''Coloured'' is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Priscilla Renea, released on June 22, 2018 through

Thirty Tigers Thirty Tigers is an American entertainment company which offers music marketing, distribution, and management services to independent artists. It is based in Nashville. History The company was founded in 2002 by David Macias and Deb Markland ...

.Priscilla Renea Is the Brain Behind Your Favorite Bangers
at Paper Magazine; by Vrinda Jagota; Published April 6, 2018; retrieved May 14, 2018 The first two singles, "Gentle Hands" and "Heavenly," were released on April 6, 2018 with accompanying music videos. "Family Tree" was released on May 10, 2018 as the third official single from ''Coloured''.PRISCILLA RENEA ERASES COUNTRY’S BOUNDARIES WITH NEW SONG ‘FAMILY TREE’
at Taste of Country; by Sterling Whitaker; Published May 10, 2018; retrieved May 21, 2018

Background and recording

After nearly a decade focused on songwriting, ''Coloured'' marked Priscilla Renea's return to the public as an artist. Since releasing her debut album (''

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'') in 2009, Renea had become an award-winning songwriter, with credits on "

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" for

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

and

Ke$ha Kesha Rose Sebert (; born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to Kemosabe Records. Her first major success came in early 2009 after she was featured on America ...

, "

Somethin' Bad "Somethin' Bad" is a song recorded as a duet by American country music artists Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood. The song was written by Chris DeStefano, Brett James and Priscilla Renea. It was released as the second single from Lambert's fif ...

" for

Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country singer and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place o ...

, " California King Bed" for Rihanna, " Worth It" for

Fifth Harmony Fifth Harmony, often shortened to 5H, was an American girl group based in Miami, composed of Ally Brooke, Normani, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and previously Camila Cabello until her departure from the group in December 2016. The group sig ...

, and "Don't Mind" for

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

. Renea's decision to title the album ''Coloured'' was called provocative by some, due to the racial stigma of the term "

colored ''Colored'' (or ''coloured'') is a racial descriptor historically used in the United States during the Jim Crow Era to refer to an African American. In many places, it may be considered a slur, though it has taken on a special meaning in Sout ...

" in American history. In interviews, she explains that by spelling it with a "u," the word "our" appears in the middle as her statement of inclusivity. As early as 2015, Renea spoke in interviews about her working on her forthcoming album. Renea continued songwriting, but no official music was released until "Kiss Me" in February 2017 and "Do Wut" in January 2018. ''Coloured'' was written and recorded between Nashville and Los Angeles in 2016.

Composition and themes

Renea spent several months writing and recording the core records of ''Coloured'' at songwriter and "Heavenly" co-writer Brett James' converted

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Alle ...

recording studio. The 10-song collection brings together hip-hop producers (Honorable C.N.O.T.E, Curtis "Sauce" Wilson, Theron Feemster, Brett James) with Nashville songwriters (Ashley Gorley, Kevin Kadish). ''Coloured'' is a mix of classic R&B, dark-edged Country and Urban Soul songs that were inspired by incidents in Priscilla's childhood in rural Florida, relationships, and racial trauma. Guitar, piano, and violin can be heard throughout the record.

Release and promotion

On April 2, 2018, Renea revealed on Instagram that her second studio album would be released in Summer 2018. The following week

Paper Magazine ''Paper'' (also known as ''Paper Mag'') is a New York City-based independent magazine focusing on fashion, popular culture, nightlife, music, art, and film. Initially produced monthly, the magazine eventually became a quarterly publication, and a ...

premiered two music videos for singles on her forthcoming album. Renea promoted the album with a special show at the

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amas ...

Singles

On April 6, 2018, Renea released "Gentle Hands" and "Heavenly", the first two singles from ''Coloured''. Music videos for both singles premiered online via Paper Magazine. The third single from ''Coloured'' was released on May 10, 2018. "Family Tree" is an autobiographical track written by Renea about her distressed teenage years, and overcoming challenges within her family.

Track listing

Personnel

Performance credits *Priscilla Renea – vocals *Erick Walls – bass, guitar *Bianca McClure – violin *Theron Feemster – piano *Matt Bubel – drums *Mark Prentice – bass *Russ Pahl – acoustic guitar, steel guitar *Adam Shoenfeld – electric guitar *Jeffery Roach – piano *Frank Romano – steel guitar Technical credits *Boots Ottestad –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

*Sauce – engineer *Brandon Wood – engineer *Kyle Mann – engineer *Priscilla Renea – engineer

References

{{Muni Long 2018 albums Albums produced by Honorable C.N.O.T.E. Albums produced by Supa Dups Muni Long albums Americana albums Southern soul albums Country albums by American artists