Love Sick is the third studio album by American rapper and singer Don Toliver. It was released through Cactus Jack and Atlantic Records on February 24, 2023. The album features guest appearances from James Blake, Lil Durk, GloRilla, Kali Uchis, TisaKorean, Justin Bieber, Future, Wizkid, Charlie Wilson, Brent Faiyaz, and Toro y Moi. The deluxe version of the album was released four days later and features additional guest appearances from Travis Scott and Teezo Touchdown. Production of the album was handled by multiple producers, including Blake and TisaKorean themselves, Cardo, DJ Burn One, Oz, Wheezy, Hit-Boy, Nez, Rodaidh McDonald, Kaytranada, Sevn Thomas, Boi-1da, DJ Dahi, Ronny J, and DJ Fresh, among others.
| Love Sick | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 24, 2023 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 52:32 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Don Toliver chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Love Sick | ||||
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Love Sick was supported by four singles: "Do It Right", "4 Me", "Leave the Club", and "Private Landing". The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics and was a commercial success. It debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 40,500 album-equivalent units in its first week.[1]
Background and promotion
editIn April 2022, Toliver cryptically revealed the album's title through a tweet.[2] In an interview with GQ in September 2022, he described the genres of the album as "futuristic R&B and soul" and confirmed that his girlfriend, Colombian-American singer Kali Uchis would make a guest appearance on it.[3] He released its lead single, "Do It Right", on November 18, 2022.[4] In February 2023, Toliver continued teasing the album by posting an Instagram story of a whiteboard with the album's title.[5] On February 15, he released its second single, "4 Me", which features his girlfriend, Colombian-American singer Kali Uchis, as a one-day-late Valentine's Day special.[6] Two days later, he released its third single, "Leave the Club", which features fellow American rappers Lil Durk and GloRilla, and also revealed its release date and cover art.[7] Six days later, he revealed the tracklist of the standard edition of the album and confirmed all the featured artists that would make an appearance on it.[8] On February 24, 2023, the same day that it was released, Toliver confirmed that a deluxe edition of the album would be released soon and posted a video with a snippet of the song "Embarrassed", which features his Cactus Jack Records label boss, fellow American rapper and singer Travis Scott. The fourth and final single of the album, "Private Landing", which features Canadian singer Justin Bieber and fellow American rapper Future, was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on March 14, 2023.[9]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 68/100[14] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Clash | 8/10[10] |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| Rolling Stone | [12] |
| HipHopDX | 2.8/5[13] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Love Sick received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.
Clash's Robin Murray felt that Love Sick "often thrills when Don is left on his own" and that Don uses "flows that blur the lines between rap and R&B", concluding that "amid the glitz, the hype, the online intrusion, Don Toliver still locates a space to call his own – and that's what makes 'Love Sick' so thrilling."[10] Clayton Purdon of Rolling Stone wrote that the album felt superficial, stating: "it's worth considering his superficiality more of a feature than a bug. He's developed a reputation as a sort of Diet Travis [Scott] due to the artists’ close association, but there are worse things to be than reliable."[12] Writing for HipHopDX, Precious Fondren concluded that "the Houston native takes a stab at what most other rap acts are avoiding right now: sing- rapping about love and all the emotions that come with it – trust, betrayal, and letting go. Unlike past work, Toliver attempts to expand his repertoire of content by diving a little deeper beneath the surface. Even with help from his in real life girlfriend [Kali] Uchis, Justin Bieber, Future, and Wilson, the LP comes up short in delivering songs that standout amongst his peers".[13]
Commercial performance
editLove Sick debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 40,500 album-equivalent units (including 1,000 copies in pure album sales) in its first week.[1] The album also accumulated a total of 51.23 million on-demand streams of the album's songs.[1]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "LoveSickness" |
|
| 1:54 |
| 2. | "Let Her Go" (featuring James Blake) |
|
| 3:12 |
| 3. | "Leave the Club" (featuring Lil Durk and GloRilla) |
| 3:42 | |
| 4. | "4 Me" (featuring Kali Uchis) | 2:40 | ||
| 5. | "Go Down" (featuring TisaKorean) |
|
| 3:30 |
| 6. | "Time Heals All" |
|
| 3:53 |
| 7. | "Leather Coat" |
|
| 4:01 |
| 8. | "Honeymoon" |
| Kaytranada | 3:04 |
| 9. | "Private Landing" (featuring Justin Bieber and Future) |
|
| 3:58 |
| 10. | "Slow Motion" (featuring Wizkid) |
|
| 2:48 |
| 11. | "Do It Right" |
| 2:54 | |
| 12. | "If I Had" (featuring Charlie Wilson) |
| DJ Dahi | 3:28 |
| 13. | "Company Pt. 3" |
|
| 3:00 |
| 14. | "Bus Stop" (featuring Brent Faiyaz) |
|
| 3:56 |
| 15. | "Cinderella" (featuring Toro y Moi) |
| Ronny J | 3:46 |
| 16. | "Encouragement" |
| DJ Dahi | 2:56 |
| Total length: | 52:32 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17. | "No Pole" |
|
| 3:07 |
| 18. | "Embarrassed" (featuring Travis Scott) |
|
| 3:12 |
| 19. | "Geronimo" |
| Sweet | 2:03 |
| 20. | "Luckily I'm Having" (featuring Teezo Touchdown) |
|
| 3:14 |
| Total length: | 64:27 | |||
Sample Credits
- "4 Me" contains samples from "Girls Dem Sugar", written by Moses Davis, Pharrell Williams, Charles Hugo, and Cleveland Browne, as performed by Beenie Man.
