May the Lord Watch
| May the Lord Watch | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 20, 2019 | |||
| Recorded | October 2018 - August 2019 | |||
| Studio | The Autumn Attic The Burlap Place Raleigh, North Carolina | |||
| Length | 37:15 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer |
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| Little Brother chronology | ||||
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May the Lord Watch is the fifth studio album by American hip-hop duo Little Brother. It was released on August 20, 2019 by Imagine Nation Music, For Members Only Records and Empire Distribution.[1]
The album is the duo's first album since 2010's Leftback release.[2]
Background[edit]
The album's development secretly began during the previous year of 2018, after Rapper Big Pooh, Phonte and 9th Wonder reunited during September's Art of Cool festival. However, this wasn't made public until shortly after Big Pooh and Phonte announced the group's reunion as a duo in May 2019.[3] Like the previous album Leftback, there was no production input from 9th, who departed the group to embark on a solo career as a producer and label CEO. Instead, the album was primarily produced by longtime collaborators and Soul Council members Nottz and Khrysis. Other producers such as Black Milk, Focus..., Devin Morrison, Blaaq Gold, and even Phonte himself also contributed to the album's production.[4][5][6] Sharing continuity with The Minstrel Show, the album's theme continues the running concept of a fictional television network called UBN, which is a satire of stereotypical programs, advertisements, and pop-culture for African-Americans.[7] A notable moment on the album was a skit from Peter Rosenberg announcing the death of Phonte's alter-ego Percy Miracles ( previously appeared on The Minstrel Show album track "Cheatin'"), which served as a tribute to Phife Dawg, and how his death was a significant moment that brought Phonte and Pooh back together.[8]
In multiple interviews and podcasts - including the Premium Pete Show - it was revealed that 9th Wonder was originally supposed to be a part of the reunion album, under its original title Homecoming. The title was changed due to Beyonce releasing Homecoming: The Live Album to coincide with her concert film Homecoming. Phonte and Pooh decided to continue the project without 9th after a series of creative differences, mostly regarding production for the album.[9]
Critical reception[edit]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 86/100[10] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[12] |
| HipHopDX |  [13] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ ( )[14] |
May the Lord Watch was met with universal acclaim reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 86, based on 5 reviews.[10]
Track listing[edit]
Credits adapted from istandard producers[15]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Feel" | Khrysis | 2:43 | |
| 2. | "A Word from the President" | Devin Morrison | Morrison | 0:58 |
| 3. | "Everything" |
| Khrysis | 3:41 |
| 4. | "Right on Time" |
| Nottz | 3:16 |
| 5. | "Black Magic (Make It Better)" |
| Focus... | 2:34 |
| 6. | "Life After Blackface" |
| Zo! | 0:40 |
| 7. | "Goodmorning Sunshine" |
| Focus... | 4:00 |
| 8. | "Dyana Change My Life" |
|
| 0:37 |
| 9. | "What I Came For" |
|
| 3:00 |
| 10. | "Inside the Producer's Studio" | Coleman | Zo! | 1:03 |
| 11. | "Sittin' Alone" |
|
| 3:14 |
| 12. | "Picture This" |
| Black Milk | 3:55 |
| 13. | "Niggas Hollering" |
| Abjo | 0:49 |
| 14. | "All in a Day" |
| King Michael Coy | 3:50 |
| 15. | "Work Through Me" |
|
| 2:57 |
| Total length: | 37:15 | |||
Samples[edit]
- "The Feel" contains a sample of "A Man Alone", as performed by Alan Hawkshaw
- "Everything" contains a sample of "In My Life", as performed by Mahavishnu Orchestra
- "Black Magic (Make It Better)" contains a sample of "The Chase", as performed by Anderson .Paak
- "Goodmorning Sunshine" contains a sample of "Eternal Love", as performed by Utopia
- "Sittin' Alone" contains a sample of "Open Your Eyes", as performed by Bobby Caldwell
Personnel[edit]
|
|
Charts[edit]
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[16] | 11 |
References[edit]
- ^ Breihan, Tom (August 20, 2019). "Little Brother Reunite & Release New Album". Stereogum. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ Strauss, Matthew (August 20, 2019). "Little Brother Release First New Album in Nine Years". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ Scott, Dana (21 May 2019). "Phonte & Rapper Big Pooh Are Returning As Little Brother". hiphopdx.com.
- ^ "Little Brother Reunite & Release New Album \'May the Lord Watch,\' Their First in Nine Years". 20 August 2019.
- ^ Williams, Aaron (20 August 2019). "Little Brother Comes To Terms Their Elder Status On 'May The Lord Watch,' Their First Album In Nine Years". uproxx.com.
- ^ Sanfiorenzo, Dimas (20 August 2019). "Stream Little Brother's First Album in Almost 10 Years, 'May the Lord Watch'". okayplayer.com.
- ^ "10 Takeaways from Little Brother's Brilliant Comeback Album 'May the Lord Watch'". 21 August 2019.
- ^ https://tidal.com/browse/video/118638179.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Little Brother Reveals Why 9th Wonder Wasn't Part of Reunion Album". 10 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ Harmony, Ariss (September 4, 2019). "Exclaim! Review". Exclaim!.
- ^ Ivey, Justin (August 25, 2019). "HipHopDX Review". HipHopDX. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ Hull, Tom. "Grade List: Little Brother". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Little Brother - May The Lord Watch (Credits)". istandardproducers.com. istandard, inc. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
- ^ "Little Brother Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2019.