| Sour Soul | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 24, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2014 | |||
| Studio | Dunham Studios (Brooklyn) Kingsway Studios (Toronto) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 32:55 | |||
| Label | Lex Records | |||
| Producer | Frank Dukes | |||
| BadBadNotGood chronology | ||||
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| Ghostface Killah chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Sour Soul | ||||
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Sour Soul is a collaborative studio album from Canadian jazz instrumental hip hop band BadBadNotGood and Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah. It was released worldwide on February 24,2015. [1]
Sour Soul is the collaborative album from for which BBNG and Ghostface Killah sought inspiration from the music of the 1960s and 70s. This included the recording techniques and production of that era,eschewing sampling in favor of live instrumentation. [2] All tracks are produced by Frank Dukes,with additional production from BadBadNotGood and Wayne Gordon. [3] [4] MF DOOM,Elzhi,Danny Brown and Tree contributed feature guest spots. Ghostface does not appear on tracks 1,5 and 12,which are instrumental tracks.
A majority of tracks were recorded in Thomas Brenneck's Dunham Sound Studios in Williamsburg,Brooklyn with contributors from New York soul revival scene including sessions musicians from The Budos Band and Daptone Records engineer Wayne Gordon. Other recording sessions took place in Frank Dukes' Kingsway Studios with contributions from Toronto artists River Tiber and David Lewis. [4]
As a companion record,Lex Records simultaneously released an instrumental version of the album. [5]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.3/10 [6] |
| Metacritic | 76/100 [7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [8] |
| Billboard | [9] |
| Drowned in Sound | 9/10 [10] |
| Exclaim! | 6/10 [11] |
| HipHopDX | [12] |
| Paste | 8/10 [13] |
| Pitchfork | 6.2/10 [14] |
Sour Soul has received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic,which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics,the album received an average score of 76,based on 27 reviews. In a mixed review for Exclaim! ,Eric Zaworski noted that the record "hurriedly finishes without giving its concepts enough time to bloom," further explaining that "the production is top-notch,but Ghost rarely shifts into uncharted lyrical territory,holding back Sour Soul's otherwise consistent production." [11]
In an extremely positive review,giving the album a score of 9 out of 10,Sam Moore wrote for Drowned in Sound that "Sour Soul is sublime." Adding that "rather than standing around starstruck,BBNG have more than proven their worth as Ghostface’s backing band." [10]
The album was a short-listed nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize. [15]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mono" (instrumental) |
| 0:58 |
| 2. | "Sour Soul" |
| 2:45 |
| 3. | "Six Degrees" (featuring Danny Brown) |
| 3:40 |
| 4. | "Gunshowers" (featuring Elzhi) |
| 3:03 |
| 5. | "Stark's Reality" (instrumental) |
| 2:12 |
| 6. | "Tone's Rap" |
| 2:58 |
| 7. | "Mind Playing Tricks" |
| 2:37 |
| 8. | "Street Knowledge" (featuring TREE) |
| 3:24 |
| 9. | "Ray Gun" (featuring MF DOOM) |
| 3:07 |
| 10. | "Nuggets of Wisdom" |
| 2:11 |
| 11. | "Food" |
| 3:23 |
| 12. | "Experience" (instrumental) |
| 2:37 |
| Total length: | 32:55 | ||
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [16]
BADBADNOTGOOD and Ghostface Killah
Additional contributors
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) [17] | 54 |
| Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA) [18] | 1 |
| Australian Urban Albums (ARIA) [18] | 5 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [19] | 196 |
| US Billboard 200 [20] | 109 |
| US Top Rap Albums (Billboard) [21] | 6 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [22] | 9 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) [23] | 12 |
| US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) [24] | 12 |
| US Vinyl Albums (Billboard) [25] | 5 |
Dennis Coles, better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success. Ghostface Killah debuted his solo career with Ironman, which was well received by music critics, in 1996. He has enjoyed continued success in the years that have followed, releasing critically acclaimed albums such as Supreme Clientele (2000) and Fishscale (2006). His stage name was taken from one of the characters in the 1979 kung fu film Mystery of Chessboxing. He is the founder of his own record label, Starks Enterprises.
Lex Records is a British independent record label based in Camden, London, England.
Fishscale is the fifth studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah, released March 28, 2006, on Def Jam in the United States. The album features guest appearances from every member of the Wu-Tang Clan, as well as Ghostface Killah's Theodore Unit. It also features production from several acclaimed producers, such as MF DOOM, Pete Rock, J Dilla, and Just Blaze, among others. The album follows an organized crime theme, and is named after a term for uncut cocaine.
More Fish is the sixth studio album by rapper Ghostface Killah, released on December 12, 2006 through the Def Jam label. The album's name derives from Ghostface's earlier 2006 release, Fishscale. The track "Good", featuring Ghostface's fellow Theodore Unit member Trife Da God and Mr. Maygreen, and produced by Kool-Aid & Peanut, was the first single. It contains one track, "Josephine," which was originally featured on Hi-Tek's Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip, but all other tracks are made of previously unreleased material.
