Beauty Behind the Madness

by The Weeknd

Overview

All bets regarding Abel Tesfaye's career arc were off once Trilogy, material previously released at no (financial) cost to the listener, went platinum. For a period after that, it seemed like the singer had peaked just short of pop-star status. His eager congregation pushed Kiss Land, the proper debut, to number two in the U.S., yet none of its singles, not even the one that featured Drake, reached the Hot 100. "Love Me Harder," a duet with labelmate Ariana Grande released in 2014, proved to be a masterstroke. It put Tesfaye in the Top Ten for the first time and began a streak of similarly effective singles that preceded -- and are included on -- Beauty Behind the Madness. "Earned It," a ballad recorded for the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack, showed that he could adapt to a traditional pop backdrop. That cut a path for "The Hills," in which Tesfaye alleviated his "day one" base with a typically degenerate slow jam, co-produced by Illangelo, that affirmed "When I'm fucked up, that's the real me" while taking the toxic narrative a step further with lines like "Drugs started feelin' like it's decaf." And then "Can't Feel My Face," a sleek slice of retro-modern disco-funk produced by Max Martin and Ali Payami, landed in June 2015. An obvious pop move, it worked -- it went to number one in the U.S. and several other territories. Tesfaye skillfully delivered his biggest hooks as he sang about dependency in that part-anguished, part-euphoric fashion derived from Michael Jackson. Like its advance singles, the rest of Beauty Behind the Madness is R&B and pop as drug-den paella: chemical and sexual abasement, self-loathing, and self-absorbed belligerence over narcotized sludge and less expected moves that peak with the wholly sweet "As You Are" and crest with a big-band diversion on "Losers." Collaborations with Kanye West, Ed Sheeran, and Lana Del Rey add star power; the last of that pack contributes to a moment where Tesfaye turns another corner by acknowledging a dead end through the fog, "addicted to a life that's so empty and so cold." The commercial strides are obvious. The creative advancements are less apparent, but they're in there. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	08/28/2015
Label:	Republic
UPC:	0602547503305

Tracks

1. Real Life
2. Losers
3. Tell Your Friends
4. Often
5. The Hills
6. Acquainted
7. Can't Feel My Face
8. Shameless
9. Earned It
10. In the Night
11. As You Are
12. Dark Times
13. Prisoner
14. Angel

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Weeknd   Primary Artist
Lana Del Rey   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Labrinth   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Ed Sheeran   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Maty Noyes   Vocals (Background),Vocals
Zola Odessa   Choir/Chorus
Vinnie Colaiuta   Percussion
Peter Svensson   Guitar,Keyboards,Guitar (Acoustic)
Ali Payami   Bass,Drums,Keyboards,Synthesizer
Claira Titman   Choir/Chorus
Jay Bicknell   Keyboards
Abel Tesfaye   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Karissa Lee   Choir/Chorus
Aria Gunn   Choir/Chorus
Emily Titman   Choir/Chorus
Levi Gunn   Choir/Chorus
Micah Lee   Choir/Chorus
Paul Bushnell   Bass
Kanye West   Vocals (Background)
Jonathan Martin Berry   Guitar
Edie Lehmann Boddicker   Director
Joe Matthews   Choir/Chorus
Vanessa Freebairn-Smith   Cello
Stephan Moccio   Piano,Vocals,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Mattias Johansson   Violin
Christopher Bradford   Choir/Chorus
Brandon "Bizzy" Hollemon   Guitar
David Bukovinszky   Cello
Shane Lee   Choir/Chorus
Elle Moccio   Choir/Chorus
Klas Alund   Guitar (Synthesizer)

Technical Credits

Thomas William Raybould   Composer
Mattias Bylund   Editing,Engineer,String Arrangements
Peter Svensson   Composer,Producer
Christopher Pope   Composer
Osman Ismen   Composer
Labrinth   Producer,Programming,Instrumentation
Savan Kotecha   Composer
Emmanuel Nickerson   Composer
Ali Payami   Composer,Producer,Programming
Carlo "Illangelo" Montagnese   Engineer,Producer,Executive Producer,Mixing,Composer
Jay Bicknell   Engineer,Programming
Jay Paul   Engineer,Programming
Abel Tesfaye   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Programming,Executive Producer
Peter Carlsson   Vocal Editing
Sabahattin Ali   Composer
Ben Billions   Producer
Joshua Smith   Engineer
Greg Eliason   Mixing Assistant
Serban Ghenea   Mixing
Andy Barnes   Assistant
Carl Marshall   Composer
Jean-Marie Horvat   Mixing
Dave Reitzas   Mixing,Programming
John Hanes   Engineer
Robert Holmes   Composer
Kanye West   Composer,Producer
Max Martin   Composer,Producer,Programming
Mike Dean   Producer
The Pope   Producer
Ben Diehl   Composer
Noah Goldstein   Engineer
Tom Coyne   Mastering
David Kutch   Mastering
Sam Holland   Engineer
Stephan Moccio   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Programming
Ahmad Balshe   Composer
Jason Quenneville   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming,Executive Producer
Timothy McKenzie   Composer
Cory Bice   Assistant Engineer
Danny Schofield   Composer
Ed Sheeran   Composer
Lana Del Rey   Composer
Ali Kocatepe   Composer
Jeremy Lertola   Assistant Engineer
Evin O'Clearly   Assistant Engineer
Kyle Gaffney   Assistant Engineer