| Against All Odds | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 November 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2008–2009 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:23 | |||
| Label | All Around the World | |||
| Producer |
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| N-Dubz chronology | ||||
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| Singles from 'Against All Odds' | ||||
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Against All Odds is the second studio album by English hip hop group N-Dubz. It was released in Ireland on 13 November 2009 and was released on 16 November 2009 in the UK. [3]
Following the release of Uncle B (2008), Tulisa told the Daily Star : "We have just taken a quick break. We're having fun since our return to the studio, and the album is sounding good." She revealed that the group have adopted unusual work patterns while making the new record: "We normally work till 5am - I come alive at midnight, like a vampire." [4] She added that the group had recorded a song called "Shoulda Put Something On", a track about teenage pregnancy, for the album. "It is about a young couple arguing whether to keep their unplanned baby. It's not something any of us have been through personally. But everyone knows someone who has. The three of us wrote down our different perspectives and we based the song around that. It's our favourite track on the album." [5] The group were rumoured to be recording a song with Kylie Minogue for the album, after she expressed praise for their debut album Uncle B, [6] however, Tulisa denied the rumours. [7] The group announced that the album would be released on November 16, 2009, before revealing the album title. When covering for Semtex on BBC Radio 1Xtra, Fazer and Tulisa stated that their former manager, Dappy's father (Byron Contostavlos), wanted Against All Odds to be the title of their debut album, but after his death, they changed it to Uncle B in memory of him and so Against All Odds was the title for their second album. They also confirm this in the album booklet. The album includes six different collaborations, including an updated version of the Tinchy Stryder's single "Number 1". Stryder's first verse was kept, but new verses by Tulisa and Fazer were recorded. The album was mixed at The Chairworks in Castleford Yorkshire by Kelvin Avon. The album has sold over 200,000 copies.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [8] |
| BBC | positive [9] |
| Entertainment.ie | [1] |
| The Guardian | [10] |
| Digital Spy | [11] |
| The Times | [12] |
The album had received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Entertainment.ie gave the album one star out of five. The review stated, "The problem is that their brand of music is such lowest-common-denominator stuff that it manages to offend even those that it's aimed at through its sheer awfulness. With a debut album ('Uncle B') that went platinum in less than a year, all the trio needed to do was write a quick follow-up to cash in on their popularity, and they’ve done exactly that. There's little creativity involved in these grimy tunes, smothered in layers of synthesized vocals and rapid-fire raps". [1] The Guardian gave it a mainly positive review, although they felt the album was "hardly exploding with originality, and the various references to Facebook, their beef with Swag Blanket and how many records they've sold do grate". [10] It finished by saying that "N-Dubz are bound to be inescapable in 2010 – most probably because they will be being blasted out of a mobile phone on the bus". [10] Digital Spy gave the album a solid 4/5 review, stating "The Camden crew's impressive second album positions them at the forefront of British pop music". [11]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Against All Odds" (Intro) | N-Dubz | 0:59 | |
| 2. | "I Need You" | N-Dubz |
| 3:20 |
| 3. | "Playing with Fire" (featuring Mr Hudson) |
|
| 3:47 |
| 4. | "Say It's Over" |
|
| 3:44 |
| 5. | "Na Na" (featuring Wiley) |
|
| 3:31 |
| 6. | "Shoulda Put Something On" | N-Dubz |
| 3:35 |
| 7. | "Duku Man" (featuring Fearless) |
|
| 2:24 |
| 8. | "I Don't Wanna Go To Sleep" | N-Dubz |
| 3:20 |
| 9. | "Suck Yourself" (featuring Chipmunk) |
|
| 4:24 |
| 10. | "No One Knows" |
|
| 3:23 |
| 11. | "Number 1" (featuring Tinchy Stryder) |
| Fraser T Smith | 3:33 |
| 12. | "Comfortable" | Tulisa Contostavlos | Fazer | 4:08 |
| 13. | "Let Me Be" (featuring Nivo) |
| Klemis | 3:39 |
| 14. | "Against All Odds" (Outro) | N-Dubz |
| 0:49 |
The group confirmed in an interview that the booklet will include several features along with the album [13] If a buyer logs on the "3D" page of the N-Dubz website and faces the back of the album booklet to their webcam, the trio will appear standing on the booklet and perform "I Need You". [14] The group call the booklet a "N-Dubz magazine", which includes the following: [15]
Credits for Against All Odds adapted from AllMusic. [16]
|
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) [23] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
"Playing with Fire" is a song by English hip-hop trio N-Dubz featuring English musician Mr Hudson. The song is the second single taken from N-Dubz' second album, Against All Odds. It is a rap song with lyrics about a girl realising that her boyfriend is cheating on her and trying to get him to confess. It shows both the man and the woman's point of view. It shows their communications with each other when the woman confronts the man.
