Saudade

Saudade is the fourth by Sierran   Jermaine Carter Williams, under his stage name Q-Lo. It was released on November 8, 2014 by Skid Row Productions and Step Aside Records under the distributor company, O.P. Entertainment. The album was created in response to Williams' personal issues with his estranged then-wife, whom he had just married the same year the album was released. He alongside fellow artists from Skid Row Productions helped produce the bulk of the album's tracks and audio from his private residence in Kauai from April to October in 2014. Williams also remixed previously recorded, but unpublished tracks he had made earlier in the year, and repurposed them into the album, releasing four of them early as singles, including "Broken Glass", "A Melancholic Friday", "Overdose", and "Momentarily".

The album has been widely regarded as Williams' greatest work yet, and received universal acclaim among critics, and mixed responses among fans. Saudade dealt heavily with themes of confusion, depression, heartbreak, and hopeless romanticism, while also exploring the continued exploits and injustice of the people living in the Styxie, his home region, and was noted for its extensive use of two non-traditional instruments in hip-hop: the percussion and guitar. The album's style drew influence from, , , and.

The longest album by Williams to date, it features 19 songs as well as 3 bonus tracks, and was heavily promoted by Williams for three months leading up to Saudade's release. Saudade debuted at number one on the Sunset 40, selling 420,000 copies in its first week of release, and topped the charts in 17 other countries including Brazoria, Rainier, and the United Commonwealth. It received widespread appraisal and critical recognition, and won eight awards from four major award organizations, and named the best album of the year on numerous polls and lists conducted at the end of the year. By March 2015, Saudade had been certified Platinum in five countries: Sierra, Brazoria, Dixie, the United Commonwealth, and finally, Hudson.

Background
Hoping to replicate the success of his album, I Called But You Didn't Answer Me, Williams began preliminary work in December 2013 although held off serious commitment for a while in order to spend more time with his fiancé, Sierran fashion model and clothing designer Jasmine Marx. They married on January 6, 2014, after just three years of dating, and four months of engagement. Williams and Marx's marriage attracted heavy media attention, particularly due to the expensive, lavish wedding they had. Entertainment sources and celebrity trackers asserted the two were a "power couple", and pressed the false rumor that Williams actively pressed Marx to have children. By April of that year however, after spending their at their private residence in Kauai, Marx returned to Porciúncula alone without explanation to the public. The two's silence on the matter stirred controversy, with the media speculating a rapid deterioration in their marriage. Later, Williams admitted that their relationship had begun to experience problems back in February, mainly Marx's concern with Williams overworking himself with too many projects, some unrelated to his music. That year, he landed the role of Atticus Freeman in the 2015 historical drama film, Landon, the role of Michael Sparks in the television comedy series, The Styx 100, and a voice role in the Sierran anime series Boku no Koi as the main character, Marvel. He frequently stayed at friends near his project's sets instead of returning home, much to the ire of Marx. Marx herself was involved in her own projects, and became frustrated when Williams seemed to value his career over her. In an effort to reconcile, Williams booked an extended vacation as their official honeymoon to their summer home in Hawaii, and the two left in March.

In Hawaii, it appeared that the two had rekindled their relationship, and were photographed by paparazzi, apparently happy along the beach. Few tabloid sources ran the assertion that the two went to Hawaii to repair their relationship, news which were dismissed at the time, as the media maintained that the two were an inseparable supercouple. Pressures to complete his projects eventually compromised the purpose and quality of their vacation, and nightly arguments completely derailed the relationship. Marx made the independent decision to leave Williams, returning to their Porciúncula residence on April 26, unwilling to remain with her husband. Meanwhile, Williams elected to remain in Hawaii to save face, fearing returning home would provoke Marx into speaking out. The two mutually agreed to reveal nothing to the public, and it was initially believed by both that the relationship would heal after a few weeks of separation.

During the initial week following Marx's return home, Williams and Marx's silence on their separation caused widespread speculation and curiosity. Meanwhile, Williams spent most of his days locked up in the residence, which he later admitted in interviews, he spent smoking cannabis and anti-depressants. Having stalled off work on his upcoming album, Williams decided to dedicate it to his wife, to convey the emotional distress and turmoil he had endured due to their fights. Williams decided to begin proactive recording and production of this new album with his fellow artists at Skid Row Productions, the record label he founded.

