Stripped (Macy Gray)

Stripped is Macy Gray's ninth studio album that was released on September 9, 2016 by Chesky Records.
==Tracklisting==
#Annabelle	5:11
#Sweet Baby	5:04
#I Try	4:17
#Slowly	5:18
#She Ain't Right For You	4:57
#First Time	4:11
#Nothing Else Matters	6:41
#Redemption Song	3:24
#The Heart	5:16
#Lucy	6:49
==Chart Performance==
"Stripped" peaked at #47 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart, #3 on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart, #2 on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart and #2 on Billboard's Traditional Jazz Albums chart.
==Critical Reception==
Critical reception for Stripped was highly positive. 
The album holds a score of 79 out of 100 on review aggregate website MetaCritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews."
James Nadal, writing for All About Jazz, awarded the album 4.5 of 5 stars, stating "Recorded with no over dubs, in a two-day session, this is as close to a live gig as one could imagine, with spatial realism and no audience background noise to hamper audio quality," singling out "I Try," "Slowly," "First Time," and "Redemption Song" as highlights and going on to conclude that "Gray is a throwback to the early days when jazz singers were not pretentious, but had to rely on their innate talent to carry the tune with raw emotion and sensual grace."
Allmusic's review was also positive, giving the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, commenting that "all of this is best heard in a late-night setting. The volume of Gray's rasping voice rarely breaks above the level of an intimate conversation -- at times, she sounds a bit off in the distance -- and the group plays as if it's trying not to disturb a dozing parishioner," stating that "For all its emphasis on the past, Stripped sounds like a step forward."
Music critic Robert Christgau, writing for Vice, was also extremely complimentary toward the album. In his article "Reinvention, Response, and 'Redemption Song,'" he stated that the album was a career highlight, stated that "guitarist Russell Malone and trumpeter Wallace Roney earn their minutes, but mostly they make room for Macy as she eases into a few of her own standards and tops them with the new 'First Time,'" also stating that "although she wasn't the only one born to sing 'Redemption Song'... she does it humble and she does it proud."
Other critics praised the album, as well. Exclaim's Ryan B. Patrick said that "Gray's inimitable rasp does the job in conveying improvisational sounds," going on to state that "'Stripped' finds Gray in lucid form; hit 'Sweet Baby' offers a bouncy, upbeat flavour, while a bass-heavy version of her biggest hit 'I Try' gives the track new life," calling the album "fully chilled out and no-frills in intent and sentiment."
Vogue was also complimentary towards the album, noting "Lucy" as a highlight.
A review by Yahoo praised the album's sound quality and noting that it has "a sweet balance between singer and band."
Category:2010s albums
Category:R&B
Category:Soul
Category:Jazz