True & Livin'

True & Livin is a studio album by Zion I. It was released by Live Up Records in 2005.

True & Livin'
Studio album by Zion I
Released	April 19, 2005
Genre	Hip hop
Length	59:15
Label	Live Up Records
Producer	Amp Live
Zion I chronology
Deep Water Slang V2.0 (2003) True & Livin' (2005) Break a Dawn (2006)
Singles from True & Livin
"Bird's Eye View" Released: 2005 "Temperature" Released: 2005

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The A.V. Club	favorable[1]
Blender	[2]
Dusted Magazine	favorable[3]
East Bay Express	favorable[4]
HipHopDX	7.5/10[5]
PopMatters	[6]
Prefix	7/10[7]
RapReviews.com	9/10[8]
Vibe	favorable[9]
XLR8R	favorable[10]

Kabir Hamid of Chicago Reader described the album as "soulful hip-hop that favors acoustic sounds over electronics, thoughtfulness over braggadocio, and spirit-enhancing grooves over testosterone-fueled beats."[11] Rachel Swan of East Bay Express wrote, "This is hip-hop without irony, geared for people who prefer feel-good vibes and songs with happy endings."[4] A.J. Wolosenko of Vibe wrote, "True & Livin' is an album full of contradictions, and that's what makes it so interesting and appealing."[9] Del F. Cowie of Exclaim! commented that "While past efforts dabbled with drum & bass and delved into melodic electronics and live instrumentation, this organic effort represents the most potent synthesis yet of their spiritually-infused hip-hop."[12]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"True"	0:58
2.	"Doin' My Thang"	3:28
3.	"Bird's Eye View"	2:34
4.	"The Bay"	3:48
5.	"Luv"	3:25
6.	"Soo Tall"	3:06
7.	"I Need Mo"	4:27
8.	"Rockin'"	1:16
9.	"Temperature" (featuring Talib Kweli)	2:43
10.	"One Chance"	4:11
11.	"Amerika"	1:39
12.	"Poems 4 Post Modern Decay" (featuring Aesop Rock)	4:25
13.	"Heads Up"	2:48
14.	"Next to U"	3:48
15.	"What U Hear" (featuring Del the Funky Homosapien)	6:09
16.	"Stranger in My Home" (featuring Gift of Gab)	3:49
17.	"Oh Lawd Blues"	3:27
18.	"Livin'"	3:14

References

1. Rabin, Nathan (May 17, 2005). "Zion I: True & Livin'". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
2. Hsu, Hua. "Zion I : True & Livin'". Blender. Archived from the original on December 27, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
3. Drimmer, Josh (May 26, 2005). "Dusted Reviews: Zion I - True & Livin'". Dusted Magazine. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
4. Swan, Rachel (April 13, 2005). "Zion-I". East Bay Express. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
5. J-23 (May 25, 2005). "Zion I - True & Livin'". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
6. Braidwood, Stefan (May 11, 2005). "Zion I: True & Livin'". PopMatters. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
7. Cpacifico (October 24, 2005). "Zion I - True and Livin'". Prefix. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
8. Chan, Nin (April 26, 2005). "Zion I :: True & Livin'". RapReviews.com. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
9. Wolosenko, A.J. (May 17, 2005). "Zion I -True & Livin'". Vibe. Archived from the original on December 27, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
10. Mayo, James (June 14, 2005). "Zion I True & Livin'". XLR8R. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
11. Hamid, Kabir (June 2, 2005). "Zion I, One.Be.Lo". Chicago Reader. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
12. Cowie, Del F. (January 1, 2006). "Zion I's Home Life". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 4, 2019.

External links

• True & Livin' at Discogs (list of releases)