''Redemption City'' is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter

Joseph Arthur Joseph Lyburn Arthur (born September 28, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter and artist from Akron, Ohio. He is best known for his solo material, and as a member of Fistful of Mercy and RNDM. Arthur has built his reputation over the years t ...

, self-released as a digital download on January 18, 2012. A

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording ...

, fans were given the option to download the release for free, or make a

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. A limited

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release is available to purchase from Arthur's official site. Regarding the album's unconventional and immediate release following its completion, Arthur stated, "Please don’t take the method, or the freedom, of this release to be any judgment on its value. ..It's great to take advantage of what the internet is actually good at - immediacy. This is the first time I've released something while still inhabiting its space."

Background and recording

Arthur began working on ''Redemption City'' in 2009, often abandoning the project, then returning to it; building a recording studio in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

for the sole purpose of recording the album, and performing each instrument on the album himself.

Title

Upon the album's release, Arthur included a note online discussing the album's title, stating, "Around the time I was putting out ''

Redemption's Son ''Redemption's Son'' is the third studio album by Joseph Arthur. The double album was first released in the UK only on May 20, 2002, due to Joseph being dropped by Virgin Records/EMI in the US. Eventually, Enjoy Records picked up the record and ...

'' (2002), I met

Peter Beard Peter Hill Beard (January 22, 1938 – March 31 / April 19, 2020) was an American artist, photographer, diarist, and writer who lived and worked in New York City, Montauk, Long Island and Kenya. His photographs of Africa, African animals ...

in Montauk. ..One night I told Peter the name of my record that was about to come out, "''Redemption’s Son''," I said. "Too religious," he said. He was probably right but that’s what it was called, though it wasn’t out yet. The next day he said, “I thought of a better title for you.” I asked, “What?” He paused for drama and then said, ''Redemption City''.

9/11 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

had just happened, it was a crazy title and I instantly liked it better than ''Redemption’s Son'', but it was too late, that record was already on its way to stores. But I held onto that title. ..A few years ago I set about making it. The record inspired by the title. What would a city of redemption sound like? What kind of characters would inhabit it?"

Track listing

Part I

#"Travel as Equals" #"Wasted Days" #"Mother of Exiles" #"Yer Only Job" #"I Miss the Zoo" #"There With Me" #"No Surrender Comes for Free" #"Night Clothes" #"Redemption City" #"Barriers" #"You're Not the Only One" #"So Far from Free"

Part II

#"Surrender to the Storm" #"Fractures" #"Free Freedom" #"Touched" #"Follow" #"Kandinsky" #"Humanity Fade" #"Sleepless" #"It Takes a Lot of Time to Live in the Moment" #"Visit Us" #"I Am the Mississippi #"Travel as Equals" (reprise)

Personnel

- all instruments, producer, mixing *Merritt Jacob - mixing *Fred Kevorkian - mastering *Carla Podgurecki - cover photograph

References

{{Authority control 2012 albums Joseph Arthur albums