It's About Time | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 24, 2004 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 47:26 | |||
Label | Island [2] | |||
Producer |
| |||
Christina Milian chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from It's About Time | ||||
|
It's About Time is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Christina Milian. It was released on March 24, 2004, by Island Records.
It's About Time served as Milian's debut in the US; the September 11 attacks occurred two weeks prior to the scheduled release of her eponymous debut studio album, and after its cancellation, Milian opted to record a new album for the market. For the production of the album, Milian worked with Bloodshy & Avant, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Cory Rooney, Warryn Campbell, Bryan-Michael Cox and Poli Paul. Milian received writing credit for seven songs on the album, often basing them on personal experiences. The style and sound of the album was compared to Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez by several critics.
Upon release, It's About Time received mixed reviews from music critics, with up-tempo tracks being acclaimed and balladry facing criticism. [3] [4] The album peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 55,000 units. At the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album. The album's lead single "Dip It Low" became Milian's most successful to date, peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and within the top 10 in numerous European countries. The second single "Whatever U Want" was less successful, peaking at number nine in the UK.
Milian's eponymous debut album was released outside North America in January 2002. [5] However, its domestic release was postponed due to the September 11 attacks, which had occurred just two weeks before its scheduled release date. [6] After the international release, Milian went back into the recording studio. The singer felt that music trends had changed into rock music, hardcore hip hop and tribute songs, and her music did not fall into those categories. Milian decided to stop recording and toured overseas for a year and a half. When she returned to the US, she decided not to release Christina Milian domestically, and started working on It's About Time instead. [6] [7]
Milian traveled the world to record the album, working with the popular producers of the time. [8] The album featured production from Bloodshy & Avant, [9] "Darkchild", [7] Cory Rooney, Warryn Campbell, [10] Bryan-Michael Cox and Poli Paul. [11] Basing her lyrics on past personal experiences, Milian wrote seven songs on the album. Milian later explained that she wrote what she thought other people would like, rather than writing for herself and what she liked. [8] [9] When promoting the album, Milian said that she was excited about the album because she had matured since her last album, and it was "nice for people to see this change". [12]
Discussing the change of genre between her lead singles, Milian said that the "first single off my last album, 'AM to PM', was more of a kiddie kind of thing, very pop. [Dip It Low] is more R&B, kind of a club/party kind of vibe." [12] An issue Milian had with the album was that it did not flow. The various pop and urban influences in that album, she found, confused the audience. For her next studio album, Milian said that she wanted a more consistent feel. [13]
For "Dip It Low"'s music video, Milian danced in a bed of black paint. Milian explained that body art was common in the 1960s: "they would dip in paint and they would roll around on a canvas and make art on the canvas. So I kind of 'dip' in the paint and do the same thing." [12] The song's lyrics are about putting an effort into the relationship as a female: "if you wanna be a little more sexy, you gotta dip it low". [12] Several years after the release of It's About Time, Milian admitted that her new image for "Dip It Low" and the whole album was mainly for shock value. She had to make her way back into the US market, and by choosing a sexier image, she made a name for herself. "Dip It Low" was also meant to show that she was not the same eighteen-year-old girl in the "AM to PM" video. [8] To create her new image, Milian also decided to change her appearance and lightened her hair. Taking inspiration from Janet Jackson who constantly changed her image, Milian thought to herself, "'When did I like Janet Jackson the most?' It was when she had her lightened hair." [14]
