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Girl in the Half Pearl

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Girl in the Half Pearl
A blue-tinted photo of a woman curled up
Studio album by
Liv.e
ReleasedFebruary 10, 2023 (2023-02-10)
RecordedOctober 2021 to 2022[1]
Genre
Length40:47
LanguageEnglish
LabelIn Real Life
Producer
Liv.e chronology
CWTTY+
(2021) 		Girl in the Half Pearl
(2023)

Girl in the Half Pearl is the second full-length studio album by American alternative R&B and neo-soul singer Liv.e. It has received positive reviews from critics and has been included on several 2023 best of lists.

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.4⁄10 (5 reviews)[6]
Metacritic85⁄100 (7 reviews)[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
HipHopDX[9]
Loud and Quiet7⁄10[10]
Pitchfork8.3⁄10[11]
Under the Radar8⁄10[3]

Editors at AnyDecentMusic? rated this release a 7.4 out of 10, based on five reviews.[6] According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Girl in the Half Pearl received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 from 7 critic scores.[7]

Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Paul Simpson writing that this album is "both more introspective and more expansive than [Liv.e]'s previous work, drawing from a wider range of stylistic influences and containing lyrics that are more upfront about the artist's desires and conflicts".[8] Editors at Bandcamp chose this for Album of the Day, with Mercy Kassa characterizing it as "a psychedelic collection of jazz-infused, soulful tracks that tackle themes of Black womanhood, self-determination, and liberation, giving listeners a front row experience to the struggle to find personal and creative freedom".[5] HipHopDX's Lauren Floyd scored this album a 4.5 out of 5, calling it a "beautiful expression of self" that "thematically weaves the concepts of womanhood and honest expression in a world that prioritizes neat, clean and easily understood motifs".[9] In Loud and Quiet, Tom Critten gave this album 7 out of 10, for the "effortlessness" of Liv.e's songwriting.[10] NPR's Teresa Xie summed up her review, "Liv.e's meditative concoction of sounds, which pull from many genres but can never be attributed to one in particular, like many great mixes, reveal the ways that growth and disorientation oscillate between each other like a pendulum".[12]

Editors at Pitchfork chose this as Best New Music of the week and shortlisted it one of the best albums of February 2023,[13] with critic Phillipe Roberts writing that it "cuts to the scene after the diary slams shut, when your face crashes into the pillow before a long and sleepless night".[11] Marc Hogan of that site proposed Grammy Award nominees and chose this to contend for Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album.[14] Writing for The Quietus, Arusa Qureshi finished her review calling this "an album that is hard to categorise but its methodical beats, otherworldly production, intriguingly chaotic clashes of melody and hazy vocals all inexplicably mesh together, with Liv.e leaning further and further towards that vital point of breakthrough".[4] In a profile for Rolling Stone, Matthew Ritchie writing that this release "captures the feeling of your world breaking down, then trying to sort through the rubble to rebuild a new reality" and that the diverse music is comparable to Erykah Badu.[1] Spin's Julian Towers wrote that this album is "more jagged and sharp-edged in its sonic architecture" than Liv.e's 2020 effort Couldn't Wait to Tell You.[2] Writing for Stereogum Yousef Srour calls this release "more direct" than Liv.e's last full-length.[15] Michelle Dalarossa of Under the Radar rated this release an 8 out of 10, summing up "to contain this many sounds and probe this many emotional episodes—from the breathlessness of blooming love to the deception of a failed relationship, the insecurity of missing someone to the confidence of letting go—is no easy feat, but one of Liv.e's greatest strengths lies in her fluidity and bold instincts".[3] Craig Jenkins of Vulture stated that the "album's confident mind-set and musicality are defenses against the unpleasantness of the decade, during which patriarchal power structures persist in spite of a universal outcry and a casual rudeness has infected countless facets of public life".[16]

This album was included on several "best of the year (so far)" midyear lists. It was highlighted by Billboard in an unranked list, with Andrew Unterberger calling it a "float down the winding path of Lake Psilocybin, where beats, lyrics, instruments and ideas flit in and out seemingly on their own whims, intriguing, tantalizing and frustrating before making way for the next turn".[17] The staff of Okayplayer published individual picks for the year on July 12, with two editors choosing Liv.e's album for their top five.[18] Another unranked list from Rolling Stone featured Jon Dolan's assessment that Liv.e "uses her wide-open inner space to map out messy romantic states and multileveled internal crisis, luxuriating in a self-discovery that seems to be eternally unfolding".[19] Slant Magazine's unranked listing has Thomas Bedenbaugh noting the album's unique blend of genres, continuing that "eclectic influences alone don't make an album worthwhile, and Williams fills hers with gorgeous, occasionally haunting melodies that are as infectious as they are ephemeral".[20] Editors of Stereogum ranked the album the 41st best album of 2023's first half, with critic Chris DeVille writing that the album "get[s] weirder, wilder, and more impassioned as Liv.e grafts R&B to IDM with a singular, emphatic touch".[21] In a mid-year review, Rolling Stone India included this release in their best albums of 2023.[22]

Girl in the Half Pearl in best-of lists
Outlet Listing Rank
AllMusic[23] AllMusic Best of 2023 —
AllMusic[24] Favorite R&B Albums —
Bandcamp[25] The Best Albums of 2023 —
Clash Music[26] Albums of the Year 2023 31
Pitchfork[27] The 50 Best Albums of 2023 39
Pitchfork[28] The Best Pop Music of 2023 —
Slant Magazine[29] The 50 Best Albums of 2023 50
Stereogum[30] The 50 Best Albums of 2023 38
World Cafe[31] The John Morrison's Favorite Albums of 2023 —

Track listing

[edit]

"I feel like it's the most wide-open I've been... I'm feeling a little exposed."