- "Go Down" contains samples from "Backseat", written by Domonic Patten, as performed by TisaKorean.
- "Leather Coat" contains an interpolation from "All Around the World", written by Lisa Stansfield, Andrew Morris, and Ian Devaney, as performed by Stansfield.
- "Do It Right" contains interpolations from "Take Your Time (Do It Right)", written by Harold Clayton, Malcolm Perry, and Sigidi Abdullah, as performed by the S.O.S. Band.
- "If I Had" contains samples from "Do You Love Her Now", written and performed by Jai Paul.
- "Bus Stop" contains samples from "I Can't Get You (Out of My Mind)", written by Edward Riley, Eric Williams, Grover Washington, Jr., Clifton Lighty, James Simmons, and Wesley Hogges, as performed by Blackstreet.
Personnel
editPerformers
- Don Toliver – vocals
- James Blake – vocals (2)
- Lil Durk – vocals (3)
- GloRilla – vocals (3)
- Kali Uchis – vocals (4)
- TisaKorean – vocals (5)
- Justin Bieber – vocals (9)
- Future – vocals (9)
- Wizkid – vocals (10)
- Charlie Wilson – vocals (12)
- Brent Faiyaz – vocals (14)
- Toro y Moi – vocals (15)
Technical
- Joe LaPorta – mastering
- Derek "206derek" Anderson – mixing, engineering
- Jaycen Joshua – mixing
- Austin Jux Chandler – engineering (4)
- Ryan Mellow – engineering (9)
- Leandro "Dro" Higaldo – engineering (10)
- Jimmy Cash – engineering (13)
- Damon Riggins Jr. – mixing assistance
- Jacob Richards – mixing assistance
- Mike Seaberg – mixing assistance
- Rachael Blum – mixing assistance
- Jonathan Lopez – engineering assistance (1, 3, 10, 15)
- Hayden Duncan – engineering assistance (2)
- Dominic Vicario – engineering assistance (9)
- Justin "Jusvibes" Gibson – additional vocal recording (3)
- Eric Manco – additional vocals recording (9)
- Josh Gudwin – additional vocal recording (9)
- Itai Schwartz – additional vocal recording (14)
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
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References
edit- ^ a b c "Karol G Achieves Historic First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Mañana Será Bonito'". Billboard. 2023-03-05. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
- ^ @DonToliver (April 3, 2022). "LOVESICK🥀💽" (Tweet). Retrieved February 28, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Joshi, Tara (September 6, 2022). "Don Toliver is thinking bigger". Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ Murray, Robin (November 18, 2022). "Don Toliver Bounces Back With 'Do It Right'". Clash. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Gonzalez, Alex (February 11, 2023). "Don Toliver Teased His 'Lovesick' Album, Which Seems Like It May Arrive Soon". Uproxx. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ^ A., Aron (February 15, 2023). "Don Toliver Only Wants Kali Uchis On Their New Collab "4 Me"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Callas, Brad (February 17, 2023). "Don Toliver Enlists Lil Durk and GloRilla for New Single "Leave The Club"". Complex. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Murray, Robin (February 24, 2023). "Don Toliver Introduces New Album 'Love Sick'". Clash. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ^ "Top 40/Rhythmic Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Murray, Robin (February 24, 2023). "Don Toliver – Love Sick". Clash. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ Kellman, Andy, Don Toliver - Love Sick Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2023-06-10
- ^ a b Purdom, Clayton (2023-02-24). "Don Toliver's 'Love Sick' Is Seductive And Forgettable". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
- ^ a b Fondren, Precious (2023-03-15). "Don Toliver's 'Love Sick' Is Only Mildly Infectious". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
- ^ Love Sick by Don Toliver, Metacritic, retrieved 2023-06-10
- ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 6 March 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1722. Australian Recording Industry Association. March 6, 2023. p. 6.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Don Toliver – Love Sick" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Don Toliver – Love Sick" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Don Toliver – Love Sick" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ^ "Don Toliver Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Don Toliver – Love Sick" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Don Toliver – Love Sick". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Don Toliver – Love Sick" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Don Toliver". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ "2023 9-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Don Toliver – Love Sick". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Don Toliver – Love Sick". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ "Don Toliver Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Don Toliver Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2023.