Flying Colours (Shad album)

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Flying Colours
ShadFlyingColors.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 15, 2013
Genre Canadian hip hop
Length51:44
Label Black Box
Producer Ric Notes, Shad, Skratch Bastid, I. K. Koiter, Tone Mason, Michael Tompkins, That Brotha Lokey, Rel McCoy
Shad chronology
TSOL
(2010)
Flying Colours
(2013)
Adult Contempt
(2016)

Flying Colours is the fourth studio album by Canadian rapper Shad, released in Canada on October 15, 2013. [1]

Contents

The album was a shortlisted nominee for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize. [2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Exclaim! (7/10) [3]
NOW Red N.pngRed N.pngRed N.pngRed N.pngRed N.png [4]
The Varsity favorable [5]

Flying Colours garnered generally positive reviews from music critics. Tabassum Siddiqui of NOW gave high praise to the versatile production and lyrical delivery made throughout the album, concluding that "the result is a record that fully reveals all of Shad's musical colours." [4] Jacob Lorinc of The Varsity praised the lyrical content for tackling socio-political topics without coming across as obvious and trite when going for positivity, saying that "Although he is still an underdog in the world of hip-hop, Shad’s clever rhymes and intricately woven verses throughout Flying Colours show the rapper’s ability to cover all sorts of ground on this album." [5] Aaron Matthews of Exclaim! said that despite some out-of-place tracks, he praised the album for its vast use of different genres and instruments, and Shad's continued growth as a mature rapper, calling it "a wake-up call to anyone sleeping on Canadian rappers and Shad's coming for the crown next time." [3] Flying Colours was named the 49th best Canadian album of the 2010s, by Exclaim! . [6]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
1."Intro: Lost" (featuring Lisa Lobsinger, Kamau, and k-os)Ric Notes, Ian Kamau, k-os, ShadRic Notes4:37
2."Yall Know Me" (featuring Ebrahim)Ian Koiter, ShadCommittee (Shad, Skratch Bastid, and I. K. Koiter)3:25
3."Fam Jam (Fe Sum Immigrins)"Skratch Bastid, ShadSkratch Bastid3:33
4."He Say She Say"ShadCommittee3:50
5."Dreams"Max Zipursky, Michael Tompkins, ShadCommittee3:18
6."Interlude: Grace"  0:59
7."Stylin" (featuring Saukrates)Max Zipursky, Skratch Bastid, ShadSkratch Bastid3:51
8."Progress (Part 1: American Pie, Part 2: The Future Is Here)"Part 1: Tone Mason, Ian Koiter, Shad. Part 2: ShadTone Mason7:08
9."Remember to Remember" (featuring Lights)Michael Tompkins, Lights, ShadMichael Tompkins4:36
10."Love Means" (featuring Eternia)Lokey, Eternia, Matthew Johnston, ShadThat Brotha Lokey4:45
11."Thank You"Ric Notes, ShadRic Notes4:47
12."Epilogue: Long Jawn"Rel McCoy, ShadRel McCoy6:58

Personnel

Adapted from the Flying Colours liner notes. [7]

Charts

ChartPeak
position
Heatseekers Albums [8] 36

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References

  1. Power, Tom. "New music: Shad raps, Hedley gets quiet, Neko Case fights harder". CBC News . Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  2. "Arcade Fire, Drake, Shad make Polaris Music Prize short list". CTV News, July 15, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Matthews, Aaron (October 11, 2013). "Shad - Flying Colours". Exclaim! . Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Siddiqui, Tabassum (October 10, 2013). "Shad". Now . Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Lorinc, Jacob (October 28, 2013). "Album Review: Flying Colours by Shad". The Varsity. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  6. "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Canadian Albums of the 2010s". exclaim.ca. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  7. Flying Colours (media notes). Shad. Black Box. 2013.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. "Shad - Chart history - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard . Retrieved April 3, 2015.