"Awaken, My Love!"

"Awaken, My Love!"
Studio album by Childish Gambino
Released December 2, 2016 (2016-12-02)
Recorded 2015–2016
Studio
Genre
Length 48:57
Label Glassnote
Producer
Childish Gambino chronology
STN MTN / Kauai
(2014)		 "Awaken, My Love!"
(2016)		 Summer Pack
(2018)
Singles from "Awaken, My Love!"
  1. "Me and Your Mama"
    Released: November 10, 2016
  2. "Redbone"
    Released: November 17, 2016
  3. "Terrified"
    Released: September 19, 2017

"Awaken, My Love!" is the third studio album by American rapper Donald Glover, under his stage name Childish Gambino. It was released by Glassnote Records on December 2, 2016.[7][8] Consisting of tracks being sung rather than rapped, its fusion of psychedelic soul, funk and R&B influences was considered a bold departure from the predominantly hip hop style of his prior work.[3][6] The album was produced by Glover and his longtime collaborator, Ludwig Göransson.

"Awaken, My Love!" received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200. It also debuted at number two on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album was supported by three singles, "Me and Your Mama", "Redbone" and "Terrified". The album received Grammy Award nominations for Album of the Year and Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. The single "Redbone" also earned nominations for Record of the Year, Best R&B Song, and won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance.[9]

Background

On June 17, 2016, after a hiatus from social media, Glover tweeted "pharos.earth", a link to download his new app. The app itself placed the user in outer space looking at a small blue planet while a clock counted down to zero. The app then had the user crash down into space, placing them on a map that was located on Joshua Tree, California. The app then showed the dates of his upcoming performances in Joshua Tree, where the user could also purchase tickets. The concert festival was to debut the album and give the audience the "full-album experience". From September 3 to 5, nearly three months before the release of his album, Glover held three concert performances at Joshua Tree to debut the album. Glover wore glow-in-the-dark paint on his braids and a pink and yellow skirt, with his bandmates wearing similar attire. He performed eleven songs during the concert with minimal rapping, mainly featuring a funk / jazz vibe.[10][11]

Upon its release, Glover updated his Pharos app so users could watch the performance of his first lead single, "Me and Your Mama" at Joshua Tree through a virtual reality lens on the phone.[12]

Cover artwork

The cover of "Awaken, My Love!" features a photo by New York City-based creative director Ibra Ake, in which model Giannina Oteto wears a beaded headdress designed by Laura Wass of WXYZ Jewelry.[13][14] Prior to the album's release, the cover artwork was included as an easter egg in an episode of Glover's FX series Atlanta.[15]

Singles

"Me and Your Mama" was released as the album's lead single on Beats 1 radio and the iTunes Store on November 10, 2016,[16][17] while "Redbone" was released a week later, premiering on Annie Mac's Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1.[18][19] On September 19, 2017, "Terrified" was sent to urban contemporary radio as the album's third single.[20]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.4/10[21]
Metacritic77/100[22]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The A.V. ClubA−[3]
The Guardian[23]
The Irish Times[24]
Mojo[25]
The Observer[26]
Pitchfork7.2/10[27]
Q[28]
Rolling Stone[29]
XXL4/5[30]

"Awaken, My Love!" received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album has received an average score of 77, based on 25 reviews.[22] Mosi Reeves of Rolling Stone wrote that ""Awaken, My Love!" is an enthralling trip into the land of funk,"[29] while Dan Bogosian from The A.V. Club wrote "Is Childish Gambino suddenly the new Prince, a virtuoso multi-instrumentalist always ready to keep the world an arm’s length away from knowing what he's thinking? Is he D'Angelo, a soul god fighting against his first image with all-time great music? No. He is Donald Glover, a man who can perform and write comedy, act in drama, and drop a truly wonderful album on short notice with all the influences and instructions spelled out."[3] Perry Kostidakis of the FSView & Florida Flambeau wrote that "with each successive album, Childish Gambino has exhibited phenomenal growth, but no more than on his latest release. Unflinchingly ambitious and boldly different, "Awaken, My Love" calls back the sounds and themes of the 1970s funkadelic movement to provide a wholly original, emotional and immersive musical experience,"[31] with The Guardian's Gwilym Mumford adding "only the limitations of his voice occasionally let him down – he doesn't quite have the range to nail Awaken's more ostentatious vocal lines. Still, it's a minor gripe when there's so much here to enjoy."[23] Jon Pareles of The New York Times said, "It's at once a homage and a parody, equally aware of that era's excesses and its glories, of the way that the most memorable 1970s R&B merged sensuality, activism, humor, toughness, outlandishness, futurism, soul roots, wild eccentricity and utopian community spirit. That's an extremely high bar, but at its best, "Awaken, My Love!" recalls many of those virtues."[32] Tim Sendra of AllMusic said, ""Awaken, My Love!" is a stone-cold blast from beginning to end."[1]