The style and sound of the album was compared to that of Beyoncé, Paula Abdul and Jennifer Lopez by several critics, [9] [10] as well as Britney Spears, Aaliyah and Ashanti. [1] [15] After several comparisons to Beyoncé Knowles in regards to appearance, Milian said "I think she is a lovely artist, very talented but the only reason I changed my color hair is because I was getting bored of my same old look and I wanted to do something different." [16] Elysa Gardner of USA Today found that with Milian's "slight, sweet vocals and blithe, breezy pop-soul sensibility", the genre of the album was more pop than R&B. [10] Andy Kellman of Allmusic described "Dip It Low" as "a clever and ubiquitous slice of high-class raunch", and compared the album's sound to both Beyoncé's " Dangerously in Love " and Jennifer Lopez's " This Is Me... Then ". [9] Eric R. Danton of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said "Dip It Low" had the "plinking of an unusual Far Eastern-sounding stringed instrument", and "Whatever U Want" "rolls on a bass-and-drum combo". [17] Danton found the rest of the album to be "simply bland padding, with plodding, canned beats and half-hearted hooks". [17]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
Entertainment Weekly | D [18] |
People | [1] |
Rolling Stone | [19] |
Slant Magazine | [15] |
USA Today | [10] |
The album received mixed reviews among critics. Jim Farber of Entertainment Weekly felt that the songs from It's About Time "sound like they fell off a Paula Abdul album". Farber criticized the lyricists for writing "so many cliches", and said that Milian's voice "suggests a slightly more forceful version of Janet Jackson's pant". Farber gave the album a "D". [18] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said that while It's About Time was "certainly not the worst album of the year", it was "pretty damn crappy". [15] The reviewer enjoyed "Whatever U Want", "I'm Sorry" and "Get Loose", which he said "contribute some guilty pleasure ear candy". [15] Eric Danton of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel found the album "suffers from the same problem afflicting most major-label albums dumped on the market by an industry desperate for quick cash — It's About Time features one hit single, a couple of lesser tracks and a lot of filler." Danton felt that the only hit from It's About Time was "Dip It Low", while "Whatever U Want" and "L.O.V.E." were the album's lesser tracks. Danton praised Milian's vocal talent, but said that ultimately, "the lackluster material [...] rarely gives her a chance to shine". [17]
Andy Kellman of Allmusic praised the club tracks, feeling that they "work best and easily outrank the slower songs". [9] Kellman called "Dip It Low" the biggest highlight of the album, but said that despite the album's "handful of bright spots", Milian "will need to be more convincing during the ballads next time out in order to be considered a true force." [9] Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times said that although "Dip It Low" was one of the summer's most popular songs, the album included an even better song, "I Need More". Sanneh explained that Milian "breathes a serpentine melody over a beat that consists of jagged snippets: some guitar chugging, a few handclaps, a couple of strategically placed beeps and, in the chorus, an unexpected nose-diving bass line." [20] Contrary to the views of other critics, Barry Walters of Rolling Stone said that although the ballads were "gooey", "the love songs work better than the dance tracks". [19] Etta James of People believed that Milian struggled to find her own musical identity on the "fun but formulaic CD". James praised the "sexy booty bumper" "Dip It Low" for its "reggae-ish bass groove, a hypnotic Middle Eastern refrain", and called Fabolous' rap "perfectly chilled". The reviewer thought "Highway", the album's "most erotically charged track", sounded like a female answer to R. Kelly's "Ignition". While James found the album's most personal song, "Oh Daddy", to be the unsuccessful, she said that at least "it gives us a glimpse into the real Christina". [1]
It's About Time was released in the US on June 15, 2004; [2] it debuted and peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard 200 selling 55,000 copies in its first week, eventually selling 382,000 copies overall as of April 2006. [21] The album also peaked at number five on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Internationally, the album peaked at number 35 on the Swiss Albums Chart, 55 on the German Albums Chart, and 66 on the Dutch Albums Chart. [22] In the UK, the album peaked at number 21, selling a total of 63,708 copies, [23] and achieving Silver certification by the British Phonographic Industry. [24] The album received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Contemporary R&B Album" in 2005. [25] To promote her album, Milian performed as an opening act on the Usher and Kanye West tour. [26] The album's first single, "Dip It Low", became Milian's biggest hit to date, reaching number two in the UK and number five in the US. [11] [27] The single was certified Gold by the RIAA for digital sales, [28] and earned a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration". [25] The album's second and final single, "Whatever U Want" featuring Joe Budden, reached the top ten in the UK. [29]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Intro" |
