Fraser T Smith Details Debut LP '12 Questions' Featuring Stormzy, Dave, Easy Life, Bastille
Thursday, 13 August 2020
Written by Jon Stickler
Fraser T Smith has shared details of his first album under the banner of his new Future Utopia project.
The renowned producer will put out '12 Questions' on October 23 via Platoon and hiw own label 70Hz. It'll feature an array of guests, including Stormzy, Dave, Kano, Bastille, Arlo Parks, Simon Armitage, Albert Woodfox, Tom Grennan and Tia Carys, with the latter two collaborating on the record's lead single, Do We Really Care? Pt.1.
The expansive track samples Lovin' Spoonful’s 1966 classic Summer in the City and finds Grennan and rising Londoner Carys contributing vocals over blurts of jaunty saxophone and an erratic drum beat. Speaking about the LP, Smith said:
"I made this record not because I could but because I had to - there was no other way to progress. It's the most ambitious, exciting and terrifying thing I've ever done. Creatively, it’s a colourful musical playground - the culmination of everything I’ve learned over my career, from 70's progressive rock to hip hop. Culturally, it’s a celebration of humanity, whilst shining a light on some of the cruel injustices in the world. I’m so proud and humbled by the hugely diverse group of collaborators who have spoken their truths on the album. I hope the answers will enlighten the listeners and stir debate."
A press release reads:
"The album is based on a series of twelve universal, human and urgent questions, each of which is posed by Fraser to a different collaborator. The questions are born of Fraser’s own anxieties concerning topics such as faith, freedom, race, gender, wealth, equality and ecology. The album runs as a continuous composition, with clear delineation between each of its twelve questions."
'12 Questions' tracklist:
1. Fear Or Faith Pt.1 feat. Alysia Harris
2. Promised Land feat. Mikky Ekko
3. Fear Or Faith Pt.2 feat. Idris Elba
4. How Much Is Enough? feat. Kojey Radical
5. Million$Bill feat. Kojey Radical, Easy Life
6. Do We Really Care? Pt.1 feat. Tom Grennan, Tia Carys
7. Do We Really Care? Pt.2 feat. Simon Armitage
8. What’s In A Name? feat. Bastille
9. Why Are We So Divided, When We’re So Connected? feat. Es Devlin
10. Children Of The Internet feat. Dave
11. How Do We Find Our Truth? feat. Stormzy, Beatrice Mushiya
12. What’s The Cost Of Freedom? feat. Albert Woodfox
13. Freedom feat. Kano
14. Mountain Girl feat. Ruelle
15. Is It Too Late To Save The Planet? feat. Katrin Fridriks
16. What Happens Next? / Way Back When feat. Lafawndah
17. Nature or Nurture? feat. Jelani Blackman, Ghetts
18. What Matters Most? feat. Arlo Parks
19. Stranger In The Night feat. Arlo Parks
20. What Is Love? feat. Duckworth
21. Fear or Faith Pt.3 feat. Alysia Harris
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