| Selling Live Water | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 13, 2003 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 54:53 | |||
| Label | Anticon | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Sole chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Selling Live Water | ||||
| ||||
Selling Live Water is a solo studio album by American hip hop artist Sole. It was released on Anticon in 2003. It peaked at number 126 on the CMJ Radio 200 chart, [1] as well as number 7 on CMJ's Hip-Hop chart. [2]
Selling Live Water was produced by Telephone Jim Jesus, Alias, Odd Nosdam, and Jel. [3] The album draws influence from Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn. [4] In an interview with Westword , Sole said, "Selling Live Water is an attempt at sizing up the world as I see it in a more complete manner than making vague self-absorbed rants like my last record, Bottle of Humans ." [4]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 77/100 [5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [6] |
| Billboard | favorable [7] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide | B [8] |
| Dusted Magazine | favorable [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B [9] |
| Exclaim! | favorable [10] |
| Pitchfork | 7.3/10 [11] |
| RapReviews.com | 6.5/10 [12] |
| Stylus Magazine | B− [13] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 77, based on 9 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [5]
Chris Dahlen of Pitchfork gave the album a 7.3 out of 10, saying: "Whether you dig it all or prefer him in small doses, Sole has never sounded more keyed up, heady and on target than he does on Selling Live Water, and its wrap-up is almost anthemic." [11] Ed Howard of Stylus Magazine gave the album a grade of B−, saying: "Fun, diverse, and complex, this record is yet another great addition to the increasingly varied Anticon aesthetic." [13] He added: "Encompassing personal introspection, socio-political commentary, naked explorations of relationships, and obtuse poetry, Selling Live Water also represents a massive step forward in Sole's lyrical evolution." [13]
All tracks are written by Sole, except "Slow, Cold Drops" by Pedestrian
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Da Baddest Poet" | Telephone Jim Jesus | 4:23 |
| 2. | "Shoot the Messenger" | Alias | 3:23 |
| 3. | "Salt on Everything" | Odd Nosdam | 3:22 |
| 4. | "I Hope You Like My Stupid Painting" | 0:31 | |
| 5. | "Respect Pt. 3" | Jel | 4:13 |
| 6. | "Tokyo" | Alias | 3:49 |
| 7. | "Plutonium" | Alias | 4:54 |
| 8. | "Sebago" | Jel | 4:38 |
| 9. | "Slow, Cold Drops" | Alias | 4:03 |
| 10. | "Pawn in the Game Pt. 1" | Alias | 2:30 |
| 11. | "Pawn in the Game Pt. 2" | Alias | 3:17 |
| 12. | "The Priziest Horse" | Alias | 4:06 |
| 13. | "Teepee on a Highway Blues" | Alias | 4:02 |
| 14. | "Selling Live Water" | Odd Nosdam | 4:30 |
| 15. | "Ode to the War on Terrorism" | Telephone Jim Jesus | 3:12 |
| Total length: | 54:53 | ||
Credits adapted from liner notes.
Anticon was an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1998 by seven musicians and manager Baillie Parker. It was collectively owned among six musicians, co-founder Parker, and manager Shaun Koplow. The original musicians signed to Anticon were once referred to as the Anticon collective. Following the death of one of its founding members in 2018, the label dissolved.
James Timothy "Tim" Holland Jr., better known by his stage name Sole, is an American underground hip hop artist from Portland, Maine. He is one of eight co-founders of the record label Anticon. He has been a member of the groups Northern Exposure, Live Poets, Deep Puddle Dynamics, So-Called Artists, Da Babylonianz, Sole and the Skyrider Band and Waco Boyz.
David P. Madson, better known by his stage name Odd Nosdam, is an American underground hip hop producer, DJ and visual artist. He is co-founder of the record label Anticon. He has remixed tracks by a variety of bands and artists including Boards of Canada, The Notwist, and Sole.
C.A.R. is a studio album by American rapper Serengeti. It was released on Anticon in 2012. Music videos were created for "Amnesia" and "Peekaboo".
Adam Drucker, better known by his stage name Doseone, is an American rapper, producer, poet and artist. He is a co-founder of the indie hip hop record label Anticon. He has also been a member of numerous groups including Deep Puddle Dynamics, Greenthink, Clouddead, Themselves, Subtle, 13 & God, Go Dark, Nevermen, and A7pha.
Personal Journals is the first solo studio album by American rapper Sage Francis. It was released on Anticon in 2002. It peaked at number 8 on CMJ's Hip-Hop chart. As of 2005, it has sold 36,000 units.
Ten is the second and final album by American hip hop trio Clouddead. It was released on March 8, 2004 on Big Dada in the United Kingdom and on March 16, 2004 on Mush Records in the United States. "Dead Dogs Two" was released as a single from the album. The album peaked at number 17 on the UK Independent Albums Chart, as well as number 16 on the UK R&B Albums Chart.
Bottle of Humans is the debut solo studio album by American hip hop artist Sole. It was released on Anticon in 2000. It peaked at number 14 on CMJ's Top 25 Hip-Hop chart.
Live from Rome is a solo studio album by American hip hop artist Sole. It was released on Anticon in 2005.
Jeffrey James Logan, better known by his stage name Jel, is an American hip hop producer and rapper. He is co-founder of the record label Anticon. He has been a member of Presage, Themselves, Subtle, and 13 & God.
Soft Money is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Jel. It was released on Anticon on February 20, 2006. "WMD / All Around" was released as a single from the album.
Elephant Eyelash is the second studio album by American band Why?. It was released by Anticon on September 26, 2005. Prior to the formation of the band in 2004, Yoni Wolf had used "Why?" as his stage name for his solo work. At the release of the album, most considered this the debut Why? album; however in later years, the band counted Oaklandazulasylum as their debut album.
The No Music is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Themselves. It was released on Anticon in 2002. It peaked at number 183 on the CMJ Radio 200 chart, as well as number 13 on CMJ's Hip-Hop chart. A remix version of the album, The No Music of AIFFs, was released in 2003.
Oaklandazulasylum is a studio album by Yoni Wolf under the Why? moniker. It was released by Anticon on June 16, 2003. It peaked at number 85 on the CMJ Radio 200 chart. While it was not a full-band Why? record, the band now count it as part of their discography.
Crowns Down is the third studio album by American hip hop duo Themselves. It was released on Anticon in 2009. A remix version of the album, Crowns Down & Company, was released in 2010.
James Brandon Best, better known by his stage name Pedestrian, is a rapper and writer from Los Angeles. He is a co-founder of Anticon. He is also known as a preacher under the moniker Evangelist J.B. Best.
No More Wig for Ohio is a studio album by American hip hop producer Odd Nosdam. It was released on Anticon in 2003. It peaked at number 175 on the CMJ Radio 200 chart.
Kenny Dennis EP is an EP by American rapper Serengeti. It was released on Anticon on April 3, 2012. Entirely produced by Jel and Odd Nosdam, it was recorded in Berkeley, California.
Kenny Dennis LP is a studio album by American rapper Serengeti. It was released on Anticon on June 25, 2013.
Late Pass is the third studio album by American hip hop artist Jel. It was released on Anticon on August 20, 2013. Music videos were created for "Look Up", "Breathe", and "Steady".
