Jump to content

Amethyst Rock Star

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amethyst Rock Star
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 8, 2001 (2001-05-08)
GenreAlternative hip hop
Length58:26
LabelAmerican Recordings
ProducerRick Rubin, Musa Bailey, Krust, Saul Williams
Saul Williams chronology
Amethyst Rock Star
(2001)
Not in My Name
(2003)

Amethyst Rock Star is the debut solo studio album by Saul Williams. It was released by American Recordings in 2001. It peaked at number 135 on the French Albums Chart.[1]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert Christgau(choice cut)[3]
Drowned in Sound9/10[4]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[5]
NME[6]
Pitchfork8.1/10[7]
RapReviews.com8/10[8]

Steve Kurutz of AllMusic gave the album 1.5 stars out of 5, saying: "Some of the language is downright laughable (see the trite themes of 'Fearless' for example) in any context, and the rest is mediocre at best."[2] Kitty Empire of NME gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5, calling it "an ambitious collision of rock, hip-hop and spoken word, all united by a refusal to conform to the conventions of any of them."[6]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Saul Williams, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lalala" 2:40
2."Penny for a Thought"Williams, Musa Bailey4:34
3."Robeson" 4:21
4."Tao of Now"Williams, Musa Bailey4:19
5."Fearless"Williams, Thom Bahler3:12
6."Untimely Meditations" 3:55
7."Om Nia Merican" 3:06
8."1987" 5:21
9."Coded Language"Williams, Krust8:48
10."Our Father" 7:06
11."Wine / Do You Know (hidden track)" 11:04
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."Brown Bags"3:16

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from liner notes.

Musicians

  • Saul Williams – vocals, co–production, arrangement
  • Rick Rubin – production
  • Musa Bailey – additional production (2), additional programming, turntables
  • Krust – additional production (9)
  • Esthero – vocals (4)
  • Chad Smith – drums (7)
  • Jerome Jordan – guitar, backing vocals
  • Maximina Juson – bass guitar
  • Maryam Blacksher – viola
  • Nioka Workman – cello
  • Kwame Brandt-Pierce – keyboards
  • Chris Eddleton – drums
  • Greg Gordon – recording
  • Russell Elevado – recording, mixing

Technical personnel

  • Marcia Jones – visual art
  • Michael Crivello – visual art
  • Brandy Flower – graphic design
  • Michele Miller – photography
  • B+ – photography
  • Mei Lei – journals
  • Dorothy E. Wilcox – penpal
  • Lindsay Chase – coordination

Charts

[edit]
Chart Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[1] 135

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Lescharts.com – Saul Williams – Amethyst Rockstar". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Kurutz, Steve. "Amethyst Rock Star - Saul Williams". AllMusic. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Saul Williams". Christgau's Consumer Guide. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  4. ^ Adams, Sean (August 5, 2001). "Album Review: Saul Williams - Amethyst Rock Star". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  5. ^ Sullivan, James (November 2, 2001). "Amethyst Rock Star". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Empire, Kitty (September 12, 2005). "Saul Williams : Amethyst Rock Star". NME. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  7. ^ Adickes, Kevin (November 26, 2001). "Saul Williams: Amethyst Rock Star". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  8. ^ Juon, Steve (April 2, 2002). "Saul Williams :: Amethyst Rock Star". RapReviews.com. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
[edit]