Jigsaw (Lady Sovereign album)

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Jigsaw
Studio album by
Lady Sovereign
Released6 April 2009 (2009-04-06)
Recorded2008
GenreHip hop, grime, electronica
LabelEMI
ProducerDr. Luke, Benny Blanco, Medasyn
Lady Sovereign chronology
Public Warning
(2006) 		Jigsaw
(2009)
Alternative cover
Singles from Jigsaw
  1. "I Got You Dancing!"
    Released: December 2008
  2. "So Human"
    Released: 6 April 2009

Jigsaw is the second studio album by English rapper Lady Sovereign, released on 6 April 2009 in the United Kingdom and 7 April 2009 in the United States under Midget Records, with distribution by EMI.[1]

Background[edit]

The album is her first to be released independently. Sovereign once said, "I feel great now. I feel like I've overcome all my dark times. I get to pick who I want to work with. No one can tell me off or make me do things because I'm the boss. It feels amazing. I've got my own label and everything works my way."[2]

The album is Sovereign's reaction and reflection of her popularity and the inability to cope with it, up to the point where she had suicidal thoughts.[3] About the album, she said, "The album is the next chapter. It's a massive leap forward for mankind."[4]

The album will also feature Sovereign singing; she explained, saying:

I was seeing someone, it was pretty deep. I was loved up. Then it all fucked up and I just wanted to sing about it really. I'm not the best singer in the world but you listen to it and you definitely feel it, you know. Rapping is second nature to me. I feel different when I sing. I feel lighter, it's fun.[2]

She explained the album's title, saying it "makes sense to call the album Jigsaw because it's kind of like different genres".[5]

Production and writing[edit]

The album includes production by Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco and Medasyn.[6] Lady Sovereign said her first album was "not consistent", but "it worked" for her. On her new album, she went on to say, "A few of the tracks explain everything that's happened in the last two years, which I didn't get a chance to at the time." On production, she said she had been listening to electro and instrumental music. She stated that working with Medasyn is "an inspiration" because they "always come up with some weird beats together".[2] Sovereign experimented with Auto-Tune in the album's lead single, "I Got You Dancing".[7]

The opening track "Let's Be Mates" is a club-oriented dance song, while "Student Union" is a 1980s synth-driven track. "Jigsaw", the title track, is a rapcore song supplemented by strings with a sung chorus.[8]

Promotion[edit]

In early December 2008, Lady Sovereign uploaded a song on her MySpace profile entitled "I Got You Dancing", calling it "an early Christmas gift".[6] In February 2009, Sovereign performed at The Echo in Los Angeles, California to promote Jigsaw.[9] She performed at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas in mid-March and will embark on a North American tour beginning in May 2009 to promote the album.[10]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic57/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
The Austin Chronicle[13]
BBC Music(favorable)[14]
Billboard(favorable)[15]
The Boston Globe(favorable)[16]
Los Angeles Times[17]
The Observer[18]
Pitchfork Media(3.1/10)[19]
PopMatters[20]
Rolling Stone[21]

Initial critical response to Jigsaw was mixed. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 57, based on 25 reviews.[22] ClashMusic.com commented that "Jigsaw" is "a record where standout offerings seem such because of the lack of a considered segueing between arrangements". But the review concluded that progression from "Public Warning" was evident, and that some listeners "will fall instantly in love with the cheeky wit on show, at turns charming and caustic".[23]

Track listing[edit]

