* En anglais uniquement
When they formed
Idle Warship in 2008, Philadelphia vocalist and songwriter
Res (Shareese Ballard) and MC
Talib Kweli had several years of collaborative work behind them. The two went as far back as 2000, when
Res -- one year away from releasing her severely undervalued debut for
MCA,
How I Do -- contributed to Train of Thought,
Kweli's first album with
Hi-Tek as
Reflection Eternal. In 2009,
Idle Warship performed at the SXSW Music festival in Austin, Texas, and toured Europe; that October, they released a free DJ Mick Boogie-hosted mixtape titled Party Robot, which featured support from singer/songwriter Graph Novel. Just over a year later,
Res and
Kweli released the first official
Idle Warship album,
Habits of the Heart, on the Blacksmith label. Unsurprisingly, the album featured a vibrant hybrid sound that mixed hip-hop, R&B, rock, pop, and electronica. Michelle Williams,
John Forté, and
Jean Grae made guest appearances. ~ Andy Kellman