Beauty and the Beat is the second studio album by American hip hop musician Edan.[2] It was released via Lewis Recordings on March 29, 2005.[3] It features guest appearances from Insight, Percee P, Mr. Lif, and Dagha.[4] It peaked at number 40 on the UK Independent Albums Chart,[5] as well as number 37 on the UK R&B Albums Chart.[6]
| Beauty and the Beat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 29, 2005 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 34:00 | |||
| Label | Lewis Recordings | |||
| Producer | Edan | |||
| Edan chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Beauty and the Beat | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 85/100[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[8] |
| HipHopDX | 4.5/5[9] |
| Mojo |  [10] |
| NME | 8/10[11] |
| Pitchfork | 8.8/10[12] |
| Q | [13] |
| Stylus Magazine | A−[14] |
| Uncut | [15] |
| URB | [16] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Beauty and the Beat received an average score of 85, based on 18 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[7]
Peter Macia of Pitchfork commented that "The gravity of Edan's lyrics and voice on Beauty and the Beat is perhaps its most surprising element" and "[Edan has] gone from a brainiac prankster to the Borges of rap."[12] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club said, "the album's brevity is just another old-fashioned value from a rapper-producer-visionary who doesn't need a whole lot of space to make a big statement."[17] Nick Follett of XLR8R called it "one of the best and most original records to come out this decade."[18]
In 2013, NME placed it at number 392 on the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list.[19] In 2015, Fact placed it at number 30 on the "100 Best Indie Hip-Hop Records of All Time" list.[20]
Cover
The album cover is based on that of 1968 single "Io Per Lei" by Italian band I Camaleonti, with the various faces and record company logo covering the ones seen on the original cover.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Polite Meeting (Intro)" | 2:16 |
| 2. | "Funky Voltron" (featuring Insight) | 2:16 |
| 3. | "I See Colours" | 2:30 |
| 4. | "Fumbling Over Words That Rhyme" | 2:55 |
| 5. | "Murder Mystery" | 2:02 |
| 6. | "Torture Chamber" (featuring Percee P) | 3:12 |
| 7. | "Making Planets" (featuring Mr. Lif) | 2:54 |
| 8. | "Time Out (Segue)" | 1:07 |
| 9. | "Rock and Roll" (featuring Dagha) | 3:16 |
| 10. | "Beauty" | 3:20 |
| 11. | "The Science of the Two" (featuring Insight) | 3:33 |
| 12. | "Smile" | 2:15 |
| 13. | "Promised Land" | 2:24 |
| Total length: | 34:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Bonus Rehearsal" | 19:27 |
Charts
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[5] | 40 |
| UK R&B Albums (OCC)[6] | 37 |
References
Further reading
- Purdom, Clayton (July 14, 2005). "Edan". Cokemachineglow. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
- Jones, Lucy (March 27, 2015). "Edan's Cult 'Beauty And The Beat' Is 10: The Story Of A Magical Mystery Tour". NME. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
External links
- Beauty and the Beat at Discogs (list of releases)