When Smoke Rises

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When Smoke Rises
Studio album by
Mustafa
ReleasedMay 28, 2021
Recorded2020
Genre
Length23:42
LabelRegent Park Songs
Producer
Singles from When Smoke Rises
  1. "Stay Alive"
    Released: March 10, 2020
  2. "Air Forces"
    Released: September 21, 2020
  3. "Ali"
    Released: March 30, 2021
  4. "The Hearse"
    Released: May 26, 2021

When Smoke Rises is the debut studio album by Canadian musician and poet Mustafa. It was released on May 28, 2021, through Mustafa's Regent Park Songs imprint. The album was produced by frequent collaborator and executive producer Frank Dukes with contributions from James Blake, Jamie xx, and Sampha, among others. The songs "Stay Alive", "Air Forces", "Ali", and "The Hearse" were released as singles prior to the album's release. The album is self-described as 'inner city folk music' and is thematically centered on Toronto's Regent Park community.[1]

The album was shortlisted for the 2021 Polaris Music Prize.[2]

Production[edit]

Mustafa began working on demos in the late 2010s.[3] Formal songwriting for the album began in 2019 in London with Swedish producer Simon Hessman also known as Simon on the Moon.[4][5] Following the songwriting process, frequent collaborator Frank Dukes came in to produce the album.[5] His production was inspired by the Smithsonian Folkways anthologies of Sudanese and Egyptian music which he samples throughout the record.[3] Additionally, tracks on the album were produced by London-based musicians James Blake, who contributed to "Stay Alive" and "Come Back", and Jamie xx, who produced "Air Forces" and "The Hearse".

Mustafa has noted that the songwriting of the record was influenced by Richie Havens, Joni Mitchell, and Leonard Cohen,[4][6] as well as Sufjan Stevens' 2015 album Carrie & Lowell.[3]

The album's name is in reference to Smoke Dawg who is featured on the cover art alongside Mustafa.[3]

Release and promotion[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
Evening Standard[8]
Exclaim!9/10[9]
The Guardian[10]
Pitchfork7.3/10[11]
Rolling Stone[12]

When Smoke Rises was released on May 28, 2021, fourteen months after the first single "Stay Alive" was released. It was released independently by Mustafa under the name Regent Park Songs and distributed by Beggars Group.[13] A limited edition of the album pressed as different color vinyl records was released by a number of independent record stores including Rough Trade and VMP (Vinyl Me, Please).[1][6]

Mustafa appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 27, 2021, to promote the release of the record.[14] In the year leading up the release, Mustafa received significant press coverage, including profiles by The New York Times, GQ Middle East, Pitchfork, and American Songwriter.[3][15][5][4]

Overall, the album received generally favorable review from critics, with particularly positive support from Canadian publications like Exclaim!

Track listing[edit]

Songwriting credits adapted from SOCAN and liner notes.[16][17]

When Smoke Rises track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Stay Alive"
3:01
2."Air Forces"
2:58
3."Separate"
  • Ahmed
  • cityboymoe
  • Feeney
  • Hessman
  • Dukes
  • Hessman[b]
2:27
4."The Hearse"
2:04
5."Capo" (featuring Sampha)
Dukes2:55
6."Ali"
  • Ahmed
  • Tavares
  • Feeney
  • Hessman
3:12
7."What About Heaven"
  • Ahmed
  • Dylan Wiggins
  • Feeney
  • Hessman
3:38
8."Come Back"
  • Ahmed
  • Feeney
  • Blake
  • Dukes
  • Blake
3:12
Total length:23:42
Japanese edition (bonus tracks)[18]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Come Back" (Live) (featuring James Blake)
  • Ahmed
  • Feeney
  • Blake
 
10."Ali" (Live)
  • Ahmed
  • Tavared
  • Feeney
  • Hessman
 
11."Stay Alive" (Live) (featuring James Blake)
  • Ahmed
  • cityboymoe
  • Feeney
  • Hessman
 

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer.
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer.
  • "Stay Alive" features backing vocals by Sampha.
  • "Air Forces" features uncredited background vocals by Frank Dukes.
  • "Separate" features additional vocals from Fatima Ali and cityboymoe.
  • "What About Heaven" features backing vocals by Sampha.
  • "Come Back" features backing vocals by James Blake.