| Poli | 1:05 |
2. | "Dip It Low" (featuring Fabolous) |
| Poli | 3:38 |
3. | "I Need More" | Bloodshy and Avant | 3:17 | |
4. | "Whatever U Want" (featuring Joe Budden) |
| Bradley & Stereo | 3:49 |
5. | "Someday One Day" |
|
| 4:32 |
6. | "Highway" |
| W. Campbell | 3:32 |
7. | "I'm Sorry" |
| Poli | 3:44 |
8. | "Get Loose" |
| 3:38 | |
9. | "L.O.V.E." (featuring Joe Budden) |
| W. Campbell | 4:22 |
10. | "Peanut Butter & Jelly" |
|
| 3:46 |
11. | "Miss You Like Crazy" |
| Jasper Da Fatso | 4:49 |
12. | "Oh Daddy" |
|
| 3:56 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
7. | "Get Loose" |
|
| 3:38 |
8. | "I'm Sorry" |
| Poli | 3:44 |
13. | "I Can Be That Woman" |
|
| 3:13 |
14. | "Dip It Low" (music video) | 3:28 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Hands on Me" |
|
| 3:08 |
No. | Title | Director(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
15. | "Dip It Low" (music video) | Matthew Rolston | 3:28 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
15. | "Dip It Low" (featuring S-Word) |
| Poli | 3:41 |
No. | Title | Director(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Dip It Low" (music video) | Rolston | 3:28 |
2. | "Get Away" (featuring Ja Rule) (music video) | Little X | 3:42 |
3. | "When You Look at Me" (music video) | Bille Woodruff | 2:58 |
4. | "AM to PM" (music video) | Dave Meyers | 3:56 |
No. | Title | Director(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "AM to PM" (music video) | Meyers | 3:56 |
2. | "When You Look at Me" (music video) | Woodruff | 2:58 |
3. | "Dip It Low" (music video) | Rolston | 3:28 |
4. | "Whatever U Want" (featuring Joe Budden) (music video) | Ray Kay | 3:44 |
5. | "It's About Time" (feature) |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Dip It Low" |
| Poli | 3:15 |
2. | "L.O.V.E." (remix) |
| W. Campbell | 3:45 |
3. | "Down for You" |
|
| 3:39 |
4. | "Someday One Day" |
|
| 4:30 |
5. | "Highway" |
| W. Campbell | 3:35 |
6. | "I Can Be That Woman" |
|
| 3:13 |
7. | "Peanut Butter & Jelly" |
|
| 3:46 |
8. | "Hands on Me" |
|
| 3:06 |
9. | "7 Days" |
|
| 4:17 |
10. | "Oh Daddy" |
|
| 3:55 |
11. | "Miss You Like Crazy" |
| Da Fatso | 4:50 |
12. | "Dip It Low" (featuring S-Word) |
| Poli | 3:41 |
13. | "Dip It Low" (Full Intention Dub) |
|
| 7:21 |
No. | Title | Director(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Dip It Low" (music video) | Rolston | |
2. | "Making of Dip It Low" | Rolston | |
3. | "Special Interview" |
Sample credits
Notes
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [39] | 63 |
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [40] | 17 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [41] | 66 |
French Albums (SNEP) [42] | 83 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [43] | 55 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [44] | 74 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [45] | 11 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [46] | 43 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [47] | 35 |
UK Albums (OCC) [48] | 21 |
UK R&B Albums (OCC) [49] | 9 |
US Billboard 200 [50] | 14 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [51] | 5 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Japan (RIAJ) [52] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [53] | Silver | 60,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Edition(s) | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Japan | March 24, 2004 |
| Universal Music Japan | ||
United Kingdom | May 31, 2004 | Standard | Enhanced CD | Def Jam | |
Germany | June 1, 2004 | Universal Music | |||
France | June 15, 2004 | Mercury | |||
United States | CD | Island | |||
Japan | July 7, 2004 | World(limited) | CD+DVD | Universal Music Japan | |
United Kingdom | October 4, 2004 | Limited | Def Jam | ||
Various | May 28, 2020 | Expanded | Universal Music |
Christina Milian is an American singer, songwriter, model, and actress. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey and raised in Waldorf, Maryland, she signed a contract with Murder Inc. & Def Soul at the age of 19. In 2002, she performed the theme song "Call Me, Beep Me!", for the Disney Channel animated series Kim Possible.
