36 Seasons

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36 Seasons
36 Seasons album cover.jpg
Studio album by Ghostface Killah
Released December 9, 2014 (2014-12-09)
Recorded 2014
Genre Hip hop
Length 40:15
Label Tommy Boy Records
Producer The Revelations, Fizzy Womack, Abdul-Rahmaan, The 45 King
Ghostface Killah chronology
Twelve Reasons to Die
(2013)Twelve Reasons to Die2013		 36 Seasons
(2014)		 Sour Soul
(2015)Sour Soul2015
Wu-Tang Clan solo chronology
U-God:
The Keynote Speaker
(2014)		 36 Seasons
(2014)		 Ghostface Killah & BADBADNOTGOOD:
Sour Soul
(2015)

36 Seasons is the eleventh studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member, Ghostface Killah. It was released on December 9, 2014, by Tommy Boy Records.[1]

Background

In a December 2014, interview with HipHopDX, Ghostface Killah said it took about 11 days to record the album.[2] Like Ghostface Killah's previous album, Twelve Reasons to Die, 36 Seasons is a concept album. The album follows the story of Tony Starks as he returns to Staten Island after nine years away seeking a quiet life but he finds this will be difficult to accomplish.[3]

Release and promotion

Record store Get On Down was the only retailer to sell 36 Seasons in vinyl format. Get On Down also sold a CD bundle that featured the vinyl version, an instrumental CD, poster, graphic novel booklet, and a T-Shirt.[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 72/100[4]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4/5 stars[5]
The A.V. Club C+[6]
Billboard 4/5 stars[7]
Consequence of Sound B[8]
Entertainment Weekly A-[9]
Exclaim! 8/10[10]
Los Angeles Times 2.5/4 stars[11]
The Observer 3/5 stars[12]
Pitchfork Media 6.0/10[13]
Spin 7/10[14]

36 Seasons received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 72, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 18 reviews.[4] David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "Inspiration flows out of the man throughout the album, and this end-to-end concept is executed with little note-spinning or boring lyrics that just serve the story, and while Twelve Reasons took a big giallo risk and nailed it, this more expected, '70s-favored success still surprises with its vigorous sense of purpose."[5] Homer Johnsen of HipHopDX stated, "36 Seasons may not be Ghostface’s greatest project, but it is another notable addition to his extensive body of work. Rapping alongside Kool G Rap and AZ for the bulk of the album is certainly a treat, and the two have their own moments of glory. Production, on the other hand, simply does not hold on to the lyrical dynamism present between Ghost, Pharoahe Monch, AZ and G."[15] Michael Madden of Consequence of Sound said, "36 Seasons is the result of consummate artistic process and taste--a complete album both lyrically and musically."[8]

Theon Weber of Spin said, "It's a small, controlled, uncommonly focused album, by an artist well into the kind of middle age that prizes refinement and brevity."[14] Olivia Arezes of Exclaim! stated, "Ghost has always been considered a master of storytelling, and on 36 Seasons, he paints the usual sordid pictures in his songs, except this time he's cast an all-star team —Kool G Rap, AZ, Pharoahe Monch and others — as characters in an audio comic that's as action-packed as a kung-fu film."[10] Matthew Fiander of PopMatters said, "His flow is solid on this album, and there’s no reason to suggest Ghostface is done, but if he is trying to recapture something, all we get here is sound and fury."[16]

Track listing

No. Title Producer(s)[17] Length
1. "The Battlefield" (featuring AZ, Kool G Rap & Tre Williams) Fizzy Womack, The Revelations 3:46
2. "Love Don’t Live Here No More" (featuring Kandace Springs) Malik Abdul-Rahmaan, The Revelations 3:48
3. "Here I Go Again" (featuring AZ & Rell) Fizzy Womack, The Revelations 3:28
4. "Loyalty" (performed by Kool G Rap & Nems) The Revelations 1:57
5. "It's a Thin Line Between Love and Hate" (performed by The Revelations) The Revelations 3:59
6. "The Dogs of War" (featuring Shawn Wigs & Kool G Rap) The Revelations 3:48
7. "Emergency Procedure" (featuring Pharoahe Monch) The Revelations 2:42
8. "Double Cross" (featuring AZ) The Revelations 2:20
9. "Bamboo’s Lament" (performed by Kandace Springs) Malik Abdul-Rahmaan, The Revelations 1:57
10. "Pieces to the Puzzle" (featuring AZ) The Revelations 2:35
11. "Homicide" (featuring Nems & Shawn Wigs) Malik Abdul-Rahmaan, The Revelations 3:21
12. "Blood in the Streets" (featuring AZ) The 45 King, The Revelations 2:03
13. "Call My Name"   The Revelations 2:11
14. "I Love You For All Seasons" (performed by The Revelations) The Revelations 2:20

Charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[18] 94
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[19] 10
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[20] 13

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Anderson, Kyle. Album. Ghostface Killah 36 Seasons. Entertainment Weekly. Page 78. December 5, 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ "Ghostface Killah – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Ghostface Killah. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Ghostface Killah – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Ghostface Killah. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Ghostface Killah – Chart history" Billboard Top Tastemaker Albums for Ghostface Killah. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
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