Just like You | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 24, 2007 | |||
Length | 57:23 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Keyshia Cole chronology | ||||
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Singles from Just Like You | ||||
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Just like You is the second studio album by American singer Keyshia Cole. It was released by Geffen Records on September 24, 2007. Cole started work on the project shortly after the release of her debut album, The Way It Is (2005). She consulted a variety of producers and songwriters to work with her on the album, including Missy Elliott, Bryan-Michael Cox, Scott Storch, Rodney Jerkins, The Runners, J. Wells, Pete Rock, and Soulshock. Guest vocalists include Elliott, Lil' Kim, Too $hort, Amina Harris, Anthony Hamilton, Young Dro, T.I., Chink Santana, and Piper.
Upon release, Just Like You received mixed and positive reviews from music critics who considered it one of the better R&B albums of the year but was critical about the abundance of ballads within the track listing. She was also dubbed by some critics as the "princess of hip-hop soul". [1] [2] It was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards that was held February 2008, but lost to Ne-Yo's Because of You (2007). As of December 2007, the album has been certified platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and remains Cole's highest-selling album to date with 1.7 million copies sold.
Cole started work on her second album shortly after the release of her debut album, The Way It Is . Cole said about the album: "This album is more about you inside, and how you need to get yourself together, rather than pointing at somebody else and saying: 'You don't treat me right, you don't do this.' I'm truly lovin it, I listen to it myself. The last album, I didn't really listen to until I went on tour. When you listen to your own experience, it's like, I don't want to hear it anymore. I do write from my personal experiences, but I think it's very important to young women." [3]
The first single off the album is "Let It Go", an upbeat club track that features Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim. The video premiered on BET's Access Granted on July 11, 2007. The second single is the Darkchild-produced "Shoulda Let You Go". The album was promoted with the second season of her reality show, Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is , which premiered on October 30, 2007. [4] "Give Me More" came in at No.1 on The Editor's List inside Cove Magazine October 2007 Issue for the top 5 Soul/R&B recordings for the month of September 2007. The album's title track was the theme for Cole's BET reality series during seasons 2 and 3.
On November 27, 2008, the album was released in Australia, titled Just Like You (International Deluxe Version). This release is a hybrid of Just Like You and The Way It Is and also features Keyshia's collaborations with Diddy and Sean Paul. It contains 16 songs and has a different cover to the original version of the album. On May 9, 2008, the international album had been released in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland as well. [5]
Following the album's release, Cole went on a promotional tour for the album. [6]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 72/100 [7] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
About.com | [8] |
Allmusic | [9] |
Billboard | (favorable) [10] |
The Boston Globe | (mixed) [11] |
Entertainment Weekly | C [12] |
New York Times | (favorable) [13] |
Rolling Stone | [14] |
Stylus | A− [15] |
The Village Voice | (favorable) [16] |
Washington Post | (favorable) [17] |
Just Like You received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 72 based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [7] Album of the Year collected 3 reviews and calculated an average of 67 out of 100. [18]
Allmusic editor Andy Kellman found that "in some ways, Just Like You plays out like an album that could've only been made after Mary J. Blige's Breakthrough , balancing desperation with conviction and mixing lush arrangements with penetrative melodies. Despite all this weirdness, this stands as a very good album by Keyshia Cole to the point where Cole's voice grows from an occasionally powerful emotive device into a versatile instrument." [9] Similarly, Thomas Inskeep from Stylus noted that while the "album isn't perfect," it proves "that Cole's capable of some seriously rich, powerful art." He added: "Cole's still finding her way, but on Just Like You it sounds as if she's already named and claimed her voice. Just Like You is tough and tender like Blige's sophomore album My Life , and while it may not quite match its predecessor's legendary status, it's not so far off and it sounds like the R&B album of the year, easily." [15]
