The Long Goodbye (Riz Ahmed album) explained

The Long Goodbye is the second studio album by Riz Ahmed. It was released on his own record label Mongrel Records on 6 March 2020.^[2] It is a concept album and was produced by Redinho.^[3] It features guest appearances from Ahmed's mother,^[4] as well as Mindy Kaling, Mahershala Ali, Yara Shahidi, Asim Chaudhry,^[5] Hasan Minhaj, and Jay Sean. It was accompanied by a short film of the same name directed by Aneil Karia, which won Best Live Action Short Film at the 94th Academy Awards.^[6] "Mogambo" was released as a single in 2018.^[7]

Concept

The Long Goodbye is a concept album about the United Kingdom's historical and contemporary relationship with South Asians and British Asians, framed through the extended metaphor of an abusive romantic relationship in the wake of Brexit and the rise of the far-right in Britain.^[4]

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 83, based on 7 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Jake Hawkes of Clash described the album as "a tightly packed, lightning-quick swing at the racism of British society." Alexis Petridis of The Guardian wrote, "UK hip-hop and albums bemoaning the current state of things are two crowded markets: The Long Goodbye is potent, original and timely enough to stand out in both." Dhruva Balram of NME commented that "the album is largely a vital statement from a talented, multi-hyphenate artist."

At the 94th Academy Awards, the film based on the album won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.^[8]

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Rappers Who Are Breaking Up With Britain. The Atlantic. Spencer. Kornhaber. 9 March 2020. 10 March 2020.
2. Web site: Riz Ahmed announces new album and short film The Long Goodbye. The Line of Best Fit. Cerys. Kenneally. 27 February 2020. 10 March 2020.
3. Web site: Riz Ahmed Announces New Album 'The Long Goodbye'. Exclaim!. Allie. Gregory. 27 February 2020. 10 March 2020.
4. Web site: Riz Ahmed on The Long Goodbye: Why he says 'Britain's broken up with me'. BBC. Ian. Youngs. 6 March 2020. 10 March 2020.
5. Web site: Riz Ahmed On His New Album & Break-Up Letter To A Post-Brexit Britain. British Vogue. Hattie. Collins. 5 March 2020. 10 March 2020.
6. Web site: Riz Ahmed 'breaks up' with Britain in an emotional album and short film 'The Long Goodbye'. CNN. Alaa. Elassar. 7 March 2020. 10 March 2020.
7. Web site: Riz Ahmed Announces New Album The Long Goodbye. Pitchfork. Matthew Ismael. Ruiz. 27 February 2020. 10 March 2020.
8. Web site: 2022 Oscars. 27 March 2022.