Late Nights & Early Mornings

Last updated

Late Nights & Early Mornings
Late-nights-early-mornings.jpg
Studio album by
Marsha Ambrosius
Released1 March 2011
Length51:25
Label J
Producer
Marsha Ambrosius chronology
Late Nights & Early Mornings
(2011)		 Friends & Lovers
(2014)
Singles from Late Nights & Early Mornings
  1. "Hope She Cheats on You (With a Basketball Player)"
    Released: 13 August 2010
  2. "Far Away"
    Released: 7 December 2010

Late Nights & Early Mornings is the debut studio album by English singer Marsha Ambrosius. Recorded after the disbandment of her former band Floetry, it was released by J Records on 1 March 2011 in the United States. [1] Her only album for the label before its dissolution seven months later, [2] it debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 96,400 copies sold in the first week. [3]

Contents

Background

Songs from Late Nights & Early Mornings were produced and written by Ambrosius herself with other contributors, including Just Blaze, Dre & Vidal, Focus... and co-writing credits by Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill [4] [5] The album also contains a cover version of Portishead's "Sour Times". [6] Ambrosius said that the overall vibe of the album is "sensual, it’s sincere, it’s seductive" [7] and also explained, “Not too many women get the opportunity to say what they want, and having controlled and written pretty much everything I get to do all of that on one album. J Records, they understood me as an artist and said, ‘What do you want? How do you want to sound? What do you feel like your album should be’ and they allowed me to go in the studio.” [7] Ambrosius describes the song, "Hope She Cheats on You (With a Basketball Player)" as "the reality of a bad break up." [4]

Promotion

"Hope She Cheats On You (With A Basketball Player)" was released as the album's first single on 13 August 2010. [8] The song peaked on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number twenty-two. "Far Away" was released as the album's second single on 7 December 2010. It is produced by Just Blaze and written by Marsha Ambrosius with co-writing by Sterling Simms. [9] [10] The track was inspired by one of Ambrosius's own friends who committed suicide, and discusses how it feels once someone she's loved is gone. This song has reached number three on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The title track, "Late Nights & Early Mornings", was released as the third single.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [11]
DJBoothStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [12]
Slant Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
SoulTracks (favorable) [14]
The Village Voice (favorable) [6]

Late Nights & Early Mornings received generally positive reviews from music critics. Allmusic editor Andy Kellman found that "in a way, Late Nights & Early Mornings picks up where 2005's Flo'Ology , left off [...] Those who could not get into the Floetry albums due to Ambrosius' occasionally tremulous delivery should have no problem this time. The characteristic is no distraction – put to use with less frequency and typically in service to the song, not purely for show." [11] Melody Charles from SoulTracks remarked that the album "captures what is so intriguing about the triple-threat performer: her straight-forward sensuality, her emotional authenticity and the way she grafts those qualities together into melodic masterpieces [...] Self-possessed, skillfully-rendered and undeniably soulful, Ms. Ambrosius' debut is already one of 2011's Must-Haves: if you value depth and dimension in your listening experience, count on having many Late Nights & Early Mornings with this CD/download enveloping your ears." [14]

DJBooth.net's Nathan Slavik referred to the album as a "near-classic," stating "Marsha Ambrosius’ debut is the R&B album of the year." [12] Slant critic Jesse Cataldo wrote that "despite the appearance of established hip-hop producers and the vocal talents of an intelligent, assured female performer, Late Nights & Early Mornings is drab all over. None of its elements, from expressions of female sexuality to revenge wishes against unfaithful ex-lovers, are sufficiently piercing to cut through the blandness." She felt that the album "blurs together through typical narratives of love and loss, joy and sorrow, merely approximating these emotions through the standard language established for such things. Nothing especially stands out, and though Ambrosius makes no overt mistakes on her first album, nothing she offers ever approaches making it memorable." [13]

