Personal Journals is the first solo studio album by American rapper Sage Francis. It was released on Anticon in 2002. It peaked at number 8 on CMJ's Hip-Hop chart.[1] As of 2005, it has sold 36,000 units.[2]
| Personal Journals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 16, 2002 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 59:01 | |||
| Label | Anticon | |||
| Producer | Sixtoo, DJ Mayonnaise, Jel, Scott Matelic, Reanimator, Alias, Odd Nosdam, Controller 7, Mr. Dibbs, Joe Beats | |||
| Sage Francis chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Personal Journals | ||||
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Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide |  [4] |
| Dusted Magazine | favorable[5] |
| Pitchfork | 8.7/10[6] |
| RapReviews.com | 9.5/10[7] |
| Spin | 7/10[8] |
| Stylus Magazine | A−[9] |
| Vibe | [10] |
Chris Dahlen of Pitchfork gave the album an 8.7 out of 10, saying, "Personal Journals is a success because it turns the self-examination into poetry and then, harder still, turns the poems into great rap."[6] Stanton Swihart of AllMusic gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying, "The soundscapes that his team of producers came up with are every bit as unorthodox and superlative."[3] Clay Jarvis of Stylus Magazine gave the album a grade of "A−," calling it "the finest hip hop album of this year."[9]
Daniel Thomas-Glass of Dusted Magazine said, "The combination of Sage Francis's boldly self-searching poetry with the beats of some of underground hip hop's most talented producers is out-and-out breathtaking, from the opener 'Crack Pipes,' that brilliantly flips Sixtoo's impossible-to-rhyme-over beat from his instrumental opus The Secrets That Houses Keep, to the closing bars of 'Runaways,' the Joey Beats-produced outro that is quite haunting in its beauty."[5]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Crack Pipes" | Sixtoo | 2:25 |
| 2. | "Different" | Sixtoo | 3:20 |
| 3. | "Personal Journalist" | DJ Mayonnaise | 2:53 |
| 4. | "Inherited Scars" | DJ Mayonnaise | 4:35 |
| 5. | "Climb Trees" | Jel | 3:57 |
| 6. | "Broken Wings" | Scott Matelic | 3:59 |
| 7. | "The Strange Famous Mullet Remover" | Reanimator | 2:39 |
| 8. | "Smoke and Mirrors" | Jel | 3:13 |
| 9. | "Message Sent" | Alias | 4:24 |
| 10. | "Eviction Notice" | Odd Nosdam | 3:31 |
| 11. | "Pitchers of Silence" | Sixtoo | 2:46 |
| 12. | "Specialist" | Controller 7 | 4:13 |
| 13. | "Hopeless" | 1:12 | |
| 14. | "Kill Ya' Momz" | Mr. Dibbs | 1:59 |
| 15. | "Black Sweatshirt" | Sixtoo | 2:08 |
| 16. | "Cup of Tea" | Sixtoo | 2:14 |
| 17. | "My Name Is Strange" | 3:21 | |
| 18. | "Runaways" | Joe Beats | 6:07 |
Personnel
editCredits adapted from liner notes.
- Sage Francis – vocals, recording, mixing, cover art design
- Sixtoo – production (1, 2, 11, 15, 16), recording, mixing
- DJ Mayonnaise – production (3, 4)
- Jel – production (5, 8)
- Scott Matelic – production (6)
- Reanimator – production (7)
- Alias – production (9)
- Odd Nosdam – production (10), layout
- Controller 7 – production (12)
- Mr. Dibbs – production (14), recording, mixing
- Joe Beats – production (18)
- DJ Mek – turntables (3)
- DJ Signify – turntables (7, 8)
- Mike 2600 – turntables (7)
- Grey Matter – turntables (15)
- Jay Peters – guitar (17)
- Matt Zimmerman – upright bass (17)
- Tara – keyboards (17)
- Matt Coolige – flute (17)
- Scott Begin – drums (17)
- Shalem B – turntables (17)
- Chris Warren – recording, mixing
- Jonathan Wyman – mastering
- Kara Healy – photography
References
edit- ^ "Hip-Hop (Period Ending 5/28/2002)". CMJ New Music Report: 21. June 10, 2002.
- ^ Martens, Todd (February 5, 2005). "Epitaph Enters Rap Game With Francis". Billboard. p. 20.
- ^ a b Swihart, Stanton. "Personal Journals - Sage Francis". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Sage Francis". Christgau's Consumer Guide. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ^ a b Thomas-Glass, Daniel (April 22, 2002). "Dusted Reviews: Sage Francis - Personal Journals". Dusted Magazine. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
- ^ a b Dahlen, Chris (April 30, 2002). "Sage Francis: Personal Journals". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
- ^ Knoxx, A. (November 26, 2002). "Sage Francis :: Personal Journals :: Anticon". RapReviews.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
- ^ Ryan, Chris (July 2002). "Under Dawgs". Spin: 111.
- ^ a b Jarvis, Clay (September 1, 2003). "Sage Francis - Personal Journals". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (July 2002). "Revolutions". Vibe: 138.
External links
edit- Personal Journals at Discogs (list of releases)
- Personal Journals at MusicBrainz (list of releases)