Redemption (Dawn Richard album)

Last updated
Redemption
Dawn Richard REDEMPTION.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 18, 2016 (2016-11-18)
Genre Electronic, experimental, art pop, alternative dance, R&B
Length47:24
Label Local Action / Our Dawn Entertainment
Producer Machinedrum & Noisecastle III
Dawn Richard chronology
Infrared
(2016)
Redemption
(2016)
New Breed
(2019)
Singles from Redemption
  1. "Renegades"
    Released: October 7, 2016
  2. "Vines"
    Released: November 4, 2016
  3. "LA"
    Released: April 4, 2017
  4. "Lazarus/Love Under Lights"
    Released: June 6, 2017

Redemption (Redemptionheart on physical editions) is the fourth studio album by American singer Dawn Richard, which was released on November 18, 2016, by Local Action / Our Dawn Entertainment.

Contents

Redemption serves as the final chapter in a trilogy, following 2013's Goldenheart and 2015's Blackheart . The album features contributions from Noisecastle III as well as New Orleans natives Trombone Shorty and PJ Morton. [1]

Background

I wanted to create a vibrant atmosphere. The Red Era is about moving on, redeeming yourself, and finding redemption.

— Dawn Richard

REDEMPTION is the final installment in a planned trilogy of albums by Richard, referred to as The Heart Trilogy, about love, loss, and redemption. The album is preceded by 2013's Goldenheart and 2015's Blackheart.

Richard describes the album as a "self-realization" album that is for all people. She says, "The Red Era is for everybody. Every gay, every fluid, every black, every white. Because my fan base has been through a lot of shit." [2]

None of the previously released singles "Dance", "Not Above That", "Wake Up" and "Cali Sun" can be found on the final track-listing.

Promotion

On March 12, 2016 D∆WN started her REDEMPTION Live show tour. In that same year, she was also chosen to perform the first ever YouTube live 360 performance. [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
NME 4/5 [5]
Pitchfork 8.0/10 [6]
PressPlayOK4/5 [7]
Pretty Much AmazingB+ [8]
Tom Hull – on the Web B+ ( Five Pointed Star Solid.svg Five Pointed Star Solid.svg ) [9]

Upon its release, Redemption received widespread acclaim from critics. Tara Joshi of The Quietus stated, "It's orchestral, it's odd, it's experimental, it's ornate, it makes you want to dance, it makes you want to swoon - at its heart Redemption is reflective of so many touchstones of black music from the past 30 years or so. It feels odd to say what Richard is doing is still perhaps too niche to get her a place in the R&B 'Hot 100', given her sound is so broad and all-encompassing, but its true. Richard has carved out an ambitiously futuristic place for herself that the mainstream hasn't quite caught up with yet." [10]

Accolades

PublicationAccoladeYearRank
PopMatters 15 Best R&B/Soul Albums of 20162016
3 [11]
The Quietus The 100 Best Albums of 20162016
9 [12]
Vulture The 15 Best Albums of 20162016
14 [13]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 20162016
40 [14]
Pitchfork The 20 Best Pop and R&B Albums of 20162016
* [15]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Redemption (Intro)"Dawn Richard, Machinedrum1:27
2."Love Under Lights"Machinedrum, Noisecastle III4:21
3."Black Crimes"Machinedrum, Noisecastle III4:03
4."Voices"Dawn Richard, Machinedrum4:08
5."LA" (featuring Trombone Shorty)Machinedrum, Noisecastle III, Kaveh Rastegar, Mike Iveson5:44
6."Interim (Interlude)"Dawn Richard, Derek Bergheimer0:37
7."Renegades"Dawn Richard, Machinedrum3:30
8."Lazarus"Dawn Richard, Machinedrum3:35
9."Tyrants"Dawn Richard, Machinedrum2:56
10."Vines (Interlude)" (featuring PJ Morton)Dawn Richard, PJ Morton2:29
11."Hey Nikki"Kaveh Rastegar3:37
12."Sands"Dawn Richard, Machinedrum3:22
13."Lilies (Interlude)"Dawn Richard, Machinedrum2:36
14."The Louvre"Dawn Richard, Noisecastle III, Kaveh Rastegar4:12
15."Valhalla (Outro)"Dawn Richard, Derek Bergheimer0:42

Release history

RegionDateLabelFormat
VariousNovember 18, 2016Local Action / Our Dawn Entertainment Digital download

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References

  1. "D∆WN Announces 'Redemption' Release Date, Drops 'Renegades' Single | Rap-Up". rap-up.com. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  2. "Dawn Richard on Making Her Third Solo Album, RedemptionHeart". 23 September 2016.
  3. "D∆WN: the first ever YouTube Live 360 performance," , 20 April 2016.
  4. "Redemption - Dawn Richard | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  5. "NME review". NME . 17 November 2016.
  6. "Pitchfork review". Pitchfork .
  7. "PressPlayOK review".
  8. "Pretty Much Amazing review".
  9. Hull, Tom (January 28, 2017). "Streamnotes". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  10. Tara Joshi (December 19, 2016). "Quietus". Quietus. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  11. "15 Best R&B/Soul Albums of 2016". PopMatters . December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  12. "The 100 Best Albums of 2016". Quietus . December 19, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  13. "The 15 Best Albums of 2016". Vulture . December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  14. "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Paste . November 30, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  15. "The 20 Best Pop and R&B Albums of 2016". Pitchfork . December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.