| Amethyst Rock Star | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Saul Williams | ||||
| Released | May 8, 2001 (2001-05-08) | |||
| Genre | Alternative hip hop | |||
| Length | 58:26 | |||
| Label | American Recordings | |||
| Producer | Rick Rubin, Musa Bailey, Krust, Saul Williams | |||
| Saul Williams chronology | ||||
| ||||
Amethyst Rock Star is the debut solo studio album by Saul Williams. It was released by American Recordings in 2001. It peaked at number 135 on the French Albums Chart.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| Robert Christgau |  |
| Drowned in Sound | 9/10 |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
| NME | |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10 |
| RapReviews.com | 8/10 |
Steve Kurutz of AllMusic gave the album 1.5 stars out of 5, saying: "Some of the language is downright laughable (see the trite themes of 'Fearless' for example) in any context, and the rest is mediocre at best." Kitty Empire of NME gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5, calling it "an ambitious collision of rock, hip-hop and spoken word, all united by a refusal to conform to the conventions of any of them."
Track listing
All tracks are written by Saul Williams, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lalala" | 2:40 | |
| 2. | "Penny for a Thought" | Williams, Musa Bailey | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Robeson" | 4:21 | |
| 4. | "Tao of Now" | Williams, Musa Bailey | 4:19 |
| 5. | "Fearless" | Williams, Thom Bahler | 3:12 |
| 6. | "Untimely Meditations" | 3:55 | |
| 7. | "Om Nia Merican" | 3:06 | |
| 8. | "1987" | 5:21 | |
| 9. | "Coded Language" | Williams, Krust | 8:48 |
| 10. | "Our Father" | 7:06 | |
| 11. | "Wine / Do You Know (hidden track)" | 11:04 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Brown Bags" | 3:16 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.
Musicians
- Saul Williams – vocals, co–production, arrangement
- Rick Rubin – production
- Musa Bailey – additional production (2), additional programming, turntables
- Krust – additional production (9)
- Esthero – vocals (4)
- Chad Smith – drums (7)
- Jerome Jordan – guitar, backing vocals
- Maximina Juson – bass guitar
- Maryam Blacksher – viola
- Nioka Workman – cello
- Kwame Brandt-Pierce – keyboards
- Chris Eddleton – drums
- Greg Gordon – recording
- Russell Elevado – recording, mixing
Technical personnel
- Marcia Jones – visual art
- Michael Crivello – visual art
- Brandy Flower – graphic design
- Michele Miller – photography
- B+ – photography
- Mei Lei – journals
- Dorothy E. Wilcox – penpal
- Lindsay Chase – coordination
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Albums (SNEP) | 135 |
References
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Saul Williams – Amethyst Rockstar". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^ Kurutz, Steve. "Amethyst Rock Star - Saul Williams". AllMusic. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- Christgau, Robert. "Saul Williams". Christgau's Consumer Guide. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- Adams, Sean (August 5, 2001). "Album Review: Saul Williams - Amethyst Rock Star". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- Sullivan, James (November 2, 2001). "Amethyst Rock Star". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^ Empire, Kitty (September 12, 2005). "Saul Williams : Amethyst Rock Star". NME. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- Adickes, Kevin (November 26, 2001). "Saul Williams: Amethyst Rock Star". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- Juon, Steve (April 2, 2002). "Saul Williams :: Amethyst Rock Star". RapReviews.com. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
External links
- Amethyst Rock Star at Discogs (list of releases)
- Amethyst Rock Star at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
| Saul Williams | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | |
| EPs | |