Commercial performance

In the United States the album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, behind fellow Brit Adele's "21", with fellow Brits Mumford and Sons "Sigh No More" at number 3 (the first instance British artists had held the top 3 positions on the chart in over 25 years). [15] It also peaked at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, with 96,400 copies sold in the first week. [3] By June 2011, Late Nights & Early Mornings had sold 306,700 units in the United States. [16]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Anticipation" (Intro)Marsha AmbrosiusAmbrosius1:29
2."With You"
Ambrosius5:09
3."Late Nights & Early Mornings"
Harrison3:34
4."Hope She Cheats on You (With a Basketball Player)"
  • Ambrosius
  • Canei Finch
  • Ambrosius
  • Finch
4:06
5."Far Away"
 Just Blaze 7:17
6."Lose Myself" Lauryn Hill Finch5:03
7."Your Hands"
 Dre & Vidal 3:30
8."I Want You to Stay"AmbrosiusAmbrosius3:50
9."Sour Times"
  • Geoff Barrow
  • Beth Gibbons
  • Adrian Utley
Ambrosius3:20
10."Tears"
 Focus... 2:57
11."Chasing Clouds"
 Syience 3:45
12."The Break Up Song"AmbrosiusAmbrosius3:29
13."Butterflies (Remix)"
  • Ambrosius
  • Harris
  • Ambrosius
  • Finch
4:12
iTunes bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Fan"AmbrosiusAmbrosius2:58

Sample credits

Credits and personnel

Credits for Late Nights & Early Mornings from AllMusic. [17]

Charts

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aftermath Entertainment</span> American record label

Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Interscope Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trina</span> American rapper (born 1978)

Katrina Laverne Taylor, known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in the late 1990s for her collaborations with Trick Daddy on the singles "Nann Nigga", "Shut Up", and "Take It to da House". In 2000, she released her debut album Da Baddest Bitch. Afterwards, she made an appearance on the remix of "One Minute Man" by Missy Elliott and Ludacris. In 2002, she released the Kanye West-produced single "B R Right" featuring Ludacris, from her sophomore album Diamond Princess (2002).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Floacist</span> Musical artist

Natalie "the Floacist" Stewart is an English rapper, singer, songwriter, spoken word artist, poet, and actress. Born in Germany and raised in London, she performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child, and rose to fame in the early 2000s as part of the R&B girl-duo Floetry. During a break, Stewart's first album, Floetic Soul (2010), was released which established her as a solo artist, with the singles "Forever" and "Let Me".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsha Ambrosius</span> English singer and songwriter

Marsha Ambrosius-Billups is an English singer and songwriter. She began her musical career as a member of the R&B duo Floetry. Ambrosius released her debut solo album Late Nights & Early Mornings in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floetry</span> English R&B duo

Floetry were an English R&B duo comprising Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart. The group recorded two studio albums, one live album, and sold over 1,500,000 records worldwide. Formed in 1997, Floetry started on the performance poetry stage. They have worked with many US musicians and artists including: Jill Scott, Queen Latifah, Michael Jackson, Common, The Roots, Bilal, and more founders of Neo-Soul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butterflies (Michael Jackson song)</span> 2001 single by Michael Jackson

"Butterflies" is a song by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson. It was written and composed by Andre Harris and Marsha Ambrosius, and produced by Jackson and Harris. The track appears on Jackson's tenth studio album, Invincible (2001), and is Jackson's final single from a studio album. The song also appeared in The Ultimate Collection (2004). "Butterflies" is a midtempo ballad. The single received generally positive reviews from music critics; some music reviewers described the song as being one of the best songs on Invincible while others felt that it was a "decent track".

<i>FloOlogy</i> 2005 studio album by Floetry

Flo'Ology is the second and final studio album by the English R&B duo Floetry, released in the United States on 8 November 2005 by Geffen Records and in the United Kingdom on 14 November 2005 by Polydor Records. It debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200 and spawned the single "SupaStar" featuring rapper Common. As of September 2010, the album has sold 363,000 in the United States.

