Human (Brandy album)
Encyclopedia
Human is the fifth studio album
by American R&B
singer Brandy
, first released in France in December 2008 and by March 2009 in most international music markets. Distributed by Koch Records
and Sony Music, the album marked Brandy's debut on the Epic Records
label, following her split with Atlantic Records
in 2005, and her reunion with long-time contributor and mentor Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, who wrote and executive produced most of the album with his songwriting collective.
Generally well-received by critics, Human debuted at number fifteen on the U.S. Billboard 200
with opening week sales of 73,000 copies, becoming the singer's lowest-charting debut since her first album fourteen years prior. With a domestic sales total of 210,045 copies, it widely failed to revive the success of its predecessors, also becoming the singer's lowest-selling effort to date. While leading single "Right Here (Departed)
" scored Brandy her biggest chart success since 2002's "Full Moon," the album failed to impact elsewhere, resulting into lackluster sales in general and the release of just one other single, "Long Distance
."
In mid-2009 during the recording sessions for Norwood's sixth album (and second with Epic Records), Norwood ended her management contract with Roc Nation
. This was followed by the termination of her contract with Epic, after singer-songwriter Amanda Ghost
was appointed the new president of the label.. Disappointed by its performance, Norwood later expressed her dislike of the album itself.
the same year. Yet unsigned, she entered the studio with several songwriters and producers to create a follow-up to 2004's Afrodisiac
, including Scandinavia
n production team Maximum Risk, Tim & Bob
, and Rockwilder
, as well as Atlanta-based Bryan Michael Cox
and partner WyldCard
, with whom she recorded at least three tracks, among others. Cox, in addition, was entlisted as the album's executive producer
at one time or another, as he confirmed in an interview with AllHiphop in 2007.
It was not until spring 2008, the singer started to record new songs with Midi Mafia
, RedOne
, and Toby Gad
, and reunited with former mentor Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins following his absence on the Afrodisiac album due to a disagreement on Brandy's decision to work with Timbaland
in 2003. Jerkins went on to produce the bulk of Human, and as a result, joined her to executive produce
the album, replacing producer Brian Kennedy
, whose tracks — except "Fall" and "Locket (Locked in Love)" — were not included on the album. On her decision to revamp the album with Jerkins, Brandy commented: "With Rodney being the person who produced [the first single], I, of course, wanted to go from there because of our history and all the music we have made in the past. It felt like the right thing to do. It felt like home for me, because we work so well together and we have a great chemistry," she said. "So, I wanted to see where that chemistry would take us creatively this time round." While they considered the project complete by September 2008 and Epic Records
announced the U.S. release of the album for November 11, a call by Timbaland
, who requested Brandy to record additional music with him and protegés J-Roc
and James Fauntleroy, caused a month-long delay of Human. His tracks did however also not make the final cut on the album track listing as he was unable to contribute trademark backing vocals to his songs.
In addition, Brandy worked with producers Rico Love
, Blac Elvis
, Rob Knox
, The Clutch
, and songwriters Chasity Nwagbara, Atozzio "T-Wiz "Townes, Kara DioGuardi
, and Greg Curtis on Human, although their songs remain yet unreleased on any format. Further studio collaborations with Kerry "Krucial" Brothers, Missy Elliott
, Yung Berg
, Tonex
, and Taio Cruz
, by contrast, failed to materialize due to scheduling conflicts.
, the song depicts the singer rhapsodizing about love. It received generally mixed reviews, with The Boston Globe
emphasizing it the most essential track on Human, and reached number sixteen on the Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart based on downloads only. "Warm It Up (With Love)," another Darkchild production, was created around a piano
sample
and released to strong positive reactions. Highlighted by AllMusic and Slant Magazine
, Newsday
writer Glenn Gamboa noted it as "guiding principle" on the album. Lead single
"Right Here (Departed)
" was not recorded until late into the production of Human and the first song Brandy recorded with Jerkins following their musical reunification in early June 2008. Written by The Writing Camp
and recorded with therapeutical
background, the track chronicles a woman's talks about mutual support with loved ones. It reached number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
chart, number 22 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart and the top ten of the French Singles Chart, becoming the singer's biggest chart success in years. Fourth track "Piano Man" was recorded as an ode to the kind of creative relationship cultivated by a vocalist and his or her producer or DJ.
