A Healthy Distrust is the second solo studio album by American rapper Sage Francis. It was released on Epitaph Records in 2005. It peaked at number 12 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart,[1] as well as number 17 on the Independent Albums chart.[2]

A Healthy Distrust
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 8, 2005 (2005-02-08)
GenreHip hop
Length47:27
LabelEpitaph Records
ProducerReanimator, Alias, Danger Mouse, Joe Beats, Daddy Kev, Controller 7, Sixtoo, Varick Pyr
Sage Francis chronology
Personal Journals
(2002)
A Healthy Distrust
(2005)
Human the Death Dance
(2007)
Singles from A Healthy Distrust
  1. "Slow Down Gandhi"
    Released: 2004
  2. "Sea Lion"
    Released: 2005

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]
Billboardfavorable[5]
Christgau's Consumer Guide [6]
Drowned in Sound9/10[7]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[8]
Exclaim!favorable[9]
Pitchfork8.0/10[10]
PopMatters          [11]
Stylus MagazineB[12]
Tiny Mix Tapes     [13]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 78, based on 26 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[3]

Brian Howe of Pitchfork gave the album an 8.0 out of 10, saying, "On A Healthy Distrust, Francis continues to refine his contradictory blend of trash talk and activism, political polemic and introspection, pedantic bluster and profound insecurity."[10] Stefan Braidwood of PopMatters gave the album 8 stars out of 10, saying, "A Healthy Distrust bears up effortlessly to the demands of both casual entertainment and prolonged, thoughtful analysis."[11] Ron Hart of Billboard called it "[Sage Francis'] most impressive album yet."[5] Michael Bennett of Stylus Magazine gave the album a grade of B, saying, "A Healthy Distrust's production and wordplay have improved to such a large degree that it's hard to believe that it could happen again on the next outing."[12]

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Sage Francis, except "Sea Lion" written by Sage Francis and Will Oldham

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."The Buzz Kill"Reanimator4:05
2."Sea Lion"Alias3:01
3."Gunz Yo"Danger Mouse3:03
4."Escape Artist"Alias4:15
5."Product Placement"Alias2:15
6."Voice Mail Bomb Threat"Joe Beats1:39
7."Dance Monkey"Daddy Kev2:53
8."Sun vs. Moon"Reanimator3:28
9."Agony in Her Body"Controller 74:17
10."Crumble"Sixtoo2:00
11."Ground Control"Sixtoo3:52
12."Lie Detector Test"Reanimator2:47
13."Bridle"Varick Pyr2:11
14."Slow Down Gandhi"Reanimator4:52
15."Jah Didn't Kill Johnny" 2:49

Personnel edit

Credits adapted from liner notes.

  • Sage Francis – vocals, recording, executive production
  • Reanimator – production (1, 8, 12, 14)
  • Alias – production (2, 4, 5), guitar (10), drums (10)
  • Danger Mouse – production (3)
  • Joe Beats – production (6)
  • Daddy Kev – production (7)
  • Controller 7 – production (9)
  • Sixtoo – production (10, 11)
  • Varick Pyr – production (13)
  • Will Oldham – vocals (2), guitar (2)
  • Tom Inhaler – guitar (15)
  • Nathan H. – harmonica (15)
  • Chris Warren – engineering, mixing
  • Gene Grimaldi – mastering

Charts edit

Chart (2005) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[1] 12
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[2] 17

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Sage Francis Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Sage Francis Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "A Healthy Distrust by Sage Francis". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  4. ^ Bush, John. "A Healthy Distrust - Sage Francis". AllMusic. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Hart, Ron (February 17, 2005). "Sage Francis, "A Healthy Distrust"". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 7, 2005. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  6. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Sage Francis". Christgau's Consumer Guide. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  7. ^ Diver, Mike (January 31, 2005). "Sage Francis - A Healthy Distrust". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  8. ^ Serpick, Evan (February 7, 2005). "A Healthy Distrust". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  9. ^ Quinlan, Thomas (February 1, 2005). "Sage Francis - A Healthy Distrust". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Howe, Brian (February 10, 2005). "Sage Francis: A Healthy Distrust". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  11. ^ a b Braidwood, Stefan (February 16, 2005). "Sage Francis: A Healthy Distrust". PopMatters. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  12. ^ a b Bennett, Michael (February 10, 2005). "Sage Francis - A Healthy Distrust". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  13. ^ Ranta, Alan. "Sage Francis - A Healthy Distrust". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved March 6, 2015.

External links edit