<i>Floetic</i> 2002 studio album by Floetry

Floetic is the debut studio album by the English R&B duo Floetry, released by DreamWorks Records in the United States on 1 October 2002 and on Polydor Records in the United Kingdom on 25 November 2002.

<i>Floacism "Live"</i> 2003 live album by Floetry

Floacism "Live" is a live album by the R&B duo Floetry released in 2003. It also includes three studio songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Forget About You</span> 2007 single by Nas featuring Chrisette Michele

"Can't Forget About You" is the second and final single from American hip hop artist Nas' 2006 album Hip Hop Is Dead, released on January 23, 2007. It features Chrisette Michele, and the track is produced by will.i.am. Its lyrics deal with Nas reciting various unforgettable memories such as Mr. T becoming a wrestler and when DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince won the first Rap Grammy. Its b-side is "Hustlers" featuring The Game and Marsha from Floetry. It features a sample of "Unforgettable by Nat King Cole. The song reached number forty-six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, making it, to date, his highest charting R&B song since "I Can" peaked at 7 in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sour Times</span> 1994 single by Portishead

"Sour Times" is a song by English trip hop group Portishead, from their debut album, Dummy (1994). It was written by all three members of the band and released as a single by Go! Beat Records in August 1994, accompanied by three bonus tracks: "It's a Fire", "Pedestal", and "Theme from To Kill a Dead Man". It's music video was directed by Alexander Hemming. NME ranked "Sour Times" number 32 in their list of the 50 best songs of 1994. Slant Magazine placed it at number 77 in their ranking of "The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s" in 2011.

<i>Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams</i> 2008 studio album by Solange

Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams is the second studio album by American R&B singer and songwriter Solange. It was released on August 26, 2008, by Geffen Records. Solange was heavily influenced by the "Motown Sound" of the 1960s and 1970s prior to the album's recording, prompting her to work with several like-minded producers and songwriters such as Jack Splash, CeeLo Green, Mark Ronson, and Lamont Dozier, formerly of Motown's Holland–Dozier–Holland. The production also incorporated elements of downbeat and electronic music that Solange had familiarized herself with on previous trips to Europe, while the songwriting explored themes of independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hope She Cheats on You (With a Basketball Player)</span> 2010 single by Marsha Ambrosius

"Hope She Cheats on You (With a Basketball Player)" is a song by English recording artist Marsha Ambrosius. It was released on August 13, 2010 as the lead single from her debut studio album, Late Nights & Early Mornings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daley (musician)</span> British singer and artist

Gareth Daley, known mononymously as Daley, is a British singer-songwriter and creative artist from Manchester, known for his collaborations with Gorillaz, Jill Scott, Pharrell Williams, Marsha Ambrosius and Jessie J.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Far Away (Marsha Ambrosius song)</span> 2010 single by Marsha Ambrosius

"Far Away" is a song by English recording artist Marsha Ambrosius. It was released on 7 December 2010 as the second single from her debut studio album, Late Nights & Early Mornings. The album was subsequently released on 1 March 2011. The song was written by Marsha Ambrosius with co-writing by Sterling Simms and production by Just Blaze, in 2008. The song was nominated for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song at the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

<i>Friends & Lovers</i> (Marsha Ambrosius album) 2014 studio album by Marsha Ambrosius

Friends & Lovers is the second studio album by English R&B singer Marsha Ambrosius. It was released by RCA Records on 15 July 2014. The album features guest appearances from Charlie Wilson, Dr. Dre, Skye Edwards and Lindsey Stirling. On 23 June 2014 the album's first and second singles "Run" and "Stronger" featuring Dr. Dre, were released.