Second single "Long Distance
," a ballad about the difficulties of a long-distance relationship
, was released to positive reactions by critics, with The New York Times
calling it an "hymnlike single that distantly echoes Janet Jackson
’s "Again
." On the charts however, the track tanked, although it became the album's second consecutive number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
chart. Sixth track "Camouflage," one out of two songs on the album that were penned by songwriter Claude Kelly
, garnered strong reviews in general, with Newsday delaring it a "worthy cousin to Beyoncé's 'Irreplaceable
' that [is] more about esteem-raising and self-improvement than a search for a sassy put-down." "Torn Down," a joint production by Midi Mafia
and Dapo Torimiro
, was one of the few prominent Human features on the setlist of Brandy's promotional 2009 concert tour
. Incorporating elements of country music
, critics noted it a "resolute, crisp mix of static synths, acoustic guitar
, and hand claps." Brandy wrote the album's title track with help from producer Toby Gad
and Canadian singer Esthero
. A "silky R&B anthem" as described by Newsday, the adult contemporary ballad deals with forgiveness. "Shattered Heart" is a downbeat track, that incorporates elements of Middle Eastern music
and changes its tempo after three minutes. It has been described as the only "Timbo
-esque" record on Human.
The album's twelfth track, a piano-driven ballad entitled "True," was contributed by RedOne
and Claude Kelly
and initially written for Michael Jackson
. The song was re-arranged and partially re-written to fit Norwood's persona. Released to positive reviews by critics, who noted it one of the stronger tracks on Human, the song also managed to enter the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart due to high download numbers, reaching number eighteen. "A Capella (Something's Missing)," produced by Soundz
, is a near-a cappella
song on which Brandy provides "a polyphonic cyberchorus" with multiple tracks of her own voice. Humming the bassline and providing the rhythm, the instrumentation on the track consists of a sole electric guitar
. Hand-clap-laden uptempo recording "1st & Love," the album's fourteenth track, depicts a woman's euphoria with a new-found love at first sight
and was discussed as the third single at times. Final track "Fall," another piano ballad
, was co-written by label mate Natasha Bedingfield
. As reported Brandy and Bedingfield were forced to delay their first joint recording session from Atlanta, Georgia
to Los Angeles, California
as singer Chris Brown and his entourage crashed into the studio, where they blasted Brown's songs and horsed around.
in any category, it received generally favorable reviews from music critics, averaging a 69 out of a 100 among averaged reviews on Metacritic
. Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe
complimented the album as appropriately rich and varied: "It's better than good enough. It's a light, breezy listen that shows off Brandy's resilience, humility, joy, and vibrancy." She especially highlighted Jerkins' input on the album: "Jerkins manages to bring out the expressive best in her pleasantly raspy vocalizing." The Guardian
writer Alex Macpherson noted Human "a thoughtful, intimate work on which Norwood sings movingly about fragility and fear," giving it four and a half stars out of five, while Andy Kellman of AllMusic called the album Brandy's "most platitudinal" and "least enjoyable release in her catalog," adding: "Brandy is clearly in a comfort zone that enables her to open up more than ever [...] Human is nothing if not a serious album. But it could very well be her most useful one." He gave the album three and half stars out of five. Billboard
magazine said that "while Human is missing the sassy Brandy we know and love from such tracks like 'I Wanna Be Down
' and 'Talk About Our Love
,' we can still appreciate the much-needed solace of setting personal turmoil to memorable music."
Jon Dolan, writing for Blender
, gave the album three out of five stars and commended Norwood's decision to re-team with Jerkins: "Now she’s gone back to girlie hip-hop Eden
; four songs were written by Jerkins, author of her best late-’90s hits. Fluttery jams about long distance longing and time-suspending slow dances are balanced by grown-up moments of deeply felt, if slightly weird, balladic fortitude." Jon Pareles from The New York Times
felt that the sentiments of the songs, whether self-affirming or heartbroken, were back to generic ones: "Song titles like 'Torn Down' and 'Shattered Heart' show how much Brandy is trying to get serious, taking on an adult world where happily ever after is elusive. But she still comes across as a fledgling, a personality still being formed, eagerly tagging along after her role models." In his review for Entertainment Weekly
, Henry Goldblatt noted "the huskiness that defined Brandy's prior work has been replaced by wispier and higher tones. The result is pleasant but far less ambitious than her last CD, 2004's Afrodisiac
." Mikael Wood's review for Los Angeles Times
was less emphatic. He gave the album one and a half stars out of four, and said: "Unfortunately, it's also hard to make it through the thing. Brandy's strong suit has never been her thoughtfulness; appropriately for someone with her Hollywood history, she's long been one of R&B's emptiest vessels, a gorgeous voice used by a series of gifted producers to communicate their own unique ideas."
s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
chart, and at number fifteen on the official Billboard 200
chart, with moderately successful first week sales of 73,000 copies (about half as much as her previous effort album Afrodisiac
), making it Brandy's second-lowest charting effort in the U.S. behind her debut album fourteen years prior which reached the number 20 position. In addition, the album reached number six on the Billboard Top Digital Albums chart. While leading single "Right Here (Departed)
" became Brandy's best-charting single success in years throughout Europe, Human widely underperformed overseas, failing to enter most national music charts. It however, reached the top fifty of the Belgian Albums Chart
, and made it to the top 200 of the French Albums Chart.
