Heavy Load
Studio album by
New Kingdom
Released1993
LabelGee Street/4th & B’way/Island/PolyGram[1]
ProducerScott Harding, New Kingdom, Lumberjacks
New Kingdom chronology
Heavy Load
(1993)		 Paradise Don't Come Cheap
(1996)

Heavy Load is the first album by the musical duo New Kingdom, released in 1993.[2][3]

The singles "Good Times" and "Cheap Thrills" made the top 100 on the UK Singles Chart.[4]

Production

The album was produced by Scott Harding, New Kingdom, and the Lumberjacks.[5][6] It was recorded in Manhattan.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Calgary HeraldB[9]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[10]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[11]

Vibe called the album "a celebration of the black-light world of the subconscious," noting the "drug-induced lyrics swimming through a jazzmospheric haze."[12] Spin thought that the group "could be Cypress Hill's geeky, inward-peeking younger brothers."[13]

The Calgary Herald deemed the album "a happenin' hip-hop funky fury."[9] The Province considered it "a record that favors low, thick, swinging rhythms over big beats, storytelling over boasting, characterization over gangsta posturing."[14] The Boston Herald wrote that the group "turn a pop-music grab bag, with samples of Miles Davis, Grand Funk and others, into ... metallic R&B."[15]

AllMusic wrote that "songs like 'Mad Mad World' and 'Mighty Maverick' work especially well, with Sebastian's trippy spoken-word poetry matching the psychedelic musical backgrounds to create the drugged-out feel the band seems to strive for."[8] In a retrospective article, The Village Voice praised the "dusty sonic patina that was fond of incorporating reverse reverb," writing that "at times, New Kingdom resonated like a psychedelic Wu-Tang."[16]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Good Times"2:38
2."Headhunter"2:25
3."Frontman"3:08
4."Mad Mad World"1:43
5."Mama And Papa"3:34
6."Cheap Thrills"4:21
7."Mars"3:20
8."Are You Alive?"3:51
9."Half Seas Over"3:45
10."Mother Nature"3:39
11."Calico Cats"2:50
12."Mighty Maverick"5:04
13."Lazy Smoke"3:30

Personnel

  • Jason "Nosaj" Furlow – vocals
  • Sebastian Laws – vocals

References

  1. ↑ "20 Dope Albums By Wack Rappers". Spin. May 23, 2013. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  2. ↑ "New Kingdom Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  3. ↑ Bennun, David (November 13, 1993). "Herb instinct – Heavy Load by New Kingdom". Melody Maker. 70 (46): 34.
  4. ↑ "NEW KINGDOM | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Listen to an exclusive mix by veteran hiphop producer Scotty Hard – The Wire". The Wire Magazine – Adventures in Modern Music. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Album reviews – Heavy Load by New Kingdom". Billboard. 105 (51): 98. December 18, 1993.
  7. ↑ "Hip-hop past gets ex-devil twiddlin' top knobs in N.Y.". The Vancouver Sun. June 2, 1994. p. D3.
  8. 1 2 "Heavy Load – New Kingdom | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  9. 1 2 Muretich, James (April 17, 1994). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. F2.
  10. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 166.
  11. ↑ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 425.
  12. ↑ Marriott, Robert (December 1993 – January 1994). "Revolutions". Vibe. 1 (4): 152.
  13. ↑ Aaron, Charles (August 1994). "Singles". Spin. 10 (5): 92.
  14. ↑ Harrison, Tom (June 8, 1994). "Hockey, hip hop go together". The Province. p. B4.
  15. ↑ Lozaw, Tristram (February 4, 1994). "WILD KINGDOM". Boston Herald. p. S17.
  16. ↑ "Hip-Hop's Unseen Architect". The Village Voice. June 7, 2017. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
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