Never Better (album)

Never Better
Studio album by P.O.S
Released February 3, 2009 (2009-02-03)
Recorded 2008
Genre Alternative hip hop
Length 55:38
Label Rhymesayers Entertainment, Doomtree
Producer Lazerbeak, P.O.S, Paper Tiger, Dosh, MK Larada
P.O.S chronology
Audition
(2006)		 Never Better
(2009)		 We Don't Even Live Here
(2012)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk91%[2]
AllMusic[3]
The A.V. ClubB+[4]
Consequence of SoundC+[5]
HipHopDX[6]
NME6/10[7]
The Phoenix[8]
Pitchfork Media7/10[9]
XLR8R7.5/10[10]

Never Better is the third studio album by P.O.S, a member of Minneapolis indie hip hop collective Doomtree. It was released on Rhymesayers Entertainment in 2009.

Music

Over half of the record is produced by P.O.S himself, along with contributions from Doomtree producers Lazerbeak, Paper Tiger and MK Larada. It features guest verses from Doomtree compatriots Sims, Cecil Otter and Dessa, as well as Astronautalis.

Release

The first single "Goodbye" was released in December, 2008. The second single "Drumroll (We're All Thirsty)" was released in January, 2009 on iTunes and Amazon.com. The track "Savion Glover" is a remix of a track previously released on Doomtree's False Hopes in 2007.

The album was released in a limited custom transparent digipak edition designed by Minneapolis designer Eric Carlson. It features 16 solid picture inserts with 6 plastic overlays, allowing the owner to create their own cover art combinations.

Reception

Initial critical response to Never Better was favorable. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 75, based on 8 reviews.[1]

Many reviewers on Rap Reviews placed this album in their top ten list for 2009, with it even claiming the number one spot in a few.[11][12][13][14][15]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Let It Rattle"  Lazerbeak3:33
2."Drumroll (We're All Thirsty)" (featuring Doomtree)P.O.S2:37
3."Savion Glover"  P.O.S2:19
4."Purexed"  Lazerbeak3:24
5."Graves (We Wrote the Book)"  Lazerbeak3:14
6."Goodbye"  Lazerbeak3:07
7."Get Smokes" (featuring Jessy Greene)P.O.S2:38
8."Been Afraid"  Lazerbeak3:39
9."Low Light Low Life" (featuring Sims, Cecil Otter, and Dessa)Paper Tiger3:14
10."The Basics (Alright)"  P.O.S, Dosh3:23
11."Out of Category"  P.O.S3:16
12."Optimist (We Are Not for Them)"  P.O.S3:19
13."Terrorish" (featuring Jason Shevchuk)P.O.S2:13
14."Never Better" (featuring Judah Nagler)P.O.S4:03
15."The Brave and the Snake"  MK Larada3:53
16."Hand Made Hand Gun" (Hidden track; featuring Astronautalis)P.O.S5:58
17."Slint" (Deluxe edition bonus track; featuring Maggie Morrison)P.O.S2:35

Charts

Chart Peak
position
Billboard 200[16] 106
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[16] 67
Top Independent Albums[16] 12
Top Heatseekers[16] 1

References

  1. 1 2 "Never Better by P.O.S.". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  2. ↑ Beringer, Drew (January 7, 2009). "P.O.S - Never Better". AbsolutePunk.
  3. ↑ Purdom, Clayton. "Never Better - P.O.S". AllMusic. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  4. ↑ Bahn, Christopher (February 3, 2009). "P.O.S.: Never Better". The A.V. Club.
  5. ↑ Young, Alex (February 27, 2009). "P.O.S. – Never Better". Consequence of Sound.
  6. ↑ Vasquez, Andres (February 2, 2009). "P.O.S. - Never Better". HipHopDX.
  7. ↑ Draper, Jason (April 21, 2009). "Album review: POS - Never Better". NME.
  8. ↑ Faraone, Chris (February 18, 2009). "P.O.S. - Never Better". The Phoenix.
  9. ↑ Patrin, Nate (February 4, 2009). "P.O.S.: Never Better". Pitchfork Media.
  10. ↑ Herman, Max (February 5, 2009). "Never Better". XLR8R.
  11. ↑ Juon, Steve (December 29, 2009). "The Year 2009 in Review". Rap Reviews.
  12. ↑ Bernard, Adam (December 29, 2009). "The Year 2009 in Review". Rap Reviews.
  13. ↑ Taylor, Patrick (December 29, 2009). "The Year 2009 in Review". Rap Reviews.
  14. ↑ Bond, John-Michael (December 29, 2009). "The Year 2009 in Review". Rap Reviews.
  15. ↑ Sirota, Eric (January 5, 2010). "The Year 2009 in Review". Rap Reviews.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "P.O.S - Never Better - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
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