In mid-2009, during the production of new material for a second album with the label, Epic Records ended their contract with Brandy following the appointment of Amanda Ghost
, making Human her only album with the label. While the singer stated that she was not trying "to focus on the sales or chart position anymore", a Los Angeles Times
article revealed her discontent with the success of the project the following year when asked about the commercial failure of Human during a 2009 interview: "It was lacking my belief in it. It lacked my vision. Pretty much bottom line, if you don’t believe in something it’s not going to go," she said. "So do I believe that Human was as creative as Never Say Never and Full Moon? No, I do not. You definitely want to put something out that’s like that. I felt at the same time I could have had much better songs and a much better set-up." A statement she made during a 2010 interview with Out magazine
turned out more harsh: "To hell with that album! [...] Where I felt creatively it could’ve gone and the space I was in creatively, I needed everybody around me to be in that same space. It would’ve been a different album, but with the same inspiration and same blessing for other people. It would’ve been hotter music and a hotter look." Blaming herself for the album’s commercial results, Norwood dismissed the album as “too pop.” The debut season of her 2010 VH1
reality series Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business
further revealed that the album's underperformance resulted into another argument between her and executive producer Rodney Jerkins, whose commitment to the project Brandy felt not as "creative and forthcoming" as on previous albums. Jerkins had distanced himself from the project following its official release, declaring his dissatisfaction with the involvement of other producers on the album.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
singer Brandy
Brandy Norwood
Brandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
, first released in France in December 2008 and by March 2009 in most international music markets. Distributed by Koch Records
Koch Records
E1 Music , the primary subsidiary of E1 Entertainment LP, is the largest independent record label in the United States. It is also distributed by the Universal Music Group in Europe under the name E1 Universal...
and Sony Music, the album marked Brandy's debut on the Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
label, following her split with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
in 2005, and her reunion with long-time contributor and mentor Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, who wrote and executive produced most of the album with his songwriting collective.
Generally well-received by critics, Human debuted at number fifteen on the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
with opening week sales of 73,000 copies, becoming the singer's lowest-charting debut since her first album fourteen years prior. With a domestic sales total of 210,045 copies, it widely failed to revive the success of its predecessors, also becoming the singer's lowest-selling effort to date. While leading single "Right Here (Departed)
Right Here (Departed)
"Right Here " is a song by American singer Brandy, written by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and The Writing Camp members Evan "Kidd" Bogart, Victoria Horn, Erika Nuri, and David "DQ" Quiñones and produced by Jerkins for her fifth studio album Human...
" scored Brandy her biggest chart success since 2002's "Full Moon," the album failed to impact elsewhere, resulting into lackluster sales in general and the release of just one other single, "Long Distance
Long Distance (song)
"Long Distance" is a song by American recording artist Brandy Norwood. It was written by Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Jeff Bhasker, and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and was co-produced by Jerkins and Mars for her fifth studio album Human , on which it appears as the seventh track...
."
In mid-2009 during the recording sessions for Norwood's sixth album (and second with Epic Records), Norwood ended her management contract with Roc Nation
Roc Nation
Roc Nation is an American management, music publishing and entertainment company founded by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter.-History:In April 2008, Live Nation partnered with Jay-Z to create Roc Nation...
. This was followed by the termination of her contract with Epic, after singer-songwriter Amanda Ghost
Amanda Ghost
Amanda Ghost is a singer and songwriter from Enfield, North London, England. After an initial period in which she performed as a solo artist, she formed a band which performed under her name, and of which she was the lead singer...
was appointed the new president of the label.. Disappointed by its performance, Norwood later expressed her dislike of the album itself.
Background and development
Although much of the album was not recorded until late into its production, Brandy had been working on and off on her fifth regular studio album since 2005, following her departure with Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
the same year. Yet unsigned, she entered the studio with several songwriters and producers to create a follow-up to 2004's Afrodisiac
Afrodisiac
Afrodisiac is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Brandy Norwood, released by Atlantic Records on June 28, 2004 on most international territories and on June 29, 2004 in Canada and the United States...
