Faithfully (Faith Evans album)

Last updated
Faithfully
Faith evans-faithfully.jpg
Studio album by
Faith Evans
ReleasedNovember 6, 2001 (2001-11-06)
Recorded2000–2001
Genre R&B [1]
Length61:19
Label
Producer
Faith Evans chronology
Keep the Faith
(1998)		Faithfully
(2001)		 The First Lady
(2005)
Singles from Faithfully
  1. "You Gets No Love"
    Released: July 17, 2001
  2. "I Love You"
    Released: February 19, 2002
  3. "Burnin' Up"
    Released: March 15, 2002
  4. "Alone in This World"
    Released: April 6, 2002

Faithfully is the third studio album by American singer Faith Evans. It was released by Bad Boy Records on November 6, 2001, in the United States. A reflection of her musical studies, Evans was inspired by a variety of classic R&B, pop, rock, and jazz artists such as Chicago, S.O.S. Band, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughn during the production of Faithfully. The result, a sample-heavy album, which the label described as "old school flavored", features production by Mario Winans, Buckwild, Vada Nobles, Michael Angelo Saulsberry, the Neptunes, Battlecat, and others, with material ranging from ballads to dance tracks that built upon the contemporary R&B, funk music and hip hop genres.

Contents

The album earned generally favorable reviews from most critics who called it her best effort yet, though others were critical with its length and the amount of ballads on Faithfully. It received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album [2] and debuted and peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard 200, selling 101,000 copies in its first week, and went on to sell more than 834,000 copies, eventually reaching gold status in the United States. Faithfully spawned four total singles, including "You Gets No Love", "I Love You" and "Burnin' Up". Faithfully was Evans' last album to be recorded under the Bad Boy imprint before her departure in 2003.

Recording

Evans worked closely with her husband and manager Todd Russaw on her third album. Before recording songs, the pair spent a year studying the work of classic R&B, pop, rock, and jazz artists such as Steely Dan, Michael Franks, Chicago, S.O.S. Band, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and others, sitting around and playing them to learn about their techniques and performances. [3] With her label Bad Boy Records nearing transition from distributor Arista Records to Universal Music and mentor Sean "P. Diddy" Combs being involved in several projects, including his second album Forever (1999), [4] Evans and Russaw started working on new songs their own. [5] After sending them to Combs, he urged them to come to Miami to start recording sessions for the album with him and his team, which Evans called "really enjoyable". [5]

While Combs and in-house producer Mario Winans would craft the majority of the album production, Evans also collaborated with Battlecat, Bink, Buckwild, Hozay Clowney, Kip Collins, Havoc, The Neptunes, Vada Nobles, Michaelangelo Saulsberry, and frequent contributor Chucky Thompson on Faithfully. [4] Producer duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis were also asked to contribute to Faithfully but declined after hearing previously produced material which they found too good to come up with better material. [3] While it took almost two years to finish Faithfully, Evans noted in a 2001 interview with MTV News that it reflected her music studies of the past five years, saying: "It took months and months of studying the songs, going back, putting in the elements. The feel is 'Faith has grown.' That's what I hope people get from it. I just been trying to get my history together." [6] The album title borrows from the same-titled album track. [5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
BBC Music (favorable) [7]
Entertainment Weekly A− [8]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
NME 6/10 [11]
Robert Christgau Rating-Christgau-dud.svg [12]
Rolling Stone (favorable) [13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [14]

Allmusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album "her grittiest, funkiest, best record to date". While he found that it runs too long, Erlewine also noted that "Faithfully gels better than any previous Faith Evans record, in large part because so much of it is devoted to hard-edged, funky dance numbers [...] It is rich with vibrant songs, lively production, and Evans' best singing to date on what ultimately is not just her best album." [1] The Independent declared "Faithfully, by some distance Evans's most impressive album." The newspaper found that "the album has a far broader range than her previous releases", with "Evans's voice [dominating] proceedings." [10] Entertainment Weekly critic Craig Seymour wrote that "on her third and most accomplished album, Evans uses lush ’70s soul orchestrations for her ballads about love’s joys and hardships. Her vocals range from earthy gospel-schooled cries to breathy ethereal coos." [8] Billboard found that Faithfully was "a much stronger project than her previous outing", calling it "flavorful". [15]

