III (BadBadNotGood album)

III is the third studio album from Canadian jazz instrumental hip hop band BadBadNotGood. It was released on May 6, 2014.^[1] It is the group's first album of completely original material.

III
Studio album by BadBadNotGood
Released	May 6, 2014
Studio	Revolution Recording (Toronto) Studio 69 (Toronto)
Genre	Instrumental hip hop jazz
Length	48:28
Label	Innovative Leisure, Pirates Blend
Producer	BadBadNotGood, Frank Dukes
BadBadNotGood chronology
BBNG2 (2012) III (2014) Sour Soul (2015)

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	72/100 [2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
CMJ	favourable[4]
Exclaim!	8/10[5]
NME	7/10[6]
Now	[7]
PopMatters	7/10[8]
The 405	7/10[9]

Upon its release, III received positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 72 based on 8 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable".^[2]

In the review for AllMusic, James Pearce claimed that "III captures the raw energy, togetherness, and musicianship of a live concert, at points drifting off at a tangent and then rejoining to climactic chord structures and beautiful jazz melodies.''

The album was a longlisted nominee for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize.^[10]

''Can't Leave the Night'' was used as the opening theme music for the 2023 Netflix series Lockwood & Co. (TV series)

Track listing

All songs are produced by BADBADNOTGOOD and Frank Dukes.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Triangle"	3:47
2.	"Can't Leave the Night"	4:39
3.	"Confessions" (featuring Leland Whitty)	5:01
4.	"Kaleidoscope"	7:06
5.	"Eyes Closed"	5:58
6.	"Hedron"	5:41
7.	"Differently, Still"	4:43
8.	"Since You Asked Kindly"	4:41
9.	"CS60"	6:52
Total length:		48:28

Rappcats Exclusive Version^[11]

No.	Title	Length
10.	"Shame (Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – BBNG Remix)"	3:12
Total length:		51:40

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[12]

BADBADNOTGOOD

• Matthew Tavares – piano, keyboards, synthesizer, electric guitar; composer and producer
• Chester Hansen – bass guitar, upright bass, electric guitar, synthesizer, sampler; composer and producer
• Alexander Sowinski – drums, percussion, synthesizer, sampler; composer and producer, photographer

Additional contributors

• Leland Whitty – tenor & baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; violin & viola (track 5); composer (track 3)^[13]
• Tommy Paxton-Beesley – cello & violin; electric guitar (track 9); string arranger (track 9)
• Tom Moffat – trumpet
• Frank Dukes – producer, assistant engineer
• Stephen Koszler – mixing, engineer
• Matt MacNeil – assistant engineer
• João Carvalho – mastering

Charts

Chart (2014)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14]	90
US Top Dance Albums (Billboard)[15]	10
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[16]	2
US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard)[17]	1
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[18]	10