, including Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n production team Maximum Risk, Tim & Bob
Tim & Bob
Tim & Bob aka Funktwons, are Grammy Award-winning songwriting musicians and a Hip-hop/R&B pop production duo. Tim & Bob have discovered and or worked on some of the biggest artists in the music industry and has helped develop the Atlanta music scene as it is widely known for today...
, and Rockwilder
Rockwilder
Rockwilder is an American hip hop and R&B record producer, rapper, and R&B Singer. A long term friend of Def Jam rapper Redman, Rockwilder got his start producing for East Coast Hip Hop artists in the mid 1990s. In 1999 Rockwilder produced Method Man & Redman's hit single "Da Rockwilder"...
, as well as Atlanta-based Bryan Michael Cox
Bryan Michael Cox
Bryan-Michael Cox is a GRAMMY award winning American songwriter and record producer.-History:Bryan-Michael Cox was born in Miami and grew up in Houston, where he attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. While in the eleventh grade he met and was mentored by Greg Curtis...
and partner WyldCard
WyldCard
Kendrick J. Dean, also known as WyldCard, is an American Grammy Nominated musical composer, and record producer. He has co-written and co-produced singles including: Chris Brown's "Say Goodbye"; Danity Kane's "Ride For You"; Bobby Valentino's "How Bout It"; Toni Braxton's "Trippin'"; Mary J...
, with whom she recorded at least three tracks, among others. Cox, in addition, was entlisted as the album's executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
at one time or another, as he confirmed in an interview with AllHiphop in 2007.
It was not until spring 2008, the singer started to record new songs with Midi Mafia
Midi Mafia
Midi Mafia is a hip hop/R&B production duo consisting of American Bruce Waynne from Brooklyn, New York and Canadian Dirty Swift from Ottawa, Ontario...
, RedOne
RedOne
Nadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...
, and Toby Gad
Toby Gad
Tobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
, and reunited with former mentor Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins following his absence on the Afrodisiac album due to a disagreement on Brandy's decision to work with Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
in 2003. Jerkins went on to produce the bulk of Human, and as a result, joined her to executive produce
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
the album, replacing producer Brian Kennedy
Brian Kennedy (producer)
Brian Kennedy Seals is an American songwriter, record producer and musician from Kansas City, MO. Revered as a piano prodigy, he has been making music tracks since 2001...
, whose tracks — except "Fall" and "Locket (Locked in Love)" — were not included on the album. On her decision to revamp the album with Jerkins, Brandy commented: "With Rodney being the person who produced [the first single], I, of course, wanted to go from there because of our history and all the music we have made in the past. It felt like the right thing to do. It felt like home for me, because we work so well together and we have a great chemistry," she said. "So, I wanted to see where that chemistry would take us creatively this time round." While they considered the project complete by September 2008 and Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
announced the U.S. release of the album for November 11, a call by Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
, who requested Brandy to record additional music with him and protegés J-Roc
The Royal Court
The Royal Court is a music production crew created by producer King Logan King arrived on the scene in 2007 with the hit single "Ice Box" by Omarion , co-produced with Timbaland, which generated over 100,000 radio spins and fostered more than 15 remixes.-Omarion - 21:*"Ice Box" *"Beg For It" The...
and James Fauntleroy, caused a month-long delay of Human. His tracks did however also not make the final cut on the album track listing as he was unable to contribute trademark backing vocals to his songs.
In addition, Brandy worked with producers Rico Love
Rico Love
Richard Preston Butler, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rico Love, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Love wrote and produced hit records such as Usher’s "There Goes My Baby" and "Hey Daddy ”, Nelly's "Just a Dream" and "Gone", Beyoncé Knowles' "Sweet Dreams"...
, Blac Elvis
Blac Elvis
Elvis Williams, better known as Blac Elvis, is an award-winning American record producer, musician and song writer. He rose to fame in 1999 co-producing alongside Polow da Don. Producing hits for Ludacris, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, Fergie, Rich Boy, Kelis, Nelly, Pussycat Dolls and Mario. Recently he...
, Rob Knox
The Underdogs (duo)
The Underdogs is an R&B/pop production duo composed of Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas.-Biography:Harvey Mason, Jr. is the son of Harvey Mason, Sr., a noted session drummer...
, The Clutch
The Clutch
The Clutch is an American collective of songwriters responsible for a series of successful singles including Omarion's "Ice Box", Ciara's "Like a Boy", Timbaland's "The Way I Are", Britney Spears' "Radar" and Raven-Symone's "Double Dutch Bus".-History:...
