Reason to Smile
2022 studio album by Kojey Radical
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Reason to Smile is the debut studio album by British rapper Kojey Radical, released 4 March 2022 by Asylum Records and Atlantic Records.[2][3] It was shortlisted for the 2022 Mercury Prize and nominated for Album of the Year at the 2022 MOBO Awards.
| Reason to Smile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 March 2022 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 52:20 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Kojey Radical chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Reason to Smile | ||||
| ||||
Background
The album was preceded by four singles: "War Outside" released 23 September 2021;[4] "Gangsta" released 15 November;[5] "Payback" released 15 January 2022;[6] and "Silk" released 18 February.[7] 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.[8]
Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.0/10[9] |
| Metacritic | 81/100[10] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Clash | 8/10[1] |
| DIY |   [2] |
| Financial Times |  [11] |
| The Guardian | [3] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10[12] |
| Loud and Quiet | 9/10[13] |
| NME | [14] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Reason to Smile received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 81 out of 100 from 7 critic scores.[10] "Payback" was included at number 9 on BBC Music's list of the best songs of the year.[15]
Accolades
| Year | Organisation | Award | Status | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Mercury Prize | N/a | Shortlisted | [16] |
| GRM Daily Rated Awards | Album of the Year | Nominated | [17] | |
| MOBO Awards | Album of the Year | Nominated | [18][19] |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Kwadwo Adu Genfi Amponsah with others noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Reason to Smile" (featuring Tiana Major9) |
|
| 3:04 |
| 2. | "Together" |
|
| 3:04 |
| 3. | "Nappy" |
|
| 2:16 |
| 4. | "Silk" (featuring Masego) |
|
| 3:58 |
| 5. | "Pressure" (featuring Shaé Universe) |
|
| 3:54 |
| 6. | "Born" (featuring Cashh) |
|
| 3:27 |
| 7. | "Pusher Man: BWI" |
| 4:51 | |
| 8. | "Talkin" (featuring Kelis and Tiana Major9) |
|
| 2:57 |
| 9. | "War Outside" (featuring Lex Amor) |
|
| 3:57 |
| 10. | "Payback" (featuring Knucks) |
|
| 2:45 |
| 11. | "Fubu" |
|
| 3:05 |
| 12. | "Beautiful" (featuring Wretch 32 and Shakka) |
| 3:20 | |
| 13. | "Anywhere" (featuring Ego Ella May) |
|
| 3:05 |
| 14. | "Solo" (featuring Rexx Life Raj) |
|
| 4:00 |
| 15. | "Gangsta" |
|
| 4:37 |
| Total length: | 52:20 | |||
- Additional producer
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)