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Give or Take

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Give or Take
A photo of the artist, illuminated, stood in front of a dark background of a tall building in front of the night sky
Studio album by
Giveon
ReleasedJune 24, 2022
Genre
Length45:12
Label
Producer
Giveon chronology
When It's All Said and Done... Take Time
(2021) 		Give or Take
(2022)
Singles from Give or Take
  1. "For Tonight"
    Released: September 24, 2021
  2. "Lie Again"
    Released: April 29, 2022
  3. "Lost Me"
    Released: June 24, 2022

Give or Take is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Giveon, released June 24, 2022, via Epic Records and Not So Fast.[1][2][3] The album includes production from Cardo Got Wings, Boi-1da, Sevn Thomas, Jahaan Sweet, Rogét Chahayed, Don Mills, and Giveon himself, among others.

Background

Give or Take, which serves as the follow-up to Giveon's extended plays Take Time (2020) and When It's All Said and Done (2020), is Giveon's first full-length project, released after two years in the making.[4] The album explores themes such as fame, love, and heartbreak. The album is structured in the form of a series of discussions between Giveon and his mother, with dialogue interspersed between some of the album's tracks. "The album concept is just me having a conversation with my mom", Giveon explained in an interview. "I am finally expressing to her everything I've been through for the last 18 to 24 months. As if I'm reading right out of a diary, I told her that I want to have a conversation. I just wanted it to be her and myself", he gave as the reason as to why he chose to omit guest features from the album.[5]

Singles and music videos

The album was preceded by the singles "For Tonight"[6] and "Lie Again",[7] released September 24, 2021, and April 29, 2022, respectively, and with accompanying music videos released the same days. Third single "Lost Me" was released the same day as the album along with a music video.[8]

Style and reception

Give or Take ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic77/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[11]
Pitchfork6.0/10[12]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Give or Take received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 from 4 critic scores.[9] The Line of Best Fit's Josh Herring wrote that "the soothing nature of production is well complemented by beautiful baritone and reminiscent of an earlier form of R&B and soul music, one that is absent of traces of pop that riddles the genre contemporarily" and that "If you're looking for an authentic, soulful experience, then this is the album for you." The singles "For Tonight" and "Lie Again" are "stealing the show" and it "feels the album was geared to build up towards the higher-flying vocals of the lead singles and wind down into the latter half of the album" with an impressive vocal range on display. The album's "sonic range" is "limited", but "can still be a captivating experience – meaning, it doesn't necessarily have 'bangers',[a] though that isn't to say this isn't a valuable listening experience."[11]

Pitchfork's DeAsia Paige wrote that the album faced a similar issue to Giveon's 2020 cover of D'Angelo's consummate "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" which "has all the spiritual vigor of a partner who sends you a lengthy good morning text every day; it's just not that stimulating." The album's "expansive ballads seek to scale the highs and lows of love and heartbreak" but "Giveon more often sounds like he's cruising on autopilot in the center lane." Giveon "cautioned fans to keep a box of tissues nearby" in case they cried during their listening experience, but this is "not necessary". The album "paints a very familiar story of a hopeless romantic who's searching to understand their flaws and solve their relationship woes in the throes of newfound fame", but there's "no shortage of this narrative in contemporary R&B". Compared to rum.gold's Thicker Than Water and Lucky Daye's Painted, on which "the challenge of being a self-aware lover is illuminated with a lush variety of soul-baring vocal arrangements that would make love's most dedicated critics become open to understanding the possibilities of healthy romance", "Giveon's narrative doesn't land." Paige closes by noting that Take Time-era Giveon "experimented with melody and challenged himself vocally" while on Give or Take he "stunts that growth in favor of secluding himself in his comfort zone."[12]

Year-end lists

Give or Take year-end lists
Publication # Ref.
Rolling Stone 78 [13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Giveon Evans, with other writers noted