, and songwriters Chasity Nwagbara, Atozzio "T-Wiz "Townes, Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
, and Greg Curtis on Human, although their songs remain yet unreleased on any format. Further studio collaborations with Kerry "Krucial" Brothers, Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, Yung Berg
Yung Berg
Christian Ward , better known by his stage name Yung Berg, is an American rapper from Chicago. He is of African American and Puerto Rican descent. His first single was "Sexy Lady" which features R&B singer Junior. Yung Berg had been previously signed to DMX's Bloodline Records as Ice Berg. He is...
, Tonex
Tonéx
Anthony Charles Williams II , better known by his former stage name Tonéx , and most recently as B.Slade, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, dancer, producer, preacher, and activist. He has gone by various names and aliases, but his primary stage name of choice...
, and Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, occasional rapper, and entrepreneur. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which Cruz wrote, arranged and produced himself. It achieved initial success in the UK and earned him a MOBO Award nomination...
, by contrast, failed to materialize due to scheduling conflicts.
Content
Introduced by the words of Brandy's description of a human being on "Human Intro," the album opens with Jerkins-crafted "The Definition," one of the few uptempo recordings on the album. Penned by Atlanta writer Crystal JohnsonCristyle
Crystal Nicole Johnson, better known by her stage name Cristyle or sometimes credited as Cri$tyle is an American Grammy Award winning songwriter signed with So So Def/EMI Music.-Career:...
, the song depicts the singer rhapsodizing about love. It received generally mixed reviews, with The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
emphasizing it the most essential track on Human, and reached number sixteen on the Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart based on downloads only. "Warm It Up (With Love)," another Darkchild production, was created around a piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
and released to strong positive reactions. Highlighted by AllMusic and Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
, Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
writer Glenn Gamboa noted it as "guiding principle" on the album. Lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
"Right Here (Departed)
Right Here (Departed)
"Right Here " is a song by American singer Brandy, written by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and The Writing Camp members Evan "Kidd" Bogart, Victoria Horn, Erika Nuri, and David "DQ" Quiñones and produced by Jerkins for her fifth studio album Human...
" was not recorded until late into the production of Human and the first song Brandy recorded with Jerkins following their musical reunification in early June 2008. Written by The Writing Camp
The Writing Camp
The Writing Camp is an American songwriter collective, founded by Evan "Kidd" Bogart and David "DQ" Quiñones. Since its formation in 2007, the team has been responsible for a series of successful released in pop, R&B and dance music, including 2008's "Right Here " by Brandy and Beyoncé Knowles's...
and recorded with therapeutical
Therapy
This is a list of types of therapy .* Adventure therapy* Animal-assisted therapy* Aquatic therapy* Aromatherapy* Art and dementia* Art therapy* Authentic Movement* Behavioral therapy* Bibliotherapy* Buteyko Method* Chemotherapy...
background, the track chronicles a woman's talks about mutual support with loved ones. It reached number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart, number 22 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart and the top ten of the French Singles Chart, becoming the singer's biggest chart success in years. Fourth track "Piano Man" was recorded as an ode to the kind of creative relationship cultivated by a vocalist and his or her producer or DJ.
Second single "Long Distance
Long Distance (song)
"Long Distance" is a song by American recording artist Brandy Norwood. It was written by Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Jeff Bhasker, and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and was co-produced by Jerkins and Mars for her fifth studio album Human , on which it appears as the seventh track...
," a ballad about the difficulties of a long-distance relationship
Long-distance relationship
A long-distance relationship is typically an intimate relationship that takes place when the partners are separated by a considerable distance....
, was released to positive reactions by critics, with The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
calling it an "hymnlike single that distantly echoes Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
’s "Again
Again (Janet Jackson song)
"Again" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her fifth studio album, janet. . Written and produced by Jackson, James Harris III, and Terry Lewis, the ballad was released as the album's third single in October 1993. "Again" topped the U.S...
." On the charts however, the track tanked, although it became the album's second consecutive number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart. Sixth track "Camouflage," one out of two songs on the album that were penned by songwriter Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly is an American singer-songwriter. He has a prolific discography, well known for writing for artists such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Jay Sean, Adam Lambert, Jessie J and Charice.-Career:He began playing the piano...
, garnered strong reviews in general, with Newsday delaring it a "worthy cousin to Beyoncé's 'Irreplaceable
Irreplaceable
"Irreplaceable" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . The song was written by Knowles, Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund, and produced by Stargate and Knowles...