—Liv.e on the lyrics in Girl in the Half Pearl.[32]

All songs written by Liv.e.[1]

  1. "Gardetto." – 2:55
  2. "A Slumber Party‽" – 1:53
  3. "Lake Psilocybin" – 3:00
  4. "Six Weeks" – 1:19
  5. "Ghost" – 2:38
  6. "Find Out" – 2:28
  7. "Clowns" – 2:36
  8. "Heart Break Escape" – 2:20
  9. "HowTheyLikeMe!" – 1:44
  10. "Snowing!" – 3:31
  11. "Wild Animals" – 3:38
  12. "RESET!" – 2:24
  13. "Underground" – 2:04
  14. "Back Alley" – 0:53
  15. "Our Father" – 2:44
  16. "NoNewNews!!!" – 1:58
  17. "Glass Shadows" – 2:36

Personnel

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See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Ritchie, Matthew (January 30, 2023). "Liv.e Is Ready for Her Rebirth". Artist You Need to Know. Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Towers, Julian (February 8, 2023). "Living In Liv.E's Drug-Inspired Soundscape". All Eyes On. Spin. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Dalarossa, Michelle (February 15, 2023). "Liv.E: Girl in the Half Pearl (In Real Life) – review". Music. Under the Radar. ISSN 1553-2305. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Qureshi, Arusa (February 8, 2023). "Liv.e". Reviews. The Quietus. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Kassa, Mercy (February 23, 2023). "Liv.e, "Girl In the Half Pearl" | Bandcamp Daily". Album of the Day. Bandcamp. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Girl in the Half Pearl by Liv.e reviews | AnyDecentMusic". AnyDecentMusic?. n.d. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Girl in the Half Pearl by Liv.e Reviews and Tracks – Metacritic". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. n.d. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Simpson, Paul (n.d.). "Liv.e – Girl in the Half Pearl". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Floyd, Lauren (February 11, 2023). "Liv.e | Girl In The Half Pearl album review". Reviews. HipHopDX. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Critten, Tom (January 11, 2023). "Liv.e – Girl In The Half Pearl". Review. Loud and Quiet. No. 156. ISSN 2049-9892. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Roberts, Phillipe (February 15, 2023). "Liv.e: Girl in the Half Pearl Album Review". Albums. Pitchfork. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  12. ^ Xie, Teresa (February 15, 2023). "Intrusive thoughts and mixmaster madness in Liv.e's 'Girl in the Half Pearl'". NPR Music. NPR. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  13. ^ Hussey, Allison; Corcoran, Nina; Torres, Eric; Monroe, Jazz (February 10, 2023). "10 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: Yo La Tengo, Paramore, Liv.e, Kelela, and More". News. Pitchfork. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  14. ^ Hogan, Marc (October 9, 2023). "Who Should Be Nominated at the 2024 Grammy Awards". The Pitch. Pitchfork. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  15. ^ Srour, Yousef (February 9, 2023). "Liv.e Is Spiraling Into Her Own Psyche". Q&A. Stereogum. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  16. ^ Jenkins, Craig (February 14, 2023). "Liv.e Isn't Afraid to 'Shroom at the Club". Chat Room. Vulture. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  17. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (June 20, 2023). "The 50 Best Albums Of 2023 So Far: Staff Picks". Pop. Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  18. ^ Watson, Sr., Elijah (July 12, 2023). "Okayplayer Staff Picks: Best Albums of 2023 So Far". Okayplayer. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  19. ^ Dolan, Jon (June 13, 2023). "The Best Albums of 2023 So Far". Listen Up!. Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  20. ^ Bedenbaugh, Thomas (June 22, 2023). "The Best Albums of 2023 ... So Far". Features / Lists / Music. Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  21. ^ DeVille, Chris (June 6, 2023). "The 50 Best Albums Of 2023 So Far". Album List. Stereogum. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  22. ^ "The Best Albums of 2023 So Far". News & Updates. Rolling Stone India. August 6, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  23. ^ "AllMusic Best of 2023". AllMusic. RhythmOne. n.d. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  24. ^ "Favorite R&B Albums". AllMusic. RhythmOne. n.d. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  25. ^ "The Best Albums of 2023: L–R". Bandcamp. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  26. ^ "Albums Of The Year 2023". Features. Clash Music. December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  27. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". Lists & Guides. Pitchfork. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  28. ^ "The Best Pop Music of 2023". Lists & Guides. Pitchfork. December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  29. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". Features / Lists / Music. Slant Magazine. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  30. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2023". 2023 in Review. Stereogum. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  31. ^ Morrison, John (December 21, 2023). "The Culture Corner: John Morrison shares his favorite albums of 2023". NPR Music. World Cafe. WXPN. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  32. ^ LeJarde, Arielle Lana (February 10, 2023). "Liv.e's Dazzling R&B, Inspired By Toonami And Gaming". Music. MTV. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  33. ^ a b "Girl in the Half Pearl". Sterling Sound. n.d. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
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