Collagically Speaking

Collagically Speaking
Collagically Speaking
Studio album by R+R=Now
Released	June 15, 2018
Studio	Henson Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Jazz fusion
Length	73:18
Label	Blue Note
Producer	Christian Scott; Derrick Hodge; Justin Tyson; Robert Glasper; Taylor McFerrin; Terrace Martin;
R+R=Now chronology

Collagically Speaking is the debut studio album by jazz supergroup R+R=NOW. It was released on June 15, 2018 through Blue Note Records. Recording sessions took place at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Production was handled by Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Derrick Hodge, Justin Tyson, Robert Glasper, Taylor McFerrin and Terrace Martin, with Nicole Hegeman and Vincent Bennett serving as executive producers. It features contributions from Amanda Seales, Amber Navran, Goapele Mohlabane, India Shawn, Jahi Sundance, Mirna Jose, Omari Hardwick, Stalley, Terry Crews and Yasiin Bey.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	77/100^[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Pitchfork	7/10^[3]
Rolling Stone	^[4]
Tom Hull	B^[5]

Collagically Speaking 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 77 based on five reviews.^[1]

AllMusic's Matt Collar wrote: "none of these more pointedly thought-provoking [spoken word] additions detract from the overall flow of the album, and instead add to the overarching vibe of open-minded creativity, love, and empowerment".^[2] Marcus J. Moore of Pitchfork wrote: "while the album's open-endedness largely works to its benefit, Collagically Speaking occasionally meanders".^[3] In a mixed review, Hank Shteamer of Rolling Stone wrote: "singing, rapping and spoken-word float through these tracks, as do soulful improvs from Adjuah, Glasper and others, but what lingers is the overall aura: a no-seams-showing blend of jazz, R&B and hip-hop, with a spontaneous "3 a.m. in the studio" feel".^[4]

Track listing

*Collagically Speaking* track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Change of Tone" (featuring Goapele)	Derrick Hodge Justin Tyson Robert Glasper Taylor McFerrin Terrace Martin Christian Scott Rose McKinney	7:32
2.	"Awake to You"	Hodge Tyson Glasper McFerrin Martin Scott McKinney	8:14
3.	"By Design" (featuring Jahi Sundance, India Shawn and Mirna Jose)	Hodge Tyson Glasper McFerrin Martin Scott McKinney Jahi Lake	5:27
4.	"Resting Warrior"	Hodge Tyson Glasper Martin Scott McKinney	9:51
5.	"Needed You Still" (featuring Omari Hardwick)	Hodge Tyson Glasper McFerrin Martin Scott McKinney Omari Hardwick Michael E. Neil	6:09
6.	"Colors in the Dark"	Hodge Tyson Glasper Martin McKinney Arin Ray	4:48
7.	"The Night in Question" (featuring Terry Crews)	Hodge Tyson Glasper McFerrin Scott Terry Crews	7:41
8.	"Reflect Reprise" (featuring Stalley)	Hodge Tyson Glasper McFerrin Martin McKinney Kyle Myricks	6:42
9.	"Her=Now" (featuring Amanda Seales)	Hodge McFerrin Amanda Seales	6:44
10.	"Respond"	Hodge Tyson McFerrin Scott	5:21
11.	"Been on My Mind" (featuring Amber Navran and Yasiin Bey)	Hodge Glasper McFerrin Scott Amber Navran Dante Smith Lake	4:49
Total length:			73:18

