Balance (Swollen Members album)

Balance
Canada release cover
Studio album by
Swollen Members
ReleasedMay 31, 1999
Recorded1997–1999
StudiosNRG, North Hollywood, California
GenreHip-hop
Length68:32 (CA and US)
78:15 (EU and UK)
Labels
ProducersKool DJ E.Q., the Alchemist, Paul Nice, Zodak, Evidence, Kemo, Joey Chavez, Del tha Funkee Homosapien
Swollen Members chronology
Balance
(1999)		 Bad Dreams
(2001)
Alternate Cover
United Kingdom release cover
Singles from Balance
  1. "Shatterproof"
    Released: 1997
  2. "S + M on the Rocks"
    Released: 1998
  3. "Front Street"
    Released: 1999
  4. "Strength"
    Released: 1999
  5. "Lady Venom"
    Released: 2000

Balance is the debut studio album by Canadian hip-hop group Swollen Members.[1][2] It was released in 1999 by Battle Axe Records in Canada and United States with 18 tracks, and with DJ Vadim's Jazz Fudge label in Europe and United Kingdom with 20 tracks.[3]

The album was produced by Kool DJ E.Q., the Alchemist, Paul Nice, Zodak, Evidence, Kemo, Joey Chavez, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, and features guest appearances from Evidence, Rakaa, Aceyalone, Del the Funky Homosapien, Divine Styler, Everlast, Saafir, and Son Doobie.

The album was certified gold by the CRIA with sales of over 41,000 copies across Canada,[4] and won Rap Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2001.[5] The album also reached number 40 on Canada's Alternative Albums chart in 2001.[6] In 2016, the album was reissued on CD with new cover art by the graffiti artist RISK.[7]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[8]
Robert Christgau(2-star Honorable Mention)(2-star Honorable Mention)[9]
MVRemix8/10[10]
RapReviews8/10[11]

CMJ New Music Monthly stated "they hold more stylistic and geographic allegiance to San Francisco and Los Angeles than to more logical locales like Seattle and Olympia" and noted the group's "defiantly independent aesthetic".[12]

Matt Conaway of AllMusic said "their chemistry is very developed for a group embarking on their freshman effort" and claimed the duo was "at forefront of developing a new style".[8]

MVRemix praised the duos chemistry and the album's production. They called it "one of the year's finest albums and is one of the best debut albums ever".[10]

RapReviews expressed "guest appearances aren't irritating and overbearing, but blend and fit nicely in the mix" and said "it stumbles here and there, but the consistent dopeness of the beats, and overall vibe of the album override that".[11]

Track listings

Canada and United States
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Ground Breaking"Kool DJ E.Q.3:55
2."Strength"The Alchemist2:52
3."Lady Venom"Paul Nice4:15
4."Front Street"The Alchemist3:36
5."Bless + Destroy"Zodak3:20
6."Counter Parts" (featuring Rakaa Iriscience and Evidence)Evidence4:33
7."Circuit Breaker"The Alchemist3:18
8."Out of Range"Zodak4:01
9."Bottle Rocket" (featuring Divine Styler, Everlast and Evidence)Evidence3:48
10."Assault + Battery"Zodak2:53
11."Valentine's Day Massacre" (featuring Big Nous, Saafir and Thirdrail Vic)Kemo3:55
12."S+M on the Rocks"Joey Chavez3:36
13."Committed" (featuring Son Doobie)Kemo2:57
14."Left Field" (featuring Del the Funkee Homosapien and Unicron)Del tha Funkee Homosapien5:16
15."Horrified Nights"The Alchemist4:03
16."Battle Axe Experiment" (featuring Evidence)Zodak3:07
17."Consumption" (featuring Aceyalone)Evidence4:50
18."Sinful Bliss"Paul Nice4:17
Total length:68:32
Europe and United Kingdom
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Front Street"The Alchemist3:36
2."Out of Range"Zodak4:01
3."Consumption" (featuring Aceyalone)Evidence4:50
4."Lady Venom"Paul Nice4:15
5."Shatterproof"Evidence4:23
6."Bless + Destroy"Zodak3:20
7."My Advice"Evidence3:55
8."Brace Yourself"Zodak3:34
9."Circuit Breaker"Evidence3:18
10."Strength"The Alchemist2:52
11."Sunburn"Zodak3:08
12."Left Field" (featuring Del the Funkee Homosapien and Unicron)Del tha Funkee Homosapien5:16
13."Bottle Rocket" (featuring Divine Styler, Everlast and Evidence)Evidence3:48
14."Horrified Nights"The Alchemist4:03
15."Valentine’s Day Massacre" (featuring Big Nous, Saafir and Thirdrail Vic)Kemo3:55
16."Battle Axe Experiment" (featuring Evidence)Zodak3:07
17."Forceful" (featuring Mr. Brady and Tony De Skitzo)Zodak5:48
18."Committed" (featuring Son Doobie)Kemo2:57
19."Counter Parts" (featuring Rakaa Iriscience and Evidence)Evidence4:33
20."S + M on the Rocks"Joey Chavez3:36
Total length:78:15

Charts

Chart (2001) Position
Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[6] 40
Chart (2002) Position
Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[13] 138
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[14] 81
Canadian Rap Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[15] 42

References

  1. ↑ Coleman, Brian (December 1999). "Swollen Members Balance". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 76. p. 77.
  2. ↑ Barclay, Michael (2022). Hearts on Fire: Six Years that Changed Canadian Music 2000-2005. ECW Press.
  3. ↑ Ducker, Jesse (May 30, 2019). "Revisiting Swollen Members' Debut Album 'Balance' (1999) | Retrospective Tribute". Albumism.
  4. ↑ "Music Canada".
  5. ↑ "2001 | Best Rap Recording | Swollen Members". The JUNO Awards. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "ALTERNATIVE : Top 50". Archived from the original on August 3, 2001. Retrieved February 13, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ↑ Hudson, Alex (November 30, 2015). "Swollen Members Reissue Early Albums". Exclaim!.
  8. 1 2 AllMusic review
  9. ↑ "Swollen Members - Consumer Guide Reviews". Robert Christgau.
  10. 1 2 MVRemix review
  11. 1 2 RapReviews review
  12. ↑ "CMJ New Music Monthly - December 1999" (PDF). Worldradiohistory. p. 77.
  13. ↑ "Canada's Top 200 Alternative albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on September 2, 2004. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Top 100 rap albums of 2002 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.