Recording and production
For the first few weeks, Williams restricted his correspondence with crew members with SRS and executives from O.P. Entertainment, and contacted Iranian-Sierran artist Stephacide to help him produce music for his album. Recording sessions began at the Diamond Head Recording Studio in Honolulu, Oahu, before expanding to include one in and. Inspired by Appalachian-Chicagoan artist, who, with , was also self-exiled in Hawaii due to personal problems, Williams decided to reach out West and many other artists, who accepted. Although various producers were invited, Williams eventually whittled down the producers to Stephacide, DanceDanDance, DJ Glock, Da Payout, and Bodacious B. Williams also had Sierran conductor Henry Fritz to help incorporate and remix instrumental ensemble into his songs. Fritz himself had worked with Williams before, as he was the leading producer behind Williams' first studio album Coup de Grâce.

In a February 2015 interview with Divergent Beats, Skid Row Production's producer Evan Kot explained that although Williams was visibly distraught over his problems with his wife, he channeled his grief and frustration into his music. Williams was "always willing to push the boundaries and wouldn't settle with shortcuts. Q-Lo will be the only one at the end of the day to say, 'This ain't the one. We gotta have to try better than this. We have to redo it,' and then spend all night into the morning, perfecting it, only to scrap it for something even better." In an interview with the Sunset 40 in March 2015, Terry Faust of The Huntington Boys said, "My band and I were just one of the many, many people who were called in to pitch-in this grandiose project Q-Lo was making. He wanted everyone in, and I got in and like, I just sang, and then just like that, we did our job. Done. We all got to contribute a small part to this amazing piece of art we got to hear months later." Determined to give the album a unique sound as he had done with his other albums and mixtapes, he decided to experiment with various musical styles ranging from trap music, alternative rock, synthpop, and trance. He worked extensively with Stephacide whom he named as his key sounds producer, and insisted in "deviating from the norm", hoping the content and sounds would be very distinct from typical hip hop without fully detracting from it. The recording during the later stages of the album were described by James Rubio as "hyper-focused and precisely handled" by Williams, who continued to spend hours in the studio with his staff and other artists, recording and editing music.

By August, Williams' relationship with Marx had completely collapsed, with Williams, through an official spokesperson, finally acknowledging that he and his wife had "irreconcilable differences". At this time, he began getting romantically involved with Sierran K-pop artist Emma Chae who befriended Williams in 2014, and was invited to work with Williams on Saudade as a producer, writer, and singer. Their new relationship, along with Williams' file for divorce with Marx in August, set the final stages of the album. Many songs which were practically completed were revisited lyrically and musically, with new input from Chae and others. Sandy Goldstein, who participated in recording sessions as a writer and vocal supervisor, stated in a September 2015 interview, "Q-Lo and Emma just clicked, and she gave Williams hope and joy again, something he was sorely lacking throughout the creation of the album initially because of Marx. Chae helped inject some much needed optimism and life into an otherwise bleak, deliberate it may be, but austere work that reflected the pains of an emotionally drained man of talent."

Nearing completion, Williams continued to make significant tweaks to the album, calling in Da Payout and Bodacious B to remix some songs further, and assist in inserting samples into some of the tracks. Despite internal complaints and concerns of overworking, Williams persisted, even through a severe cold that strained his voice, and at one point, instructing his producers to record him singing from the. In September, Williams released two tracks from Saudade as teasers to the public: "Broken Glass" and "A Melancholic Friday", two singles which proved to be extremely popular and topped Anglo-American charts.

With the subsequent releases and positive reception towards "Momentarily" and "Overdose", Williams eased the pressure, and concentrated throughout October mainly to refine and polish his tracks, re-writing and re-recording lines he thought were weak. Taliyah Payne, a creative director hired by Williams during the final weeks explained, "The set was really laid-back by the time I was called in and the first thing they tell me, they fucking tell me, 'Hun, take a joint or some shit'. I was confused and shocked–there was definitely an air of satisfaction, victory, and assurance amongst everyone because they were fucking done–Q-Lo said so. I didn't even get to see the shit they went through the many months before, though I guess I was pretty fucking lucky."

