Innocent Country 2
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Innocent Country 2
| type = album
| artist = Quelle Chris and Chris Keys
| cover = Innocent_Country_Season_Two.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2020|4|24}}
| genre = Alternative hip hop
| length = {{Duration|m=63|s=59}}
| label = Mello Music Group
| producer = {{hlist|Chris Keys|Quelle Chris ({{abbr|co.|co-producer}})}}
| prev_title = Innocent Country
| prev_year = 2015
| next_title =
| next_year =
| misc = {{Extra chronology
| artist = Quelle Chris
| type = album
| prev_title = Guns
| prev_year = 2019
| title = Innocent Country 2
| year = 2020
| next_title = Deathfame
| next_year = 2022
}}
}}
Innocent Country 2 is the second collaborative studio album by American rapper Quelle Chris and record producer Chris Keys. It was released on April 24, 2020 via Mello Music Group, serving as a sequel to their 2015 album Innocent Country and the fourth in the Quelle's 2Dirt4TV series. It features guest appearances from Merrill Garbus, Cavalier, Denmark Vessey, Earl Sweatshirt, Homeboy Sandman, and comedians Josh Gondelman and James Acaster, among others.{{Cite web|url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.55582/title.quelle-chris-teams-with-chris-keys-for-innocent-country-2-lp|title=Quelle Chris Teams With Chris Keys For 'Innocent Country 2' LP|last=Ivey|first=Justin|date=April 23, 2020|website=HipHopDX|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=April 26, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://quellechris360.bandcamp.com/album/innocent-country-2-2|title=Innocent Country 2, by Quelle Chris & Chris Keys|website=Bandcamp}}
Critical reception
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/innocent-country-2-mw0003350419|title=Innocent Country 2 - Chris Keys / Quelle Chris {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits|last=Simpson|first=Paul|date=April 24, 2020|website=AllMusic|language=en|access-date=April 29, 2020}}
| rev2 = HipHopDX
| rev2score = 4.1/5{{Cite web|title=Review: Quelle Chris Sprouts Blissful Affirmations With 'Innocent Country 2'|url=https://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.3668/title.review-quelle-chris-sprouts-blissful-affirmations-with-innocent-country-2|last=Cortez|first=Kevin|date=April 29, 2020|website=HipHopDX|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=April 30, 2020}}
| rev3 = Pitchfork
| rev3score = 7.3/10{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/quelle-chris-innocent-country-2/|title=Quelle Chris / Chris Keys: Innocent Country 2|last=Van Nguyen|first=Dean|date=April 24, 2020|website=Pitchfork|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=April 26, 2020}}
| rev4 = The Needle Drop
| rev4score = 8/10{{Cite web|title=Quelle Chris & Chris Keys - Innocent Country 2|url=https://www.theneedledrop.com/articles/2020/4/quelle-chris-amp-chris-keys-innocent-country-2|last=Fantano|first=Anthony|author-link=Anthony Fantano|date=April 30, 2020|website=The Needle Drop|language=en-US|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=April 30, 2020}}
| rev10 = Tom Hull
| rev10Score = B+ ({{Rating-Christgau|hm3}}){{cite web|last=Hull|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Hull (critic)|date=April 28, 2020|url=http://tomhull.com/ocston/blog/archives/2840-Music-Week.html|title=Music Week|website=Tom Hull – on the Web|access-date=July 9, 2020}}
}}
Paul Simpson of AllMusic gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5, commenting that "Keys' productions are generally clean and polished, filled with jazzy pianos and warm rhythms rather than the more disjointed sample-choppery of before" and that "Quelle's rhymes focus on maintaining sanity and happiness throughout all of life's obstacles, and while these are easily his most mature lyrics to date, he still injects the album with plenty of satire and surrealism."
On June 29, 2020, NPR Music included it on the "25 Favorite Albums of 2020 (So Far)" list.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/06/29/884011683/npr-musics-25-favorite-albums-of-2020-so-far|title=NPR Music's 25 Favorite Albums Of 2020 (So Far)|work=NPR Music|date=June 29, 2020|access-date=October 21, 2022}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| all_writing = Gavin Christopher Tennille, except where noted
| length13 = 4:35
| note10 = featuring Dr. Tennille
| length10 = 2:01
| title11 = Sudden Death
| length11 = 3:41
| title12 = Make It Better
| note12 = featuring Starr Busby
| length12 = 5:30
| note13 = featuring Merrill Garbus and Melanie St. Charles
| title9 = Black Twitter
| note9 = featuring MosEL and Nelson Bandela
| title14 = Mirage
| note14 = featuring Earl Sweatshirt, Denmark Vessey, Merrill Garbus, and Big Sen
| writer14 = {{hlist|Tennille|Thebe Kgositsile|Vessey|Garbus}}
| length14 = 7:07
| title15 = When You Fall...
| note15 = featuring Nappy Nina, Fresh Daily, and 5ILL
| length15 = 6:56
| title16 = FIFOALSA / Credits
| length16 = 0:49
| length9 = 5:19
| title10 = Ritual
| title13 = Graphic Bleed Outs
| length4 = 5:27
| note4 = featuring Merrill Garbus, Cavalier, and Homeboy Sandman
| writer4 = {{hlist|Tennille|Garbus|Cavalier|Angel Villar II}}
| length1 = 2:42
| title2 = Outro / Honest
| note2 = featuring Marcella Arguela
| writer2 = {{hlist|Tennille|Marcella}}
| length2 = 4:43
| title3 = Living Happy
| note3 = featuring Joseph Chilliams and Cavalier
| writer3 = {{hlist|Tennille|Chilliams|Cavalier}}
| length3 = 4:29
| title4 = Sacred Safe
| length8 = 4:22
| title5 = Horizon
| all_music = Chris Keys and co-produced by Quelle Chris
| length5 = 2:35
| title6 = Moments
| note6 = featuring Josh Gondelman
| writer6 = Gondelman
| length6 = 0:41
| title7 = Bottle Black Power Buy the Business
| length7 = 2:53
| title8 = Grease from the Elbows
| note8 = featuring Pink Siifu and Billy Woods
| writer8 = {{hlist|Tennille|Siifu|Woods}}
| title1 = Intro / ReCAP
| total_length = 63:59
}}
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.
{{Div col}}
- Quelle Chris – main artist, co-producer, mixing, artwork
- Chris Keys – main artist, producer, mixing
- Dane Orr – mixing, mastering
- Skor Rokswell – artwork
- Cavalier – artwork, featured artist (3, 4)
- Ahmed Arasah – artwork
- Marcella Arguela – featured artist (2)
- Joseph Chilliams – featured artist (3)
- Merrill Garbus – featured artist (4, 13, 14)
- Homeboy Sandman – featured artist (4)
- Josh Gondelman – featured artist (6)
- Pink Siifu – featured artist (8)
- Billy Woods – featured artist (8)
- MosEL – featured artist (9)
- Nelson Bandela – featured artist (9)
- Dr. Tennille – featured artist (10)
- Starr Busby – featured artist (12)
- Melanie St. Charles – featured artist (13)
- Earl Sweatshirt – featured artist (14)
- Denmark Vessey – featured artist (14)
- Big Sen – featured artist (14)
- Nappy Nina – featured artist (15)
- Fresh Daily – featured artist (15)
- 5ILL – featured artist (15)
{{Div col end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Discogs master|1732470|Innocent Country 2}}
{{Quelle Chris}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2020 collaborative albums
Category:Hip-hop albums by American artists