IRL_(album)
IRL (album)
2023 studio album by Mahalia
IRL (initialism for In Real Life) is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter Mahalia. The album was released on 14 July 2023 through Warner Music.[2] The album was inspired by the singer's "traumatic breakup" and her visits to "therapy".[3]
| IRL | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 14 July 2023 (2023-07-14) | |||
| Genre | R&B[1] | |||
| Length | 44:33 | |||
| Label | Warner Music | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Mahalia chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from IRL | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.2/10[4] |
| Metacritic | 80/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| DIY |   [6] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 7/10[7] |
| NME |  [1] |
| The Skinny | [8] |
IRL received a score of 80 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[5] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.2 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. Elle Barton of DIY called the album a "delight", writing that it strikes "a perfect balance between familiarity and unpredictability, immediate choruses coexisting with a relaxed, breezy sound".[6] NME's Erica Campbell described the album as "bold, vulnerable, classic R&B", with IRL "reflect[ing] a young woman fully becoming herself, not just confidently throwing her hands up but boldly letting her guard down too".[1]
Red Dziri of The Line of Best Fit wrote that "Mahalia is not casting as wide a net as she did in her career-defining debut" and "if IRL is not as consistent as her previous output, this new album still cements Mahalia as a major R&B/Soul fixture both nationally and abroad".[7] Lucy Fitzgerald, reviewing the album for The Skinny, found it to be "satiny and consistent, [but] sonically and lyrically you're eager for some bigger swings. [...] IRL is like a path reflecting dappled sunlight: we can see patches of brightness but its full light is obscured".[8]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ready" |
|
| 3:01 |
| 2. | "In My Bag" |
|
| 3:49 |
| 3. | "Terms and Conditions" |
| 3:29 | |
| 4. | "In My Head" (featuring Joyce Wrice) |
|
| 3:30 |
| 5. | "Cheat" (featuring JoJo) |
| 3:22 | |
| 6. | "November" (featuring Stormzy) |
|
| 3:34 |
| 7. | "Hey Stranger" |
|
| 2:43 |
| 8. | "Isn't It Strange?" |
| 2:43 | |
| 9. | "It's Not Me, It's You" (featuring Destin Conrad) |
|
| 3:45 |
| 10. | "Wassup" (featuring Kojey Radical) |
|
| 3:46 |
| 11. | "Lose Lose" |
|
| 3:24 |
| 12. | "Goodbyes" |
|
| 3:57 |
| 13. | "IRL" |
|
| 3:30 |
| Total length: | 44:33 | |||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Slowly" | 3:08 |
| 15. | "Mani Pedi" | 3:11 |
| 16. | "Bag of You" | 3:18 |
| 17. | "Terms and Conditions (Live) - Vevo Studio Performance" | 3:37 |
| 18. | "Letter to Ur Ex" | 2:15 |
| 19. | "Plastic Plants" | 3:20 |
| Total length: | 63:22 | |
Notes
Musicians
- Mahalia – vocals
- JD Reid – keyboards, programming (1, 4–13); drums (1, 4–10, 12, 13), additional vocals (5, 6, 9–11, 13)
- Max Pope – bass guitar (1, 9, 13), guitar (1, 4–7, 9, 11–13)
- Benjamin Stefan Hart – backing vocals (1, 6), additional vocals (9)
- Abby-Lynn Keen – backing vocals (2)
- TheElements – backing vocals (2), bass guitar (2, 3), drums (2, 3), guitar (2), keyboards (2, 3), programming (2, 3), strings (3)
- Raye – backing vocals (3)
- James McMillan – keyboards (3)
- Joyce Wrice – vocals (4)
- Rosie Danvers – string arrangement (5)
- Spencer Stewart – string arrangement, programming, synthesizer (5)
- Wired Strings[lower-alpha 1] – string orchestra (5)
- JoJo – vocals (5)
- Lea Vivyen – piano (6, 13)
- Stormzy – vocals (6)
- Daniel Traynor – keyboards, programming, synthesizer (8)
- Destin Conrad – vocals (9)
- James Essien – additional vocals (10)
- Kojey Radical – vocals (10)
- Cameron Dawson – bass guitar (11)
Technical
- Stuart Hawkes – mastering
- Geoff Swan – mixing
- JD Reid – engineering (1, 4–12)
- TheElements – engineering (2, 3)
- Matt Barnes – engineering (3), vocal engineering (3, 4)
- Spencer Stewart – engineering (5)
- Grades – engineering (8)
- Alex Robinson – vocal engineering (2)
- Isabel Gracefield – string engineering (5)
- James Kirk – additional vocal engineering (5)
- Carlos Mas – additional vocal engineering (10)
- Max Blue Churchill – vocal engineering assistance (3)
- Max Anstruther – string engineering assistance (5)
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 14 July 2023 | Warner Music | [13][14][15] |
- Wired Strings consists of cellist Rosie Danvers, violists Bryony Mycroft and Meghan Cassidy, and violinists Ellie Stanford, Hayley Pomfrett, Jenny Sacha, Miles Brett, Patrick Kiernan, Sally Jackson, and Stephen Morris.
- Campbell, Erica (13 July 2023). "Mahalia: IRL review: bold, vulnerable, classic R&B". NME. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- "Mahalia Announces 'IRL' Album Release and UK Tour Dates". V13. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- "Lauren Spencer Smith Announces Debut Studio Album Mirror". NME. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- "Mahalia – IRL". AnyDecentMusic?. 14 July 2023.
- "IRL by Mahalia Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- Barton, Elle (13 July 2023). "Mahalia: IRL review". DIY. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- Dziri, Red (12 July 2023). "Mahalia: In Real Life Review". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- Fitzgerald, Lucy (10 July 2023). "Mahalia album review: IRL". The Skinny. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 29. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- "IRL by Mahalia". Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- "IRL[VINYL]:Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl". Amazon Music. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- "IRL by Mahalia on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 30 June 2023.