Something About Faith
Encyclopedia
Something About Faith is the sixth studio album by American singer Faith Evans
, released on Prolific Music Group on October 5, 2010 in the United States. Distributed by E1 Music, the album marks Evans' first independent release, following her departure from Bad Boy Records
in 2003 and her subsequent but short-lived engagement with Capitol Records
in 2005. The album attained a UK release on December 6, 2010.
The project involves production by Chucky Thompson
, Mike City
, and Salaam Remi
, Starr Strukk among others and Evans collaborated with singer Keyshia Cole
, and rappers Redman and Snoop Dogg
for the album. The album's first single, "Gone Already
", was released in August 2010 and peaked at number 26 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart. The song was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the 2011 Grammy Awards
.
), the song received warm reception from critics - one of whom listed the "Toni Braxton
-worthy breakup ballad" as one of the "standouts" on Something About Faith. Promoted by live performances on The Wendy Williams Show
on October 8, 2010 and The Mo'Nique Show
on November 12, 2010. "Gone Already" spent seventeen weeks on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart where it peaked at number 26. The song was also promoted with the release of a music video
on Evans' and E1 Music's official YouTube
channels.
On February 14, 2011, a high definition
music video
for "Right Here" was released on Evans' official YouTube account, suggesting that it is the second single from the album, though this is yet to be confirmed. "Right Here" goes for adds at Urban AC on 4/12/11 as the second official single.
described the album as being "ordinary, non-controversial and unassuming" and felt that Evans' voice had been "toned down" and "harnessed so much that there's very few thickly passionate or dramatic moments...and some songs have such an overproduced feel to them that Faith's essence gets lost in the mix" despite noting that "at her best, she's a compelling, top-tier vocalist who's luscious voice has the power to mesmerize". Likewise, Melanie Sims of The Canadian Press described the album as being a "batch of soulful yet predictable ballads", noting "Party" as sounding "dated" and Evans sounding "choked" on "Can't Stay Away". However, Sims praised the "elegant sound" of "Gone Already", the "super smooth "Right Here" and bedtime ballad "Baby Lay", before going on to state that "Troubled World" is "the only track that manages to show the true depth and richness of the voice that has gotten Evans this far". While Andy Kellman of Allmusic described "this round of songs" as "pleasant" but "merely decent" and stated that the album "does not pack the lasting value boasted by Evans' most recent work" - such as The First Lady
which he hailed as being "one of Faith Evans' strongest albums".
As of September 15, 2011, with very limited promotion and only one single, the album has sold, 78,980 copies.
Faith Evans
Faith Renée Evans is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, record producer, actress and author. Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Evans relocated to Los Angeles during 1993 for a career with the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B...
, released on Prolific Music Group on October 5, 2010 in the United States. Distributed by E1 Music, the album marks Evans' first independent release, following her departure from Bad Boy Records
Bad Boy Records
Bad Boy Records is a record label founded in 1993 by producer/rapper/entrepreneur Sean "Diddy" Combs. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and is distributed by Atlantic Records.-Beginnings:...
in 2003 and her subsequent but short-lived engagement with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in 2005. The album attained a UK release on December 6, 2010.
The project involves production by Chucky Thompson
Chucky Thompson
Carl E. "Chucky" Thompson is a hip hop/R&B record producer. Thompson was a member of Bad Boy Entertainment's "Hitmen" team of in-house producers during the 1990s, and worked with Bad Boy mogul Sean Combs on material for artists such as The Notorious B.I.G. and Mase. He was responsible for album...
, Mike City
Mike City
Mike City is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Flowers is also the founder and CEO of Unsung Entertainment, Inc. He's currently working on his personal album titledMike City a.k.a...
, and Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi Gibbs, better known as Salaam Remi, is a hip hop producer and keyboard player, known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, and his reggae-tinged approach to production...
, Starr Strukk among others and Evans collaborated with singer Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Myeshia Cole Gibson born October 15, 1981) is an American singer–songwriter and actress. She gained nationwide acclaim when her 2005 debut album, The Way It Is went platinum. Her sophomore album Just Like You went into production shortly after that and was released in September 2007...
, and rappers Redman and Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
for the album. The album's first single, "Gone Already
Gone Already
"Gone Already" is the first single from Faith Evans sixth studio album, Something About Faith . The song peaked at number 26 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Chart...
", was released in August 2010 and peaked at number 26 on the US Billboard 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. The song was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the 2011 Grammy Awards
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were...
.
Singles
"Gone Already" was released as the album's lead single on August 10, 2010. Written by Faith Evans, Carvin Haggins, Ivan Barias, Ryan Toby, Corey Williams and Johnathan Smith, and produced by Haggins and Ivan (better known as Carvin & IvanCarvin & Ivan (Karma Productions)
Carvin & Ivan is a multi-platinum production duo out of Philadelphia consisting of Grammy nominated producer/songwriters Ivan "Orthodox" Barias and Carvin "Ransum" Haggins...
), the song received warm reception from critics - one of whom listed the "Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
-worthy breakup ballad" as one of the "standouts" on Something About Faith. Promoted by live performances on The Wendy Williams Show
The Wendy Williams Show
The Wendy Williams Show is a syndicated talk show hosted by Wendy Williams that premiered on July 14, 2008, as six-week sneak peek, in Detroit, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York City. The test run was picked up for a full season that began its run on July 13, 2009 in over 70% of the country in...
on October 8, 2010 and The Mo'Nique Show
The Mo'Nique Show
The Mo'Nique Show is an American talk show hosted by comedienne actress Mo'Nique. Aired on BET, the series began October 5, 2009. She is the first African American woman to host her own late night show. The show's second and final season premiered on Monday, October 4, 2010.On July 18, 2011, BET...
on November 12, 2010. "Gone Already" spent seventeen weeks on the US Billboard 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 where it peaked at number 26. The song was also promoted with the release of a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
on Evans' and E1 Music's official YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channels.
