''20 Odd Years'' is an album by

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

artist

Buck 65 Richard Terfry (born March 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian alternative hip hop rapper. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country ...

. It was released on February 1, 2011, and named in honor of his twentieth anniversary in the music industry. The album continued Buck 65's tradition of combining several different musical styles, and featured many different guest collaborators.

Reception

''20 Odd Years'' has received critical acclaim. Ross Langager of

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

gave it a seven out of 10 rating and called it "uneven but dynamic", complimenting Buck 65's "mix of subcultural influences" as "a dizzying, post-modern, multicultural stew". In consumer guide for

MSN Music ''MSN Music'' was a part of MSN's web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. The website also served as a digital music store from 2004 to 2008. History ...

, critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

gave ''20 Odd Years'' an A− rating, noting "Superstars Don't Love" and "Zombie Delight" as highlights, and commented that "Beholden to nobody's scene or purist myths, the Halifax-spawned, Toronto-based, Paris-savvy cult rapper makes beats his way—drum tracks of course, this is hip-hop like it or not, but with whatever on top, which here comes down to mostly female collaborators whose sonics subsume their considerable verbal input". The album was named as a longlisted nominee for the

2011 Polaris Music Prize The 2011 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 19, 2011

."2011 Polaris Music Prize Long List announced"
. aux.tv, June 16, 2011.

Track listing

# "Superstars Don't Love" # "Gee Whiz" (ft.

Nick Thorburn Nick Thorburn (born 27 November 1981), also known by his stage name Nick Diamonds, is a Canadian musician originally from Campbell River, British Columbia. He has fronted numerous bands such as The Unicorns, Th' Corn Gangg, Islands, Reefer, an ...

) # "Whispers of the Waves" (ft.

Gord Downie Gordon Edgar Downie (February 6, 1964 – October 17, 2017) was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer, poet, and activist. He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from ...

) # "Paper Airplane" (ft.

Jenn Grant Jenn Grant (born August 20, 1980) is a Canadian folk pop singer-songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Career Grant performed as a musician for a time in her early teens, but stopped due to a bout of stage fright. She did not return to pe ...

) # "Stop" (ft.

Hannah Georgas Hannah Georgas (born 30 August 1983) is a Canadian pop/rock singer-songwriter, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She was nominated in the categories of "Best New Artist of the Year" and "Songwriter of the Year" at the 2011 Juno Awards, and ...

) # "Zombie Delight" # "Tears of Your Heart" (ft. Olivia Ruiz) # "Cold Steel Drum" (ft. Jenn Grant) # " Who By Fire" (ft. Jenn Grant) # "She Said Yes" # "BCC" (ft. John Southworth) # "Lights Out" # "Final Approach" (ft.

Marie-Pierre Arthur Marie-Pierre Arthur is the stage name of Marie-Pierre Fournier, a Canadian pop singer-songwriter from Quebec.Emily Wells Emily Wells (born November 20, 1981) is an American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and producer whose genres encompass alternative, experimental, hip-hop and classical. In addition to playing instruments such as violin and ...

''20 Odd Years'' EPs

The album was preceded by a series of four EPs, released digitally and on 7" vinyl: ''20 Odd Years, Vol. 1: Avant'' (released June 8, 2010); ''20 Odd Years, Vol. 2: Distance'' (July 12, 2010); ''20 Odd Years, Vol. 3: Albuquerque'' (August 10, 2010); and ''20 Odd Years, Vol. 4: Cenotaph'' (September 14, 2010). The latter EP was withdrawn from availability, presumably due to copyright issues involving the unauthorized sampling of the

Bronski Beat Bronski Beat were a British synth-pop band formed in 1983 in London, England. The initial lineup, which recorded the majority of their hits, consisted of Scottish musicians Jimmy Somerville (vocals) and Steve Bronski (keyboards, percussion) and ...

single, "

Smalltown Boy "Smalltown Boy" is the debut single by the British synth-pop band Bronski Beat, released in May 1984 by London Recordings. It was included on their debut album, '' The Age of Consent'' (1984). "Smalltown Boy" features electronic instrumentati ...

." The album primarily featured songs from these EPs, including a cover of

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

's " Who By Fire", as well as two previously unreleased songs. Buck 65 later released an additional EP in the series titled ''20 Odd Years Vol. 4: Ostranenie'' (November 21, 2011).

20 Odd Years, Vol. 1: Avant

#"Gee Whiz" (feat. Nick Thorburn) #"Who By Fire" (feat. Jenn Grant) #"Superstars Don't Love" #"Red Eyed Son"

20 Odd Years, Vol. 2: Distance

#"BCC" (feat. John Southworth) #"Paper Airplane" (feat. Jenn Grant) #"The Niceness" #"Tears In Space"

20 Odd Years, Vol. 3: Albuquerque

#"Final Approach" (feat. Marie-Pierre Arthur) #"Cold Steel Drum" (feat. Jenn Grant) #"Lights Out" #"Zombie Delight"

20 Odd Years, Vol. 4: Cenotaph

" (feat.

Gentleman Reg Reginald Vermue is a Canadian indie rock singer from Guelph, Ontario. Born in Trenton, Ontario, he has recorded music under the stage names Gentleman Reg and Regina Gently. His musical style has been compared to Elliott Smith, Aimee Mann, The Sm ...

) #"She Said Yes" #"Tears of Your Heart" (feat. Olivia Ruiz)

20 Odd Years, Vol. 4: Ostranenie

#"Days Go By" (feat. Jenn Grant) #"Dolores" (feat. Marnie Herald) #"Joey Bats" #"Legendary"

References

{{Authority control 2011 albums Buck 65 albums Albums produced by Emily Wells Warner Music Group albums