Begin (Lion Babe album)
Begin | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 22, 2016 February 5, 2016 (CD) | (iTunes)|||
Studio | Various
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Genre | ||||
Length | 48:10 | |||
Label | ||||
Lion Babe chronology | ||||
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Singles from Begin | ||||
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Begin is the debut album by American duo Lion Babe. It was released on February 5, 2016, by Interscope Records and Polydor Records.[1]
Singles
- "Wonder Woman" was released as the album's first single on March 23, 2015.[2] It was written and produced with American singer, rapper and record producer Pharrell Williams.
- "Impossible" was released on July 24, 2015 as the second single.[3]
- "Where Do We Go" was the third single to be released from the album on November 20, 2015.[4]
Other songs
The album also includes "Treat Me Like Fire" and "Jump Hi", which features American actor, voice actor, rapper, songwriter, and writer Childish Gambino. They were released as singles in 2012 and 2013, respectively, from the duo's EP Lion Babe (2014).[5]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [6] |
Clash | 6/10[7] |
Pitchfork | 6.2/10[8] |
PopMatters | [9] |
Andy Kellman of AllMusic said, "Hervey takes cues from forthright soul-funk greats like Chaka Khan, Betty Wright, and Betty Davis, but she has a gentler character that's her own, whether she's singing of body positivity, seducing without compromising herself, or serving up would-be skipping rhymes. Just as crucially, she and Goodman don't act as if innovations in R&B ceased before they were born; most of these songs are as modern sounding as anything aired on radio stations classified as mainstream urban." He was disappointed by some of the collaborations on the record, feeling that "Begin resonates most when Hervey and Goodman are left to themselves".[6] Evan Rytlewski of Pitchfork criticized what he felt was a lack of experimentation, noting that Hervey and Goodman's songs "shuffle between disco, house, and neo-soul. And while they update these styles with the airy, wide-open production aesthetic of modern alternative R&B, their songs are rooted squarely in pop. There are no experimental digressions that might alienate the dance floor... Lion Babe aren't after cred. They're after hits."[8] Dami Solebo of PopMatters said that Lion Babe "appear to play spin the bottle with sub-genres in an effort to make something stick" and that ultimately "many of Lion Babe's ditties fall short of achieving anything in particular, making it a pleasant enough album, but one that is quickly forgettable".[9] Shahzaib Hussain of Clash said that "more often than not, it feels as if too much of the album's soundscape is reliant on retro stylings, when Lion Babe's own idiosyncratic stamp would pack more of a punch", but that "there is enough substance here to surmise Lion Babe's future promise".[7]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Whole" |
| 3:18 | |
2. | "Jump Hi" (featuring Childish Gambino) |
| Astro Raw | 2:59 |
3. | "Wonder Woman" |
|
| 3:19 |
4. | "Impossible" |
|
| 2:39 |
5. | "Stressed Out!" |
| Astro Raw | 3:30 |
6. | "Satisfy My Love" |
| Astro Raw | 4:28 |
7. | "Where Do We Go" |
|
| 3:15 |
8. | "On the Rocks" |
|
| 3:38 |
9. | "Hold On" |
|
| 3:14 |
10. | "Jungle Lady" |
|
| 3:32 |
11. | "Got Body" |
| Astro Raw | 3:05 |
12. | "Everyday Life" |
|
| 3:24 |
13. | "Treat Me Like Fire" |
| Astro Raw | 4:11 |
14. | "Little Dreamer" |
| Astro Raw | 3:38 |
Notes
- Credits adapted from album liner notes.
- ^[a] signifies a co-producer
- "Jump Hi" incorporates elements of "Mr. Bojangles" by Jerry Jeff Walker.
Release history
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | 5 February 2016 | [1] |
References
- ^ a b "iTunes - Music - Begin by LION BABE". iTunes Store (GB).
- ^ "Amazon.com: Wonder Woman: Lion Babe: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com.
- ^ "Amazon.com: Impossible: Lion Babe: MP3 Downloads".
- ^ "Amazon.com: Where Do We Go: Lion Babe: MP3 Downloads".
- ^ "Amazon.com: Lion Babe EP: Lion Babe: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com.
- ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Lion Babe – Begin".
- ^ a b Hussain, Shahzaib (February 12, 2016). "Lion Babe – Begin". Clash. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
- ^ a b Rytlewski, Evan (February 1, 2016). "Lion Babe: Begin". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
- ^ a b Solebo, Dami (February 25, 2016). "Lion Babe: Begin". PopMatters. Retrieved December 12, 2017.