Souldier
Souldier | ||||
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Studio album by Jain | ||||
Released | 24 August 2018 | |||
Recorded | Spookland, Paris | |||
Genre | Pop[1] | |||
Length | 31:12 | |||
Label | Spookland, Columbia, Sony Music | |||
Producer | Jain, Yodelice | |||
Jain chronology | ||||
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Singles from Souldier | ||||
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Souldier is the second studio album by French singer-songwriter Jain. It was released on 24 August 2018 through Spookland, Columbia and Sony Music. Its release was preceded by the lead single "Alright". The album's title is a play-on-words between 'soldier' and 'soul'.
The album debuted at number one in France and french-speaking part of Switzerland (Romandie), number two in Switzerland and at number three in Wallonia.[2][3][4] Jain will tour North America in support of the album, beginning in October 2018,[5] followed by dates in western Europe in November and December 2018.[6] The tour will continue in France in spring 2019.[7]
Release and promotion
The album's title, cover and track listing were announced on 29 June 2018 and it was made available for pre-order.[8]
On 25 May 2018, "Alright" was released as the album's lead single. A music video for the song was released on 25 June 2018. The song reached number one on the French downloads chart[9] and five on the overall singles chart.[10]
Themes
The title track was inspired by the Orlando nightclub shooting,[11] while the song "Star" is about the position of young women in the music industry.[12]
Critical reception
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
NME | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Reviewing the album for NME, Thomas Smith awarded the album four out of five stars and complimented its "diverse palette of influences" and "endearing moments", including "Inspecta", with Smith naming it "one of the most exhilarating songs of 2018" that is "basically just the Inspector Gadget theme tune given a trendy trap makeover".[11] Smith also acclaimed "Alright" for its "drum'n'bass with an Afrobeat flair". He also singled out "Dream", calling it "stripped-back Euro-tinged pop that's hinged on Jain's piercing vocals." In conclusion, he stated "Fortune favours the ones with love in their hearts, and Jain's Souldier shows bagfuls."[11]
Will Hermes, writing for Rolling Stone, noted Jain's "flow jump-cutting between pan-African dancehall chat and Europop chirp with matter-of-fact fluency — think M.I.A. as ingénue".[1] He called the album "another sly charmer, sung in English but stylistically polyglot".[1]
Track listing
All tracks written by Jain.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "On My Way" | 3:23 |
2. | "Flash (Pointe-Noire)" | 2:19 |
3. | "Alright" | 3:42 |
4. | "Oh Man" | 3:22 |
5. | "Inspecta" | 3:05 |
6. | "Dream" | 3:04 |
7. | "Star" | 3:01 |
8. | "Feel It" | 2:39 |
9. | "Abu Dhabi" | 2:51 |
10. | "Souldier" | 3:46 |
Total length: | 31:12 |
Charts
Chart (2018) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] | 152 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[4] | 3 |
French Albums (SNEP)[2] | 1 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[3] | 2 |
Swiss Albums (Romandie)[14] | 1 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
---|---|---|
France (SNEP)[15] | Gold | 50,000* |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
References
- 1 2 3 Hermes, Will (24 August 2018). "12 New Albums to Stream Now: Blood Orange, Ozuna and more". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- 1 2 "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums (Week 35)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- 1 2 "Swisscharts.com – Jain – Souldier". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- 1 2 "Ultratop.be – Jain – Souldier" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ↑ Evans, Steph (27 June 2018). "JAIN releases music video for latest single "Alright"". Earmilk. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ↑ "JAIN on Twitter". Retrieved 3 September 2018 – via Twitter.
- ↑ ""Souldier Tour" : Jain annonce une tournée des Zéniths pour 2019". chartsinfrance.net (in French). Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ↑ "JAIN on Twitter". Retrieved 3 September 2018 – via Twitter.
- ↑ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés (Week 34)" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ↑ "Jain – Alright". lescharts.com (in French). Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 Smith, Thomas (24 August 2018). "Jain – 'Souldier' album review". NME. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ↑ Bureau, Eric (26 May 2018). "Musique : avec "Alright", Jain revient en guerrière" [Music: With "Alright", Jain returns as a warrior]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Jain – Souldier" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ↑ "Les charts de la Suisse romande" (in French). lescharts.ch. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ↑ "French album certifications – Jain – Souldier" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 9 October 2018.