Jigsaw track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Let's Be Mates"Louise Harman, Gabriel OlegavichMedasyn3:20
2."So Human"Harman, Lukasz Gottwald, Benjamin Levin, Robert Smith, Gabriel OlegavichMedasyn3:57
3."Jigsaw"Harman, OlegavichMedasyn3:32
4."Bang Bang"Harman, OlegavichMedasyn3:22
5."I Got You Dancing!"Harman, OlegavichMedasyn3:34
6."Pennies"Harman, Gottwald, LevinMedasyn3:05
7."Guitar"Harman, OlegavichMedasyn3:33
8."Student Union"Harman, OlegavichMedasyn3:06
9."Food Play"Harman, OlegavichMedasyn5:13
10."I Got the Goods"Harman, OlegavichMedasyn3:02
Japan bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."So Human" (Sinden Remix)4:35
12."I Got You Dancing" (Jack Beats Remix)5:36
13."Jigsaw" (Taku Takahashi Remix)5:36
Limited edition bonus CD
No.TitleLength
1."I Got You Dancing" (Jack Beats Remix)5:35
2."I Got You Dancing" (Semothy Jones Remix)4:08
3."I Got You Dancing" (Medasyn Remix)5:22
4."So Human" (Soggy Face Remix)4:27
5."So Human" (Sinden Remix)4:35
6."I Got You Dancing" (Medasyn Remix)5:22
7."I Got You Dancing" (video) 
8."So Human" (video) 
iTunes bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."I Got You Dancing" (Semothy Jones Remix)4:06

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Jigsaw
Chart (2009) Peak
position
ARIA Urban Albums Chart[24] 11
UK Albums Chart[25] 121

Release history[edit]

Release history and formats for Jigsaw
Region Date
United Kingdom 6 April 2009
United States 7 April 2009
Australia 17 April 2009

References[edit]

  1. ^ Thiessen, Brock (8 December 2008). "Lady Sovereign Returns With New Album, Free Download". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2008.
  2. ^ a b c Denney, Alex (17 December 2008). "Midget Bites Back: Lady Sov Album Due 2009". The Quietus. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  3. ^ "Lady Sovereign Pieces Together New Album". Aversion.com. Aversion Media. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  4. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (8 December 2008). "Lady Sovereign Starts Label, Preps Album". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 9 December 2008.
  5. ^ Lash, Jolie (21 January 2009). "Lady Sovereign Returns From Music Strike". Spinner.com. AOL. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
  6. ^ a b Rayner, Ben (9 December 2008). "Lady Sovereign Returns With New Album, New Label". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2008.
  7. ^ O'Donnell, Kevin (22 January 2009). "Lady Sovereign Takes a Cue From Kanye and Sings on April LP 'Jigsaw'". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on 30 January 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
  8. ^ Ayers, Michael D. (7 March 2009). "Rapper Lady Sovereign pieces together 'Jigsaw'". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
  9. ^ "Lady Sovereign at The Echo". Los Angeles Times. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2009.[dead link]
  10. ^ Wood, Ryan (5 March 2009). "British rapper Lady Sovereign on the U.S., soccer and her new album". Norwich Bulletin. GateHouse Media. Archived from the original on 11 August 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2009.
  11. ^ "Jigsaw by Lady Sovereign". Metacritic.
  12. ^ link
  13. ^ Oko, Dan (20 March 2009). "Lady Sovereign".
  14. ^ Small, Elle J. "BBC – Music – Review of Lady Sovereign – Jigsaw".
  15. ^ "link". Billboard.
  16. ^ "Lady Sovereign, 'Jigsaw'". 6 April 2009 – via The Boston Globe.
  17. ^ "Album review: Lady Sovereign's 'Jigsaw'". 6 April 2009.
  18. ^ Davis, Johnny (14 March 2009). "Urban review: Lady Sovereign, Jigsaw" – via The Guardian.
  19. ^ "Jigsaw Album Review – Pitchfork". pitchfork.com.
  20. ^ "Lady Sovereign: Jigsaw".
  21. ^ "Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 April 2009.
  22. ^ "Lady Sovereign:Jigsaw (2009): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
  23. ^ "Lady Sovereign Jigsaw album review". 3 April 2009.
  24. ^ "Top 40 Urban Albums & Singles Chart – Australian Record Industry Association". Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  25. ^ "Chart Log UK: DJ Steve L. – LZ Love". Zobbel.de. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2023.

External links[edit]

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