See Clear Now

See Clear Now
Studio album by Wiley
Released 10 November 2008
Genre R&B, electronic, grime, rap
Length 34:48
Label Asylum[1]
Producer Mark Ronson, Wiley, DaVinChe, Bless Beats, Jake Gosling, Mathias Wollo, P-Nut, Curtis Foss, Hot Chip, Arthur Baker, Peter Raeburn, Nick Foster and Adam Bushell
Wiley chronology

Grime Wave
(2008)
See Clear Now
(2008)
Race Against Time
(2009)
Singles from See Clear Now
  1. "Wearing My Rolex"
    Released: 5 May 2008
  2. "Summertime"
    Released: 13 October 2008
  3. "Cash in My Pocket"
    Released: 1 December 2008
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
PurelyHipHop [2]
The Guardian [3]

See Clear Now[4] is the fifth studio album by UK Grime artist Wiley. The album was released on 10 November 2008. It was originally set to be released as I See Clear on 13 October 2008.[5] The album features collaborations with electropop group Hot Chip, and DJ/producer Mark Ronson in "Cash in My Pocket" (contributing "a few trumpets... but it's not brass overload").[6] The album's first single, "Wearing My Rolex"[7] was succeeded by the single "Summertime"[5] on 22 September[8] and "Cash in My Pocket".

Background

Wiley describes See Clear Now as "[his] first pop album", explaining that he wants to "push boundaries" while also "stay[ing] in the charts by making tunes that connect with people. It's pop all the way from here".[7] He explained that he had wanted to work with Lily Allen since hearing her debut album Alright, Still, and that his collaboration with Hot Chip came about after the two acts performed a version of "Wearing My Rolex" at the 2008 Glastonbury Festival. He also expressed a desire to be "the male equivalent of Missy Elliott" in relation to blending pop appeal with musical innovation.[6]

Wiley disowns album

Subsequently Wiley has also disowned this album. He was "very angry" about the production on Cash in My Pocket and Summertime. He says that it is not his music and he didn't have creative control on the album, he left the studio to leave the others to work on the tracks.

He adds that people should listen to Race Against Time instead because it isn't commercial and he would have more artistic control.[9]

Track listing

No. TitleProducer(s) Length
1. "Ryder Intro"  DaVinChe 1:28
2. "Wearing My Rolex"  Bless Beats 2:51
3. "I Need to Be"  Jake Gosling 3:16
4. "Summertime"  Jake Gosling 3:21
5. "See Clear Now" (featuring Kano & Scorcher)P*Nut, Mathias Wollo, Curtis Foss 3:20
6. "Cash in My Pocket" (featuring Daniel Merriweather)Mark Ronson 3:00
7. "5am" (featuring Scorcher)Jake Gosling 3:35
8. "Step by Step" (featuring Hot Chip)Hot Chip 3:48
9. "Turn It Up"  Arthur Baker 3:29
10. "Can't Stop Thinking"  Wiley, Jake Gosling 3:49
11. "I Am the Sea"  Peter Raeburn, Nick Foster, Adam Bushell 2:51
Total length:
34:48

References

  1. "See Clear Now". HMV. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
  2. PurelyHipHop review
  3. The Guardian review
  4. "Wiley and Mark Ronson get XXX-Rated with Diesel". RWDmag.com. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Lily works with Wiley". Yahoo! News UK & Ireland. 16 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Dawson, Kim (13 September 2008). "Wiley hooks up with Lily Allen". Daily Star. Northern and Shell Media. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Wiley Collaborates With Lily Allen And Mark Ronson on His New Album". Angry Ape. 16 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
  8. "Lily Allen collaborating with Wiley on new album". NME. 15 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
  9. "Wiley is not a happy man blasts management and label". RWD Mag Forum. 24 November 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-25.