Goldenheart
Goldenheart | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 15, 2013 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 62:35 | |||
Label | Our Dawn | |||
Producer |
| |||
Dawn Richard chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Goldenheart | ||||
|
Goldenheart is the second
Goldenheart is an eccentric R&B album that draws on dream pop, alternative, and dance genres. Its mostly midtempo songs have strong grooves and feature synthesizers, string settings, vintage keyboards, and an array of percussive sounds. A post-breakup concept album, Richard's songwriting poses relationships and personal subjects as epic tales through magical, medieval imagery and allusions to high fantasy and science fiction tropes.
The album was released independently by Richard and promoted with the lead single "'86". It debuted at number 137 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 3,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, Goldenheart received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised its grand musical scope and Richard's theatrical personality.
Background
During stints in different musical groups, Dawn Richard wanted to develop her musical identity and pursue a solo recording career. In 2011, Richard was promoting the album Last Train to Paris (2010) as a member of Sean Combs' musical project Diddy – Dirty Money and released a free mixtape, The Prelude to A Tell Tale Heart, which registered one million downloads within a month. After the group disbanded in 2012, she worked with producer, manager, and creative partner Andrew "Druski" Scott and released her EP Armor On, which sold 30,000 copies. Richard also marketed herself through social media and self-funded music videos on YouTube.[1]
Goldenheart is the first release in a trilogy of albums by Richard about love, loss, and redemption,[2] followed by Blackheart (2015) and Redemption (2016).[1] She wrote songs for the albums over the course of six years. Some were written as ten-minute songs and instrumentals, but Richard edited them down to avoid being "long-winded" and "overwhelming".[3]
Music
Goldenheart has an eccentric, dreamy musical style that incorporates spare,
Andrew "Druski" Scott's production on Goldenheart incorporates
The songs are mostly
Lyrics
Goldenheart is like a modern-day Joan of Arc. Think of it like medieval times-cum-2045 or Lancelot and Guinevere in 3025. It's a new version of these battles—age-old stories for the now. They're stories that have always been relatable.
—
Goldenheart is a post-
Richard views the album as her take on
Marketing and sales
Originally intended for release in October 2012, Richard delayed Goldenheart's release after signing a distribution deal with independent company Altavoz Distribution, which would release physical copies to retailers,[1] and provide a wider marketing reach.[5] The album's lead single,[18] "'86", was released as a digital download on September 26.[19] "Northern Lights" was released as the next single on April 8, 2013.[20]
Goldenheart was released in the United States on January 15, 2013.
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ ()[27] |
Goldenheart was met with widespread acclaim from critics,
Reviewing for
Goldenheart has all the trappings of the most appetizing critic bait currently on the market ... [It] might very well become the latest big-ideas record to influence the course of contemporary R&B, but Richard seems concerned only with the shape and sound of her own rapidly evolving music.
Some reviewers were more critical. Slant Magazine's Jesse Cataldo wrote that, despite its interesting "musical palette and tenacious personality", Richard "falls back on the same tired tropes that have made many conventional R&B acts feel so exhaustingly familiar."[6] Ryan B. Patrick of Exclaim! found the album's lyrics uninspired and wrote that it "functions as a hypnotic aural distraction, but little more."[16] Ben Ratliff of The New York Times characterized Goldenheart as "oddball R&B ... at times mawkish, plodding, self-obsessed, gothy, campy, filmic", and mused, "Is it good? I don't know about that. But it has the dissonant attraction of something ventured. And it's confident enough to sound normal."[10] Critic Tom Hull said, "People I respect love this and hate this, but it's so even-keeled I can't do either."[27]
Track listing
All songs were produced by Andrew "Druski" Scott, except where noted.
