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Real Power

This article is about the album by Gossip. For the power in a sinusoidal steady-state, see AC power.

Real Power is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band Gossip. It was released on March 22, 2024, through Columbia Records. The album marks their first studio release in twelve years, following A Joyful Noise (2012), marking the longest gap between studio album releases in their career.

Real Power
The three members of Gossip in front of a blue background; Beth Ditto stands wearing a shirt that says "Real Power", while Nathan Howdeshell and Hannah Billie are seated
Studio album by
Gossip
ReleasedMarch 22, 2024 (2024-03-22)
Recorded2019–2023
Length39:58
LabelColumbia
ProducerRick Rubin
Gossip chronology
A Joyful Noise
(2012) 		Real Power
(2024)
Singles from Real Power
  1. "Crazy Again"
    Released: November 17, 2023
  2. "Real Power"
    Released: January 19, 2024[1]

Background

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The album was produced by Rick Rubin, who previously worked with the band for their 2009 album Music for Men.[2] Recording began in 2019 at Rubin's home studio in Kauai, Hawaii, following a brief tour reunion for the 10-year anniversary of Music For Men.[3] Recording came to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed when restrictions were lifted.[4] Ditto explained that Real Power was originally intended as a follow-up to her debut solo album Fake Sugar but that, when she invited Gossip member Nathan Howdeshell to participate in writing some songs for the project, the duo realised that it actually needed to be a Gossip album rather than a Beth Ditto album.

Gossip described working with Rubin as "a true gift", saying that they felt "genuinely cared about and supported" as he "creates calm, positive, open spaces". About 30-40 songs came about from the sessions with Rubin, after having thrown "everything against the wall" and having the "best time".[5] Real Power is a "celebration of creative expression" and the power that came out of choosing family in the aftermath of "collective and personal trauma", according to a press release.[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[17]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [7]
DIY     [8]
The Guardian     [9]
The Independent     [10]
MusicOMH     [11]
NME     [12]
Pitchfork7.1/10[13]
The Skinny     [14]
Slant Magazine     [15]
The Telegraph     [16]

Real Power was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 75, based on 13 reviews.[17]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Beth Ditto and Brace Paine. Additional writing on "Tell Me Something" by Jason Lader.

Real Power track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Act of God"3:21
2."Real Power"4:15
3."Don't Be Afraid"3:34
4."Crazy Again"3:17
5."Edge of the Sun"3:48
6."Give It Up for Love"2:54
7."Turn the Card Slowly"4:27
8."Tell Me Something"4:09
9."Light It Up"3:06
10."Tough"3:38
11."Peace and Quiet"3:29
Total length:39:58

Personnel

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Gossip

Technical

Visuals

Charts

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Chart performance for Real Power
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[18] 16
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] 88
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[20] 47
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 8
Scottish Albums (OCC)[22] 13
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 11
UK Albums (OCC)[24] 68
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[25] 11

References

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  1. ^ "Gossip share Black Lives Matter-influenced new single 'Real Power'". NME. January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  2. ^ Minsker, Evan (November 17, 2023). "Gossip Announce First Album in 11 Years, Share Video for New Song "Crazy Again": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  3. ^ Jones, Abby (November 17, 2023). "Gossip Announce Comeback Album Real Power, Share "Crazy Again": Stream". Consequence. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  4. ^ "Gossip announce new album Real Power". Classic Pop. November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  5. ^ Trendell, Andrew (November 17, 2023). "Gossip tell us about their Rick Rubin-assisted return and comeback single "Crazy Again"". NME. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  6. ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (November 17, 2023). "Gossip reunite after over a decade and announce new album, Real Power". Line of Best Fit. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  7. ^ Phares, Heather. "Real Power - Gossip | Album". AllMusic. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  8. ^ Wright, Lisa (March 20, 2024). "Gossip - Real Power". DIY. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  9. ^ Empire, Kitty (March 23, 2024). "Gossip: Real Power review – a welcome return that could be braver and weirder". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  10. ^ Nugent, Annabel (March 21, 2024). "Gossip are back with a bang, but time has blunted the edges – review". The Independent. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  11. ^ Murphy, John (March 20, 2024). "Gossip - Real Power | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  12. ^ Morgan, Tom (March 20, 2024). "Gossip – 'Real Power' review: a mature, soulful return". NME. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  13. ^ Corcoran, Nina (March 26, 2024). "Gossip: Real Power". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  14. ^ Chung, Rho (March 20, 2024). "Gossip - Real Power album review". The Skinny. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  15. ^ Poland, Dana (March 18, 2024). "Gossip 'Real Power' Review: A Real Letdown". Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  16. ^ McCormick, Neil; Platt, Poppie (March 22, 2024). "Gossip are superb, Waxahatchee processes the scourge of addiction – the week's best albums". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Real Power by Gossip". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. n.d. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  18. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Gossip – Real Power" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  19. ^ "Ultratop.be – Gossip – Real Power" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – Gossip – Real Power" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Gossip – Real Power" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  23. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Gossip – Real Power". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  24. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  25. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
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