Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

True Magic

 
Album Review: True Magic
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Albums

True Magic

Buy Now

Similar Albums:

How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?, Fevers, 20/20, Same !@#$ Different Day, Black Dialogue, Negrophilia: The Album, Mansbestfriend Pt. 2: No Thanks, Power in Numbers, Lets Get Free
  • Artist: Mos Def
  • Rating: StarHalf Star
  • Release Date: December 29, 2006
  • Type: Contains explicit content
  • Genre: Rap

Review

Dumped on a post-Christmas/pre-New Year graveyard release date -- and, oddly, a Friday at that -- True Magic comes in a clear plastic box with no artwork, unless you count the sticker slapped onto the back. The FBI anti-piracy warning is the biggest logo on the package, and beside it, those who would like to see the credits are directed to www.mosdefmusic.com. The week the disc was released, there were no credits to be found on the site; the latest news item, in fact, was posted in early October 2005. Add to this the well-circulated rumors of Mos Def's desire to be extricated from Geffen, and the expectations are bound to be significantly lowered. No matter the circumstances, True Magic is a disappointment. There is just enough quality material ("Dollar Day," "Fake Bonanza," "There Is a Way") to make the average fan not want to wipe it memory, but the flashes of brilliance are all too scarce. It's unthinkable that Mos has nothing left in the tank for hip-hop. Here's hoping that he's saving his strength for the next release. [Nearly two weeks after the album made it to stores, Geffen revealed that it would be re-released a few months later with full artwork and a slightly different track listing.] ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
True Magic Dante Smith Mos Def (2:51)
Undeniable Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield, Rich Harrison, Dante Smith Mos Def (4:16)
U R the One Mark Richardson, Dante Smith Mos Def (3:58)
Thug Is a Drug Mark Richardson, Dante Smith Mos Def (2:52)
Crime & Medicine Dante Smith Mos Def (3:08)
A Ha Mark Richardson, Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart, Dante Smith Mos Def (2:35)
Dollar Day Don Robertson, Dante Smith Mos Def (5:14)
Napoleon Dynamite Elijah Walker, Mos Def Mos Def (2:01)
There Is a Way Greg Lake, Julio Gutierrez, Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Ian McDonald, Dante Smith Mos Def (3:27)
Sun, Moon, Stars Alvin Ranglin, Dante Smith Mos Def (4:39)
Murder of a Teenage Life Pharrell Williams, Dante Smith Mos Def (3:25)
Fake Bonanza Robert Blair, Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart, Dante Smith Mos Def (4:11)
Perfect Timing Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, Tony Romeo, Darryl Barnes, Joseph Simmons, Dante Smith Mos Def (4:13)
Lifetime (Lyrics) Dante Smith Mos Def (5:47)

Credits

Bernie Grundman (Mastering), Minnesota (Producer), Jan Fairchild (Mixing), Mos Def (Producer), Mos Def (Executive Producer), Andrew Coleman (Engineer), The Neptunes (Producer), Rich Harrison (Producer), Alicia Graham (A&R Assistance), DJ Epik (Producer), Hart Gunther (Assistant Engineer), Mark Knoxx (Producer), Abdul Rahman (Producer), Abdul Rahman (A&R), Preservation (Producer)
Search unanswered questions...

Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

Wikipedia: True Magic
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
True Magic
Studio album by Mos Def
Released December 29, 2006
Recorded Toronto 2006
Genre Hip hop
Length 52:37
Label Geffen
Producer The Neptunes, Rich Harrison, Minnesota, Preservation, Mos Def
Professional reviews
Mos Def chronology
The New Danger
(2004)		 True Magic
(2006)		 The Ecstatic
(2009)

True Magic, initially set to be titled as Tru3 Magic,[1] is the third studio album by American hip hop artist Mos Def, released December 29, 2006 on Geffen Records in the United States.[2] Following an online leak of the album,[11] it featured limited release, with distribution in only the United States and France through Geffen.[12] The album's CD release was issued with a clear plastic case without a booklet, cover art, lyrics, or credits.[13][14] Upon release, True Magic received generally mixed or average from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 45/100 from Metacritic.[15]

Contents

Background

Mos Def's last album on Geffen Records and was released on December 29, 2006. True Magic features production from The Neptunes, Rich Harrison and Minnesota, among others. The album was released in a clear-case with no cover art. The song "Crime & Medicine" is essentially a cover of GZA's 1995 single "Liquid Swords", though it contains different verses, while the song "Dollar Day" uses the same beat as Juvenile's "Nolia Clap".[16]. Also, the track "Undeniable" samples a version of the Barrett Strong/Norman Whitfield composition "Message from a Black Man". MTV reported that this album isn't a full version, but a teaser/promotional debut. A new version of the album would be released spring 2007, with updated songs and cover art. On October 17, 2007, Okayplayer reported, through discussions with Mos Def's management, that these rumors were unsubstantiated. The CD was intended to be released without promotion or cover art, as per Mos Def's request. There would be no future re-release.

Track listing

# Title Producer(s) Length
1 "True Magic" DJ Epik & Mark Knoxx 2:51
2 "Undeniable" Rich Harrison 4:16
3 "U R the One" Minnesota 3:58
4 "Thug Is a Drug" Minnesota 2:52
5 "Crime & Medicine" Mos Def 3:08
6 "A Ha" Minnesota 2:35
7 "Dollar Day (Surprise, Surprise)" Abdul Rahman 5:14
8 "Napoleon Dynamite" Preservation 2:01
9 "There Is a Way" Preservation 3:27
10 "Sun, Moon, Stars" Preservation 4:39
11 "Murder of a Teenage Life" The Neptunes 3:25
12 "Fake Bonanza" Preservation 4:11
13 "Perfect Timing" Mos Def 4:13
14 "Lifetime" Preservation 5:47

References

  1. ^ a b Rott, Ivan. Review: True Magic. About.com. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  2. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. Review: True Magic. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  3. ^ Carter, Lauren. "Review: True Magic". Boston Herald: January 6, 2007.
  4. ^ Dombal, Ryan. Review: True Magic. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  5. ^ Cutler, Len. "Review: True Magic". Los Angeles Daily News: March 16, 2007.
  6. ^ Chinen, Nate. Review: True Magic. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  7. ^ Richards, Jason. Review: True Magic. NOW. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  8. ^ Fennessey, Sean. Review: True Magic. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  9. ^ Schwartz, Barry. Review: True Magic. Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  10. ^ Selah, Makkada B. Review: True Magic. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  11. ^ Furman, Michael. Review: True Magic. Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  12. ^ True Magic (Album). Discogs. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  13. ^ Benbow, Julian. Review: True Magic. The Boston Globe. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  14. ^ Sterdan, Darryl. Review: True Magic. Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  15. ^ True Magic (2006): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-09-25.
  16. ^ Mos Def - Tru3 Magic - Hip-Hop Album Review

External links

v • d • e
Mos Def
Albums
Black on Both Sides (1999)  · The New Danger (2004)  · True Magic (2006)  · The Ecstatic (2009)
Notable singles
Filmography
See also

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "True Magic".  Read more