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Intro (In the Hearts Tonight)" | Dawn Richard, Andrew "Druski" Scott | Scott | 3:12 |
2. | "Return of a Queen" | Richard, Scott | Scott | 4:27 |
3. | "Goliath" | Richard, Scott | Scott | 2:30 |
4. | "Riot" | Richard, Scott | Scott | 3:32 |
5. | "Gleaux" (produced by Andrew "Druski" Scott and Deonte) | Richard | Deonte Rogers, Scott | 4:43 |
6. | "Pretty Wicked Things" | Richard, Scott | Scott | 4:32 |
7. | "Northern Lights" | Scott | Scott | 3:43 |
8. | "Frequency" | Richard, Scott | Scott | 3:15 |
9. | "Warfaire" | Carla Carter, Richard, Scott | Scott | 3:19 |
10. | "Tug of War" (produced by The Fisticuffs) | Richard | Mac Robinson, Brian Warfield | 3:58 |
11. | "Ode to You" | Carter, Richard | Scott | 4:14 |
12. | "'86" | Carter, Richard, Scott | Scott | 3:22 |
13. | "In Your Eyes" | Richard, Scott | Scott | 3:30 |
14. | "Break of Dawn" | Rosina Russell, Scott | Scott | 6:00 |
15. | "[300]" | Carter, Scott | Scott | 4:15 |
16. | "Goldenheart" | Richard | Claude Debussy,[A] Scott | 5:15 |
- Clair de lune", composed by Claude Debussy.[29]
Personnel
Credits adapted from Metacritic.[2]
- Andrew "Druski" Scott – producer
- Dawn Richard– vocals
- Deonte – producer
- The Fisticuffs – producer
Charts
Chart (2013) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Independent Albums Breakers[30]
|
16 |
US Billboard 200[22] | 137 |
US Independent Albums[31] | 21 |
US Top Heatseekers Albums[22]
|
2 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[31] | 7 |
Release history
Region | Date | Label | Format |
---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom[32] | January 15, 2013 | Our Dawn Entertainment | digital download |
United States[33] | |||
United States[34] | January 22, 2013 | CD
| |
United Kingdom[35] | February 11, 2013 | Altavoz c/o Planetworks |
References
- ^ a b c d e Kennedy, Gerrick D. (January 22, 2013). "Dawn Richard goes solo and hits a high note with 'GoldenHeart'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ Tuffrey, Laurie (March 14, 2013). "Against The Grain: Dawn Richard Discusses Her "Sci-Fi" R&B". The Quietus. Archived from the original on March 27, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ "Dawn Richard - Gleaux - Listen". DJBooth. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gubbels, Jason (January 16, 2013). "Dawn Richard, 'GoldenHeart' (Altavoz)". Spin. New York. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g Cataldo, Jesse (January 12, 2013). "Dawn Richard: Goldenheart". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ Allmusic. Archivedfrom the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g Holmlund, Marcus (September 2012). "Exclusive Song Premiere and Interview: '86,' Dawn Richard". Interview. New York. Archived from the original on January 7, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ Pitchfork Media. Archivedfrom the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ a b Ratliff, Ben (January 27, 2013). "Textures From Near, Far and Out of a Psychedelic Haze". The New York Times. p. AR23. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g Macpherson, Alex (January 17, 2013). "Dawn Richard: Goldenheart – review". The Guardian. London. section G2, p. 20. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g Tuffrey, Laurie (February 12, 2013). "Dawn Richard". The Quietus. Archived from the original on February 13, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ Grantland.com. Archivedfrom the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Bogart, Jonathan (January 28, 2013). "Behold: Dungeons & Dragons R&B". The Atlantic. Boston. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ a b Ritchie, Kevin (January 17, 2013). "Dawn Richard - Goldenheart". Now. Vol. 32, no. 20. Toronto. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ a b c Patrick, Ryan B. (January 30, 2013). "Dawn Richard - Goldenheart". Exclaim!. Toronto. Archived from the original on February 19, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- The Huffington Post. Archivedfrom the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ "New Music: Dawn Richard – '86'". Rap-Up. Calabasas. September 25, 2012. Archived from the original on November 25, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- Amazon.com. Archivedfrom the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ Lilah, Rose (April 8, 2013). "Northern Lights". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- About.com. Archivedfrom the original on March 28, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Hampp, Andrew. "Dawn Richard's 'NLX': Exclusive Song Premiere". Billboard. New York. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- PRWeb. Archivedfrom the original on February 23, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ "Goldenheart by Dawn Richard reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
- ^ Gamboa, Glenn (January 14, 2013). "'Goldenheart' review: Snoozy dance music". Newsday. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
- ^ Kramer, Kyle (January 14, 2013). "Album review: Dawn Richard, 'Goldenheart'". RedEye. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
- ^ Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
- ^ Powers, Ann (January 30, 2013). "All The Singular Ladies: 6 Women At The Cutting Edge Of R&B". NPR. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ Brown, Lea (January 14, 2013). "New Releases: Teena Marie 'Beautiful' and Dawn Richard 'Goldenheart'". Singersroom. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ "Independent Albums Breakers Top 20 - 26th January 2013". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on December 27, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ a b "Artist Index" (PDF). Billboard. February 2, 2013. p. 2. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ "Goldenheart : Dawn Richard: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. Archived from the original on July 15, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ "Goldenheart : Dawn Richard: MP3 Downloads". Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ "Dawn Richard - Goldenheart CD Album". CD Universe. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ^ "Goldenheart". Amazon.co.uk. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
External links