Personnel

Derrick Hodge – bass, songwriter, producer
Justin Tyson – drums and songwriter (tracks 1–8, 10), producer
Robert Glasper – keyboards (tracks 1–8), piano (track 11), songwriter (tracks 1–8, 11), vocals (track 3), producer
Taylor McFerrin – synthesizer (tracks 1–5, 7–11), songwriter (tracks 1–3, 5, 7–11), producer
Terrace Martin – synthesizer and songwriter (tracks 1–6, 8), vocoder (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 8), saxophone (track 4), additional tracking, producer
Christian Scott – trumpet and songwriter (tracks 1–5, 7, 10, 11), producer
Rose McKinney – songwriter (tracks 1–6, 8)
Goapele Mohlabane – vocals (track 1)
India Shawn – vocals (track 3)
Jahi Sundance – vocals (track 3), turntables & songwriter (tracks 3, 11)
Mirna Jose – vocals (track 3)
Omari Hardwick – vocals and songwriter (track 5)
Michael "Phoelix" Neil – songwriter (track 5)
Arin Ray – songwriter (track 6)
Terry Crews – vocals and songwriter (track 7)
Kyle "Stalley" Myricks – vocals and songwriter (track 8)
Amanda Seales – vocals and songwriter (track 9)
Amber Navran – vocals and songwriter (track 11)
Dante "Mos Def/Yasiin Bey" Smith – vocals and songwriter (track 11)
Keith "Qmillion" Lewis – recording, mixing
Bryan DiMaio – engineering
Robert "G Koop" Mandell – engineering
Collin Kadlec – recording assistant
Derrick Stockwell – recording assistant
Chris Athens – mastering
Nicole Hegeman – executive producer
Vincent Bennett – executive producer
Stephanie Darden – design
Delphine Diaw Diallo – photography
Chris Baldwin – photography
Elizabeth Craig – photography
Mathieu Bitton – photography
Simon Benjamin – photography
Justin "J3" Jackson – photography
Freda Knowles – artist coordinator

Charts

Chart performance for *Collagically Speaking*
Chart (2018)	Peak position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[6]	121
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[7]	99
US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard)^[8]	1
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)^[9]	1
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)^[10]	79

References

^ ^a ^b "Critic Reviews for Collagically Speaking". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2020-07-23. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Collar, Matt. "Collagically Speaking - R+R=Now | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2018-07-31. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Moore, Marcus J. (June 19, 2018). "R+R=NOW: Collagically Speaking". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2018-06-19. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Shteamer, Hank (June 18, 2018). "Review: Jazz Stars Band Together on R+R=Now's 'Collagically Speaking'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2018-11-05. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
^ Hull, Tom. "Tom Hull: Grade List: Robert Glasper". tomhull.com. Archived from the original on 2021-11-17. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – R%2BR%3DNow – Collagically Speaking" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
^ "Swisscharts.com – R%2BR%3DNow – Collagically Speaking". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
^ "Robert Glasper Chart History (Top Contemporary Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
^ "Robert Glasper Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
^ "Robert Glasper Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved November 17, 2021.

External links

Collagically Speaking at Discogs (list of releases)

[MC-1] "Critic Reviews for Collagically Speaking". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2020-07-23. Retrieved November 17, 2021.

[AM-2] Collar, Matt. "Collagically Speaking - R+R=Now | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2018-07-31. Retrieved November 17, 2021.

[p4k-3] Moore, Marcus J. (June 19, 2018). "R+R=NOW: Collagically Speaking". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2018-06-19. Retrieved November 17, 2021.

[RS-4] Shteamer, Hank (June 18, 2018). "Review: Jazz Stars Band Together on R+R=Now's 'Collagically Speaking'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2018-11-05. Retrieved November 17, 2021.

[5] Hull, Tom. "Tom Hull: Grade List: Robert Glasper". tomhull.com. Archived from the original on 2021-11-17. Retrieved November 17, 2021.

[ac_Netherlands_R%2BR%3DNow-6] "Dutchcharts.nl – R%2BR%3DNow – Collagically Speaking" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 17, 2021.

[ac_Switzerland_R%2BR%3DNow-7] "Swisscharts.com – R%2BR%3DNow – Collagically Speaking". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 17, 2021.

[ac_BillboardContemporaryJazz_Robert_Glasper-8] "Robert Glasper Chart History (Top Contemporary Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 17, 2021.

[ac_BillboardJazz_Robert_Glasper-9] "Robert Glasper Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 17, 2021.

[ac_BillboardAlbumSales_Robert_Glasper-10] "Robert Glasper Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved November 17, 2021.

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v t e Robert Glasper
Studio albums	Mood Canvas In My Element Double-Booked Black Radio Black Radio 2 Covered: Recorded Live at Capitol Records Everything's Beautiful ArtScience Black Radio III
Mixtapes	Fuck Yo Feelings
Extended plays	Dinner Party (w/ Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin & 9th Wonder) Enigmatic Society (w/ Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin & 9th Wonder)
Related albums	Miles Ahead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) August Greene (w/ Common & Karriem Riggins) Collagically Speaking (w/ Derrick Hodge, Justin Tyson, Taylor McFerrin, Terrace Martin & Christian Scott, as R+R=NOW)