Mikaelin 'Blue' Bluespruce is an American, New York City based mix engineer and record producer. He has worked with notable artists of many different genres including: Solange Knowles, Nas, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Skepta, Dev Hynes, Marsha Ambrosius, Alloe Blacc, Common, & Prince Royce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Say Yes (Floetry song)</span> 2003 single by Floetry

"Say Yes" is a song by performed by Floetry, issued as the second single from their debut studio album Floetic. It was written by lead singer Marsha Ambrosius along with Andre Harris, and was produced by Harris. The song was the group's only single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #24 in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Getting Late</span> 2003 single by Floetry

"Getting Late" is a song by performed by English neo soul group Floetry, issued as the third and final single from their debut studio album Floetic. It was written by Natalie Stewart and Marsha Ambrosius along with Vidal Davis; and it peaked at #31 on the Billboard R&B chart in 2003. The song was sampled on Drake's song "Flight's Booked", from his album Honestly, Nevermind.

<i>The Storm</i> (Tech N9ne album) 2016 studio album by Tech N9ne

The Storm is the seventeenth studio album by American rapper Tech N9ne. It was released on December 9, 2016, by Strange Music. The album features guest appearances from Gary Clark, Jr., Problem, Joyner Lucas, Logic, Marsha Ambrosious, Jonathan Davis and Boyz II Men alongside fellow Strange Music rappers such as Krizz Kaliko, Stevie Stone, Murs and Big Scoob, among others.

References

  1. ↑ "Late Nights, Early Mornings: Marsha Ambrosius: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  2. ↑ Album Cover: Marsha Ambrosius – ‘Late Nights & Early Mornings’ rap-up.com. Retrieved 10-10-2010.
  3. 1 2 Langhorne, Cyrus (9 March 2011). "Nicki Minaj & Rihanna Lose Their Tops, Eminem Can't Recover His Spot, Marsha Ambrosius Flows Onto The Chart". Sohh.Com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
  4. 1 2 (August 2, 2010) Jermy Leeuwis, Marsha Ambrosius to release Late Nights and Early Mornings album musicremedy.com. Retrieved 10-10-2010.
  5. ↑ Gail Mitchell, Ex-Floetry Member Marsha Ambrosius Readies Solo Set Billboard. Nielson Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 10-10-2010.
  6. 1 2 Tate, Greg (April 6, 2011). Marsha Ambrosius Can Bring the R and the B - Page 1 - Music - New York - Village Voice. The Village Voice . Retrieved on 2011-04-13.
  7. 1 2 Clover Hope, Marsha Ambrosius Discovers Herself On ‘Sensual, Seductive’ Solo Album vibe.com. Intermedia Vibe Holdings, LLC. Retrieved 10-10-2010.
  8. ↑ Hope She Cheats On You (With a Basketball Player) - Single by Marsha Ambrosius itune.apple.com. Apple, Inc. Retrieved 11-10-2010.
  9. ↑ "iTunes Store". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  10. ↑ Marsha Ambrosius Music New & Info Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 10-10-2010.
  11. 1 2 Kellman, Andy Review: Late Nights & Early Mornings. AllMusic. Retrieved on 2020-03-20.
  12. 1 2 Slavik, Nathan. "Late Nights and Early Mornings - Marsha Ambrosius Album Review". DJBooth.net. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  13. 1 2 Cataldo, Jesse (27 February 2011). "Review: Marsha Ambrosius, Late Nights & Early Mornings". Slant . Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  14. 1 2 Charles, Melody (25 February 2011). "Marsha Ambrosius - Late Nights, Early Mornings (2011)". SoulTracks . Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  15. ↑ "Adele and Mumford & Sons aid Brit domination of US chart". Nme.com. 9 March 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  16. ↑ Langhorne, Cyrus (15 June 2011). "Tech N9ne Sticks Up Top 5, Rick Ross' MMG Detours Into Top 40, Marsha Ambrosius Gets Her Spot Back". SOHH.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  17. ↑ "Late Nights & Early Mornings - Marsha Ambrosius | Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  18. ↑ "Marsha Ambrosius Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Marsha Ambrosius Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  21. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved 23 July 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.