Flying Colours (Shad album)
Flying Colours is the fourth studio album by Canadian rapper Shad, released in Canada on 15 October 2013.[1]
| Flying Colours | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 15 October 2013 | |||
| Genre | Canadian hip hop | |||
| Length | 51:44 | |||
| Label | Black Box | |||
| Producer | Ric Notes, Shad, Skratch Bastid, I. K. Koiter, Tone Mason, Michael Tompkins, That Brotha Lokey, Rel McCoy | |||
| Shad chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album was a shortlisted nominee for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize.[2]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Exclaim! | (7/10)[3] |
| NOW |  [4] |
| The Varsity | favorable[5] |
Flying Colours garnered generally positive reviews from music critics. Tabassum Siddiqui of NOW gave high praise to the versatile production and lyrical delivery made throughout the album, concluding that "the result is a record that fully reveals all of Shad's musical colours."[4] Jacob Lorinc of The Varsity praised the lyrical content for tackling socio-political topics without coming across as obvious and trite when going for positivity, saying that "Although he is still an underdog in the world of hip-hop, Shad’s clever rhymes and intricately woven verses throughout Flying Colours show the rapper’s ability to cover all sorts of ground on this album."[5] Aaron Matthews of Exclaim! said that despite some out-of-place tracks, he praised the album for its vast use of different genres and instruments, and Shad's continued growth as a mature rapper, calling it "a wake-up call to anyone sleeping on Canadian rappers and Shad's coming for the crown next time."[3] Flying Colours was named the 49th best Canadian album of the 2010s, by Exclaim!.[6]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro: Lost" (featuring Lisa Lobsinger, Kamau, and k-os) | Ric Notes, Ian Kamau, k-os, Shad | Ric Notes | 4:37 |
| 2. | "Yall Know Me" (featuring Ebrahim) | Ian Koiter, Shad | Committee (Shad, Skratch Bastid, and I. K. Koiter) | 3:25 |
| 3. | "Fam Jam (Fe Sum Immigrins)" | Skratch Bastid, Shad | Skratch Bastid | 3:33 |
| 4. | "He Say She Say" | Shad | Committee | 3:50 |
| 5. | "Dreams" | Max Zipursky, Michael Tompkins, Shad | Committee | 3:18 |
| 6. | "Interlude: Grace" | 0:59 | ||
| 7. | "Stylin" (featuring Saukrates) | Max Zipursky, Skratch Bastid, Shad | Skratch Bastid | 3:51 |
| 8. | "Progress (Part 1: American Pie, Part 2: The Future Is Here)" | Part 1: Tone Mason, Ian Koiter, Shad. Part 2: Shad | Tone Mason | 7:08 |
| 9. | "Remember to Remember" (featuring Lights) | Michael Tompikns, Lights, Shad | Michael Tompkins | 4:36 |
| 10. | "Love Means" (featuring Eternia) | Lokey, Eternia, Matthew Johnston, Shad | That Brotha Lokey | 4:45 |
| 11. | "Thank You" | Ric Notes, Shad | Ric Notes | 4:47 |
| 12. | "Epilogue: Long Jawn" | Rel McCoy, Shad | Rel McCoy | 6:58 |
Personnel
Adapted from the Flying Colours liner notes.[7]
- Bryden Baird – trumpets
- Trent Reschney – saxophones
- Sebastian Ostertag – cello
- Allison Stewart – viola
- Tanya Charles – violin
- Ian Koiter – string arrangements, bass, keyboards, synths, acoustic guitar
- Max Zipursky – synths, pianos
- Michael Libis – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Shad – electric guitar
- Skratch Bastid – drum programming
- Andrew Hootsalack – drum programming
- Jahmal Tonge – live drums
- Ayo Leilani – additional vocals
- Elijah Walsh – engineer
- Crispin Day – engineer
- Rob Stefanson – engineer
- Elisa Pangseng – engineer
- Michael Tompkins – engineer
- Dan Weston – mixer
- Tom Coyne – mastering
- Justin Broadbent – album art, photography
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Heatseekers Albums[8] | 36 |
References
- Power, Tom. "New music: Shad raps, Hedley gets quiet, Neko Case fights harder". CBC News. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- "Arcade Fire, Drake, Shad make Polaris Music Prize short list". CTV News, 15 July 2014.
- Matthews, Aaron (11 October 2013). "Shad - Flying Colours". Exclaim!. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
- Siddiqui, Tabassum (10 October 2013). "Shad". Now. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
- Lorinc, Jacob (28 October 2013). "Album Review: Flying Colours by Shad". The Varsity. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Canadian Albums of the 2010s". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- Flying Colours (media notes). Shad. Black Box. 2013.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "Shad - Chart history - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 3 April 2015.