The Ecstatic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Ecstatic | ||||||||||
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| Studio album by Mos Def | ||||||||||
| Released | June 9, 2009 | |||||||||
| Recorded | 2007-2009 | |||||||||
| Genre | Hip hop, neo soul | |||||||||
| Length | 45:34 | |||||||||
| Label | Downtown | |||||||||
| Producer | J Dilla, Mr. Flash, Madlib, Mos Def , The Neptunes, Oh No, Preservation | |||||||||
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| Mos Def chronology | ||||||||||
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The Ecstatic is the fourth studio album by American hip hop artist Mos Def, released June 9, 2009 on Downtown Records in the United States. It features several diverse musical styles, including soul, Afrobeat, jazz, funk, and Latin music, and has been noted by music writers for its "out-of-the-crates" samples.[10][11][12] The album is titled after author Victor LaValle's 2002 book of the same name. The Ecstatic debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, making it Mos Def's second highest charting record to date. Upon its release, the album received universal acclaim from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 81/100 from Metacritic.[13]
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[edit] Background
In a podcast interview with Anthony DeCurtis at the 92nd Street Y, Mos Def stated that he named the album after the book The Ecstatic by Victor LaValle.[14] In live shows Mos Def performed new songs from the album before its release. Crowds had heard tracks produced by Madlib and Oh No (Madlib’s younger brother). The album features collaborations with Slick Rick, Talib Kweli and Georgia Anne Muldrow[15], as well as production by Mr. Flash and the late J Dilla.[16] The first single off the album is 'Life in Marvelous Times', the second single is 'Quiet Dog', and the third single is 'Casa Bey'. The song 'Casa Bey' was recently made into an official music video that was released via Mos Def's Myspace page. [17] The album cover is taken from Charles Burnett's 1977 film, Killer of Sheep.
The Ecstatic debuted at number 2 in mp3-format album sales on Amazon.com,[18] and number 9 on the Billboard 200, but fell to number 29 in its second week. On June 18, 2009, Mos Def stated that he will start selling the album by T-shirts sometime in July 2009 with a code on the tag, which will be used to download off the Internet for free. [19] Mos Def is also releasing a music video for the song "Supermagic" [20]
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Supermagic" | Oh No | 2:32 |
| 2. | "Twilite Speedball" | Chad Hugo, | 3:02 |
| 3. | "Auditorium" (featuring Slick Rick) | Madlib | 4:34 |
| 4. | "Wahid" | Madlib | 1:39 |
| 5. | "Priority" | Preservation | 1:22 |
| 6. | "Quiet Dog Bite Hard" | Preservation | 2:57 |
| 7. | "Life in Marvelous Times" | Mr. Flash | 3:41 |
| 8. | "The Embassy" | Mr. Flash | 2:45 |
| 9. | "No Hay Nada Mas" | Preservation | 1:42 |
| 10. | "Pistola" | Oh No | 3:02 |
| 11. | "Pretty Dancer" | Madlib | 3:31 |
| 12. | "Workers Comp" | Mr. Flash | 2:02 |
| 13. | "Revelations" | Madlib | 2:03 |
| 14. | "Roses" (featuring Georgia Anne Muldrow) | Georgia Anne Muldrow | 3:41 |
| 15. | "History" (featuring Talib Kweli) | J Dilla | 2:21 |
| 16. | "Casa Bey" | Mos Def & Preservation | 4:32 |
[edit] Chart history
| Year | Album | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard 200 | Top Rap Albums | |||
| 2009 | The Ecstatic | #9 | #2 | |
[edit] Personnel
| # | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Supermagic" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, M. Jackson |
| 2 | "Twilite Speedball" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, C. Hugo |
| 3 | "Auditorium" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, O. Jackson Jr., R. Walters |
| 4 | "Wahid" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, J. Daval, B. Hebb, S. Brown |
| 5 | "Priority" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, O. Jackson Jr. |
| 6 | "Quiet Dog" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, J. Daval |
| 7 | "Life In Marvelous Times" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, G. Bousquet |
| 8 | "The Embassy" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, G. Bousquet, Ihsan al Munzer |
| 9 | "No Hay Nada Mas" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, J. Daval |
| 10 | "Pistola" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, M. Jackson, A. Hester |
| 11 | "Pretty Dancer" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, O. Jackson Jr. |
| 12 | "Workers Comp" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, G. Bousquet, M. Gaye |
| 13 | "Revelations" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, O. Jackson Jr., M. Drake |
| 14 | "Roses" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, G. Anne Muldrow |
| 15 | "History" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, J. Yancey, T.K. Greene, Zekkariyas, M. Wells Womack |
| 16 | "Casa Bey" |
Songwriters: D. Smith, E. Lobo |
[edit] References
- ^ Kellman, Andy. Review: The Ecstatic. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-07-23.
- ^ Kot, Greg. Review: The Ecstatic. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2009-09-22.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: The Ecstatic". MSN Music: July 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-07-23.
- ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon. Review: The Ecstatic. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-07-23.
- ^ Wappler, Margaret. Review: The Ecstatic. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2009-07-23.
- ^ Patrin, Nate. Review: The Ecstatic. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2009-07-23.
- ^ Martin, Andrew. Review: The Ecstatic. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2009-07-23.
- ^ Potton, Ed. Review: The Ecstatic. The Times. Retrieved on 2009-09-22.
- ^ Jones, Steve. Review: The Ecstatic. USA Today. Retrieved on 2009-07-23.
- ^ a b Stewart, Allison. Review: The Ecstatic. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2009-07-23.
- ^ Munro, Tyler. Review: The Ecstatic. Sputnikmusic. Retrieved on 2009-09-22.
- ^ Thompson, Ben. Review: The Ecstatic. The Observer. Retrieved on 2009-07-23.
- ^ The Ecstatic (2009): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-09-22.
- ^ http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/entry/offers/partnerPromotions.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&productID=SP_NSTY_00086
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/343052/mos-def-super-magic-1.jhtml
[edit] External links
- The Ecstatic at Discogs
- The Ecstatic at Metacritic
- Album Review at About.com
- Album Review at Time Out