Matthew Strauss of Pitchfork said, "There are times, however, when that nodding feels more like mimicry than anything else. Maybe he'll figure out how to smuggle Donald Glover's heart into Childish Gambino's brain eventually, but if he hasn't figured out what he wants out of Childish Gambino yet, it's increasingly rewarding watching him try."[27] Scott Glaysher of XXL said, "Childish Gambino gets definite props for pushing the envelope and refusing to operate within any genre confinements on this refreshing 49-minute trip through the funkadelic 1970s. While these blurred lines make this album a little hard to follow, "Awaken, My Love!" proves his versatility as a rapper turning over a new leaf."[30] Kitty Empire of The Observer said, "Throughout, Glover's genre fluency is unimpeachable; the only minor drawback is the overmannered air of some of these period pieces, where there could be more straight-up abandon, as on the persuasive "Me and Your Mama"."[26] Robert Christgau regarded the album as "a seriously overrated piece of romantic P-Funk retro that owes its Grammy nomination to Atlanta".[33]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Clash Clash Albums of the Year 2016
22
Exclaim! Exclaim!'s Top 10 Soul and R&B Albums Best of 2017
7
Pigeons & Planes Best Albums of 2016
43
Variance 50 Best Albums of 2016
15

Commercial performance

"Awaken, My Love!" debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 with 101,000 album-equivalent units, marking the third highest debut of the week.[38] It was the fourth best-selling album of the week, selling 72,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan.[39] The album was also streamed 41.5 million times in the first week.[40] It is Glover's highest-charting album.[38] As of December 28, 2016, the album has sold 151,000 total album equivalents, with 100,000 in physical album sales.[41] On September 27, 2018, the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales, streaming and track-sales equivalent of a million units.[42]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Donald Glover, except "Zombies" by Glover and Ludwig Göransson; all music composed and produced by Glover and Göransson, except where noted.[43][44]

"Awaken, My Love!"[45]
No.TitleMusicProducer(s)Length
1."Me and Your Mama"
 6:19
2."Have Some Love"
  • Glover
  • Chris Hartz
  • Sam Sugarman
  • Glover
  • Göransson[a]
3:44
3."Boogieman"  3:36
4."Zombies"
 4:41
5."Riot"
  • Glover
  • Göransson[a]
2:05
6."Redbone"
 5:26
7."California"  2:45
8."Terrified"  4:15
9."Baby Boy"  6:22
10."The Night Me and Your Mama Met"
  • Glover
  • Göransson
  • Clark Jr.
3:34
11."Stand Tall"  6:10
Total length:48:57

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer

Sample credits

  • "Riot" contains a sample of "Good to Your Earhole" by Funkadelic.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes and Tidal.[43][44]