"So Alive" is a song by British MC Skepta and British trio, N-Dubz. It was released as an official single on 6 February 2011. It is the fourth single released Skepta's third album Doin' It Again and N-Dubz's third album Love.Live.Life. The single peaked at #99 on the UK Singles Chart.
N-Dubz are an English hip-hop trio from Camden Town, London, England, consisting of cousins Dappy and Tulisa, and Fazer. After winning a MOBO Award for Best Newcomer in 2007, N-Dubz briefly signed with Polydor Records before joining All Around the World. Released the following year, the trio's debut album Uncle B was certified double platinum and gave rise to four UK top-40 singles.
"Ouch" is a song performed, written and produced by the English hip hop group N-Dubz. It was released as the group's fourth overall single, first single with the record label All Around the World and the first official single for their debut Platinum-selling album, Uncle B.
Uncle B is the debut studio album released by British hip hop group N-Dubz. The album is dedicated to former N-Dubz manager and father of Dappy, Byron Contostavlos, who died shortly before the band were signed to their second record label All Around the World. It entered the official UK Albums Chart at number 11. On 6 January 2009 it was announced on the official All Around the World website that the album had gone platinum. Seven singles have been released from the album, with the first three being released by LRC, and the last four being released by All Around the World. The album was not released until in 2008, despite recording starting in 2006. This was due to the group changing record label from LRC to All Around the World.
"Papa Can You Hear Me?" is a song by British hip hop trio, N-Dubz. The song is dedicated to the group's former manager Byron Contostavlos, who died shortly before the band were signed to new label All Around the World. The song later became their second top 40 hit in the UK.
"You Better Not Waste My Time" also known as "Better Not Waste My Time" is the debut single by British MOBO-award winning hip hop group N-Dubz. It was released on 19 August 2006 as a digital download only single, whilst the group was still self-funded. It was then later re-released on 22 October 2007, this time with a physical release and under the group's new record label at the time – Polydor Records. The single was later featured on N-Dubz's Platinum-selling debut album Uncle B which was released in November 2008.
"I Swear" is the second overall single released by English hip hop trio, N-Dubz under their self-funded record label. It was released on 12 September 2006 as their first mainstream release. The track later featured on the group's debut album, Uncle B, more than two years after the single was originally released.
"Strong Again" is a song by British hip hop trio, N-Dubz. It is the sixth single from their debut album Uncle B and was produced by Kano and Fraser T Smith. It was later the B-side to "We Dance On", which would eventually be the first single from their third studio album, Love.Live.Life. Both songs were included on the StreetDance Soundtrack. On 28 January 2009, the song was added to Radio 1's A-List, becoming their first single to do so. The single was released as a digital download on 9 February 2009. The song "Wouldn't You" was originally intended to be the sixth single, however, it was later released as the seventh single instead.
Costadinos Contostavlos, better known by his stage name Dappy, is an English rapper, singer, songwriter and actor. He is the lead singer of the Camden-based hip hop and grime trio N-Dubz, with his cousin Tulisa and Fazer. He was known for his lack of dress sense and his love for what he describes as "eye-catching headwear". His trademark was wearing a selection of woolly chullos, turning up one or both of the ear-flaps of the hat.
