.

It includes the hit singles "Ugly" and "Lovely". The song "Regardless" was not an official single but did receive some radio airplay. The song "Bubba Talk" was featured on the soundtrack for the comedy film The Wash (2001).

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Entertainment Weekly B− [4]
HipHopDX (3.5/5) [5]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [6]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
PopMatters (mixed) [8]
RapReviews(8/10) [9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Village Voice (favorable) [11]

Dark Days, Bright Nights received generally positive reviews from music critics who praised both Timbaland and Organized Noize's sharp production and Bubba's loose delivery of Southern-fried tales. Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews gave high praise to the album's production for mixing various genres and showcasing Bubba's countrified lyrics, concluding with, "Thanks to partnering with Timbaland, Bubba Sparxxx succeeds where similar artists such as Tow Down and Haystak didn't - but their day will come too. For now, Sparxxx sits alone atop a rap throne representing a kind of po' white rap even Marshall Mathers only WISHES he knew about". [9] The Los Angeles Times credited Bubba's energetic flow and lyrics for lifting typical hip-hop tropes into interesting tales, calling it "Southern gothic as pulp comic book, unsettling and appealing in equal measure". [6] Kitty Empire of NME praised Bubba for basking in his Southern roots with tracks both introspective and upbeat, concluding that "Like a country mile, 'Dark Days' is a little long at 19 tracks and 77-plus minutes. But it's crucial to stay the course. Because Bubba talk really is the latest word in hip-hop". [7]

AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that Bubba's voice usually gets lost in the production and lacks creativity but said that it still remains a presence throughout the album, due to Timbaland's genre-mixing production matching his energy, concluding that its "better than most rap debuts of 2001, not just because of the mastermind of Timbaland, but because Bubba Sparxxx is still a strong focal point, even when he tends to repeat himself". [3] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly commended the album for showcasing Bubba's backwoods world with sharp production and authentic tales but felt that it devolved into materialistic brag rap with a production grab bag that's shifty, saying that, "Given these ingredients, the potential for a unique, powerful hip-hop statement is considerable. Unfortunately, neither Sparxxx nor his collaborators deliver fully on the promise". [4] Maurice Bottomley of PopMatters was critical of Bubba throughout the album, saying that his lyrical skills lack variety in wordplay and imagery but found it workmanlike and honest in its delivery, concluding that "Even so, the world hardly needs another average rap album, which, whether you see Sparxxx as mere marketing gimmick or genuine signifier of the New South, I am afraid, is all Dark Days, Bright Nights represents". [8]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Take Off" Timbaland 2:32
2."Ugly" (featuring Timbaland)
  • Warren Anderson Mathis
  • Timothy Mosley
Timbaland4:25
3."Any Porch"
  • Jemmie "KillaGroove" Watford
  • Wes Whitsett
  • Shannon Houchins
Shannon "Fat Shan" Houchins1:18
4."Bubba Talk"
  • Warren Anderson Mathis
  • Timothy Mosley
Timbaland3:48
5."Lovely"
  • Warren Anderson Mathis
  • Timothy Mosley
Timbaland3:56
6."Betty Betty"
  • Warren Anderson Mathis
  • Shannon Houchins
Shannon "Fat Shan" Houchins3:56
7."All the Same" (featuring Backbone & Sleepy Brown)
Organized Noize 4:24
8."Get Right"
  • Warren Anderson Mathis
  • Timothy Mosley
Timbaland3:41
9."Open Wide" (featuring Sebastian)
Timbaland4:47
10."Infected"
  • Warren Anderson Mathis
  • Manuel K. Morris
Khalifani4:28
11."Twerk a Little" (featuring Timbaland)
  • Warren Anderson Mathis
  • Timothy Mosley
Timbaland4:21
12."Take'm to the Water" (featuring Duddy Ken)
  • Warren Anderson Mathis
  • K. Richardson
  • Shannon Houchins
Shannon "Fat Shan" Houchins4:31
13."Well Water"
  • Warren Anderson Mathis
  • Shannon Houchins
Shannon "Fat Shan" Houchins4:45
14."The 1st Whutchacallit"
  • Warren Anderson Mathis
  • Manuel K. Morris
Khalifani4:41
15."Bubba Sparxxx"
  • Warren Anderson Mathis
  • Organized Noize
Organized Noize4:29
16."Regardless" (featuring C.I.)
  • Warren Anderson Mathis
  • W. White
  • Shannon Houchins
Shannon "Fat Shan" Houchins4:36
17."If It's Bumpin'" (featuring Bo Hagon & Kosha)
  • Warren Anderson Mathis
  • Cedric Leonard
  • Kelvin Seldon
  • Gerald Hall
Gerald Hall4:55
18."Dark Days, Bright Nights"
  • Warren Anderson Mathis
  • Shannon Houchins
Shannon "Fat Shan" Houchins3:24
Total length:1:02:57
Sample credits [12]

Personnel

Chart positions

Chart (2001-2002)Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [13] 93
US Billboard 200 [14] 3
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [15] 3

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [16] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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  6. 1 2 Calendar Writers (November 22, 2001). "Choices From the Charts". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 30, 2018.
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Dark Days, Bright Nights at Discogs (list of releases)