Blackheart (album)

Background

'Goldenheart' put you on a battlefield in medieval times. 'Blackheart' will put you in a place where you're stuck in a rainforest by yourself, and you realize that you have all this armor, but you have this blood on you as well.

The release of the album was initially announced in May 2011 via Rap-Up magazine as part of an upcoming trilogy of albums. By July 2013, after the self-funded January released Goldenheart had sold a total of 9,000 copies domestically, Richard found herself at a lack of sufficient funds to stem the production of her next album, leading to her starting a campaign via Kickstarter, in which she asked her fans to donate a total of 25,000 dollars. With 133 backers lending 2,854 dollars, Richard was not able to reach her goal however, and the campaign turned out unsuccessful. At that time the album was intended to be released by October 7, 2013 and to include 11 or 12 songs. The logos and art work were to be chosen interactively by her fans, like the choice of the second single between two songs "Judith" and "Valkyrie". The latter was later remixed with fellow American singer JoJo.

By early September 2013, the album was eventually postponed due to Richard, Aubrey O'Day, Aundrea Fimbres and Shannon Bex deciding to reunite as Danity Kane. In an interview with Billboard magazine on March 13, 2014, when asked about the status of Blackheart, Richard explained that it was still in production, and served as the second installment of three albums to be ended with Redemptionheart. She elaborated on how it continues the story of the first part of the trilogy, while it will exist with a slightly dissimilar atmosphere, saying: "Goldenheart put you on a battlefield in medieval times. Blackheart will put you in a place where you're stuck in a rainforest by yourself, and you realize that you have all this armor, but you have this blood on you as well." Next to the digitally released singles "Valkyrie", "Levitate", "Judith" and "Meteors", a song called "Tide", described as ""Judith"'s step-sister" was not added to the regular track list of the album. The latter song however can be found as a bonus track on the Vinyl edition of the album. Richard explained in an interview with Billboard published in October that her grandmother passing away, and her father being diagnosed with cancer inspired her to prove that she had a story to tell as well as wanting to make the people she lost proud.

Promotion

On the release day of Blackheart Richard visited the New York City Apple Store to tape an episode of their "Meet The Musician" podcasts. Also the very first interview of her addressing the Danity Kane break-up was released via Rap-Up on the release day. Next to that Richard released a music video to the Vinyl edition bonus track "Tide". Other promotional stops during the release week included the Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club, as well as the radio show Sway in the Morning.

Critical reception

Blackheart received widespread acclaim from critics, who noted the darker subject material compared to previous work. In reference to the album, Spin magazine described Dawn Richard as a "prefab non-headliner gone rogue as a weirdo genius." Pitchfork magazine lauded the album for its personal content and vision and furthermore described the project as "heaving, apocalyptic dance-pop, somewhere between Björk and Brandy". FACT magazine welcomed the change in direction of this album with respect to Richard's other work, Armor On and Goldenheart. The non-traditional pop aspects of the album such as the electronic and synth production, and verse structure were also welcomed.

British newspaper The Guardian described Richard as "too good to ignore" in their review of Blackheart stating "The most ambitious and revelatory album of the year might be the lowest-profile, despite (or perhaps because of) its creator's mainstream connections. Dawn Richard's Blackheart is a wild ride through the kind of constantly shapeshifting electronics that make everyone else's so-called "innovation" sound timid – and the emotional peaks and troughs give a sense of purpose to her experimentation. It starts with a piercing acapella cry – "I thought I lost it all" – and its twists and turns thereafter take in Greek mythology and feminist retellings of the Billie Jean groupie archetype, as Richard tells a tale of failure, loss and ultimate triumph. Co-produced by Richard and the relative unknown Noisecastle III, Blackheart sounds like little else. There are brief reminders of Björk's Medúlla in the amphibious vocal layering of Titans, Moby's Go in the frantic rhythms of Calypso or Aaliyah's What If in Adderall/Sold's lurch into rock, but they are only the barest hints."

Track listing

From Discogs.