Christian Hoard from Rolling Stone called the album "a work of engaging, pop-wise R&B. The beats stick mostly to jumpy keyboard bounce with string stabs and other minor adornments. The ballads are rarely more than snoozy. Cole is at her best when she gives love a kick in the pants. She is not Mary J. Blige yet, but she certainly sounds older than her years." [14] In her review for The Boston Globe , Joan Anderman wrote that the "songstress could have used a good editor on her second album, which is bogged down by too many ballads and overly lush production. But even though Just Like You doesn't match the raw, anthemic power of her 2005 debut, The Way It Is, Cole's a singer to be reckoned with, particularly in an urban market saturated with imitators." [11] Entertainment Weekly 's Neil Drumming felt that "Cole still traffics in heartache. But whereas The Way It Is relied on raw hip-hop beats, Just Like You drips with treacly strings and piano. This counterintuitive lushness smothers Cole's modest wail on cuts like "Heaven Sent." The album's best tracks are its barest." [12]
One week after its release, Just Like You debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 behind Rascal Flatts's Still Feels Good (2007) and at the top of Billboard 's official Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with first week sales of 281,419 copies that was more than quadruple the first week of her debut album. [19] By December 2007, the album had shipped 1,000,000 copies in the United States and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [19] Just Like You went on to finish 87th on the Billboard 200 and 19th on Billboard 's 2007 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums year-end chart. [20] [21] As of 2010, the album has sold 1,700,000 copies in the United States. [22]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Let It Go" (featuring Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim) |
|
| 3:58 |
2. | "Didn't I Tell You" (featuring Too $hort) | 3:51 | ||
3. | "Fallin' Out" |
|
| 4:27 |
4. | "Give Me More" |
|
| 3:53 |
5. | "I Remember" |
|
| 4:20 |
6. | "Shoulda Let You Go" (featuring Amina Harris) |
|
| 3:40 |
7. | "Heaven Sent" |
|
| 3:52 |
8. | "Same Thing (Interlude)" |
|
| 1:35 |
9. | "Got to Get My Heart Back" |
| [23] | 4:17 |
10. | "Was It Worth It?" | 3:36 | ||
11. | "Just Like You" |
|
| 4:06 |
12. | "Losing You" (featuring Anthony Hamilton) |
|
| 3:49 |
13. | "Last Night" (featuring Diddy) |
| 4:15 | |
14. | "Work It Out" |
| 4:04 | |
15. | "Let It Go (Remix)" (featuring Missy Elliott, Young Dro and T.I.) |
|
| 3:40 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
16. | "Trust" (bonus track) |
|
| 4:25 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Let It Go" (featuring Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim) |
|
| 3:58 |
2. | "Last Night" (featuring Diddy) |
| 4:15 | |
3. | "(When You Gonna) Give It Up to Me" (with Sean Paul) |
|
| 4:04 |
4. | "Love" |
|
| 4:19 |
5. | "Fallin' Out" |
|
| 4:27 |
6. | "Was It Worth It?" | 3:36 | ||
7. | "I Changed My Mind" |
|
| 3:23 |
8. | "I Remember" |
|
| 4:20 |
9. | "I Should Have Cheated" |
|
| 5:28 |
10. | "Heaven Sent" |
|
| 3:52 |
11. | "You've Changed" |
|
| 4:17 |
12. | "Situations" (featuring Chink Santana) |
|
| 4:46 |
13. | "Shoulda Let You Go" (featuring Amina Harris) |
|
| 3:40 |
14. | "Give Me More" |
|
| 3:53 |
15. | "Let It Go (Remix)" |
|
| 3:40 |
16. | "Love, I Thought You Had My Back" |
|
| 4:10 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Let It Go" (featuring Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim) |
|
| 3:58 |
2. | "(When You Gonna) Give It Up to Me" (with Sean Paul) |
|
| 4:04 |
3. | "Didn't I Tell You" (featuring Too $hort) | 3:51 | ||
4. | "Fallin' Out" |
|
| 4:27 |
5. | "Give Me More" |
|
| 3:53 |
6. | "I Should Have Cheated" |
|
| 5:28 |
7. | "I Remember" |
|
| 4:20 |
8. | "Shoulda Let You Go" (featuring Amina Harris) |
|
| 3:40 |
9. | "Heaven Sent" |
|
| 3:52 |
10. | "Same Thing (Interlude)" |
|
| 1:35 |
11. | "Got to Get My Heart Back" |
|
| 4:17 |
12. | "Was It Worth It?" | 3:36 | ||
13. | "Just Like You" |
|
| 4:06 |
14. | "Losing You" (featuring Anthony Hamilton) |
|
| 3:49 |
15. | "Last Night" (featuring Diddy) |
| 4:15 | |
16. | "Work It Out" |
| 4:04 | |
17. | "Let It Go (Remix)" (featuring Missy Elliott, Young Dro and T.I.) |
|
| 3:40 |
Notes and sample credits
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [34] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [35] | Platinum | 1,700,000 [22] |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Netherlands | September 24, 2007 |
