Wikipedia

Chronicles of a Diamond

Chronicles of a Diamond is the second studio album by American band Black Pumas, released on October 27, 2023, through ATO Records.[1] It was produced by group member Adrian Quesada, co-produced by fellow member Eric Burton and John Congleton, and mixed by Shawn Everett. The album was preceded by the lead single "More Than a Love Song".[2][3]

Chronicles of a Diamond
Studio album by
Black Pumas
ReleasedOctober 27, 2023 (2023-10-27)
Length42:53
LabelATO
ProducerAdrian Quesada
Black Pumas chronology
Black Pumas
(2019) 		Chronicles of a Diamond
(2023)
Singles from Chronicles of a Diamond
  1. "More Than a Love Song"
    Released: August 22, 2023

Background

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On August 24, 2023, Black Pumas announced the release of Chronicles of a Diamond, along with the first single More Than a Love Song.[4]

Eric Burton acknowledged that while the band were "under pressure" with their second album, it was still "a fun process and very cathartic as well" and "feels more like a second debut". With Chronicles of a Diamond, Burton stated that he "had a lot more to do with the creation of the music outside of lyrics and melody" than the band's debut.[5]

Singles

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The first single from the album, More Than a Love Song, featured at number 1 on Billboard's Adult Alternative Airplay.[6] Consequence of Sound described the single as a song "built on a jangly groove and fleshed out with some orchestral strings, bold electric guitar riffs, and a gospel choir."[7]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash7/10[9]
Dork     [10]
Exclaim!7/10[11]
Far Out     [12]
Mojo     [13]
NME     [14]
The Observer     [15]
Uncut6/10[16]

Chronicles of a Diamond received a score of 76 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on ten critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[8] Mojo commented that "the production ideas and songs, however smart, won't change the world; they will, however, prompt large swathes to sing along".[13] Clash's Emma Harrison called it a "cross-cultural heavenly palette of starry-eyed soul, psychedelic rock, jazz funk and symphonic pop" as well as "the most expansive expression yet of Black Pumas' frenetic creativity and limitless vision to date".[9]

Thomas Smith of NME described it as "a more realised offering to the world and exceeds their debut album" and observed that "you can't help but hear Burton's confidence growing across the album's running time, his potential still untapped and with room to grow".[14] Uncut felt that "while the material is frequently just serviceable, the arrangements are inspired thanks to the virtuosic interplay of JaRon Marshall's gilded piano, Brendan Bond's percolating basslines and Quesada's sizzling solos".[16] Glide Magazine's Ryan Dillon opined that it is "bursting with colorful experimentation and pure musicianship that showcases a diversity that wasn't present on their debut".[17]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Eric Burton, except where noted.

Chronicles of a Diamond track listing
No.TitleLength
1."More Than a Love Song" (Burton, Adrian Quesada)4:47
2."Ice Cream (Pay Phone)"3:52
3."Mrs. Postman" (Burton, Quesada, JaRon Marshall)4:08
4."Chronicles of a Diamond"3:29
5."Angel"5:05
6."Hello"3:57
7."Sauvignon" (Burton, Quesada)3:19
8."Tomorrow"4:51
9."Gemini Sun"4:23
10."Rock and Roll"4:52
Total length:42:53

Personnel

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Black Pumas

Additional Personnel

  • Stephen Bidwell – drums, samples
  • AJ Hall - drums, backing vocals (3, 6)
  • Adam Jackson – drums (2)
  • Brendan Bond – bass guitar
  • Josh Blue - bass, keyboards, (2)
  • Alexis Buffum – violin
  • Lauren Cervantes – backing vocals
  • JaRon Marshall - keyboards
  • Anthony Farrell- keyboards, drums (8)
  • Angela Miller – backing vocals
  • Roy Patten - backing vocals (1)
  • John Speice - congas, percussion
  • Erik Wofford- mellotron (4)

Technical

  • John Congleton – co-production, additional engineering (1, 4, 6, 9, 10)
  • Chris Allgood – mastering
  • Emily Lazar – mastering
  • Aaron Glemboski – mixing (1), engineering (1, 3, 6, 7), additional engineering (2, 4, 5, 8, 9)
  • Shawn Everett – mixing (2–10)
  • Sean Cook – engineering (1, 4, 9, 10)
  • Erik Wofford – engineering (2)
  • Omar Akrouche – engineering (4)
  • Jan Schenk – engineering (5, 9, 10)
  • Mario Ramirez – engineering (8)
  • Josh Blue – additional engineering (2, 5)
  • AJ Hall – additional engineering (3, 5)
  • Ian Gold – mixing assistance (2–10)

Charts

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Chart performance for Chronicles of a Diamond
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[18] 21
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] 15
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[20] 19
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] 20
French Albums (SNEP)[22] 21
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] 16
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[24] 19
Scottish Albums (OCC)[25] 18
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[26] 79
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 19
UK Americana Albums (OCC)[28] 4
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[29] 24
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[30] 10
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[31] 2
US Billboard 200[32] 69
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[33] 4
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[34] 14
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[35] 7
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[36] 14

References

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  1. ^ Liebig, Lorie (August 22, 2023). "Black Pumas Announce New Album Chronicles of a Diamond, Share Jubilant Lead Single". American Songwriter. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  2. ^ Jones, Abby (August 22, 2023). "Black Pumas Announce New Album Chronicles of a Diamond, Share "More Than a Love Song": Stream". Consequence. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  3. ^ Minsker, Evan (August 22, 2023). "Black Pumas Announce New Album Chronicles of a Diamond, Share Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  4. ^ Murray, Robin (August 24, 2023). "Black Pumas Announce New Album". Clash. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  5. ^ Duran, Anagricel (August 22, 2023). "Black Pumas tell us about new album Chronicles of a Diamond: 'It feels more like a second debut'". NME. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  6. ^ Anderson, Trevor (September 26, 2023). "Black Pumas' "More Than a Love Song" Hits No. 1 on Triple A Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  7. ^ Jones, Abby (August 22, 2023). "Black Pumas Announce New Album". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Chronicles of a Diamond by Black Pumas Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Harrison, Emma (October 27, 2023). "Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  10. ^ Quin, Emma (October 30, 2023). "Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond". Dork. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  11. ^ Ayiku, Vernon (October 31, 2023). "Black Pumas Are a Vibe on 'Chronicles of a Diamond'". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  12. ^ Scanlon, Kelly (October 26, 2023). "Black Pumas: Chronicles of a Diamond album review". Far Out. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond". Mojo. December 2023. p. 84.
  14. ^ a b Smith, Thomas (October 27, 2023). "Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond review: how 21st century soul should sound". NME. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  15. ^ Morris, Damien (October 30, 2023). "Black Pumas: Chronicles of a Diamond review: Swaggers from the speakers". The Observer. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond". Uncut. December 2023. p. 27.
  17. ^ Dillon, Ryan (October 24, 2023). "Black Pumas Streak Bold On Long-Awaited Sophomore Album Chronicles of a Diamond (Album Review)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  18. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  19. ^ "Ultratop.be – Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  21. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  22. ^ "Top Albums (Week 44, 2023)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  23. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  24. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 44. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  26. ^ "Top 100 Albums Weekly". El portal de Música. Promusicae. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  27. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  28. ^ "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  29. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  30. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  31. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  32. ^ "Black Pumas Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  33. ^ "Black Pumas Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  34. ^ "Black Pumas Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  35. ^ "Black Pumas Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  36. ^ "Black Pumas Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
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