Revolutions is the third studio album by New York City DJ group The X-Ecutioners. It was released on June 8, 2004, through Columbia Records. Production was handled by members Rob Swift, DJ Total Eclipse and Roc Raida, as well as The Professionals, Matt Stein, Sean C, Dr. Butcher, The Ratt Pakk and Todd Perimutter. It features guest appearances from Aasim, Anikke, Black Thought, Blue Man Group, B-Real, dead prez, Fat Joe, Ghostface Killah, Josey Scott, Rob Zombie, Roc Marciano, Saigon, Scram Jones, Sly Boogie, Start Trouble and Trife Diesel. The album peaked at number 118 on the Billboard 200, number 50 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 24 on the Top Rap Albums in the United States.
Revolutions | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 8, 2004 | |||
Recorded | 2003–04 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 51:37 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer |
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The X-Ecutioners chronology | ||||
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Singles from Revolutions | ||||
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Three singles were released "Live from the PJs", "Like This" and "Back to Back". This would mark Rob Swift's last studio album with the group before he left in 2005 to focus on his solo career. "Like This" was also featured in 2003 video game SSX 3. "Let's Go", a collaboration with Good Charlotte, was recorded but was not featured on the album. However, the song appeared in 2004 video game NFL Street.[1]
Critical reception
editAggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 63/100[2] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Entertainment Weekly | B[4] |
IGN | 7/10[5] |
RapReviews | 9/10[6] |
Rolling Stone | [7] |
Spin | B+[8] |
Tiny Mix Tapes | [9] |
Revolutions was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 63, based on twelve reviews.[2]
Alternative Press called it "solidly entertaining", Splendid — "pretty breathtaking", and Blender critic found that the album "stands on its own, with... an emphasis on beats rather than technical tricks". Neil Drumming in his review for Entertainment Weekly stated: "the X-ecutioners force the ire on their third album, Revolutions, with mixed results".[4] Soren Baker wrote: "these songs are accented by the X-ecutioners' deft scratching and energetic beats, resulting in a regularly exciting and inventive album". AllMusic's David Jeffries resumed: "the just fair pop tracks keep it from being classic, but this is the best the talented team has sounded on record yet".[3]
In mixed reviews, Q magazine reviewer wrote: "amidst all this, the trio's scratching feels peripheral, and when it does take centre stage, is underwhelming". Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone found it "too many forgettable concoctions make this just another so-so DJ mix".[7]
In negative reviews, Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club wrote: "all too often finds X-Ecutioners playing second fiddle to an outsized roster of uninspired guests".[10] Tiny Mix Tapes writer saw it "an extremely boring affair, never building any momentum from the start to finish".[9]
Track listing
editNo. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Skit 1" | 1:58 | ||
2. | "The Countdown, Pt. 2" (featuring Blue Man Group) |
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| 1:45 |
3. | "Live from the PJs" (featuring Ghostface Killah, Trife and Black Thought) | Roc Raida | 2:53 | |
4. | "Like This" (featuring Anikke) |
| The Professionals | 3:23 |
5. | "C'mon" |
|
| 2:51 |
6. | "Skit 2" | 2:05 | ||
7. | "Back to Back" (featuring Saigon and Scram Jones) |
| Roc Raida | 3:08 |
8. | "Let Me Rock" (featuring Start Trouble) |
|
| 3:26 |
9. | "The Regulators" (featuring Roc Marciano and Sly Boogy) |
| Roc Raida | 3:15 |
10. | "Space Invader" |
| The Professionals | 3:36 |
11. | "Old School Throwdown" |
| Sean C | 2:36 |
12. | "Get With It" (featuring B-Real) |
| The Professionals | 3:29 |
13. | "(Even) More Human than Human" (featuring Rob Zombie, Slug and Josey Scott) |
|
| 3:58 |
14. | "Skit 3" | 1:16 | ||
15. | "Sucka Think He Cud Wup Me" (featuring dead prez) |
| The Ratt Pakk | 3:40 |
16. | "The Truth" (featuring Fat Joe and Aasim) |
| Sean C | 3:40 |
17. | "Ill Bill" |
|
| 3:59 |
18. | "Skit 4" | 0:39 | ||
Total length: | 51:37 |
Charts
editChart (2004) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200[11] | 118 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[12] | 50 |
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[13] | 24 |
References
edit- ^ "NFL Street Soundtrack". IGN. December 10, 2003. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Revolutions - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Jeffries, David. "The X-ecutioners - Revolutions Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Drumming, Neil (June 7, 2004). "Revolutions". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ Durig, Jim (August 13, 2004). "IGN: Revolutions Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 2006-01-16. Retrieved September 17, 2023 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (June 8, 2004). "X-Ecutioners :: Revolutions – RapReviews". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Hoard, Christian (June 10, 2004). "The X-Ecutioners: Revolutions : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-07-09. Retrieved September 17, 2023 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ Ganz, Caryn; Gross, Joe; Harvilla, Rob; Matos, Michaelangelo; Wood, Mikael (July 2004). "Breakdown". Spin. Vol. 20, no. 7. SPIN Media LLC. p. 110. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved September 17, 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "Music Review: X-Ecutioners - Revolutions". Tiny Mix Tapes. December 14, 2006. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ Rabin, Nathan (June 15, 2004). "X-Ecutioners: Revolutions". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ "X-Ecutioners Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ "X-Ecutioners Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ "X-Ecutioners Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
External links
edit- X-Ecutioners – Revolutions at Discogs (list of releases)