Big | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 21, 2007 | |||
Recorded | 2006 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 43:47 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Macy Gray chronology | ||||
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Singles from Big | ||||
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Big is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Macy Gray. It was released on March 21, 2007, by Geffen Records. It is Gray's first studio album in four years. The album debuted at number 39 on the US Billboard 200, selling 23,000 copies in its first week. [2]
Three singles were released from the album: "Finally Made Me Happy" (a collaboration with Natalie Cole), "Shoo Be Doo", and "What I Gotta Do". The latter was included on the Shrek the Third soundtrack. Music from this album was also featured in the I Love New York season one reunion. The album's cover art was widely illustrated on iPhone ads and featured on the first boxes of the iPod Touch.
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 62/100 [3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Blender | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Digital Spy | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B− [7] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
PopMatters | 5/10 [10] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Slant Magazine | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Yahoo! Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Big received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 62, based on 17 reviews. [3]
Dan Gennoe of Yahoo! Music called Gray's Big "the worthy follow-up to her On How Life Is debut," praising the contributions from the guest artists and the restraint of her signature musical persona. He added that the lack of radio hits on the record may prevent Gray's career from rebounding, but said that "Whatever the commercial outcome though, no one can say that this is anything other than a supreme return to form." [13] John Bush of AllMusic noted how the quiet storm production from will.i.am made Big "the slickest album of Gray's career," but said that it brings into better focus the vocal quirks of her personality throughout the track listing, concluding that "It'll be interesting to see if past Macy Gray fans are willing to follow her into adult contemporary territory, while those who might like the new direction will be able to alter their perceptions of her." [4] Jon Dolan, writing for Blender , said that Gray's "confessional blues-rasp" is better utilized on more mature tracks like the Fergie collaboration "Glad You're Here", saying that "It's 'licious, but in a classy way." [5]
Rob Brunner of Entertainment Weekly highlighted "Shoo Be Doo", "What I Gotta Do" and "Okay" as great showcases for Gray's "fascinating cracks and warbles" but said that, "Much of Big is either boring or forced, as when Gray launches into "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" for no discernible reason." [7] Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani felt that Gray's vocals were lacking compared to the featured artists surrounding the album, saying that "she struggles to reach and sustain notes that should be comfortably within her range." [12] Mike Joseph of PopMatters gave feint praise by calling it "a perfectly serviceable adult-soul album", saying that the upbeat tracks capture Macy's old personality better than the ballads. He added that, "While Big shows flashes of the irrepressible spirit that made Macy's first two albums fun to listen to, there are many more instances of uninspired, boring music designed to capture a middle-of-the-road audience." [10]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Finally Made Me Happy" (featuring Natalie Cole) |
| 4:02 | |
2. | "Shoo Be Doo" |
|
| 4:04 |
3. | "What I Gotta Do" |
|
| 3:08 |
4. | "Okay" |
|
| 4:09 |
5. | "Glad You're Here" (featuring Fergie) |
|
| 2:54 |
6. | "Ghetto Love" |
| will.i.am | 3:08 |
7. | "One for Me" |
|
| 4:09 |
8. | "Strange Behavior" |
|
| 3:35 |
9. | "Slowly" |
| Fair | 3:54 |
10. | "Get Out" (featuring Justin Timberlake) |
|
| 4:01 |
11. | "Treat Me Like Your Money" (featuring will.i.am) |
|
| 3:27 |
12. | "Everybody" |
| will.i.am | 3:16 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "AEIOU" |
| Damon Elliott | 3:15 |
14. | "Breakdown" (featuring Romika) (UK and Japan only) |
|
| 3:36 |
15. | "Me with You" (Japan only) |
| 4:01 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "So Much" | 3:23 |
Sample credits
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Big. [19]
Chart (2007) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA) [20] | 15 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [21] | 63 |
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [22] | 57 |
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI) [23] | 38 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [24] | 56 |
European Albums ( Billboard ) [25] | 99 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [26] | 28 |
French Albums (SNEP) [27] | 149 |
Italian Albums (FIMI) [28] | 33 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [29] | 54 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [30] | 87 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [31] | 38 |
Taiwanese Albums (Five Music) [32] | 11 |
UK Albums (OCC) [33] | 62 |
UK R&B Albums (OCC) [34] | 11 |
US Billboard 200 [35] | 39 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [36] | 14 |
Region | Date | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Japan | March 21, 2007 | Universal | [37] |
Netherlands | March 22, 2007 | [38] | |
Italy | March 23, 2007 | [39] | |
Australia | March 24, 2007 | [14] | |
France | March 26, 2007 | [40] | |
Germany | March 27, 2007 | [15] | |
United States | [41] | ||
United Kingdom | April 2, 2007 | Polydor | [16] |
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