Tracey E. Hopkins from Rolling Stone noted "the disc's minimalist, old-school soul production style [that] helps pushing [Evans'] pulpit-honed, honey-glazed vocals to the fore." She felt that "with her third disc, the gospel, jazz and hip-hop sprinkled Faithfully, Evans continues to challenge Blige's now drama-free reign." [13] People remarked that "keeping one foot in both the hip-hop and R&B worlds, Evans uses her gritty, gospel-informed alto to deftly mix components from the street and the church, bringing in guest rappers Loon and P. Diddy for two songs. But when she goes soulfully solo on the jazzy numbers "Do Your Time" and "Love Can't Hide," it's clear that this is Evans's party." [16] Christian Ward from NME wrote that Faithfully is "better than we might’ve expected" and called it "half a good album", feeling that the "final stretch is a long haul, everything getting mid-tempo and warbly". [11] Similarly, The Guardian 's Caroline Sullivan found that Evans "sounds suitably rejuvenated" on the album, "teasing some memorable moments out of a collection of old-school love songs" but also noted that "the let down is the preponderance of generic ballads, most of which are simply unworthy of such a luscious voice." [9]

Commercial performance

Faithfully debuted and peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 101,000 copies in its first week. [17] This marked Evans' highest opening sales up to then. [18] On Billboard's component charts, it reached number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. [17] In total, Faithfully sold more than 834,000 copies in the United States. [17] It was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for the shipment of over 500,000 copies. [17]

Track listing

Faithfully track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"
0:52
2."Alone in This World"
3:53
3."You Gets No Love" (featuring P. Diddy & Loon)
  • Saulsberry
  • Evans [B]
4:01
4."Burnin' Up"
 The Neptunes 3:31
5."I Love You"
4:27
6."Everything" (Interlude)
  • Jamison
  • Winans
  • Diddy
  • Winans
0:49
7."Back to Love"
  • Evans
  • Mike Cleveland
  • Combs
  • Jamison
  • Winans
  • Diddy
  • Winans
  • Evans [B]
3:40
8."Faithful" (Interlude)
  • Thompson
  • Todd Russaw [B]
2:00
9."Do Your Time"
  • Diddy
  • Winans
4:20
10."Don't Cry"
  • Diddy
  • Winans
3:37
11."Faithfully"
3:57
12."Brand New Man"
  • Collins
  • Diddy
  • Winans
4:12
13."Ghetto" (Interlude)
  • Evans
  • Saulsberry
  • Saulsberry
  • Evans
1:21
14."Where We Stand"
  • Clowney
  • Evans
4:22
15."Heaven Only Knows"
4:15
16."Love Can't Hide"
  • Clowney
  • Evans [B]
5:04
17."Can't Believe" (featuring Carl Thomas)
  • Diddy
  • Winans
5:00
18."Love Song" (Interlude)
  • Evans
  • Thompson
  • Thompson
  • Evans [B]
1:49

Notes

Samples

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Faithfully
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [27] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history and formats for Faithfully
RegionDateFormatsLabelRef.
United StatesNovember 6, 2001
 [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith Evans</span> American singer

Faith Renée Evans is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B. Sure! and Christopher Williams, she became the first female artist to contract with Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records in 1994 at age 20. On the label, she featured on records with several label mates such as 112 and Carl Thomas, and released three platinum-certified studio albums between 1995 and 2001: Faith (1995) and Keep the Faith (1998), and Faithfully (2001).

<i>Chapter II</i> (Ashanti album) 2003 studio album by Ashanti

Chapter II is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Ashanti. It was released by Murder Inc. and Island Def Jam on July 1, 2003 in the United States. Ashanti reteamed with Murder Inc. head Irv Gotti and producer Chink Santana to work on the album. Chapter II features a guest appearance by rapper Ja Rule, Chink Santana, and Gunnz. Critical reception towards the album was generally mixed, with critics commending the album's autobiographical lyrics, and its fun yet light nature, while other critics felt Chapter II lacked creativity and personality and relied too heavily on the formula of her debut album (2002).