| |
United Kingdom | |||
United States | September 25, 2007 | ||
Canada | |||
Brazil | October 8, 2007 | ||
Italy | October 24, 2007 | ||
New Zealand | November 8, 2007 | ||
Singapore | |||
Japan | |||
European Union | |||
Germany | May 9, 2008 | ||
Austria | |||
Switzerland | |||
Australia | November 27, 2008 |
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and actress. Often referred to as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Awards, twelve NAACP Image Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards, including the Billboard Icon Award. She has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its original song "Mighty River", becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
Monica Denise Arnold is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, she began performing as a child and joined a traveling gospel choir by the age of ten. Monica signed with record producer Dallas Austin through his label Rowdy Records in 1993, and gained prominence following the release of her debut studio album, Miss Thang (1995). Her follow-up albums were met with continued success; her second, The Boy Is Mine (1998) remains her best-selling album and spawned three Billboard Hot 100-number one singles: "The Boy Is Mine", "The First Night" and "Angel of Mine".
Keyshia Myeshia Cole is an American singer, songwriter, television personality and actress. Dubbed by critics as the "Princess of Hip-Hop Soul", she is known for her soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics. Born and raised in Oakland, California, she began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer before signing with A&M Records to release her debut studio album, The Way It Is (2005). Supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top 20 single "Love", the album received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and earned two nominations at the 2006 Soul Train Music Awards. Its success led Cole to film a reality television series for BET, in which she documented her career, family and personal life: Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is. The show ran for three seasons, and became one of the most-watched programs in the network's history.
The Way It Is is the debut studio album by American singer Keyshia Cole, released on June 21, 2005, through A&M Records and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from Jadakiss, Juelz Santana, Metro City and Eve. Cole co-wrote every song on the album, and also worked with a number of producers and writers, including Ron Fair, Sean Garrett, Kerry "Krucial" Brothers, Polow da Don, John Legend, Alicia Keys and Kanye West. The Way It Is is an R&B album, with some tracks having hip hop and hip hop soul sensibilities. Lyrically, the album speaks of romantic relationships.
"I Love You" is a 1995 single by American singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige, taken from her second album My Life.
"I Changed My Mind" is a song by American R&B recording artist Keyshia Cole, recorded for her debut album, The Way It Is (2005). It was written by the singer along with John Legend and Kanye West, while production on the track was helmed by the latter. Released on November 9, 2004 as the lead single from the album, it was mildly successful commercially, peaking at number 71 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 23 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.
"I Should Have Cheated" is a song by American recording artist Keyshia Cole. It was written by 112 members Daron Jones and Quinnes "Q" Parker for her debut album, The Way It Is (2005), while production was helmed by Jones along with Ron Fair. The song was released on August 3, 2005 as the album's third single, following "I Changed My Mind" and "(I Just Want It) To Be Over." It rose to number four on US Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Its music video made it to the top five on 106 and Park and remained there for 46 days.
"Let It Go" is a song by American R&B singer Keyshia Cole featuring American rappers Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim. It was written by Cole, Jack Knight, Cainon Lamb, Lil' Kim, and Missy Elliott for her second album Just Like You (2007) and samples "Juicy Fruit" by Mtume, and "Don't Stop the Music" by Yarbrough and Peoples, while also interpolating "Juicy" by The Notorious B.I.G., who also sampled "Juicy Fruit." An uptempo song written by all three artists with Jack Knight, Cainon Lamb and James Mtume and produced by Lamb and Elliott, it marked the first collaboration between any of the three artists with one another.