' that [is] more about esteem-raising and self-improvement than a search for a sassy put-down." "Torn Down," a joint production by Midi Mafia
Midi Mafia
Midi Mafia is a hip hop/R&B production duo consisting of American Bruce Waynne from Brooklyn, New York and Canadian Dirty Swift from Ottawa, Ontario...
and Dapo Torimiro
Dapo Torimiro
Dapo Torimiro is a multi-platinum songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and singer. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, he has worked in the music industry in the U.S...
, was one of the few prominent Human features on the setlist of Brandy's promotional 2009 concert tour
Human World Tour
The Human World Tour is the second solo concert tour by American recording artist, Brandy. Often acknowledged as the Just Human Tour, the outing supported her fifth studio album, Human. The tour was the singer's first concert tour in nearly ten years and was well received by the public and critics...
. Incorporating elements of country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, critics noted it a "resolute, crisp mix of static synths, acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, and hand claps." Brandy wrote the album's title track with help from producer Toby Gad
Toby Gad
Tobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
and Canadian singer Esthero
Esthero
Esthero ,born Jenny-Bea Englishman, is a Canadian singer-songwriter who currently lives in Los Angeles, California. The name Esthero refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of herself and producer Doc McKinney...
. A "silky R&B anthem" as described by Newsday, the adult contemporary ballad deals with forgiveness. "Shattered Heart" is a downbeat track, that incorporates elements of Middle Eastern music
Middle Eastern music
The music of Western Asia and North Africa spans across a vast region, from Morocco to Afghanistan, and its influences can be felt even further afield. Middle Eastern music influenced the music of India, as well as Central Asia, Spain, Southern Italy, the Caucasus and the Balkans, as in chalga...
and changes its tempo after three minutes. It has been described as the only "Timbo
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
-esque" record on Human.
The album's twelfth track, a piano-driven ballad entitled "True," was contributed by RedOne
RedOne
Nadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...
and Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly is an American singer-songwriter. He has a prolific discography, well known for writing for artists such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Jay Sean, Adam Lambert, Jessie J and Charice.-Career:He began playing the piano...
and initially written for Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. The song was re-arranged and partially re-written to fit Norwood's persona. Released to positive reviews by critics, who noted it one of the stronger tracks on Human, the song also managed to enter the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart due to high download numbers, reaching number eighteen. "A Capella (Something's Missing)," produced by Soundz
Soundz
Soundz is a producer specialising in Hip-Hop and R&B genres. Soundz has produced many songs of these genres, including "Look at Her" by One Chance, and has produced a lot of content for artists Pitbull, Trina, Young Boss, Ciara, Brandy and Rihanna....
, is a near-a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
song on which Brandy provides "a polyphonic cyberchorus" with multiple tracks of her own voice. Humming the bassline and providing the rhythm, the instrumentation on the track consists of a sole electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
. Hand-clap-laden uptempo recording "1st & Love," the album's fourteenth track, depicts a woman's euphoria with a new-found love at first sight
Love at first sight
Love at first sight is a common trope in Western literature, in which a person, character, or speaker feels romantic attraction for a stranger on the first sight of them...
and was discussed as the third single at times. Final track "Fall," another piano ballad
Piano ballad
Piano ballad is a term often used to refer to a piece for solo piano in the 19th century, during the romantic era. It was a term used to refer to a piece written in a "narrative" style, and was often lyrical in nature. This type of work made its premiere with Chopin's first romantic ballad, the...
, was co-written by label mate Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Anne Bedingfield is a British pop singer and songwriter. Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle...
. As reported Brandy and Bedingfield were forced to delay their first joint recording session from Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
as singer Chris Brown and his entourage crashed into the studio, where they blasted Brown's songs and horsed around.
Critical response
While Human became Brandy's first effort not be nominated for a Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in any category, it received generally favorable reviews from music critics, averaging a 69 out of a 100 among averaged reviews on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
complimented the album as appropriately rich and varied: "It's better than good enough. It's a light, breezy listen that shows off Brandy's resilience, humility, joy, and vibrancy." She especially highlighted Jerkins' input on the album: "Jerkins manages to bring out the expressive best in her pleasantly raspy vocalizing." The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
writer Alex Macpherson noted Human "a thoughtful, intimate work on which Norwood sings movingly about fragility and fear," giving it four and a half stars out of five, while Andy Kellman of AllMusic called the album Brandy's "most platitudinal" and "least enjoyable release in her catalog," adding: "Brandy is clearly in a comfort zone that enables her to open up more than ever [...] Human is nothing if not a serious album. But it could very well be her most useful one." He gave the album three and half stars out of five. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine said that "while Human is missing the sassy Brandy we know and love from such tracks like 'I Wanna Be Down
I Wanna Be Down
"I Wanna Be Down" is the debut song performed by American singer Brandy. It was co-written and produced by Keith Crouch and Kipper Jones for the singer's self-titled debut studio album, Brandy , and released as its lead single during the third quarter of 1994...