The Big Doe Rehab is the seventh studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah, released on December 4, 2007 on Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances from fellow Wu-Tang members Raekwon, Method Man, U-God, and Masta Killa as well as from Kid Capri, Cappadonna and members of Ghostface's Theodore Unit crew. The album features production from LV & Sean C. among others.
BadBadNotGood is a Canadian instrumental band and production team from Toronto, Canada. The group was founded in 2010 by bassist Chester Hansen, keyboardist Matthew Tavares, and drummer Alexander Sowinski. In 2016, they were joined by frequent collaborator Leland Whitty. Among other projects, the group has released five solo studio albums, with the latest, Talk Memory, released in October 2021. They have had critical and crossover success, finding audiences in the hip hop, jazz, and alternative music communities.
BBNG2 is the second studio album from Canadian music group BADBADNOTGOOD. It was made available on the band's website as a free download in various formats. The album is a mixture of original compositions and covers of Earl Sweatshirt, Feist, Tyler, The Creator and Gucci Mane, James Blake, Kanye West, and My Bloody Valentine. It received generally very positive reviews.
BBNG is the debut album from Canadian jazz instrumental hip hop band BADBADNOTGOOD. It was released as a free download in 2011. The album features a mixture of original compositions and covers of songs from the artists Flying Lotus, Gang Starr, J Dilla, Joy Division, Nas and Ol' Dirty Bastard. The cover artwork was designed and made by Connor Olthuis and Sam Zaret.
III is the third studio album from Canadian jazz instrumental hip hop band BadBadNotGood. It was released on May 6, 2014. It is the group's first album of completely original material.
36 Seasons is the eleventh studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member, Ghostface Killah. It was released on December 9, 2014, by Tommy Boy Records.
Adam King Feeney, better known by his former stage name Frank Dukes, is a Canadian musician, record producer, and songwriter. A prolific producer, he has worked with artists including Camila Cabello ("Havana"), Post Malone and The Weeknd. Following a two decade production career, he retired as Frank Dukes in 2021 to pursue his own music and art as Ging.
Ironman is the debut solo album by American rapper Ghostface Killah, released on October 29, 1996, by Epic Records. It was produced by fellow Wu-Tang Clan member RZA. The album's music draws prominently on blaxploitation films and soul samples. More so than on other solo debuts from the group's members, Ironman contains references to the Nation of Gods and Earths.
IV is the fourth studio album from Canadian jazz instrumental hip hop band BadBadNotGood. It was released on July 8, 2016. It features collaborations with Future Islands frontman Sam Herring, saxophonist Colin Stetson, Haitian-Canadian musician Kaytranada, American hip hop artist Mick Jenkins, and Canadian singer-songwriter Charlotte Day Wilson.
Tommy Paxton-Beesley, also known as River Tiber, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He released his debut studio album Indigo in 2016. As a songwriter, Paxton-Beesley has frequently collaborated with producer Frank Dukes and artists including Kaytranada, Daniel Caesar, and BadBadNotGood. He has co-written the charting songs "No Tellin'" by Drake, "Broken Clocks" by SZA, "AstroThunder" by Travis Scott, and "I Keep Calling" by James Blake.
The discography of BadBadNotGood, the Canadian instrumental jazz and hip-hop group, includes five solo studio albums as well as collaborative projects like 2015's Sour Soul with Ghostface Killah, and numerous singles. Collaborative since their origin, BBNG is well known for working with artists like Daniel Caesar, Kali Uchis, and Mick Jenkins. Outside of their own output, BBNG are noted producers and songwriters and often work with fellow Canadian producers Frank Dukes and Kaytranada.
Chester Anton Mathias Hansen is a Canadian musician and songwriter, best known as bassist of instrumental group BADBADNOTGOOD. As a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, Hansen often works with his bandmates and producer Frank Dukes and is credited for co-writing hit songs by Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Daniel Caesar, and Kali Uchis, among others.
Alexander William Sowinski is a Canadian musician, producer, and drummer for instrumental group BADBADNOTGOOD. With the band, he has released five studio albums and is noted for his jazz drumming musicianship.
Matthew Adam Tavares, also known as Matty, is a Canadian musician, songwriter, and music producer. He is best known as a founder of the instrumental group BADBADNOTGOOD, with whom he released five studio albums and produced with for other artists. Tavares released his first solo album in 2018 and has since released a series of solo and collaborative genre-spanning albums. As a songwriter, he has helped pen songs for the likes of Post Malone, Rosalía, Camilla Cabello, Kendrick Lamar, and Kali Uchis, and often works with producer Frank Dukes.
The following is the production discography of Canadian instrumental group and production team BadBadNotGood. Formed in 2010, the group has been producing music for other artist since 2012 and are known for their jazz-influenced compositions in hip hop, R&B, and electronic music.
Talk Memory is the fifth solo album by Canadian instrumental group BadBadNotGood. It was released on October 8, 2021, by XL Recordings and Innovative Leisure, and is the band's first album in five years. A mostly improvisational work, it was produced and written by the trio with contributions from featured American instrumentalists Laraaji, Karriem Riggins, Terrace Martin, and Brandee Younger, and string arrangements from Brazilian composer Arthur Verocai.
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