Awfully Deep
Studio album by
Roots Manuva
Released28 January 2005 (2005-01-28)
GenreHip hop
Length51:27 (original)
74:42 (limited edition)
LabelBig Dada
ProducerRoots Manuva (Lord Gosh), The Easy Access Orchestra, Blackitude, Wayne Bennett, Steve Dub
Roots Manuva chronology
Dub Come Save Me
(2002)		 Awfully Deep
(2005)		 Back to Mine: Roots Manuva
(2005)
Singles from Awfully Deep
  1. "Colossal Insight"
    Released: 17 January 2005
  2. "Too Cold"
    Released: 21 March 2005

Awfully Deep is a studio album by British alternative hip hop artist Roots Manuva, released in 2005 by Big Dada.

A limited edition version of the CD was released, which included a second disc entitled The Noodle Pack: Demos, Versions and Exclusives.

In October 2011, it was awarded a double silver certification from the Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA), which indicated sales in excess of 40,000 copies throughout Europe.[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Blender[4]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[5]
The Guardian[6]
Mojo[7]
NME9/10[8]
Pitchfork6.4/10[9]
Q[10]
SpinC+[11]
Uncut[12]

Awfully Deep garnered positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 80 based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[2]

David Peschek of The Guardian gave high praise to the mixture of dancehall, electronic and two tone used throughout the production and Manuva's self-deprecating delivery that's devoid of any "dreary machismo" used by his US contemporaries, concluding that "Smith has crafted an album that is deft, addictive and profoundly musical, and it feels like a fresh-minted classic."[6] A writer for Tiny Mix Tapes praised Smith's electronic dub production and lyricism for having a more "intense, oppressive feel" throughout the album despite a dip in quality in the second half, concluding that "Still, this is great stuff, the music is often awesomely original, and you feel yourself willing Smith on to beat his demons. 'Nuff said."[13] Pitchfork contributor Tom Breihan commented how the record was similar to Radiohead's Kid A, noting how Manuva goes from "street-rap relevance to navel-gazing experimentation" through slow and methodical production and lyrical vocalisation, concluding that "Manuva has the force, vision, and charisma to remain relevant, to keep ahead of the game. He's too good to let the world pass him by, but that's exactly what will happen if he continues to disappear inside himself."[9] Jonah Weiner, writing for Blender, noted how the album goes back and forth from "comically paranoid fantasies ("Awfully Deep", "Too Cold")" to tracks with a "political edge ("Mind to Motion", "The Falling")", calling it "protest music gone gleefully psycho."[4] John Bush of AllMusic said, "Overall, Roots Manuva may have a lot to say during the verses, but when his choruses consist of little more than a repeated line shouted over and over ("Awfully Deep," "Too Cold"), listeners won't be hanging around long enough to decipher his verses."[3]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Mind 2 Motion"Lord Gosh4:46
2."Awfully Deep"Lord Gosh4:02
3."Cause 4 Pause" (featuring DJ MK)Lord Gosh1:11
4."Colossal Insight"Lord Gosh3:45
5."Too Cold" (featuring Hazel Sim and DJ MK)Roots Manuva, The Easy Access Orchestra3:58
6."A Haunting"Roots Manuva, The Easy Access Orchestra3:57
7."Rebel Heart" (featuring Marshmello)Roots Manuva3:33
8."Chin High" (featuring DJ MK)Roots Manuva5:25
9."Babylon Medicine"Blackitude3:16
10."Pause 4 Cause"Lord Gosh, Steve Dub1:28
11."Move Ya Loin" (featuring Lotek)Wayne Lotek3:12
12."Thinking"Lord Gosh4:48
13."The Falling"The Easy Access Orchestra3:52
14."Toothbrush"Lord Gosh4:14
Limited edition bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."Chin High (Manuvadelics Version)" (featuring Ricky Rankin & DJ MK)5.12
2."Too Cold (Demo Version)"3.27
3."Colossal Insight (Manoustic at Reading)" (featuring Ricky Rankin & DJ MK)3.59
4."Rebel Heart" (Manuvadelics Version)" (featuring Ricky Rankin & DJ MK)3.18
5."The Falling (Demo Version) / This World Is Mine (Demo Version)"7.19

Charts

Chart Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 24

References

  1. ↑ "As Adele hits thirteen times platinum across Europe, over 60 artists pick up IMPALA Sales Awards, including Manel, Bon Iver, Miossec, dEUS, Agnes Obel and The Horrors". Independent Music Companies Association. 12 October 2011. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Reviews for Awfully Deep by Roots Manuva". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 Bush, John. "Awfully Deep – Roots Manuva". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  4. 1 2 Weiner, Jonah (July 2005). "Roots Manuva: Awfully Deep". Blender (38): 122. Archived from the original on 24 June 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "EW reviews four hot new albums". Entertainment Weekly. 23 May 2005. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  6. 1 2 Peschek, David (28 January 2005). "Roots Manuva, Awfully Deep". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  7. ↑ "Roots Manuva: Awfully Deep". Mojo (136): 106. March 2005.
  8. ↑ "Roots Manuva: Awfully Deep". NME: 58. 29 January 2005.
  9. 1 2 Breihan, Tom (27 March 2005). "Roots Manuva: Awfully Deep". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  10. ↑ "Roots Manuva: Awfully Deep". Q (223): 95. February 2005.
  11. ↑ "Breakdown". Spin. 21 (6): 108. June 2005. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  12. ↑ "Roots Manuva: Awfully Deep". Uncut (94): 104. March 2005.
  13. ↑ "Roots Manuva – Awfully Deep". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  14. ↑ "Roots Manuva". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
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