Quality Over Opinion is the sixth solo album and fourth studio album by American musician Louis Cole. It was released on October 14, 2022, on Brainfeeder.[2] It was nominated for Best Alternative Jazz Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards; and the single "Let it Happen" was nominated for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals the previous year.[3]

Quality Over Opinion
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 14, 2022 (2022-10-14)
Length69:50[1]
LabelBrainfeeder
Louis Cole chronology
LIVE 2019
(2020)
Quality Over Opinion
(2022)
Singles from Quality Over Opinion
  1. "Let it Happen"
    Released: August 2, 2022
  2. "I'm Tight"
    Released: August 23, 2022
  3. "Not Needed Anymore"
    Released: September 14, 2022
  4. "Dead Inside Shuffle"
    Released: September 28, 2022

Background and release

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Quality Over Opinion was Cole's second album released through Brainfeeder, after 2018's Time.[1] The album was recorded and produced in Cole's home studio, with Cole performing most of the instruments himself.[2][4] According to Cole, inspirations for the album included Gustav Mahler, György Ligeti, Miles Davis, Meshuggah, Morten Lauridsen, and Super Mario Kart.[2]

Cole released four singles in the months leading up to the album's release: "Let it Happen", "I'm Tight", "Not Needed Anymore", and "Dead Inside Shuffle".[2][5] Cole filmed music videos for all four of these, as well as for "Park Your Car on My Face" and "Shallow Laughter / Bitches". He also released a full-album lyric video of himself lip syncing along in a bathroom mirror.[6] In an article for NPR, Nate Chinen noted Cole's "deadpan dance" moves and absurdist humor in the video for "I'm Tight".[7]

Reception

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Quality Over Opinion was met with positive reviews, with Chinen describing the album as "bracing"[7] and Ammar Kalia of The Guardian calling it Cole's "most accomplished and well-rounded work to date".[8] Michael Major of BroadwayWorld described "I'm Tight" as "a sleek, laser-focused Funk rocket, based on an utterly irresistible bassline."[2]

Accolades

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Quality Over Opinion awards and nominations
Year Organization Award Work Status Ref.
2023 Grammy Awards Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals "Let It Happen" Nominated [9]
2024 Best Alternative Jazz Album Quality Over Opinion Nominated [3]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Quality Over Opinion"3:39
2."Dead Inside Shuffle"3:19
3."Not Needed Anymore"1:32
4."Shallow Laughter"1:48
5."Bitches" (feat. Sam Gendel)2:35
6."Message" (feat. Chris Fishman and Nate Wood)4:28
7."Failing in a Cool Way"3:15
8."Disappear"3:53
9."I'm Tight"7:00
10."True Love"3:40
11."Planet X"2:47
12."Let Me Snack" (feat. Marlon Mackey)2:18
13."Forgetting"1:55
14."Park Your Car on My Face"3:36
15."Don't Care" (feat. Genevieve Artadi)5:22
16."Laughing in Her Sleep"3:32
17."Outer Moat Behavior"1:51
18."When" (feat. Kurt Rosenwinkel)4:26
19."Let it Happen"6:42
20."Little Piano Thing"2:12
Total length:1:09:50

References

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  1. ^ a b Louis Cole - Quality Over Opinion Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 1 December 2022
  2. ^ a b c d e Major, Michael. "Louis Cole Announces New LP 'Quality Over Opinion'". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b Minsker, Evan (10 November 2023). "Grammy Nominations 2024: See the Full List Here". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  4. ^ Cole, Louis, Quality Over Opinion (lyrics video. full album), retrieved 1 December 2022
  5. ^ Cole, Louis. "Singles and EPs". Spotify. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  6. ^ "louiscolemusic". YouTube. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b Chinen, Nate (12 October 2022). "What is viral jazz?". NPR. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Louis Cole: 'Funk is fun but with jazz you can just go wild'". the Guardian. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Grammy Awards 2023: The Full List of Nominees". The New York Times. 15 November 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 December 2022.