' and 'Talk About Our Love
Talk About Our Love
"Talk About Our Love" is a song performed by American entertainer Brandy. It was written by producers Kanye West and Harold Lilly for her fourth studio album, Afrodisiac , and produced by West, who moreover appears as a featured artist on it...
,' we can still appreciate the much-needed solace of setting personal turmoil to memorable music."
Jon Dolan, writing for Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
, gave the album three out of five stars and commended Norwood's decision to re-team with Jerkins: "Now she’s gone back to girlie hip-hop Eden
Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden is in the Bible's Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived after they were created by God. Literally, the Bible speaks about a garden in Eden...
; four songs were written by Jerkins, author of her best late-’90s hits. Fluttery jams about long distance longing and time-suspending slow dances are balanced by grown-up moments of deeply felt, if slightly weird, balladic fortitude." Jon Pareles from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
felt that the sentiments of the songs, whether self-affirming or heartbroken, were back to generic ones: "Song titles like 'Torn Down' and 'Shattered Heart' show how much Brandy is trying to get serious, taking on an adult world where happily ever after is elusive. But she still comes across as a fledgling, a personality still being formed, eagerly tagging along after her role models." In his review for Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, Henry Goldblatt noted "the huskiness that defined Brandy's prior work has been replaced by wispier and higher tones. The result is pleasant but far less ambitious than her last CD, 2004's Afrodisiac
Afrodisiac
Afrodisiac is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Brandy Norwood, released by Atlantic Records on June 28, 2004 on most international territories and on June 29, 2004 in Canada and the United States...
." Mikael Wood's review for Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
was less emphatic. He gave the album one and a half stars out of four, and said: "Unfortunately, it's also hard to make it through the thing. Brandy's strong suit has never been her thoughtfulness; appropriately for someone with her Hollywood history, she's long been one of R&B's emptiest vessels, a gorgeous voice used by a series of gifted producers to communicate their own unique ideas."
Commercial performance
One week after its domestic release, Human debuted at number five on the U.S. BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
chart, and at number fifteen on the official Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, with moderately successful first week sales of 73,000 copies (about half as much as her previous effort album Afrodisiac
Afrodisiac
Afrodisiac is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Brandy Norwood, released by Atlantic Records on June 28, 2004 on most international territories and on June 29, 2004 in Canada and the United States...
), making it Brandy's second-lowest charting effort in the U.S. behind her debut album fourteen years prior which reached the number 20 position. In addition, the album reached number six on the Billboard Top Digital Albums chart. While leading single "Right Here (Departed)
Right Here (Departed)
"Right Here " is a song by American singer Brandy, written by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and The Writing Camp members Evan "Kidd" Bogart, Victoria Horn, Erika Nuri, and David "DQ" Quiñones and produced by Jerkins for her fifth studio album Human...
" became Brandy's best-charting single success in years throughout Europe, Human widely underperformed overseas, failing to enter most national music charts. It however, reached the top fifty of the Belgian Albums Chart
Ultratop
Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts...
, and made it to the top 200 of the French Albums Chart.
In mid-2009, during the production of new material for a second album with the label, Epic Records ended their contract with Brandy following the appointment of Amanda Ghost
Amanda Ghost
Amanda Ghost is a singer and songwriter from Enfield, North London, England. After an initial period in which she performed as a solo artist, she formed a band which performed under her name, and of which she was the lead singer...
, making Human her only album with the label. While the singer stated that she was not trying "to focus on the sales or chart position anymore", a Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
article revealed her discontent with the success of the project the following year when asked about the commercial failure of Human during a 2009 interview: "It was lacking my belief in it. It lacked my vision. Pretty much bottom line, if you don’t believe in something it’s not going to go," she said. "So do I believe that Human was as creative as Never Say Never and Full Moon? No, I do not. You definitely want to put something out that’s like that. I felt at the same time I could have had much better songs and a much better set-up." A statement she made during a 2010 interview with Out magazine
Out (magazine)
Out is a popular gay and lesbian fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any gay monthly publication in the United States. It carries itself in a similar editorial manner to Details, Esquire, and GQ. Out was published by PlanetOut Inc...
turned out more harsh: "To hell with that album! [...] Where I felt creatively it could’ve gone and the space I was in creatively, I needed everybody around me to be in that same space. It would’ve been a different album, but with the same inspiration and same blessing for other people. It would’ve been hotter music and a hotter look." Blaming herself for the album’s commercial results, Norwood dismissed the album as “too pop.” The debut season of her 2010 VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
reality series Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business
Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business
Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business is an American reality series airing on VH1, and starring Brandy and her younger brother Ray J. The series premiered on April 11, 2010.- Overview :...
further revealed that the album's underperformance resulted into another argument between her and executive producer Rodney Jerkins, whose commitment to the project Brandy felt not as "creative and forthcoming" as on previous albums. Jerkins had distanced himself from the project following its official release, declaring his dissatisfaction with the involvement of other producers on the album.