<i>Faith</i> (Faith Evans album) 1995 studio album by Faith Evans

Faith is the debut studio album by American singer Faith Evans. It was released by Bad Boy Records on August 29, 1995, in the United States. A collaboration with the label's main producers The Hitmen, including members Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs and Chucky Thompson, as well as Mark Ledford, Herb Middleton, and Jean-Claude Olivier, among others.

<i>The First Lady</i> (Faith Evans album) 2005 studio album by Faith Evans

The First Lady is the fourth studio album by American singer Faith Evans. Released by Capitol Records, it marked Evans' debut on the EMI subsidiary, following her departure from Bad Boy Records in 2003. Despite this, the singer reunited with much of her frequent contributors to work on the album, including The Neptunes, Chucky Thompson, and Mario Winans. Duo Carvin & Ivan of Karma Productions wrote and produced the predominant part of all songs that were included in the final track listing.

<i>After the Storm</i> (Monica album) 2003 studio album by Monica

After the Storm is the fourth studio album by American singer Monica. It was first released on June 17, 2003 through J Records. Created over a period of three years, in which Monica experienced personal struggles and its original version, All Eyez on Me, was delayed numerous times following the moderate success of single "All Eyez on Me" as well as the leak to Internet file-sharing services and heavy bootlegging after its Japan-wide release, Monica decided to scrap most of the album in favor of new material for which she consulted new collaborators such as Missy Elliott, who would receive executive producer credit due to her predominant share of contributions on the album.

<i>Keep the Faith</i> (Faith Evans album) 1998 studio album by Faith Evans

Keep the Faith is the second album by American singer Faith Evans. It was released by Bad Boy Records on October 27, 1998, in the United States. Almost entirely written and produced by Evans, the album garnered generally mixed to positive reviews by music critics, with AllMusic noting it "without a doubt a highlight of 1990s soul-pop music." Also enjoying commercial success, it went platinum and produced the top ten singles "Love Like This" and "All Night Long," prompting Evans to start an 18-city theater tour with Dru Hill and Total the following year.

<i>My Life</i> (Mary J. Blige album) 1994 studio album by Mary J. Blige

My Life is the second album by American R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige, released on November 29, 1994, by Uptown Records and MCA Records. Many of the topics on My Life deal with clinical depression, Blige's battling with both drugs and alcohol, as well as being in an abusive relationship. Unlike her debut, What's the 411? (1992), Blige contributed lyrics to fourteen of the album's tracks, making it her most introspective and personal album at the time. Similar to her debut album, My Life features extensive production from Sean "Puffy" Combs for his newly founded label, Bad Boy Entertainment, which was at the time backed by Arista Records.

<i>Ghetto Heisman</i> 2002 studio album by WC

Ghetto Heisman is the second solo studio album by American rapper WC. It was released on November 12, 2002 via Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place at Paramount Recording Studios, at Ameraycan Studios, and at Larrabee Sound Studios in Los Angeles, and at Criteria Studios in Miami Beach. Production was handled by several record producers, including Tony Pizarro, DJ Battlecat, Crazy Toones, Buckwild, Rick Rock and Scott Storch. It features guest appearances from Butch Cassidy, Case, Kokane, MC Ren, Nate Dogg, Scarface, Snoop Dogg and Westside Connection among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith Evans discography</span>

This is a comprehensive listing of official releases by Faith Evans, an American R&B, hip hop and soul singer. As of January 2023, she has released seven studio albums, one holiday album, and thirty singles on Bad Boy Entertainment and Capitol Records.