Musicians

  • Black Party – drum programming (track 1)
  • Brent Jones and the Best Life Singers – choir (tracks 1, 2, 4, 10, 11)
  • Julie Burkert – flute (track 11)
  • Gary Clark Jr. – guitar (track 10)
  • Thomas Drayton – bass guitar (tracks 1, 8)
  • Donald Glover – vocals (tracks 1–9, 11), percussion (tracks 1–4, 7, 8), drums (track 6), glockenspiel (tracks 6, 8, 10), bottles (track 7)
  • Ludwig Göransson – bass (tracks 1–3, 6, 7, 9–11), guitar (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6–8, 11), synths (tracks 1, 2, 6), rhodes (tracks 3, 6, 11), wurlitzer (tracks 6, 7, 9), drum programming (tracks 3, 8), mellotron (track 3), synth bass (track 4), harpsichord (track 4), cello banjo (track 6), B3 organ (track 7), bottles (track 7) percussion (track 7), synth programming (track 8), background vocals (track 8)
  • Chris Hartz – drums (tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 9), bass guitar (track 4), rhodes (track 4), percussion (track 7)
  • Dan Higgins – clarinet (track 11)
  • Sofia Hoops – background vocals (track 5)
  • Per Gunnar Juliusson – rhodes (tracks 1, 8), piano (track 1)
  • Kari Faux – additional vocals (track 4)
  • Steve Kujala – flute (track 11)
  • JD McCrary – boy soloist (track 8)
  • Phil O'Connor – clarinet (track 11)
  • Zac Rae – moog synthesizer (tracks 1, 5, 8), B3 organ (tracks 1, 8)
  • Ray Suen – guitar (tracks 1, 4, 7, 8, 9), synth FX (track 4), piano (track 4)
  • Sam Sugarman – guitar (track 2)
  • Lynette Williams – B3 organ (tracks 1, 2, 9), clavinet (track 9)

Production

  • John Armstrong – organ, keyboard, synths and v-drums recording (track 1)
  • Bryan Carrigan – choir recording
  • Andrew Dawson – mixing (track 8)
  • Gary Clark Jr. – production (track 10)
  • Chris Fogel – woodwind recording (track 11)
  • Donald Glover – production
  • Ludwig Göransson – production (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6–9, 11), additional production (tracks 2, 5), mixing (tracks 3, 11), additional mixing (tracks 4, 6, 7)
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering
  • Riley Mackin – mixing (tracks 1–7, 9–11), recording
  • Thomas Parish – woodwind arrangement (track 11)
  • Ruben Rivera – recording
  • Peter Rotter – woodwind contracting (track 11)

Design

  • Ibra Ake – photography, art direction
  • Soukena Roussi – co-creative direction and styling
  • WXYZ – jewelry design
  • Sheri Pinto – makeup
  • Brad Ogbanna – lighting

Managerial

  • Donald Glover – executive production
  • Ludwig Göransson – executive production
  • Fam Udeorji – A&R
  • Wolf and Rothstein – management

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Canada (Music Canada)[63] Gold 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[64] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[42] Platinum 1,000,000double-dagger