Track listing
Musicians
- Jim Sitterly — violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Daniel Groover — guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Toby GadToby GadTobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
— guitar, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Brandy Norwood — lead vocals, backing vocals
- Jens Gad — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Alice Lord — violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Martin Bylund — violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Adam MessingerAdam MessingerAdam "Messy" Messinger is a Canadian songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist currently based in Los Angeles, California. Besides his solo work, he is part of the writing and production duo "The Messengers" along with Nasri Atweh.-Career:...
— piano, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - RedOneRedOneNadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...
— backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, piano - Tania Maxwell Clements — backing vocals
- Rodney JerkinsRodney JerkinsRodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
— backing vocals - Kee — backing vocals
- Dapo TorimiroDapo TorimiroDapo Torimiro is a multi-platinum songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and singer. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, he has worked in the music industry in the U.S...
— guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, programming
Production
- Brandy Norwood — executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
, vocal producer and arranger - Rodney Jerkins — producer, executive producer, arranger, conductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
- Brian Gardner — mastering
- Mike Donaldson — engineer
- Paul Foley — engineer
- LaShawn DanielsLaShawn DanielsLaShawn Ameen Daniels is an American songwriter, best known for his work with longtime colleague Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Daniels has written several of the Darkchild Team's hit songs, among them "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy & Monica, "Say My Name" and "Lose My Breath" by Destiny's Child, "You...
— vocal producer - Red One — programming, producer, arranger, instrumentation, editing
- Dapo TorimiroDapo TorimiroDapo Torimiro is a multi-platinum songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and singer. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, he has worked in the music industry in the U.S...
— producer - Bruce Waynne — producer
- Fusako Chubachi — art direction
- John D. Norten — engineer
- Andy Gwynn — engineer
- Rich King — vocal producer, arranger
- Toby Gad — arranger, programming, producer, vocal producer, recording
- James Fauntleroy — vocal producer
- Greg Ogan — engineer, vocal recording
- Claude Kelly — vocal arrangements
- Mattias Bylund — string arrangement
- SoundzSoundzSoundz is a producer specialising in Hip-Hop and R&B genres. Soundz has produced many songs of these genres, including "Look at Her" by One Chance, and has produced a lot of content for artists Pitbull, Trina, Young Boss, Ciara, Brandy and Rihanna....
— producer - Brian KennedyBrian Kennedy (producer)Brian Kennedy Seals is an American songwriter, record producer and musician from Kansas City, MO. Revered as a piano prodigy, he has been making music tracks since 2001...
— producer - Brandon Creed — executive producer
- Hit-Boy — producer
- Jordan Omley — vocal producer
- Chase N. Cashe — producer
- Bruno MarsBruno MarsPeter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age...
— producer - Chris Plata — producer
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Provider | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| French Albums Chart | SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... /IFOP |
129 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... |
15 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Digital Albums | 6 | |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
5 | |
| Chart (2009) | Provider | Peak position |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Flanders) |
Ultratop Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
81 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Wallonia) |
50 | |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
December 5, 2008 | Epic Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A... |
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
December 8, 2008 | |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
December 8, 2008 | |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
December 9, 2008 | Epic, Knockout Knockout Entertainment Knockout Entertainment is singer Ray J's vanity label, founded in 2004. The label specializes in R&B, hip hop, and gospel. Originally released under Sanctuary Records, a press release in December 2007 announced a new partnership with E1 Records.... , Koch Koch Records E1 Music , the primary subsidiary of E1 Entertainment LP, is the largest independent record label in the United States. It is also distributed by the Universal Music Group in Europe under the name E1 Universal... |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
||
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
February 18, 2009 | Epic, Sony Music Japan |
| Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
February 23, 2009 | Epic, Sony Music |
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... (limited CD/DVD edition) |
March 22, 2009 | Epic, Sony Music Japan |
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
March 27, 2009 | Sony Music |
| Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
||
| Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
External links
- Human at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
- ForeverBrandy.com — official site