On February 14, 2011, a high definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Right Here" was released on Evans' official YouTube account, suggesting that it is the second single from the album, though this is yet to be confirmed. "Right Here" goes for adds at Urban AC on 4/12/11 as the second official single.
Critical
Upon its release, Something About Faith received generally mixed to positive reviews from most music critics. Ed Masley of AZCentral stated that "there's a lot to like" and went on to praise her "honeyed vocals" on "The Way You Move", but despite feeling that "the better songs could definitely hold their own on any future greatest hits collection" he went on to note that "Like a lot of R&B releases, it may be a bit on the top-heavy side". On the contrary Mark Edward Nero of About.comAbout.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
described the album as being "ordinary, non-controversial and unassuming" and felt that Evans' voice had been "toned down" and "harnessed so much that there's very few thickly passionate or dramatic moments...and some songs have such an overproduced feel to them that Faith's essence gets lost in the mix" despite noting that "at her best, she's a compelling, top-tier vocalist who's luscious voice has the power to mesmerize". Likewise, Melanie Sims of The Canadian Press described the album as being a "batch of soulful yet predictable ballads", noting "Party" as sounding "dated" and Evans sounding "choked" on "Can't Stay Away". However, Sims praised the "elegant sound" of "Gone Already", the "super smooth "Right Here" and bedtime ballad "Baby Lay", before going on to state that "Troubled World" is "the only track that manages to show the true depth and richness of the voice that has gotten Evans this far". While Andy Kellman of Allmusic described "this round of songs" as "pleasant" but "merely decent" and stated that the album "does not pack the lasting value boasted by Evans' most recent work" - such as The First Lady
The First Lady
The First Lady received positive reviews from most music critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 72, based on 17 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews"...
which he hailed as being "one of Faith Evans' strongest albums".
Commercial
Something About Faith debuted (in the US) at number fifteen on the Billboard Top 200, number four on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at number one on the Billboard Independent Albums chart with 23,586 copies sold.As of September 15, 2011, with very limited promotion and only one single, the album has sold, 78,980 copies.
Track listing
Credits from UrbanBridgez.com and BestBuy.comPersonnel
- Bert Padell, Trevor Baptiste – Management
- Alejandro Barajas – Mixing Assistant
- Ivan "Orthodox" Barias – Engineer, Instrumentation, Producer
- Joe Basurto – Design Consultant
- Darrell Robinson, Carvin "Ransum" Haggins, Anthony Bell – Producer
- Charlie Bereal – Guitar, Guitar Overdubs
- Kristene Bernard – Make-Up
- Derek Blanks – Photography
- Ben Briggs III – Additional Production, Associate Executive Producer, Drums, Engineer, Mixing, Producer, Programming
- Patrick "Devinaire" Briggs – Keyboards, Producer
- Tyler Nicolo, Daniel Laporte, Joe the Butcher, Carvin Haggins, Gleyder "Gee" Disla, Shon Brooks – Engineer
- "You Can Ask" Giz, Bob Horn, Eric "Ebo" Butler – Mixing
- Corey Latif, Ebony Carr-Baskin – backing vocals
- Mike City – Instrumentation, Producer
- Jeffry Rameau, Patrick Hewlett, Brandon Henderson, George Gumbs, Gerald Deus, Fabian Cooke, A.J. Clarke – Assistant Engineer
- Don Lee Samuels, D.J. Rogers Jr., Kirk Moore, Richard Glass, Toni Coleman, Danny Coakley, Alex Clarke – Vocals
- Brian Culberston – Fender Rhodes, Piano, Synthesizer
- Laurel Dann – A&R
- Marleny Dominguez – Label Direction
- Thomas Drayton – bass guitar
- Faith Evans – A&R, Executive Producer, Producer, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals (Background)
- Kenny Olsen, Chuck Gibson – Guitar
- Paul Grosso – Creative Director, Design
- Bernie Grundman – Mastering
- Dae Dae Haddon – Drums
- IBE – Engineer, Instrumentation, Producer
- Eric Ingram – Dubs, Guitar (Bass)
- Derek Lafayette – Marketing
- Bianca Lewis – Grooming
- Lex Lipsitz – Percussion
- Arnold Mischkulnig – Mastering, Mixing
- Bishop Moore – Consultant
- Malik Pendleton – Instrumentation, Mixing, Producer
- Darrell Miller, Fox Rothschild, Julian Petty – Legal Advisor
- Shanell Red – Vocal Arrangement
- Salaam Remi – Arranger, Bass, Drums, Guitar, Producer
- Kye Russaw – Assistant Engineer, Engineer, Instrumentation, Producer
- Todd Russaw – A&R, Executive Producer, Management
- Gil Smith II – Additional Production
- Johnnie "Smurf" Smith – Additional Production, Keyboards
- Dee "Pitboss" Sonaram – A&R, Promoter
- Staybent Krunk A-Delic – Programming
- Kyle Stewart – Engineer, Instrumentation, Producer
- Shadow Stokes – Promoter
- Chucky Thompson – Instrumentation, Moog Synthesizer, Producer
- Brad Todd – Additional Production, Engineer, Executive Producer, Mixing, Producer
- Mickel Valere – Guitar (Acoustic)
- Keonte Vincent – Engineer, Vocals (Background)
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US 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... |
15 |
| US Billboard Independent Albums Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
1 |
| US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 4 |