C.M.B.

Last updated
C.M.B.
C.M.B.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 23, 1991
Recorded1990–1991
Studio Unique Recording Studios, New York City [1]
Length44:11
Label
Producer
Color Me Badd chronology
C.M.B.
(1991)
Time and Chance
(1993)
Singles from C.M.B.
  1. "I Wanna Sex You Up"
    Released: March 2, 1991
  2. "I Adore Mi Amor"
    Released: July 17, 1991
  3. "All 4 Love"
    Released: November 7, 1991
  4. "Color Me Badd"
    Released: 1991
  5. "Thinkin' Back"
    Released: 1992
  6. "Heartbreaker"
    Released: 1992
  7. "Slow Motion"
    Released: 1992
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Entertainment Weekly C+ [4]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The Village Voice Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [6]

C.M.B. is the debut album by American recording act Color Me Badd, released July 23, 1991, on Giant Records. It was produced by several record producers, including Dr. Freeze, Nick Mundy, and Howie Tee.

Contents

The album received mixed reviews from critics who found the production and lyrics generic despite some decent vocal work. C.M.B. peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard 200 and spawned seven singles: "I Wanna Sex You Up", "I Adore Mi Amor", "All 4 Love", "Color Me Badd", "Thinkin' Back", "Heartbreaker" and "Slow Motion". The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of three million copies in the country.

Commercial performance

The album reached number three on the US Billboard 200, spending 77 weeks on the chart, [7] and shipped one million copies within its first two months of release in the United States. [8] It also charted at number three in the United Kingdom, [9] and it was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry on September 1, 1991, having shipped 100,000 copies in the UK. [10] It produced five US hit singles, "I Wanna Sex You Up" (US #2), "I Adore Mi Amor" (US #1), "All 4 Love" (US #1), "Thinkin' Back" (US #16), and "Slow Motion" (US #18). On July 15, 1992, C.M.B was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of three million copies in the US. [8]

Critical reception

Arion Berger of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a "C+" and criticized its content: "However decent C.M.B.'s intentions of turning street-corner harmonies into dance-floor grooves, nothing on their debut — not their four fine voices, glossy production, or titillating youthful smut — sounds honest". [4] In his consumer guide for The Village Voice , critic Robert Christgau gave it a one-star honorable mention ( Five Pointed Star Solid.svg ), [6] indicating "a worthy effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well like". [11] In a retrospective review of the album, AllMusic editor Alex Henderson gave C.M.B. four out of five stars and said that "most of the songs are pedestrian and generic", but wrote that it "does have its moments, including the hit slow jams 'I Adore Mi Amor' and 'I Wanna Sex You Up' (which samples rapper Slick Rick in a rather clever fashion)". [12]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
1."I Wanna Sex You Up"Elliot Straite Dr. Freeze 4:06
2."All 4 Love"
  • Color Me Badd
  • Howard Thompson
Howie Tee 3:30
3."Heartbreaker"
  • Color Me Badd
  • Thompson
  • Tarik Bayyan
Tee3:58
4."I Adore Mi Amor"
  • Color Me Badd
  • Hamza Lee
  • Royal Bayyan
  • Hamza Lee
4:49
5."Groove My Mind"Royal BayyanRoyal Bayyan5:06
6."I Wanna Sex You Up (Reprise)"Straite 1:09
7."Roll the Dice"
Nick Mundy 4:47
8."Slow Motion"
  • Color Me Badd
  • Thompson
Tee4:24
9."Thinkin' Back"
  • Color Me Badd
  • Troy Taylor
  • Lee
  • Royal Bayyan
  • Lee
5:21
10."I Adore Mi Amor (Interlude)"
  • Color Me Badd
  • Lee
 0:48
11."Color Me Badd"Straite
4:05
12."Your da One I Onena Love"
  • Color Me Badd
  • Thompson
Tee4:08
Notes

Personnel

Credits for C.M.B. adapted from AllMusic. [13]

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [33] Gold35,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [34] 2× Platinum200,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [35] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [36] 3× Platinum3,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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