Couldn't Wait To Tell You
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''Couldn't Wait to Tell You'' is the debut
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by American R&B singer
Liv.e Hailee Olivia Williams (born 1998), known professionally as Liv.e (pronounced 'Liv'), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and record producer. Originally from Dallas, Texas, her sound has been described as 'defying categorisation', incorpo ...
, released on July 31, 2020, by In Real Life. The album was widely praised by music critics. As part of a deluxe version of ''Couldn't Wait to Tell You,'' Liv.e released an EP of six additional songs, entitled '' CWTTY+'', in 2021.


Background and recording

The initial impetus for ''Couldn't Wait to Tell You'' was a set of beats sent to
Liv.e Hailee Olivia Williams (born 1998), known professionally as Liv.e (pronounced 'Liv'), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and record producer. Originally from Dallas, Texas, her sound has been described as 'defying categorisation', incorpo ...
by producer Mejiwahn. The album was recorded in Liv.e's bedroom in her mother's house in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
, over the course of 'a month or so'. Liv.e worked in
Urban Outfitters Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) is a multinational lifestyle retail corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Operating in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, select Western European countries, Poland, the United Arab Em ...
whilst writing the album. ''Couldn't Wait to Tell You'' also features production from Ben Hixon, the president of
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
-based music collective and record label Dolfin Records; Liv.e released several EPs on the label in the late 2010s. After finishing the recording process, Liv.e went on tour with
Earl Sweatshirt Thebe Neruda Kgositsile (born February 24, 1994), known professionally as Earl Sweatshirt, is an American rapper and record producer. Kgositsile was originally known by the moniker Sly Tendencies when he began rapping in 2008, but changed his na ...
in support of his record ''
Some Rap Songs ''Some Rap Songs'' is the third studio album by American rapper Earl Sweatshirt. It was released on November 30, 2018, through Tan Cressida Records and distributed by Columbia Records. The album features guest contributions from Navy Blue, Sta ...
''. During this tour, she performed songs which would appear on ''Couldn't Wait to Tell You''. Along with several other artists such as
Tyler, the Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has been cited as an influential figure in alternative hip-hop during the 2010s. Tyler beca ...
, Earl Sweatshirt had taken notice of Liv.e following her 2018 EP ''Hoopdreams.'' In addition to touring with him, Liv.e also featured on the track "Mtomb" from his 2019 EP '' Feet of Clay''. Prior to the release of ''Couldn't Wait to Tell You'', Liv.e would also collaborate with artists such as
Black Noi$e Robert Mansel, known professionally as Black Noi$e or Black Noise, is an American record producer, songwriter, and DJ from Detroit, Michigan. He is best known for his work as a tour DJ for M.I.A. and Earl Sweatshirt as well as producing and writ ...
and Pink Siifu. ''Couldn't Wait to Tell You'' debuted via livestream on singer
Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...
's website as part of her Quarantine Concert Series project; Badu described Liv.e's work as 'an extension of what I am creating'. A music video for "You the One Fish in the Sea" was released in March 2021.


Critical reception

''Couldn't Wait to Tell You'' was met with critical acclaim from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
. On
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 84, based on 5 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''s Luke Morgan Britton praised the album as "just as challenging and expectation-defying" as her previous work, favourably comparing it with the music of Erykah Badu,
Solange Solange may refer to: People with the given name * Solange Knowles (born 1986), American R&B/soul singer * Solange of Bourges (d. 880), Christian saint * Solange (psychic) (1952–2021), Italian TV personality, psychic and commentator * Solange A ...
,
Frank Ocean Frank Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987) is an American singer and songwriter. He has been credited by several music journalism, music critics as a pioneer of the alternative R&B genre. Ocean has won two Grammy Awards and a B ...
and Keiyaa. ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'' Sheldon Pearce described the album as a "raw, loose, and sometimes shapeless exploration of the R&B form", commenting that "sung, spoken, and rapped, these delightful songs exude personality". Pearce further stated that "throughout ''Couldn't Wait to Tell You'', Liv.e is becoming an unmistakable and singular artist". Michael Appouh of ''
The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...
'' described the album as one of "2020’s best projects so far", describing "Bout These Pipedreams" as "the standout track, eliciting a propulsive and psychedelic vocal performance that hasn't been seen on her previous records". Appouh also described "I Been Livin" as "an especially luscious track, its keys oozing with the familiarity of the crate-dug hip hop mastered by
Nujabes , born , better known by his stage name Nujabes (; ), was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from Japanese hip hop, hip hop, soul music, soul, and jazz, a ...
and Ras G, complimenting the dreamy harmonies". Joe Goggins of ''
Loud and Quiet ''Loud and Quiet'' is a British bi-monthly music magazine that focuses on new music from underground indie, alternative, electronic and hip hop artists. History and profile The magazine was founded in January 2005 by Stuart Stubbs as a home-print ...
'' wrote that "over the course of a truly eclectic twenty-song suite, iv.emelds genres at will", concluding that the album was a "remarkable debut". Describing Liv.e as "one to watch", ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' Kate Hutchinson commented that ''Couldn't Wait to Tell You'' featured "the sort of carefree risk-taking that feels lemon-fresh in 2020".


Track listing

Notes * signifies a co-producer


''CWTTY+''

As part of a deluxe edition of ''Couldn't Wait to Tell You'', Liv.e released the EP ''CWTTY+'', a collection of six songs left out of the album, on July 30 2021.
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
named ''CWTTY+'' one of the best R&B albums of 2021, calling it "the tighter, righter appetizer" to ''Couldn't Wait to Tell You''s "main course".


Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes *
Liv.e Hailee Olivia Williams (born 1998), known professionally as Liv.e (pronounced 'Liv'), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and record producer. Originally from Dallas, Texas, her sound has been described as 'defying categorisation', incorpo ...
 – vocals,
production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...
(track 3), artwork, design *C. S. Armstrong – vocals (tracks 7, 10) *Cheflee – bass guitar (tracks 4, 10, 16) *Daoud – keyboards, synthesizer, percussion, co-production *Ben Hixon – keyboards (track 11), production (track 11) *Kafari – synthesizer (tracks 1, 10) *Lord Byron – vocals (track 16) *Arlington Lowell – artwork, design *Mejiwahn – drums, MPC 2000XL, percussion, keyboards, synthesizer, production *Pacific Yew – guitar (track 16) *Salami Rose Joe Louis – keyboards (tracks 4, 10) *Shungu – drums, MPC 2000XL, percussion, keyboards, synthesizer, co-production *Akeema Zane – vocals (track 18) *Zeroh – mixing, mastering at JAADE Reserve


References

{{Authority control 2020 debut albums Liv.e albums Psychedelic soul albums Psychedelic music albums by American artists