<i>Total</i> (Total album) 1996 studio album by Total

Total is the debut album by American female R&B trio Total. It was released by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records on January 30, 1996 in the United States. Chiefly produced by Bad Boy head Sean "Puffy" Combs, the album peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard 200 and reached the top five of the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Total was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and spawned the hit singles "Can't You See", "No One Else", "Kissin' You" and "Do You Think About Us"/"When Boy Meets Girl".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Love You (Faith Evans song)</span> 2002 single by Faith Evans

"I Love You" is a song by American recording artist Faith Evans. It was written by Anthony Best, Michael Jamison, Bobby Springsteen, and Jennifer Lopez and recorded by Evans for her third studio album Faithfully (2001). Production on the song was overseen by Buckwild, Mario Winans and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. Initially written for Lopez's second studio J.Lo (2001), the contemporary R&B ballad samples singer Isaac Hayes' 1976 record "Make a Little Love to Me" and finds Evans, as the protagonist, confessing her love and dignity to a man who has yet to find a heart for her.

<i>Something About Faith</i> 2010 studio album by Faith Evans

Something About Faith is the sixth studio album by American singer Faith Evans. It was released on Prolific Music Group on October 5, 2010, in the United States. Distributed by E1 Music, the album marked Evans' first independent release, following her departure from Bad Boy in 2003 and her subsequent but short-lived engagement with Capitol Records in 2005. Evans who co-wrote and produced on the majority of Something About Faith, consulted a variety of collaborators to work with her on the album, including duo Carvin & Ivan, Chucky Thompson, Mike City, and Salaam Remi, as well as singer Keyshia Cole, and rappers Redman, Snoop Dogg and Raekwon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Like This (Faith Evans song)</span> 1998 single by Faith Evans

"Love Like This" is a song by American singer Faith Evans. It was written by Evans, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Clarence Emery, and Schon Crawford for her second studio album Keep the Faith (1998), with production helmed by Lawrence and Combs. The song is built around a looped sample from "Chic Cheer" (1978) by American band Chic. Due to the inclusion of the sample, band members Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers are also credited as songwriters. "Love Like This" initially impacted US radios on September 15, 1998 as the album's lead single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesmerized (song)</span> 2005 single by Faith Evans

"Mesmerized" is a song by American R&B recording artist Faith Evans from her fourth studio album, The First Lady (2005). Inspired by producer Chucky Thompson's original track, which contains interpolations from Johnnie Taylor's 1968 single "Who's Making Love", written by Homer Banks, Don Davis, Bettye Crutcher, and Raymond Jackson, and George Benson's "Footin' It", crafted by Benson and Donald Sebesky, Evans wrote the song alongside Andre Johnson, Kameelah Williams, Thompson, and husband Todd Russaw; its production was handled by Johnson, Thompson and Russaw. A throwback to 1960s music, the uptempo funk song exhibits style similar to that of Lyn Collins, Aretha Franklin and James Brown, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Gets No Love</span> 2001 single by Faith Evans featuring P. Diddy & Loon

"You Gets No Love" is a song by American singer Faith Evans. It was written by Evans along with Toni Coleman, Mechalie Jamison, Kameelah Williams, Chauncey Hawkins, Mechalie Jamison, Andre Wilson, and Michaelangelo Saulsberry for her third studio album Faithfully (2001), while production was helmed by Saulsberry, with Evans co-producing. The song was released as the album's leading single in July 2001 and peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100, also reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burnin' Up (Faith Evans song)</span> 2002 single by Faith Evans

"Burnin' Up" is a song by American singer Faith Evans featuring rapper Loon. It was composed by Evans, Loon, Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams for her third studio album Faithfully (2001), with production helmed by Hugo and Williams under their production moniker The Neptunes. A dance-inducing, beat-heavy uptempo song, "Burnin' Up" falls in line with the straightforward drums, guitar strumming, and clavichord worship of the duo's early years as producers. Lyrically, it has Evans pleading with a man she feels is destined to be her soulmate to recognize that they belong together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Night Long (Faith Evans song)</span> Faith Evans song

"All Night Long" is a song by American R&B singer Faith Evans featuring guest vocals by Puff Daddy. It was written by Evans, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, Schon Crawford, Clarence Emery, Todd Russaw, and Todd Gaither for her second album Keep the Faith (1998), while production was helmed by Lawrence, Combs, and Evans. The song contains a sample from "I Hear Music in the Streets" (1980) by American post-disco group Unlimited Touch. Due to the inclusion of the sample, Bertram Reed and Galen Underwood are also credited as songwriters.