Sample credits

Personnel[edit]

Adapted from TIDAL, Jaxsta, and liner notes.[19][13][17]

Musicians

  • Mustafa – vocals
  • Ben Reed – bass guitar ("Separate", "What About Heaven")
  • cityboymoe – additional vocals ("Separate")
  • David Wrench – additional music ("Air Forces")
  • Dylan Wiggins (Sir Dylan) – keyboards ("What About Heaven")
  • Fatima Ali – additional vocals ("Separate")
  • Frank Dukes – synth (tracks 2, 3, 5, 8); drum programming (tracks 3, 4, 6, 7); programming ("Air Forces"); guitar ("Ali")
  • James Blake – synth ("Stay Alive"); vocals, piano ("Come Back")
  • Jamie xx – synth ("Air Forces", "The Hearse"); programming ("Air Forces")
  • Matthew Tavares – guitar ("The Hearse", "Ali"); synth ("Ali")
  • Nate Mercereau – bass guitar, horns ("What About Heaven")
  • Pete SCUM Nebula (The Antydote) – arranger, programming, drum programming ("What About Heaven")
  • Rodaidh McDonald – synth ("Ali")
  • Sampha – featured vocals ("Capo"); backing vocals ("Stay Alive", "What About Heaven"); piano ("Capo"); bongos ("What About Heaven")
  • Simon Hessman – guitar (tracks 1–4, 6, 7); synth bass ("Stay Alive")
  • Teo Halm – bass guitar ("Stay Alive")

Spoken word and dialogue

  • Rax ("Stay Alive")
  • Puffy L'z ("Air Forces")
  • SAFE ("The Hearse")
  • Ali Rizeig ("Ali")
  • CAPO ("Capo")
  • Smoke Dawg ("Capo")
  • AK ("Come Back")

Technical

  • Manny Marroquin – mixing
  • David Wrench – mixing ("Stay Alive", "Air Forces")
  • Chris Galland – mix engineer
  • Jeremie Inhaber – assistant mix engineer
  • Robin Florent – assistant mix engineer
  • Scott Desmarais – assistant mix engineer
  • Emerson Mancini – mastering
  • Matt Colton – mastering

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Mustafa - When Smoke Rises - LP+". Rough Trade. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
  2. ^ David Friend, "Dominique Fils-Aimé, Mustafa, and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson are among the 10 artists shortlisted for this year's Polaris Music Prize". Toronto Star, July 15, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e Caramanica, Jon (2021-05-28). "Mustafa, a Folk Hero for a Weary Generation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  4. ^ a b c "Mustafa Speaks To His Experience, Not Through It". American Songwriter. 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
  5. ^ a b c Kameir, Rawiya. "Mustafa's Meditative Songs of Mourning". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
  6. ^ a b "When Smoke Rises". Vinyl Me, Please. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
  7. ^ When Smoke Rises by Mustafa, retrieved 2021-06-07
  8. ^ Smyth, David (2021-05-28). "Mustafa - When Smoke Rises review: a sad, beautiful tribute". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  9. ^ "Mustafa Honours His Grief Through Beautiful Poetry on 'When Smoke Rises' | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  10. ^ "Mustafa: When Smoke Rises review – 21st-century folk meets bereft R&B". The Guardian. 2021-05-30. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  11. ^ "Mustafa: When Smoke Rises". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  12. ^ Conteh, Mankaprr (2021-05-28). "Mustafa's 'When Smoke Rises' is a Softly Stunning Debut". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  13. ^ a b "Overview: When Smoke Rises". Jaxsta. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  14. ^ The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon - Season 8 Episode 148, retrieved 2021-05-27
  15. ^ Nagy, Andrew (2 February 2021). "Mustafa Is Realising His Purpose". GQ Middle East. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  16. ^ When Smoke Rises - Mustafa | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-05-27
  17. ^ a b Liner notes for When Smoke Rises, Mustafa. Regent Park Songs RPS004DA, 2021, vinyl record.
  18. ^ "BEATINK.COM When Smoke Rises". Beatink.com. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  19. ^ "Credits: When Smoke Rises". listen.tidal.com. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
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