"Number 1" is a song by Ghanaian-British rapper Tinchy Stryder featuring vocals from Dappy of N-Dubz and co-written by Dappy, James Lavelle and Fraser T. Smith, who produced the track, for Stryder's second studio album, Catch 22. The song was released as a single on 20 April 2009 from Stryder's studio album Catch 22 and a remix was later included on N-Dubz's second studio album, Against All Odds.
Tula Paulinea "Tulisa" Contostavlos is an English singer, songwriter, rapper, television personality, and actress. As a part of the R&B/hip hop group N-Dubz with her cousin Dappy and friend Fazer, they gained two platinum-certified albums, two gold-certified albums, five MOBO awards, a Brit Award nomination, thirteen top 40 singles, six silver-certified singles, and three Urban Music Awards.
Richard Rawson, better known by his stage name Fazer, is a British rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and DJ. He is popularly known as a member of hip hop trio N-Dubz, with whom he released four studio albums and won four MOBO Awards.
"I Need You" is a song performed, written and produced by English hip hop trio N-Dubz. The song was written by all the group members: Dappy, Fazer and Tulisa. Dappy and Fazer have been noted as the track's producers. Released through All Around The World on 9 November 2009, "I Need You" acted as the group's eighth official single as well as the lead single from their Platinum-certified second album, Against All Odds.
"Say It's Over" is the third single from N-Dubz's second studio album Against All Odds, released on 25 April 2010. The lyrics grapple with the difficulties of ending a relationship. It reached #20 in the UK Singles Chart.
"Best Behaviour" is a song by British hip hop group N-Dubz. The song was produced by Dino Contostavlos, Richard Rawson and Mr Hudson and co-written by Tula Contostavlos, Dappy, Fazer, and Mr Hudson. It was released on 17 October 2010 as the second single from N-Dubz's third studio album, Love.Live.Life. Musically, the song is a R&B ballad with prominent British hip hop characteristics. The initial writing consisted of the group being inspired to pen a song for their launch in the United States in addition to Dappy's feelings for his girlfriend, Kaye Vassell. It was inspired by the group's touring lifestyle and their enthusiastic fans. Lyrically, it is about trading one-night stands with people in favour of real love.
Love.Live.Life is the third studio album released by English hip-hop trio N-Dubz, released on 29 November 2010, as a collaboration by All Around the World and Island Records. Following the release of the album the group announced a hiatus to focus on all three individual solo projects.
"Girls" is a song by British hip hop group N-Dubz. It is the third overall single taken from their third studio album, Love.Live.Life. The single was released as a digital download on 12 December 2010. The song was produced by Jim Jonsin and written by Tulisa, Dappy and Fazer, Jim Jonsin, Danny Morris, and Zachary Steiner Anderson. The single debuted on the UK Singles Chart on 5 December 2010, peaking at #23, based entirely on downloads from the album.
"Spaceship" is a song by rapper Tinchy Stryder and hip hop vocalist Dappy. It was meant to be the first single released from his fourth studio album entitled, Full Tank but Full Tank was scrapped making it a non-album single. It was released on 12 June 2011 as a digital download. The single features vocals from Rapper/singer Dappy of N-Dubz, as well as uncredited back up vocals from Tulisa Contostavlos, also from N-Dubz. This is Tinchy Stryder's first top five single since 2009.
The Female Boss is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter and N-Dubz member Tulisa. It was released on 3 December 2012 via All Around the World and Island Records. The album's artwork was revealed on 6 October 2012 via Tulisa's official Facebook page. The Female Boss originally was to be released on 26 November but was pushed back by one week. It incorporates hip hop, grime and R&B styles while enlisting a variety of producers; The-Dream, Fazer, Stereotypes, Rico Love, Diane Warren and Ed White, among others. The album features guests appearances from British rapper Wiley, American rapper Tyga and Nines. Three singles preceded the album's release; the lead single "Young" peaked at number 1 while "Live It Up" and "Sight of You" peaked within the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart.
The new N-Dubz album spins bleakly believable stories of urban life over the trio's now-familiar R&B/pop-rap/clubland hybrid.
