Reason to Smile explained
Reason to Smile |
Type: | studio |
Artist: | Kojey Radical |
Cover: | Kojey Radical - Reason to Smile.png |
Alt: | A Black man in a yellow suit levitating above a puddle on the gray ground. |
Released: | 4 March 2022 |
Genre: |
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Length: | 52:20 |
Label: |
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Prev Title: | Cashmere Tears |
Prev Year: | 2019 |
Reason to Smile is the debut studio album by British rapper Kojey Radical, released 4 March 2022 by Asylum Records and Atlantic Records.[1] [2] It was shortlisted for the 2022 Mercury Prize and nominated for Album of the Year at the 2022 MOBO Awards.
Background
The album was preceded by four singles: "War Outside" released 23 September 2021;[3] "Gangsta" released 15 November;[4] "Payback" released 15 January 2022;[5] and "Silk" released 18 February.[6] The first three came along with music videos while "Silk" received an official visualiser. Another video for "Talkin" released 9 March, featuring animated versions of Radical and the song's guests Tiana Major9 and Kelis.[7]
Reception
"Payback" was included at number 9 on BBC Musics list of the best songs of the year.[8]
Accolades
Personnel
Musicians
- Kojey Radical – vocals
- Cameron Palmer – synth bass (2, 5, 10), piano (5, 8), keyboards (10, 13), organ (8), synthesizer (8), Rhodes solo (8), guitar (10), Wurlitzer (11)
- Kwame "KZ" Kwei-Armah Jr. – additional vocals (1, 3, 6, 10), synthesizer (2, 13), piano (1), Rhodes solo (2), piano (7), bass (8), guitar (8), synth bass (9), whistling (9)
- Tiana Major9 – vocals (1, 8)
- Masego – vocals (4)
- Shaé Universe – vocals (5)
- Cashh – vocals (6)
- Kelis – vocals (8)
- Lex Amor – vocals (9)
- Knucks – vocals (10)
- Shakka – vocals (12)
- Wretch 32 – vocals (12), additional vocals (8)
- Ego Ella May – vocals (13), additional vocals (9)
- Rexx Life Raj – vocals (14)
- Ayanna Christie Brown – additional vocals (2, 10)
- Emmavie – additional vocals (2, 10)
- Michael Stafford – additional vocals (2, 10)
- Christina Matovu – additional vocals (4, 7, 12, 15)
- Mundu – additional vocals (4, 14)
- Bobii Lewis – additional vocals (6)
- Benjamin Totten – guitar (1, 11)
- David Mrakpor – guitar, keyboards, synth bass (4)
- Rashaan Brown – guitar (6)
- Greg Mathews – guitar (8)
- Femi Koleoso – drums (1, 5)
- Namali Kwaten – drums, percussion (4)
- Dayna Fisher – bass guitar (6, 7, 11, 15), trombone (1)
- Neil Waters – trumpet (1–4, 10, 15), flugelhorn (4, 5, 11)
- Trevor Mires – trombone (2–4, 6–8, 10, 13, 15), sousaphone (7, 10), bass trombone (13)
- Charlie Stock and Stella Page – viola (1, 2, 4, 6–8, 12, 13, 15)
- Ezme Gaze and Wayne Urquhart – cello (1, 2, 4, 6–8, 12, 13, 15)
- Antonia Pagulatos, Emma Blanco, Marsha Skins, and Sam Kennedy – violin (1, 2, 4, 6–8, 12, 13, 15)
- Nathan "Flutebox" Lee – flute (2)
- Mike Keys – keyboards (9), piano, synth bass (13)
- Ed Thomas – piano (15)
Technical
- Cameron Palmer – engineering (1, 2, 5, 7–10, 13, 15), drum programming (2, 5, 9, 10, 13)
- Kwame "KZ" Kwei-Armah Jr. – executive producer, engineering (1, 2, 6–9, 11–15), drum programming (6, 8, 9), vocal arrangements (13)
- Swindle – executive producer
- Stuart Hawkes – mastering engineer (1–9, 11–14)
- Joker – mixing engineer (1–8, 10–14)
- Neil Waters – string arrangements (1, 2, 4, 6–8, 12, 13, 15)
- Namali Kwaten – drum programming (4), sound design (4)
- Blue Lab Beats – engineering (4)
- Jay Weathers – drum programming (15)
Notes and References
- News: Grice . Alisdair . Kojey Radical – Reason to Smile review . . 26 July 2022.
- News: Morris . Kadish . 13 March 2022 . Kojey Radical: Reason to Smile review – an era-defining Black British work . . 26 July 2022.
- News: Smith . Niall . 23 September 2021 . Kojey Radical Enlists Lex Amor for Battle-Ready Jam "War Outside" . . 26 July 2022.
- News: Smith . Niall . 15 November 2021 . Kojey Radical's "Gangsta" Is an Ode to the Special Women in His Life . Complex . 26 July 2022.
- News: Keith . James . 15 January 2022 . Kojey Radical Calls on Knucks for New Album Primer "Payback" . Complex . 26 July 2022.
- News: Kenneally . Cerys . 18 February 2022 . Kojey Radical teams up with Masego on new single "Silk" . . 26 July 2022.
- News: Cho . Regina . March 9, 2022 . Kojey Radical, Kelis, and Tiana Major9 are "Talkin'" in new visual . Revolt . September 8, 2022.
- News: Savage . Mark . December 30, 2022 . From Rosalía to Beyoncé: 25 of the best songs released in 2022 . BBC Music . December 31, 2022.
- News: Singh . Surej . 26 July 2022 . Mercury Prize 2022 shortlist revealed . NME . July 27, 2022.
- News: 24 October 2022 . GRM Daily Rated Awards 2022: Full Winners List . Capital Xtra . December 4, 2022.
- News: Rackham . Annabel . 11 November 2022 . MOBOs 2022: Rapper and producer Knucks leads nominations . BBC . December 3, 2022.
- News: Waters . Lowenna . December 2, 2022 . MOBO Awards 2022: Full winners list including Little Simz and Ezra Collective . Evening Standard . December 3, 2022.
- News: Smith . Niall . December 12, 2022 . Clash Albums of the Year 2022 . Clash . January 6, 2023.
- News: Condon . Dan . December 6, 2022 . The 50 best albums of 2022 . Double J . December 7, 2022.
- News: Williams . Kyann-Sian . December 9, 2022 . The 50 best albums of 2022 . NME . December 9, 2022.
- News: Morgan . Tom . December 6, 2022 . The 80 Best Albums of 2022 . PopMatters . December 7, 2022.