May the Lord Watch
| May the Lord Watch | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 20, 2019 | |||
| Recorded | October 2018 - August 2019 | |||
| Studio | The Autumn Attic The Burlap Place Raleigh, North Carolina | |||
| Length | 37:15 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Little Brother chronology | ||||
| ||||
May the Lord Watch is the fifth
studio album by American hip-hop duo Little Brother. It was released on August 20, 2019 by Imagine Nation Music, For Members Only Records and Empire Distribution.[1]
The album is the duo's first album since 2010's Leftback release.[2]
Background
The album's development secretly began during the previous year of 2018, after
African-Americans.[7] A notable moment on the album was a skit from Peter Rosenberg announcing the death of Phonte's alter-ego Percy Miracles ( previously appeared on The Minstrel Show album track "Cheatin'"), which served as a tribute to Phife Dawg, and how his death was a significant moment that brought Phonte and Pooh back together.[8]
In multiple interviews and podcasts - including the Premium Pete Show - it was revealed that 9th Wonder was originally supposed to be a part of the reunion album, under its original title Homecoming. The title was changed due to Beyonce releasing Homecoming. Phonte and Pooh decided to continue the project without 9th after a series of creative differences, mostly regarding production for the album.[9]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 86/100[10] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[12] |
| HipHopDX |  [13] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ ( )[14] |
May the Lord Watch was met with universal acclaim reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 86, based on 5 reviews.[10]
Track listing
Credits adapted from istandard producers[15]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Feel" |
| Focus... | 2:34 |
| 6. | "Life After Blackface" |
| Zo! | 0:40 |
| 7. | "Goodmorning Sunshine" |
| Focus... | 4:00 |
| 8. | "Dyana Change My Life" |
|
| 0:37 |
| 9. | "What I Came For" |
|
| 3:00 |
| 10. | "Inside the Producer's Studio" | Coleman | Zo! | 1:03 |
| 11. | "Sittin' Alone" |
|
| 3:14 |
| 12. | "Picture This" |
| Black Milk | 3:55 |
| 13. | "Niggas Hollering" |
| Abjo | 0:49 |
| 14. | "All in a Day" |
| King Michael Coy | 3:50 |
| 15. | "Work Through Me" |
|
| 2:57 |
| Total length: | 37:15 | |||
Samples
- "The Feel" contains a sample of "A Man Alone", as performed by Alan Hawkshaw
- "Everything" contains a sample of "In My Life", as performed by Mahavishnu Orchestra
- "Black Magic (Make It Better)" contains a sample of "The Chase", as performed by Anderson .Paak
- "Goodmorning Sunshine" contains a sample of "Eternal Love", as performed by Utopia
- "Sittin' Alone" contains a sample of "Open Your Eyes", as performed by Bobby Caldwell
Personnel
|
|
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[16] | 11 |
References
- ^ Breihan, Tom (August 20, 2019). "Little Brother Reunite & Release New Album". Stereogum. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ Strauss, Matthew (August 20, 2019). "Little Brother Release First New Album in Nine Years". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ Scott, Dana (21 May 2019). "Phonte & Rapper Big Pooh Are Returning As Little Brother". hiphopdx.com.
- ^ "Little Brother Reunite & Release New Album \'May the Lord Watch,\' Their First in Nine Years". 20 August 2019.
- ^ Williams, Aaron (20 August 2019). "Little Brother Comes To Terms Their Elder Status On 'May The Lord Watch,' Their First Album In Nine Years". uproxx.com.
- ^ Sanfiorenzo, Dimas (20 August 2019). "Stream Little Brother's First Album in Almost 10 Years, 'May the Lord Watch'". okayplayer.com.
- ^ "10 Takeaways from Little Brother's Brilliant Comeback Album 'May the Lord Watch'". 21 August 2019.
- ^ https://tidal.com/browse/video/118638179.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Little Brother Reveals Why 9th Wonder Wasn't Part of Reunion Album". 10 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ Harmony, Ariss (September 4, 2019). "Exclaim! Review". Exclaim!.
- ^ Ivey, Justin (August 25, 2019). "HipHopDX Review". HipHopDX. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ Hull, Tom. "Grade List: Little Brother". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Little Brother - May The Lord Watch (Credits)". istandardproducers.com. istandard, inc. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
- ^ "Little Brother Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2019.