I Think I'm Good
| I Think I'm Good | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 28, 2020 | |||
| Length | 39:55 | |||
| Label | Brownswood | |||
| Producer | Kassa Overall | |||
| Kassa Overall chronology | ||||
| ||||
I Think I'm Good is the second studio album by American musician Kassa Overall. It was released on February 28, 2020, through Brownswood Recordings.
Background
[edit]Kassa Overall is an American drummer, record producer, rapper, and vocalist.[1] I Think I'm Good is his second studio album, following Go Get Ice Cream and Listen to Jazz (2019).[2] The voice of Angela Davis is used on the album's track "Show Me a Prison".[3] The album was released on February 28, 2020, through Brownswood Recordings.[4] A short film of the same name, which features selections from the album, was released in 2020.[5]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| DownBeat | [2] |
| Pitchfork | 7.9/10[7] |
Ammar Kalia of DownBeat wrote, "On his second LP, I Think I'm Good, Overall finds the sweet spot between politically infused hip-hop and languorous jazz."[2] Tom Moon of NPR commented that "It's not another jazz-meets-hip-hop scrum: It's the sound of whole new lanes opening up."[8] Thom Jurek of AllMusic stated, "Ultimately, I Think I'm Good is not merely the work of a fine backpack producer, but that of a master conceptualist and painterly musician compelled by both a rigorous aesthetic sensibility and the weighty importance of his chosen topics to deliver a provocative and genuinely seamless musical fusion for the future."[6]
Accolades
[edit]| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| AllMusic | Favorite Jazz Albums | — |
|
| The Guardian | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 38 |
|
| Les Inrockuptibles | Top 100 Albums of 2020 | 67 |
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Visible Walls" | 3:03 |
| 2. | "Please Don't Kill Me" (featuring Joel Ross and Theo Croker) | 2:59 |
| 3. | "Find Me" (featuring J Hoard) | 4:52 |
| 4. | "I Know You See Me" (featuring J Hoard and Melanie Charles) | 3:21 |
| 5. | "Sleeping on the Train" | 1:05 |
| 6. | "Show Me a Prison" (featuring J Hoard and Angela Davis) | 3:42 |
| 7. | "Halfway House" | 3:45 |
| 8. | "Landline" (featuring Carlos Overall) | 2:23 |
| 9. | "Darkness in Mind" (featuring Sullivan Fortner) | 6:01 |
| 10. | "The Best of Life" (featuring Aaron Parks) | 1:56 |
| 11. | "Got Me a Plan" | 3:03 |
| 12. | "Was She Happy (for Geri Allen)" (featuring Vijay Iyer) | 3:42 |
| Total length: | 39:55 | |
Personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from liner notes.[12]
- Kassa Overall – vocals (1–4, 6–12), drums (2–5, 7–12), percussion (6), synthesizer bass (9, 10), production
- Mike King – synthesizer bass (1), synthesizer (1, 2), Mellotron (4, 7)
- Morgan Guerin – bass clarinet (1), saxophone (3), electronic wind instrument (3), electric bass (3), floor tom (3, 6), clarinet (9)
- Brandee Younger – harp (1, 2)
- Courtney Bryan – piano (1, 5)
- Jay Gandhi – bansuri (1, 5)
- Joel Ross – vibraphone (2)
- Theo Croker – flugelhorn (2)
- Stephan Crump – acoustic bass (2–4, 7, 9)
- Sullivan Fortner – piano (2, 7, 9)
- J Hoard – vocals (3, 4, 6)
- Paul Wilson – synthesizer (3), effects (3), synthesizer bass (6), mixing (1–9, 12)
- Julius Rodriguez – piano (3, 6), synthesizer (3, 6)
- Aaron Parks – sampled piano (3), piano (10), synthesizer (10)
- Melanie Charles – vocals (4)
- Bigyuki – synthesizer (4), synthesizer bass (4)
- Angela Davis – voicemail vocals (6)
- Craig Taborn – sampled piano (6)
- Carlos Overall – tenor saxophone (8)
- Mike Mohamed – drums (9)
- Rafiq Bhatia – guitar (10)
- Joe Dyson – drums (10)
- Tim Kennedy – piano (11)
- Vijay Iyer – Rhodes piano (12)
- Josh Giunta – mixing (1–8, 11, 12)
- Daniel Schlett – mixing (9, 10)
- Xander Knight – mixing (11)
- Mike Bozzi – mastering
- Lauren Du Graf – creative direction
- Jesse Brown – artwork
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Jazz & Blues Albums (Official Charts)[13] | 20 |
References
[edit]- ↑ Collar, Matt. "Kassa Overall". AllMusic. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Kalia, Ammar (March 2020). "Kassa Overall I Think I'm Good". DownBeat. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ↑ Rietmulder, Michael (March 1, 2020). "Seattle-raised Kassa Overall is one of jazz's thrilling new-school adventurers". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ↑ Spice, Anton; Helfet, Gabriela (February 4, 2020). "New albums to look out for in February". The Vinyl Factory. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ↑ Effinger, Shannon J. (October 27, 2020). "Kassa Overall's Video For 'I Think I'm Good' Is A Deep Exploration Of Contrasts". NPR. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- 1 2 Jurek, Thom. "I Think I'm Good - Kassa Overall". AllMusic. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ↑ Orlov, Piotr (March 6, 2020). "Kassa Overall: I Think I'm Good". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ↑ Moon, Tom (March 10, 2020). "On 'I Think I'm Good,' Kassa Overall Expands The Realm Of Jazz/Hip-Hop Fusion". NPR. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ↑ "Favorite Jazz Albums | AllMusic 2020 in Review". AllMusic. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ↑ "The 50 best albums of 2020: the full list". The Guardian. December 1, 2020. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ↑ "Notre top 100 des albums 2020". Les Inrockuptibles (in French). December 1, 2020. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ↑ Kassa Overall (2020). I Think I'm Good (CD booklet). Brownswood Recordings.
- ↑ "Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart on 6/3/2020 – Top 30". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
Further reading
[edit]- Micallef, Ken (March 11, 2020). "Kassa Overall: I Think I'm Good (Brownswood)". JazzTimes. Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- Schwartz, Danny (March 11, 2020). "Kassa Overall Unpacks His "Backpack Jazz" Approach". Bandcamp Daily. Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
External links
[edit]- I Think I'm Good at Discogs (list of releases)