^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sendra, Tim. "Awaken, My Love! – Childish Gambino". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  2. ↑ Harmony, A. (December 5, 2016). "Awaken, My Love!". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bogosian, Dan (December 2, 2016). "Childish Gambino conjures Parliament and Prince on soulful 'Awaken, My Love!'". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  4. ↑ Josephs, Brian (December 5, 2016). "Review: Childish Gambino Is Actually Good Now". Spin. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  5. ↑ Greeley, Shakeil (December 2, 2016). "Danny Glover's New Record Is One Big, Funky Swerve". GQ. Archived from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Ryan, Patrick (December 2, 2016). "Review: Childish Gambino abandons rap on ambitious 'Awaken, My Love!'". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  7. ↑ Matthew Strauss (November 10, 2016). "Donald Glover Details New Childish Gambino Album Awaken, My Love!". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  8. ↑ Angus Walker (November 10, 2016). "Childish Gambino Shares "Awaken, My Love!" Tracklist & Release Date". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  9. ↑ "2018 Grammys Winners List: See Who Won The Music Awards". Variety. January 28, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  10. ↑ "What Really Went Down At Childish Gambino's Pharos Event In Joshua Tree, CA | The MAT Magazine". matmag. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  11. ↑ "A First Person Account of Childish Gambino's Spectacular Pharos Event". Pigeons & Planes. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  12. ↑ Renshaw, David (November 30, 2016). "Childish Gambino Updates His PHAROS Earth App With VR Concert Footage". The Fader. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  13. ↑ Safronova, Valeriya (August 16, 2017). "Meet the Creator of Beyoncé's Crown From the '7/11' Video". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  14. ↑ "The Story Behind Childish Gambino's 'Awaken, My Love!' Headpiece". Pigeons & Planes. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  15. ↑ "A Deep Dive into Childish Gambino's "...Awaken, My Love!" Album Art". DJBooth. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  16. ↑ Strauss, Matthew (November 10, 2016). "Listen to Donald Glover's New Childish Gambino Song "Me and Your Mama"". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  17. ↑ Legaspi, Althea (November 10, 2016). "Hear Childish Gambino's Sprawling, Grooving New Song 'Me and Your Mama'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Childish Gambino – Redbone". BBC Radio 1. November 17, 2016. Archived from the original on November 22, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  19. ↑ Schwartz, Danny (November 17, 2016). "Childish Gambino – Redbone". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  21. ↑ ""Awaken, My Love!" by Childish Gambino reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  22. 1 2 "Reviews for "Awaken, My Love!" by Childish Gambino". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 9, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  23. 1 2 Mumford, Gwilym (December 1, 2016). "Childish Gambino: Awaken, My Love review – a prog-tinged freak-funk opus". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  24. ↑ Carroll, Jim (December 2, 2016). "Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love! album review: a deeper, wider groove". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Childish Gambino: "Awaken, My Love!"". Mojo (279): 92. February 2017.
  26. 1 2 Empire, Kitty (December 4, 2016). "Childish Gambino: Awaken, My Love! review – unimpeachable funk". The Observer. Archived from the original on December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  27. 1 2 Strauss, Matthew (December 6, 2016). "Childish Gambino: "Awaken, My Love"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  28. ↑ Howe, Rupert (February 2017). "Childish Gambino: "Awaken, My Love!"". Q (368): 112.
  29. 1 2 Reeves, Mosi (December 2, 2016). "Review: Childish Gambino Explores Hip-Hop's Limits on 'Awaken, My Love!'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  30. 1 2 Glaysher, Scott (December 8, 2016). "Childish Gambino Gets Far Out Funky on 'Awaken, My Love!'". XXL. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  31. ↑ "'Awaken, My Love' solidifies Donald Glover as Man of the Year". FSView & Florida Flambeau. December 4, 2016. Archived from the original on December 5, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  32. ↑ Pareles, Jon (December 8, 2016). "Childish Gambino's 'Awaken, My Love!' Sounds Like the 1970s". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  33. ↑ Christgau, Robert (August 21, 2018). "Xgau Sez". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Clash Albums Of The Year 2016". Clash. December 14, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Exclaim!'s Top 10 Soul and R&B Albums Best of 2017". Exclaim!. November 30, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Best Albums of 2016". Pigeons & Planes. December 22, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  37. ↑ "50 Best Albums of 2016". Variance. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  38. 1 2 Caulfield, Keith (December 11, 2016). "'The Hamilton Mixtape' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 12, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Childish Gambino's 'Awaken, My Love!' Debuts at No. 1 on R&B Albums Chart". December 14, 2016. Archived from the original on December 15, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  40. ↑ Hernandez, Victoria (December 12, 2016). "Hip Hop Album Sales: "The Hamilton Mixtape" Steals The Show On Billboard 200 Chart". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  41. ↑ Tart, Chris (December 28, 2016). "Charts Don't Lie: December 28". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  42. 1 2 "American album certifications – Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 13, 2018. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  43. 1 2 Awaken, My Love! (CD liner notes). Childish Gambino. Glassnote Records. 2016. 02140-5.
  44. 1 2 ""Awaken, My Love!" / Childish Gambino TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  45. ↑ ""Awaken, My Love!" by Childish Gambino on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  46. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love!". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  47. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Childish Gambino Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  49. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  50. ↑ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 49, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  51. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 49, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  52. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love!". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  53. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love!". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  54. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  55. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love!". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  56. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love!". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  57. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  58. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  59. ↑ "Childish Gambino Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  60. ↑ "Childish Gambino Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  61. ↑ "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  62. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  63. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love". Music Canada. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  64. ↑ "British album certifications – Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 25, 2018. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Enter Awaken, My Love in the search field and then press Enter.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.