Armor On

Armor On is the first EP and second major release by American recording artist Dawn Richard as a solo act. Dawn Richard is best known for being a part of Diddy – Dirty Money and Danity Kane. The album and track listing for Armor On was revealed on March 7, 2012.[1] The album serves as a prelude to her upcoming album Goldenheart Trilogy, the first of which was released in January 2013. Armor On was released exclusively on iTunes.

Armor On
EP by
Dawn Richard
ReleasedMarch 25, 2012 (2012-03-25)
Recorded2011–12
GenreAlternative R&B, experimental
Length45:00
LabelOur Dawn Entertainment, Cheartbreaker Music Group
ProducerAndrew Scott, Dawn Richard (Exec.)
Dawn Richard chronology
Been a While
(2005)		 Armor On
(2012)		 Whiteout
(2012)
Singles from Armor On
  1. "S.M.F.U (Save Me from You)"
    Released: January 7, 2012
  2. "Bombs"
    Released: March 27, 2012
  3. "Wild'N'Young"
    Released: May 18, 2012
  4. "Automatic"
    Released: June 14, 2012

Richard released several promotional songs before the release of the album. "S.M.F.U (Save Me from You)" was the first. A black-and-white video for "S.M.F.U" was released online. "Change" was released as the second promotional single from Armor On, while "Black Lipstick" was chosen as the third promotional single.

The lead single "Bombs" debuted March 27 and Richard appeared on 106 & Park to premiere the video. On June 25, the video for the second single "Automatic" premiered on 106 & Park.

Background

Dawn said that the split was amicable. Following the disbanding of Dirty Money, Diddy told her that she would have to wait a year or two to release a solo project if she stuck around, but after requesting a release, he granted it. "It was a choice and I needed to go where the best place was for me," said Dawn. "As an artist, you can't wait two years. People forget about you in three seconds, so you have to grind like no other to stay relevant. He was gracious enough to say, 'I'll let you do that.' Labels don't do that. They'll shelve you. [...] I was so thankful that he didn't do what everybody said he was gonna do. He was like, 'You gave me six years, so here's your chance.'"[2]

In an interview Richard said "You're gonna hear R&B taken to a whole 'nother level." She worked with Druski on nine of the EP's 10 tracks.[2] The EP serves as a prelude to her album Goldenheart. Richard released several songs before the anticipated release date ("Change", "Black Lipstick", "Fly", and the bass-driven "Bombs") though "Fly" is not on the final track listing. This EP serves as an opening to the sound of Goldenheart. Dawn Richard presented Armor On at a listening session in Beverly Hills on March 21, 2012.[2] In an interview Richard spoke on her feelings about Armor On, saying "We are pushing the limits. [...] R&B is really linear and it's not a bad thing. I just think being with Danity Kane and being with Dirty Money, I've experienced so many things sonically and lyrically that I want ya'll to be moved. It's time for something a little bit more refreshing. I want to be that person for you guys."[3]

Reception

Critical response
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[4]
Allmusic[5]
Pitchfork Media(8.2/10)[6]
The Guardian[7]
Rap-Upfavorable[8]
The Uptown Loungefavorable[9]
Muso's Guidefavorable[10]
The A.V. Clubfavorable[11]

Armor On received considerable acclaim from critics.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Call to Hearts (Intro)"Dawn Richard2:53
2."Black Lipstick"Richard, Andrew Scott4:08
3."Bombs"Scott3:38
4."Automatic"Scott, Carla Carter4:26
5."Change"Richard3:17
6."Heaven" (featuring Druski)Richard, Scott3:55
7."Faith"Richard, Lewis3:43
8."Scripture"Richard, Scott4:24
9."Save Me from U (Remix)"Richard, Scott3:16
10."The Battle (Outro)"Richard2:32
Total length:45:00

Notes:

  • "Wild 'N' Young" is not featured for purchase in the iTunes Store. A video for this song was released in August 2012, but under the name Wild 'N' Faith.[12]

Personnel

Musicians
  • Dawn Richard – vocals

Productions
  • Druski – producer
  • Ricky "Ric Rude" Lewis – producer
  • Carla Carter – songwriter
  • Stan Greene – engineer

Staff
  • Kyle Cabrol – Executive Assistant

Charts
Chart (2012) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[13] 145
US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[14] 28
US Independent Albums[13] 25
US Top Heatseekers[13] 4

Release history
Region Date Format(s)
Worldwide March 27, 2012 Digital download

References
  1. "Dawn Richard Unveils 'Armor On' Cover Art, Tracklisting". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  2. "Rap-Up TV: Dawn Richard Talks 'Armor On' EP, Departure from Bad Boy". Rap-Up.com. 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  3. "Dawn Richard Unleashes 'Armor' on '106 & Park'". Rap-Up.com. 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  4. Edward Nero, Mark. "Dawn Richard - Armor On". About.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  5. Kellman, Andy. "Armor On - Dawn Richard". Allmusic. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  6. Finney, Tim (April 13, 2012). "Dawn Richard: Armor On EP". Pitchfork Media.
  7. Macpherson, Alex (19 April 2012). "Dawn Richard: Armon On - review". The Guardian. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  8. "ALBUM PREVIEW: DAWN RICHARD – 'ARMOR ON'". Rap-Up. 26 March 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  9. Brown, Andrea (27 March 2012). "REVIEW: DAWN RICHARD – ARMOR ON (EP)". The Uptown Lounge. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  10. Salter, Greg (17 April 2012). "REVIEW: Dawn Richard – Armor On EP". Muso's Guide. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  11. Rytlewski, Evan (22 April 2012). "Dawn Richard". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjXt8vksmdw
  13. "Dawn Richard Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Allmusic. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  14. "Armor On - Dawn Richard". Billboard. Allmusic. Retrieved 13 June 2012.

[1]

  1. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16486-armor-on-ep/
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