Natural Causes (Skylar Grey album)

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Natural Causes
Skylar Grey - Natural Causes.png
Studio album by
Skylar Grey
ReleasedSeptember 23, 2016 (2016-09-23)
GenreIndie pop
Length49:34
Label
Producer
Skylar Grey chronology
Don't Look Down
(2013) 		Natural Causes
(2016) 		Dark Thoughts
(2020)
Singles from Natural Causes
  1. "Moving Mountains"
    Released: March 31, 2016
  2. "Off Road"
    Released: July 21, 2016
  3. "Come Up for Air"
    Released: September 2, 2016
  4. "Lemonade"
    Released: September 16, 2016

Natural Causes is the third studio album by American recording artist Skylar Grey. It is her second album since her stage name change from Holly Brook to Skylar Grey. It was released on September 23, 2016, by KidinaKorner and Interscope Records.[1][2]

Background[]

In early 2015, Grey announced that she was working on a third studio album, which was due to come out in 2015. Grey later attempted to promote the album by joining American band X Ambassadors on their VHS Tour. She later revealed the release date would be on September 23, 2016. Grey additionally claimed that she refused to have any guest features on the album, but eventually gave in when her former "Love the Way You Lie" collaborator Eminem offered to be on the album. He additionally produced "Come Up for Air". The album finds Grey collaborating with various prominent producers, including Alex da Kid, Mike Elizondo, Mark Batson, and Symbolyc One.[citation needed]

Promotion and singles[]

Grey released the song "Cannonball", featuring American rock band X Ambassadors as the first buzz single from the album on March 31, 2016. The single was later revealed to have been removed from the track list after "Moving Mountains" was declared the first and lead single of the album. The official music video for "Moving Mountains" was released on Vevo the same day. The video was directed by Peter Harding Song and inspired by her home in Utah. The second single from the album, "Off Road", was released on July 22, 2016. The music video for the song was released on the same day in sponsorship with Samsung Gear 360. On September 2, 2016, Grey released the third single "Come Up for Air", which was produced by rapper Eminem. The fourth and last single released on the album, "Lemonade", was released on September 16, 2016. On September 22, 2016 Grey streamed a song on her album titled "Kill For You", which features Eminem, on Rolling Stone. To promote the album, she went on a 12-city tour.[3][4]

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4/5 stars[6]
Edge Media Network(positive)[7]
Conor Clark5/5 stars[8]
Indie Band Guru(positive)[9]
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel(positive)[10]
Renowned for Sound5/5 stars[11]
Immortal Reviews75/100[12]
BensBeat7/10[13]
Artistically Trustworthy4/5 stars[14]
Peauxetic Expressions(positive)[15]
KnoxNews3/5 stars[16]

The album was met with critical acclaim and received rave reviews, Michael Smith of Renowned for Sound gave the album 5 stars out of 5, and called it a "masterpiece", writing "In terms of setting the mood, the album's first full song Jump does this perfectly. The song makes perfect use of its sparse arrangement, revolving around a very minimal beat and hand clap combo backed by a repeating guitar line that moves the song forward as Grey sings over the top. [...] Skylar Grey has hands down created her best material yet on Natural Causes, and created a veritable masterpiece that will be remembered long after 2016 is behind us."[11]

Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, writing, "From the misty intro, "Wilderness," which turns the dial to an Auto-Tuned Bon Iver frequency, to the warm acoustic strum of the KT Tunstall-meets-Radiohead 'Moving Mountains', Natural Causes capitalizes on atmosphere and mood, opting to skip the scattered production of Don't Look Down and focus on earnestness and vulnerability."

Alexis Arnold of Indie Band Guru heavily praised the album, writing "It [the album] creates this weird atmosphere that Grey herself rules. She works with a lot of different tones and sounds while still sounding like effortless perfection. It brings the transparency and rawness that’s missing from pop these days while also having a backbone. [...] Skylar Grey is creating a new sound and, in short, it’s impossible to ignore."

Track listing[]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro – Wilderness"
Hafermann1:34
2."Jump"
4:28
3."Lemonade"
  • Hafermann
  • Larry Griffin Jr.
  • Alex da Kid
  • Javohn Griffin
  • Stuart Lowery
  • Alex da Kid
  • S1
  • Epikh Pro[a]
  • Vohn Beatz[a]
3:53
4."Kill for You" (featuring Eminem)
4:51
5."Come Up for Air"
4:20
6."Real World"
  • Hafermann
  • Alex da Kid
  • Micah Powell
Alex da Kid4:02
7."Straight Shooter"
  • Hafermann
  • Jayson DeZuzio
DeZuzio2:58
8."Off Road"
  • Hafermann
  • DeZuzio
DeZuzio3:17
9."In My Garden"
  • Hafermann
  • Elizondo
  • Elizondo
  • Hafermann[a]
3:15
10."Moving Mountains"
4:13
11."Picture Perfect"
  • Hafermann
  • L. Griffin Jr.
  • J. Griffin
  • Lowery
4:35
12."We Used to Be Bad"
  • Hafermann
  • Alex da Kid
  • DeZuzio
  • Alex da Kid
  • DeZuzio
4:10
13."Closer"
  • Hafermann
  • Hafermann
  • Dan Heath[b]
3:47
Total length:49:34

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer
  • ^[b] signifies a co-producer

Personnel[]

Charts[]

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 193
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[18] 68
French Albums (SNEP)[19] 115

References[]

  1. ^ Williams, Nick. "Singer/Songwriter Skylar Grey Reveals Sophomore Album Title & Release Date: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  2. ^ Sonis, Rachel. "Skylar Grey's Second Album Gets A Title And Release Date". Idolator. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  3. ^ "Singer/Songwriter Skylar Grey Reveals Sophomore Album Title & Release Date: Exclusive". Billboard. 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  4. ^ "Skylar Grey Announces Natural Causes Tour". www.pollstar.com. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  5. ^ "Skylar Grey - Natural Causes". Album of The Year. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  6. ^ "Natural Causes – Skylar Grey – Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  7. ^ "Natural Causes". EDGE Media Network.
  8. ^ Clark, Conor (2017-03-29). "Album Review: 'Natural Causes' by Skylar Grey". Conor Clark. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  9. ^ "Skylar Grey Releases Highly Anticipated 'Natural Causes' Solo Album". indiebandguru.com.
  10. ^ "Album reviews: Skylar Grey, Mac Miller, more".
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b "Album Review: Skylar Grey - Natural Causes". 18 September 2016.
  12. ^ "Skylar Grey - Natural Causes". Immortal Reviews. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  13. ^ bensbeat (2016-09-27). "Skylar Grey – Natural Causes". Ben's Beat - Music Reviews. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  14. ^ "It Comes Naturally: Skylar Grey, "Natural Causes" Album Review". The New Age. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  15. ^ "Skylar Grey: Greatness of Natural Causes". Peauxetic Expressions. 2016-09-26. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  16. ^ "Music review: Skylar Grey's 'Natural Causes' dinged by unnatural production". www.knoxnews.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Skylar Grey – Natural Causes" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  18. ^ "Skylar Grey Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  19. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 39, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
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