"Alone in This World" is a song by American singer Faith Evans. It was written by Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Mechalie Jamison, Michael Carlos Jones, Jack Knight, Herbert Magidson, Mario Winans, and Allie Wrubel for her third studio album Faithfully (2001). Production was helmed by Combs and Winans. The son contains a sample from "Who Shot Ya?" (1995) by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G. Diddy. Due to the inclusion of the sample, several other writers are credited as songwriters. The song was released as the album's fourth and final single in April 2002 and reached number 73 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Rapper Jay-Z appeared on a remix version of the song.

<i>Incomparable</i> (Faith Evans album) 2014 studio album by Faith Evans

Incomparable is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Faith Evans. It was released by Prolific Music Group, with distribution through BMG Chrysalis, on November 24, 2014 in the United States. Her third independent projects under her own label, following her sixth album Something About Faith (2010) and the compilation album R&B Divas (2012), Evans worked a diverse roster of collaborators on the album, including Lamar "Mars" Edwards, Chucky Thompson, Mike City, and Ben Briggs III, among others. A concept album, Incomparable chronicles Evans' post-divorce life, using preludes, interludes, postludes, transitions and segues to the songs together.

<i>Neva Left</i> 2017 studio album by Snoop Dogg

Neva Left is the fifteenth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on May 19, 2017, for digital download and July 7, 2017, for purchase on CD, by Doggystyle Records and Empire Distribution. Snoop Dogg also enlisted a variety of guest vocalists including Redman, Method Man, B-Real, KRS-One, and frequent collaborators Charlie Wilson and Wiz Khalifa, among others. Meanwhile, production was handled by Dr. Evo, DJ Battlecat, Musik MajorX, League Of Starz, and Rick Rock, among others.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Allmusic review
  2. ↑ "Faith Evans | Artist". Grammy Awards . Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  3. 1 2 Seymour, Craig. "The Re-Energizers". Vibe . Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Reid, Shaheem. "Faith Evans Talks About Her Drug Arrest On New Single". MTV News . Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "Singer Faith Evans Sheds More Than 50 Lbs; Releases New CD 'Faithfully'". Jet . Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  6. ↑ Reid, Shaheem. "Faith Evans Flips Biggie, Studies Ella Fitzgerald For Faithfully". MTV News . Retrieved October 9, 2001.
  7. ↑ avis, Keysha (January 11, 2002). "Faith Evans: Faithfully: Review". BBC Music . Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Seymour, Craig (March 17, 2020). "Faithfully". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Sullivan, Caroline (January 4, 2002). "All you need is Faith". The Guardian . Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  10. 1 2 "Album: Faith Evans". The Independent . January 11, 2002. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Evans, Faith: Faithfully". NME . September 12, 2005. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  12. ↑ Robert Christgau Consumer Guide
  13. 1 2 Hopkins, Tracy E. "Album Reviews". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on January 26, 2009. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  14. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide . New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p.  284. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone faith evans album guide.
  15. ↑ "Reviews & Previews". The Guardian . November 10, 2001. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: Faithfully". People . Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "50 Cent Holds On In Slow Sales Week". Billboard . April 13, 2005. Archived from the original on July 18, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  18. ↑ "50 Cent maintains momentum". The New Zealand Herald . April 18, 2005. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Chart Log UK: E-40 – E-Z Rollers" (scroll down to Faith Evans subtitles). Official Charts Company . zobbel.de. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Faith Evans Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  22. ↑ "Faith Evans Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  23. ↑ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001". Jam! . January 8, 2002. Archived from the original on July 26, 2002. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001". Jam! . Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  25. ↑ "2002 Year-End Chart – Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard . Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  26. ↑ "2002 Year-End Chart – Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard . Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  27. ↑ "American album certifications – Faith Evans – Faithfully". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  28. ↑ "Faith Evans: Faithfully". iTunes (US). Retrieved July 19, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.