Give or Take track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducersLength
1."Let Me Go"
2:57
2."Scarred"
2:58
3."Dec 11th"Jordan EvansEvans1:13
4."This Will Do"
  • Carlos Martin
  • Greyyforever
  • Marcus Semaj
  • Giveon
  • Greyyforever
  • Semaj
2:55
5."Get to You"Mills
  • Mills
  • Giveon
  • Semaj
3:26
6."Tryna Be"
  • Braxton Cook
  • Douglas Ford
  • Enrique Sanchez
  • Jahaan Sweet
  • Braxton
  • Sanchez
  • Sweet
2:51
7."Make You Mine"
  • Chahayed
  • Thomas
3:20
8."July 16th"
  • Caleb Bryant
  • Cameron Joseph
  • C. Bryant
  • Joseph
1:51
9."For Tonight"
  • Akeel Henry
  • Sweet
  • Leon Thomas
  • Semaj
  • Peter Lee Johnson
  • S. Thomas
  • Tony Dixon
  • Akeel Henry
  • Sweet
  • S. Thomas
3:12
10."Lost Me"
  • Charlie Handsome
  • Deats
  • Oz
  • S. Thomas
3:01
11."Lie Again"
  • Mills
  • Simon Gebrelul
  • Mills
  • Giveon
3:02
12."Another Heartbreak"
  • Brooks Ivory Leonard
  • Sweet
  • L. Thomas
  • Schyler O'Neal
  • Brooks Ivory
  • Sweet
  • L. Thomas
  • O'Neal
4:09
13."At Least We Tried"
Newbill3:33
14."Remind Me"
  • Lang
  • Sweet
  • Oz
3:24
15."Unholy Matrimony"
3:20
Total length:45:12

Personnel

  • Giveon – vocals
  • Brian Cruz – recording engineer
  • Rodrigo Barahona – recording engineer (1, 2, 10-12)
  • Andrew Schwartz – recording engineer (4)
  • Sam Valentine Zuckerman – recording engineer (5, 6, 8)
  • Robert N. Johnson – assistant engineer (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12)
  • Syd Tagle – assistant engineer (3, 7, 13, 14)
  • Ian Rene – assistant engineer (6, 10)
  • Jonathan Lopez Garcia – assistant engineer (6, 9)
  • Brodie Means – assistant engineer (10)
  • Josh Seller – assistant engineer (12)
  • John Kercy – mixing engineer
  • Colin Leonard – mastering engineer (1-5, 7-15)
  • Leon Thomas – miscellaneous production (1, 2, 5, 8-11)
  • Nils – miscellaneous production (2, 5, 10, 11), programming (5, 10)
  • Peter Lee Johnson – miscellaneous production (9), programming (2, 4, 5, 12)
  • Trisha Cruzada – programming (5, 14)
  • Ayanna – programming (12)
  • Syd – programming (12)
  • Victor – programming (12)

Charts

Chart performance for Give or Take
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] 30
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15] 100
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[16] 15
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[17] 36
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[18] 19
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 31
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 37
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[21] 40
US Billboard 200[22] 11
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[23] 5

Release history

Release dates and formats for Give or Take
Region Date Label(s) Format(s) Ref.
Various June 24, 2022
[24]

References

  1. ^ The dictionary definition of bangers at Wiktionary (see English language definition #6)
  1. ^ Grant, Shawn (June 3, 2022). "Givēon Announces Debut Album Give or Take for June 24". The Source. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  2. ^ Elibert, Mark (June 3, 2022). "Drake Collaborator Giveon Announces Debut Album Give or Take Release Date". HipHopDX. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  3. ^ Samuels, Keithan (June 24, 2022). "Giveon Releases Debut Album Give or Take". Rated R&B. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  4. ^ Blanchet, Brenton (June 24, 2022). "Giveon Is Ready to Wake You Up". Spin. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  5. ^ Peay, Malik (June 27, 2022). "Giveon's Debut Album Give or Take Is a Promise to Never Give Up on Love". Grammy Awards. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  6. ^ Regina, Ayana (September 24, 2021). "Givēon Doesn't Want to Let Go "For Tonight"". SoulBounce. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  7. ^ Mier, Tomás (April 29, 2022). "Giveon Tries to Ignore Red Flags in Beautifully Painful Ballad "Lie Again"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  8. ^ Pointer, Ashley (June 24, 2022). "Givēon, "Lost Me"". NPR. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Give or Take by Giveon Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  10. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Giveon - Give or Take". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Herring, Josh (June 24, 2022). "Give or Take sees Giveon mature from toxic heartthrob to responsible lover". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Paige, DeAsia (July 5, 2022). "Giveon: Give or Take Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  13. ^ Reid, Tara (December 1, 2022). "The 100 Best Albums of 2022". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  14. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  15. ^ "Ultratop.be – Giv%26%23275%3Bon – Give or Take" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  16. ^ "Billboard Canadian Albums: Week of July 9, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  17. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Giv%26%23275%3Bon – Give or Take" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  18. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  19. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Giv%26%23275%3Bon – Give or Take". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  20. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  21. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  22. ^ @billboardcharts (July 5, 2022). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200 (1/2)..." (Tweet). Retrieved July 11, 2022 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Week of July 9, 2022". July 9, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  24. ^ Give or Take release formats:
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