Level II (Blackstreet album)

Last updated
Level II
BLACKSTREET - Level II.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 11, 2003 Flag of the United States.svg
Recorded2002–2003
Future Recording Studios
(Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.)
Genre R&B, [1] new jack swing, [2] electro-funk [3]
Length62:26
Label DreamWorks
Producer Teddy Riley (executive), Leroy Burgess, Nate "Danjahandz" Hills, Andreao "Fanatic" Heard
Blackstreet chronology
Finally
(1999)
Level II
(2003)
No Diggity: The Very Best of Blackstreet
(2003)
Singles from Level II
  1. "Deep"
    Released: 2002
  2. "Wizzy Wow"
    Released: 2002
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic (59/100) [4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic (favorable) [5]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Chicago Tribune (mixed) [6]
Entertainment Weekly C+ [2]
Mojo Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
People (mixed) [7]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The SituationStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Vibe Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Yahoo! Music UK Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]

Level II is the fourth album by R&B group, Blackstreet, released on March 11, 2003. It was their first and only album released on record label DreamWorks Records. The album's title was a reference to its members' best known line-up during their most successful album, 1996's Another Level . [12] Two of the members returned for the recording of Level II. Mark Middleton returned to the fold after he was replaced by Terrell Phillips on 1999's Finally to launch a gospel music career. Dave Hollister returned on the song "Bygones", as he also left the group to start his solo career.

Contents

Founding members Teddy Riley and Chauncey Hannibal patched things up to record Level II. A few years earlier, they were involved in a very public dispute that signaled the group's demise at the end of 1999. [13] [14] [15] [16] After Blackstreet's eventual dissolution, Riley entered into a short-lived reunion with his previous group Guy. [17] Hannibal attempted a solo career, while Eric Williams returned to writing and producing for other artists such as Dave Hollister, Donell Jones and Jaheim.

Riley also attempted a solo career as well, with a deal with Virgin Records in 2000. [18] [14] His solo recording Black Rock was shelved despite promotional copies of the album being issued. [19] Another project that he worked on was the Capitol Records singer Michael "Mike E." Etheridge, a former member of The Neptunes. [20] His debut album Master Plan- which was executive produced by Riley- was also shelved, and as a result, several songs on the unreleased albums made their way on Level II. "Look In The Water" was originally recorded by Mike E. for his album, [21] but Riley re-recorded the song with Blackstreet's vocals. Several songs from Riley's unreleased album Black Rock ("Friend Of Mine", "You Made Me", "Deep" and "Bygones") were also re-recorded for this album. [22] Level II was released with little to no promotion, as DreamWorks Records was on the verge of being absorbed by their previous label Interscope Records. [23] [24]

The artwork for the edited version has the logo colored blue as opposed to the red color on the uncut version.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Ticket To Ride (Intro)"T. Riley, T. Lucas, R. Stanard, C. Scarborough, M. White Teddy Riley, Shareefa Cooper, Sean Washington, Kenny Frazier, Kenny Quiller3:17
2."Don't Touch (featuring Mr. Cheeks)"T. Riley, R. Stanard, T. Kelly, E. Williams, M. Middleton, L. Richie, M. Williams, W. Orange, T. McClary, R. LaPread, W. King Leroy Burgess 3:30
3."She's Hot"T. Riley, C. Black, B. TurnerTeddy Riley3:24
4."Deep"T. Riley, R. StanardTeddy Riley4:22
5."Ooh Girl"T. Riley, C. Black, R. Stanard, N. Whitfield Teddy Riley3:27
6."Friend Of Mine"T. Riley, J. Clawson, R. StanardLeroy Burgess, Superb3:49
7."Interlude: What's The Fuss?"  0:40
8."You Made Me"T. Riley, R. StanardLeroy Burgess4:33
9."It's So Hard To Say Goodbye"T. Riley, C. Black, D. Marshall, C. Cofield, W. Butler, C. Davis, O. LeaviDaryl "DL" Marshall, Chauncey Black, Teddy Riley4:15
10."Why, Why"T. Riley, M. Woolard, A. Williams, J. Williams, N. Hills, J. Bettis, S. Porcaro Teddy Riley, Nate Hills, Natural Blend3:34
11."Look In The Water"T. Riley, M. Etheridge, P. Williams, M. Hucknall, N. MossTeddy Riley4:48
12."Baby You're All I Want"T. Riley, E. Williams, Jahid, W. HodgesEric Williams, Wesley Hodges3:55
13."How We Do"T. Riley, E. Peoples, P. Williams, D. King IIEugene Peoples, Teddy Riley, Prathan "Spanky" Williams 3:48
14."Bygones"T. Riley, A. Heard, S. BarnesTeddy Riley, Andreao "Fanatic" Heard, Sherrod Barnes4:20
15."Interlude: Still Feelin' You"  2:05
16."Brown Eyes"T. Riley, B. Reeves, P. LeesTeddy Riley, Philosophy3:34
17."Wizzy Wow (featuring Mystikal)"T. Riley, R. Stanard, M. Tyler, C. Black, E. Williams, M. Middleton, M. WattsTeddy Riley3:22

Samples

Personnel

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References

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  3. "Level II - Blackstreet | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  4. 1 2 3 4 Critic reviews from Metacritic
  5. Allmusic review
  6. Chicago Tribune review
  7. People review
  8. The Situation review Archived 2008-08-20 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Slant Magazine review
  10. "Blackstreet - Level 2". Uncut : 92. June 2003. Archived from the original on May 5, 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-28.
  11. "Yahoo! Music UK review". Archived from the original on July 23, 2004. Retrieved 2013-04-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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