"Shoulda Let You Go" is a song by American R&B singer Keyshia Cole. It was written by Cole and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins for her second studio album Just like You (2007), while production was helmed by Jerkins. The song features additional vocals by rapper Amina. "Shoulda Let You Go" premiered on August 25, 2007, on V103, an Atlanta-based radio station, and was later released as the album's second single. It reached number 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Heaven Sent is a song recorded by American singer Keyshia Cole. It was written by Cole, Jason Farmer, Alex Francis, and Lamont Wilson for her second studio album Just like You (2007), while production was overseen by Francis and Farmer with additional credit by Ron Fair. The ballad was released as the album's fourth and final single in March 2008. "Heaven Sent" became Cole's third chart topper on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and earned two Grammy Award nominations for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song. An accompanying music video was shot in Hawaii and is based on the poem "Footprints."
A Different Me is the third studio album by American singer Keyshia Cole. It was released by Geffen Records in association with Imani Entertainment and Interscope Records on December 16, 2008 in the United States. Cole reteamed with producers Toxic, Ron Fair and The Runners to work on A Different Me, but also worked with a variety of additional collaborators on new material, including Polow da Don, The Outsyders, Kwamé, Carvin & Ivan, Tank, Theron Feemster, and Poke & Tone. Guest appearances include Amina, Nas, Monica and 2Pac.
"Trust" is a song by American singer Keyshia Cole. It was written by Cole and Frederick Taylor and co-produced by Donald "Toxic" Alford and Ron Fair for her third studio album, A Different Me (2008). It is a re-recording of the iTunes pre-order bonus song from Cole's previous album Just like You.
"I Remember" is a song by American recording artist Keyshia Cole. It was written by Cole and Gregory G. Curtis for her second album Just like You (2007), with production helmed by the latter. "I Remember" was released as the album's third single in December 2007 and reached number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, while peaking at number 24 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
American singer Keyshia Cole has released seven studio albums, one extended play, two mixtapes, 24 singles and 31 music videos. Cole's debut single, "Never", peaked at number 71 on the United States Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and became Cole's first entry on a national record chart. She was later featured on "Let's Get Blown", a 2004 single by American West Coast hip hop rapper Snoop Dogg – it peaked at number 54 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Cole released her debut album The Way It Is on June 21, 2005, through A&M Records. The album debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 89,000 copies. The Way It Is was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It produced the four singles "I Changed My Mind", "(I Just Want It) To Be Over", "I Should Have Cheated", and "Love", of two of which reached the top ten of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Calling All Hearts is the fourth studio album by American singer Keyshia Cole, released on December 21, 2010 in the United States by Geffen Records. Appearances on the album include Nicki Minaj, Tank, Faith Evans, Timbaland and Yvonne Cole.
Woman to Woman is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Keyshia Cole. It was released on November 19, 2012, through Geffen Records and Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place between early 2011 and mid-late 2012, following the release of her previous studio album Calling All Hearts (2010). Cole enlisted a variety of producers, such as Darhyl Camper, Harmony Samuels, Rodney Jerkins, T-Minus, Vidal, and Wonda. Musically, the album is an R&B record and includes elements of dance-pop music. It features guest appearances from Lil Wayne, Meek Mill, Ashanti, Elijah Blake, and Robin Thicke.
"Enough of No Love" is a song recorded by American R&B singer-songwriter Keyshia Cole, released by Geffen and Interscope Records on July 2, 2012 as the lead single from her fifth studio album, Woman to Woman. It contains a guest appearance from American rapper Lil Wayne, who co-wrote the song along with Cole, Elijah Blake, and its producer, Harmony Samuels.
Point of No Return is the sixth studio album by American singer Keyshia Cole; it was released on October 7, 2014, by Interscope Records and Universal Music Group and served as Cole's final album with the label. The album features production from various music producers including Tim Kelley of Tim & Bob, Mike Will Made It, DJ Mustard, WillieDonut, Amadeus, Stargate and features guest appearances by 2 Chainz, Juicy J, Gavyn Rhone, Wale, August Alsina, Faith Evans and Future.
The London Sessions is the twelfth studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige. It was released on November 24, 2014, by Capitol Records and Matriarch Records. On October 26, 2014, the album leaked in its entirety to the Internet, with Billboard calling it "superb" and "objectively her best since 2005's The Breakthrough".
11:11 Reset is the seventh studio album by American singer Keyshia Cole. It was released by Epic Records on October 20, 2017. It succeeds Cole's sixth album Point of No Return (2014). The album was preceded by the release of two singles—"You" and "Incapable". 11:11 Reset peaked at number 37 on the US Billboard 200.
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