Christina Milian is the debut studio album by American singer Christina Milian. It was released on January 23, 2002, by Def Soul.
Teedra Shenita Moses is an American R&B and soul singer.
"AM to PM" is the debut single by American singer and songwriter Christina Milian. It was written by Milian, Christian Karlsson, and Pontus Winnberg and produced by the latter, it served as the lead single from her self-titled 2001 debut album and found commercial success in many countries, becoming a top-ten hit in the Flanders region of Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
"Dip It Low" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Christina Milian from her second studio album, It's About Time (2004). Written by Poli Paul and Teedra Moses and produced by Paul, the track was released as the album's lead single. Matt Ward and Dean Gallard provided additional production for the song with Ne-Yo working on vocal arrangements. While the original version of the song, featuring American rapper Fabolous, was only given a release in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, the remix featuring German rapper Samy Deluxe was released in Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland. A solo version was released in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Norway.
"Whatever U Want" is a song recorded by American singer Christina Milian. It was written by Bradley Spalter, Lambert Waldrip II, Aleese Simmons, Andre Mortion, Khaleef Chiles, James Banks, and Henderson Thigpen and produced by Bradley & Stereo for Milian's second album, It's About Time (2004), featuring a rap verse by rapper Joe Budden. "Whatever U Want" was released as the album's second and final single on September 20, 2004. It stalled at number 100 on the US Billboard Hot 100 but peaked within the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart.
Beni Arashiro is a Japanese R&B singer, who debuted in 2004 under the Avex Trax label. In 2008, Arashiro left Avex Trax and transferred to Nayutawave Records under Universal Music Japan where she started to perform as simply Beni.
So Amazin' is the third album by American singer Christina Milian. The album, her first studio release since 2004's It's About Time, was released by Def Jam Recordings and Island Records on April 19, 2006, in Japan, on May 8 in Europe, and on May 16 in the United States. Unlike previous records, which had contributions from many producers, Milian wrote and produced So Amazin' primarily with hip hop producers Cool & Dre. During production, Milian was mentored by L.A. Reid and executive producer Jay-Z of Def Jam Recordings.
Russian duo t.A.T.u. have released six studio albums, one compilation album, two remix albums, eighteen singles, and three promotional singles. t.A.T.u. debuted in 2000 with the single "Ya Soshla S Uma" from their debut album 200 Po Vstrechnoy, released in 2001 by Universal Music Russia. The album reached number one in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia. After selling 850,000 copies in Russia, it was certified platinum by the IFPI for more than one million copies in Europe, the first time for an Eastern European act. The album's English-language counterpart, 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane, was released worldwide through Interscope Records in 2002. It reached number thirteen on the US Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA. In Japan, the album reached number one, the first time for a foreign group, and sold 1.8 million copies. It was also certified platinum by the IFPI for more than one million copies sold in Europe. 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane was promoted with the duo's first international single "All the Things She Said", which topped the charts in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom while peaking at number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100. The album produced three more singles—"Not Gonna Get Us", "30 Minutes", and "How Soon Is Now?"—, with the former becoming t.A.T.u.'s second top 10 single in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Ultimately, 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane became the twelfth best-selling album of 2003, and sold over 5 million copies worldwide. A remix album titled Remixes was released in 2003 and certified gold in Russia.
