Bed of Stone

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Bed of Stone
Studio album by
Released25 August 2014 (2014-08-25)
Recorded2013
Genre
Length47:17
LabelNaive Records
Producer
Aṣa chronology
Beautiful Imperfection
(2011)
Bed of Stone
(2014)
Lucid
(2019)
Singles from Bed of Stone
  1. "Dead Again"
    Released: 23 May 2014

Bed of Stone is the third studio album by Nigerian-French recording artist Aṣa. It was released on 25 August 2014 through Naive Records. Recorded in the East-Sussex area in the UK, the album was co-written and produced by Blair MacKichan, a British producer that has already worked with Sia and Lily Allen. Bed of Stone is, according to the label company an album that goes "right to the heart". It features a folk sound similar to her previous albums Beautiful Imperfection and Aṣa.

Its lead single, "Dead Again" was released in May, 2014, while a clip video has broadcast the same day. The song is the opening track of the record, it is a piano ballad that deals with a bitter love. The album was acclaimed by critics upon release.

Critical reception[edit]

Bed of Stone received widespread critical acclaim upon release. Pop Magazine rated the album 4 out of 5 stars, and called it "a full and rounded musical experience," as well as a more "personal" album than Aṣa's previous releases. They also praised the album's musical style, calling it "smooth" and "graceful".[1] Festus Okubor Goziem of 360Submissions also praised Bed of Stone, and deemed it a "masterful, controlled, [and] confident album." They further applauded Aṣa for her vocal delivery, and compared her to Florence and the Machine, Alabama Shakes and The Civil Wars.[2] Bellanaija acclaimed the album, stating that the album was "one of the best albums you would hear this year"; they further praised it by calling it "Grammy-winning music".[3] Udochukwu Ikwuagwu of The Breaking Times gave Bed of Stone another acclaimed review. He rated the album an 8 out of 10, and called it a "near-masterpiece"; Aṣa's vocal delivery and songwriting, as well as the album's production, were particularly acclaimed.[4] Oscar Okeke of Lo Batan gave a positive, albeit more critical, review of the album. Rating the album a B on a scale of A to F, Okeke praised the album's production and its lyrical content, but was more critical of Aṣa's vocal delivery; "Intensified vocals and a surge of instrumentals is what the album needs. It’s called a musical frisson, and Asa could have given us more of it," Okeke said in his review.[5]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleMusicProducer(s)Length
1."Dead Again"AṣaBlair MacKichan3:07
2."Eyo"Asa,MacKichan3:16
3."Satan Be Gone"Asa,MacKichan2:36
4."Bed of Stone"AsaConstant4:20
5."Moving on"AsaAsa4:16
6."Grateful"AsaMacKichan2:45
7."Society"AsaMacKichan3:03
8."How Did Love Find Me"AsaMacKichan3:41
9."Ife"AsaConstant3:46
10."Situation"AsaMacKichan2:40
11."New Year"AsaMacKichan3:01
12."The One That Never Comes"AsaMacKichan4:06
Total length:47:52
Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleMusicProducer(s)Length
13."Sometimes I Wonder"AsaMacKichan2:59
14."Shine Your Light"AsaMacKichan3:34

Chart performance[edit]

Chart Peak
Position
French Albums Chart[6] 38
French Physical Albums Chart[7] 44
French Digital Albums Chart[8] 9
Swiss Albums Chart 64

References[edit]

  1. ^ Perkins, Mai (30 August 2014). "Review: Asa - Bed Of Stone". Pop Magazine.
  2. ^ "Asa's Bed Of Stone review".
  3. ^ "Should You Bump This – Music Review: Asa – Bed of Stone".
  4. ^ "Album review: Bed of Stone - Asa".
  5. ^ "Album Review - Bed Of Stone - Asa".
  6. ^ "Asa : Bed Of Stone" (in German). Chartsinfrance. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Asa : Bed Of Stone" (in German). Chartsinfrance. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  8. ^ "Asa : Bed Of Stone" (in German). Chartsinfrance. Retrieved 5 September 2014.