On the week Saudade was to be released to the public, Williams personally thanked all of the individuals who helped contribute to the album, and threw a rave party at his residence. Unbeknownst to him, an unknown insider parts of the album on November 5, 2014, just three days before the release date. When Williams discovered this, he threatened to delay the release until the leaker confessed. However, despite the leaks, it heightened hype and anticipation for the album, and Williams made last-minute tweaks on some tracks, omitting explicit references to Jasmine Marx (who was still legally his wife at the time) on the songs, "Hell to Pay" and "Every Single Time".

Music
According to Newstar magazine, Saudade is an example of "new wave hip hop album", while The Unionist described the album as an "emotionally-charged synthpop album" and Sunset 40 recognizing the album as an "innovative, insightful work spiked with raw emotion and angst, huddled underneath the ". Various writers agreed that Saudade was a progressive album which adapted and incorporated elements of his past albums and mixtapes, including the gritty, political cynicism found in No Second Chances, the unabashed boldness of Coup de Grâce and Hoosier's Man, and the raunchy, sex-crazed energy of I Called But You Didn't Answer Me.

Jim Chapman from The Porciúncula Times noted the diverse styles of music Saudade managed to successfully blend in to the album, and noted an underlying, nuanced influence from. Everyday Hip Hop acknowledged that the album was exceptionally complex, and was strong evidence in the musical genius of Williams and the potential capability of hip-hop artists to self-actualize if only achieved through dedication and passion, an example of the "Sierran dream".

Track notes

 * undefined signifies a co-
 * undefined signifies an additional
 * "Summer by the Styx" contains samples of "Cashews on the Morrow", written and performed by Donna Hennessy.
 * "The Door is Closed" features additional vocals by Shana Brennan and Christopher Yates.
 * "Vengeance" contains samples of "Screaming Maniac Rampage", written by Sylvester Sharp and performed by Theosophy; and excerpts from Diablo Dean Live at Juno, PL, 1998.
 * "The Three Puppeteers" contains elements of "Parisian Rhapsody" performed by The Mountaineers.
 * "Broken Glass" contains samples of "Love Can Be Hard" written and performed by Rita.
 * "Darkest Night" contains a sample from "Don't Trust Em" performed by Reaper-22.
 * "Hell to Pay" features additional vocals by Hank Posner and Jake Lambert; and contains a sample of "Inferno in Hollywood" performed by SKRM.
 * "Hot Flashes" features background vocals by Emma Chae.
 * "A Melancholic Friday" features background vocals by Emma Chae.
 * "I HATE QOQO!" contains an excerpt from Rosaline Everett, Episode: "November 13, 2013" (Season 7, Episode 2)
 * "A Fucked Up Intermission" contains excerpts from Rosaline Everett, Episode: "November 13, 2013" (Season 7, Episode 2) and The Barry Howitzer Show, Episode: "Margaret Ingram/Q-Lo" (Season 34, Episode 33).
 * "Every Single Time" contains of "Why Baby Why?", written by Mikey Reagan and Ike Duke, and performed by California Dropouts.
 * "Waikiki Freestyle" contains background vocals by Fren-Z, KitKat, and Yeeda.
 * "Bureau of Introspection" contains interpolations from Boku no Koi, Episode: "Another Super Super Sunday Huh Michiko-Chan?~" (Season 1, Episode 4), and contains additional vocals by Bodacious B, $WI$H, and Y-50.
 * "Come Back" contains samples of "Not the Same" performed by The Huntington Boys.
 * "Sex G.o.D" contains elements of "Show Me Dem Moves" performed by Mo Way.
 * "Juno Slash" contains samples of "Summer Teenage Nightmares" performed by Orange Mill.
 * "2 4give & 2get" contains interpolations of "What Happened (With Us)?"performed by Yvana Lopez.
 * "Clam Jam" features additional vocals by Hyori, Priscilla, and Yuna from 4OUR and Sunny Pop!.
 * "Momentarily" features background vocals by Stephacide.
 * "Overdose" contains elements of "Died at the Altar" written by Jacob Chung and performed by Marvelous Mitch.