"On & On" is a song by American singer-songwriter Erykah Badu, released on December 10, 1996, by Kedar Records and Universal Records as the lead single from Badu's debut studio album, Baduizm (1997). It was written by her with JaBorn Jamal. A neo soul song, it features teachings of the Five-Percent Nation in its lyrics. A commercial success, it spent two weeks atop the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, while peaking at number 12 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Critically acclaimed, the song won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards (1998). Its accompanying music video was nominated in the categories for Best Female Video and Best R&B Video at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards. In 2022, Pitchfork included "On & On" in their list of "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s".
Christina Milian is an American R&B and pop singer. She has released three studio albums, an extended play (EP), six singles and two compilation album, in addition to six music videos on Island Records.
"Conceited (There's Something About Remy)", simply known as "Conceited", is the second single from American rapper Remy Ma's debut solo studio album There's Something About Remy: Based on a True Story. Produced by Scott Storch, the song contains a sample of "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred.
"Us Against the World" is a song by American entertainer Christina Milian. It was written by Milian and Makeba Riddick as well as the producer Theodore "Madd Scientst" Thomas. The song was released for streaming as a single on October 6, 2008 by MySpace Records, through a joint venture with Interscope, as part of a new record deal for Milian. The song is Milian's first release since her 2006 album So Amazin' and the single "Say I". Shortly after the release of that album, Milian was dropped from longtime record label Def Jam due to poor album sales. "Us Against the World" is a cinematic ballad, which Milian acknowledged was her first ballad release. Milian conceived the song as a love anthem while watching the 1996 adaption of William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, and wanting to create music that captured the same themes.
This Is the One is the third English studio album by Japanese American pop singer-songwriter Utada, released by Island Records in the United States digitally on March 24, 2009 and physically on May 12, 2009. The album was originally set to be released in Japan on March 4 but was pushed back to March 14. The album was only released in North America, Japan and some parts of Asia. In Japan, the album topped the Oricon's International Album chart and peaked at number three on the Weekly chart. In the United States, the album peaked at number 69 on the Billboard 200 chart. This Is the One was the supporting album of Utada's 2010 tour Utada: In the Flesh 2010. On December 21, 2009, the "Dirty Desire" remixes were released.
"Time Limit" is a song by Japanese musician Hikaru Utada. It was released as a double A-side single with the song "For You" on June 30, 2000.
The discography of Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai consists of thirteen studio albums, four extended plays (EP), eight compilation albums, one live album, one mix tape, ten video albums and numerous solo and collaboration singles.
"Time Machine Nante Iranai" is the third solo single by former AKB48 headliner Atsuko Maeda; it was released in Japan on September 18, 2013. It is the first single she has released since she formally left AKB48. She first performed the song at an AKB48 concert in Sapporo Dome where she made a special guest appearance.
Flower Flower is a Japanese rock band that was formed in 2013 by Japanese singer-songwriter Yui. The group debuted with the single "Tsuki" (2013).
It's About Time is the ninth studio album by the American band Chic released on September 28, 2018 through Virgin EMI Records. It was written and conducted by Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers. It’s About Time is the first album to be released in over two decades for the group, and is the first Chic album to not feature founding member Bernard Edwards who died in 1996. Originally scheduled for a 2015 release, heralded by the single "I'll Be There", the album concept kept changing and the release delayed for three years, partly due to the deaths of Prince and David Bowie. Eventually released on Virgin EMI Records in September 2018, the album cover is a homage to the group’s 1977 self titled debut album Chic. The lead single, "Till the World Falls", featuring Mura Masa, Cosha and Vic Mensa, was released on June 22, 2018.
Ado is a Japanese singer and songwriter. In 2020, at the age of 17, she made her debut with the digital single titled "Usseewa", which peaked at number 1 on Billboard Japan Hot 100, Oricon Digital Singles Chart, and the Oricon Streaming Chart. The song reached 100 million plays on Billboard Japan within 17 weeks of charting, which was the sixth fastest in history and the youngest for a solo singer. In 2022, her song "New Genesis" was used as the theme song for the anime film One Piece Film: Red and topped Apple Music's Global Top 100 charts.