Grey Area (album)

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Grey Area
Studio album by
Little Simz
Released1 March 2019
GenreUK rap
Length35:25
Label
Producer
Little Simz chronology
Stillness in Wonderland
(2016) 		Grey Area
(2019) 		Drop 6
(2020)
Singles from Grey Area
  1. "Offence"
    Released: 17 September 2018
  2. "Boss"
    Released: 23 September 2018
  3. "101 FM"
    Released: 4 December 2018
  4. "Selfish"
    Released: 16 January 2019

Grey Area is the third studio album by English rapper Little Simz, released on 1 March 2019 through Age 101 Music and AWAL.

Release

[edit]

"Offence" was released as a single on 17 September 2018.[1] "Boss" was released as a single on 23 September 2018.[2] "101 FM" was released as a single on 4 December 2018.[3] "Selfish" was released on 16 January 2019 along with the announcement of Grey Area.[4]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.5/10[5]
Metacritic91/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Financial Times[8]
The Guardian[9]
The Independent[10]
NME[11]
The Observer[12]
Pitchfork8.1/10[13]
Q[14]
The Times[15]
Vice (Expert Witness)A−[16]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 91, based on 15 reviews, indicating "Universal acclaim".[6]

In the review for AllMusic, Liam Martin praised the album by claiming that "On her third full-length album, Grey Area, Simz has reached a new peak, with an honest record that isn't afraid to take shots at the world at large. It's also incredibly concise -- an aspect that many of her peers often miss the mark on -- with no filler despite the broad variation the record boasts."[7] Kyann-Sian Williams of NME praised the album, giving it a perfect score and saying, "Across these 10 tracks, Simz utilises her most valuable commodity: honesty. Having stripped away the narrative cloak that shrouded the highlights of 'Stillness In Wonderland', she's crafted a knockout record – and finally come true on her early promise. This is the best rap record of the year so far."[11] William Rosebury of The Line of Best Fit said, "It's brave but vulnerable, energetic but reflective and youthful but wise. If you listen to any Little Simz track, you'll know instantly she's a great MC, but with this project she has stepped beyond that to become a uniquely gifted artist. An incredible album."[17]

Track listing

[edit]
Grey Area[18]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Offence"
  • Inflo
2:48
2."Boss"
  • Ajikawo
  • Cover
  • Inflo
3:05
3."Selfish" (featuring Cleo Sol)
  • Ajikawo
  • Cover
  • Nikolic
  • Inflo
3:46
4."Wounds" (featuring Chronixx)
  • Inflo
4:39
5."Venom"
  • Inflo
2:34
6."101 FM"
  • Ajikawo
  • Cover
  • Inflo
3:11
7."Pressure" (featuring Little Dragon)
  • Ajikawo
  • Cover
  • Yukimi Nagano
  • Erik Bodin
  • Fredrik Wallin
  • Håkan Wirenstrand
  • Sigurd Strumse Lauritzen
  • Inflo
  • Sigurd
3:27
8."Therapy"
  • Ajikawo
  • Cover
  • Inflo
3:15
9."Sherbet Sunset"
  • Ajikawo
  • Cover
  • Inflo
4:55
10."Flowers" (featuring Michael Kiwanuka)
  • Ajikawo
  • Cover
  • Mathieu Sandy Rakotozafy
  • Michael Kiwanuka
  • Inflo
  • Astronote
3:45
Total length:35:25
Japanese bonus track[19]
No.TitleLength
11."She"3:46

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[20] 82
UK Albums (OCC)[21] 87
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[22] 11
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[23] 1

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Murray, Robin (17 September 2018). "Little Simz Blasts Back With 'Offence'". Clash. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  2. ^ Ch, Devin (23 September 2018). "Little Simz Appoints Herself The "Boss" Of All Bosses". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Little Simz returns with new track '101FM'". DIY. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  4. ^ Blais-Billie, Braudie (16 January 2019). "Little Simz Announces New Album GREY Area, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Grey Area by Little Simz reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Grey Area by Little Simz Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  7. ^ a b Martin, Liam. "Grey Area – Little Simz". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  8. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (1 March 2019). "Little Simz: Grey Area — an impressive display of musical versatility". Financial Times. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  9. ^ Joshi, Tara (1 March 2019). "Little Simz: Grey Area review – call to arms as rapper finds her feet". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  10. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (28 February 2019). "Little Simz, Grey Area album review: Rapper is light years ahead on new record with her dextrous flow and superb wordplay". The Independent. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  11. ^ a b Williams, Kyann-Sian (25 February 2019). "Little Simz – 'Grey Area' review". NME. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  12. ^ Hutchinson, Kate (23 February 2019). "Little Simz: Grey Area review – rap maverick finally finds her groove". The Observer. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  13. ^ Pearce, Sheldon (7 March 2019). "Little Simz: GREY Area Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  14. ^ Aroesti, Rachel (April 2019). "The Perfect Blend". Q. No. 396. p. 115.
  15. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (1 March 2019). "Little Simz: Grey Area review". The Times. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  16. ^ Christgau, Robert (26 April 2019). "Robert Christgau Reviews Billie Eilish's Teen Goth Angst". Vice. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  17. ^ Rosebury, William (25 February 2019). "Little Simz is heading for well-deserved superstardom". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  18. ^ Grey Area (Liner notes). Little Simz. Age 101 Music. 2019. AGE101001CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ "Little Simz – Grey Area (2019, CD)". Discogs. March 2019.
  20. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  21. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  22. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  23. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
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