| Now or Never | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 14, 2010 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 43:19 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer |
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| Tank chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Now or Never | ||||
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Now or Never is the fourth studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Tank. It was released on December 14, 2010 via Atlantic Records following his departure from longtime label Blackground Records. [2]
The album was originally to be released in Fall 2009, but wasn't due to Tank leaving Blackground Records in September 2009. Since late 2008, many songs have leaked that many believed were to be on the new album, but most, if not all, of the songs are unlikely to make the final track list. In June 2010, Tank signed a new deal with Atlantic Records [3] and aggressively began to work on the album. June 29, 2010 saw the release of the album's first single, Sex Music. The original title for the album was Sex Love & Pain II: The All Night Experience (which would be released six years later), then was changed to simply All Night before finally settling on Now or Never The original release date of the album was to be September 21, 2010, then was pushed to November 2, 2010 and now the final release date is December 14, 2010. The album is set to feature guest artists such as Drake & Chris Brown. Production is to come from the likes of Jim Jonsin, The Stereotypes, Brandon Alexander, Rico Love, Harvey Mason, Jr., plus Tank and his production team, Song Dynasty. "It's a happier album, I'm appreciating more, I'm celebrating more," he admits in an interview with TheBoomBox.com. "The sexual experiences on the album are deep but they're not dark. It's a great moment on the album where I think everyone can ride and have a smile on their face." [4]
The album's first single, Sex Music, was released on June 8, 2010. It debuted at number 74 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. [5] The video for "Sex Music" premiered on Vibe.com on August 5, 2010. The second single, "Emergency", [6] was released on October 5, 2010.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
Andy Kellman of AllMusic rated Now or Never two and a half out of five stars. He wrote that "for most of this disc's duration, Tank sticks to his solo-artist strength, providing a steady stream of low-key songs for the bedroom. Most of it simmers. The remainder boils. It’s not bound to make him much more popular, but those who dig beneath the surface of mainstream R&B will be rewarded." [7]
The album debuted at number thirty five on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 44,000 copies. [8] Since then, the album has sold a total of 215,000 copies in the United States. [9]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Showtime (Intro)" | Babbs | Song Dynasty | 1:30 |
| 2. | "Sex Music" |
|
| 3:40 |
| 3. | "Celebration" (featuring Drake) |
| Stereotypes | 4:12 |
| 4. | "Emergency (Intro)" | Babbs | Song Dynasty | 0:47 |
| 5. | "Emergency" |
| Song Dynasty | 4:14 |
| 6. | "Scream" |
|
| 4:03 |
| 7. | "Keep It 100" |
| Song Dynasty | 4:06 |
| 8. | "Foreplay" (featuring Chris Brown) |
| Barnes | 4:03 |
| 9. | "Can I (Intro)" | Babbs | Song Dynasty | 1:32 |
| 10. | "Can I" |
| Song Dynasty | 3:34 |
| 11. | "Amazing" |
|
| 4:01 |
| 12. | "You Mean That Much" |
|
| 3:39 |
| 13. | "I Can't Make You Love Me" |
| Song Dynasty | 3:57 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Let Me Know" |
| Song Dynasty | 3:44 |
| 15. | "Sex Nights" (Remix of "Sex Music") |
| Song Dynasty | 3:59 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "On My Way" (featuring J. Valentine) |
| Song Dynasty | 4:17 |
| 15. | "I Can't Make You Love Me" (Acoustic version) |
| Song Dynasty | 4:33 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | December 14, 2010 | Atlantic Records |
Joseph Lewis Thomas, known mononymously as Joe, is an American R&B singer. He signed to Polygram Records in 1992, and rose to prominence after releasing his debut album Everything the following year. He followed it with a series of successful albums under Jive Records, including All That I Am (1997), the international bestseller My Name Is Joe (2000) as well as the multi-certified albums Better Days (2001) and And Then... (2003). Several songs from these albums became hit singles on the pop and R&B record charts, including the number-one hit "Stutter", the top ten entries "All the Things ", "Don't Wanna Be a Player", and "I Wanna Know" as well as his collaborations "Faded Pictures", "Thank God I Found You" and "Still Not a Player".
One in a Million is the second studio album by American singer Aaliyah. It was released on August 13, 1996, by Blackground Records and Atlantic Records. After facing allegations of an illegal marriage with her mentor R. Kelly following the success of her debut studio album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number (1994), Aaliyah severed all ties with him as Blackground ended its partnership with Jive Records and signed a new distribution deal with Atlantic. Throughout that period of turmoil, Aaliyah began recording her second studio album with Sean Combs, who soon abandoned the project, prompting Aaliyah and her management to seek new collaborators. She subsequently began recording with producers such as Jermaine Dupri, Vincent Herbert, and Craig King, before meeting the previously unknown Timbaland and Missy Elliott, who quickly became the album's primary contributors.
Aaliyah is the third and final studio album by American R&B singer Aaliyah. It was released on July 7, 2001, by Blackground Records and Virgin Records. Because of its packaging design, it is also known as "The Red Album". Aaliyah started to work on the album in 1998, but rescheduled its recording around her developing film career. She resumed recording in 2000 at Sing Sing Studios in Australia, where she shot her role for the 2002 film Queen of the Damned during the day and recorded songs at night. Additional recording took place at Manhattan Center and Sony Music Studios in New York and Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, among other locations. Through her recording contract with Blackground, the singer worked primarily with the record label's in-house crew of writers and producers, including Bud'da, J. Dub, Rapture, and Eric Seats, as well as longtime collaborator Timbaland.
JoJo is the debut studio album by American singer JoJo, released on June 22, 2004, by Da Family Entertainment, Blackground Records, and Universal Records. Incorporating pop and R&B, JoJo was influenced by Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby Brown, and Aretha Franklin. While recording the album over an eight-month period, JoJo worked with producers including Brian Alexander Morgan, Soulshock and Karlin, Mike City, Bink!, Kwamé "K1 Mill" and The Underdogs, among others. JoJo co-wrote three out of the seventeen original tracks on the album. The album also includes a cover of R&B group SWV's 1993 song "Weak".
Blackground Records 2.0 is an American record label founded and owned by Jomo and Barry Hankerson. Initially named Blackground Enterprises, the label switched its name to Blackground Entertainment then later Blackground Records in 2000. In 2021, the label rebranded as Blackground Records 2.0, reviving its company and catalogue onto streaming services, with a partnership with Empire Distribution. It co-operated with a publishing company founded by Hankerson, named Black Fountain Music.
I Care 4 U is a posthumous compilation album by American singer Aaliyah. It was released on December 10, 2002, by Blackground Records and Universal Records. Following Aaliyah's death on August 25, 2001, Blackground decided to release a posthumous record in collaboration with Universal Music Group. The album compiles eight of Aaliyah's previously released songs alongside six previously unreleased recordings which were discarded from sessions for her eponymous third and final studio album (2001).
Tremaine Aldon Neverson, known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer. He was discovered by record producer Troy Taylor in 2003, and signed with his label, Songbook Entertainment, in a joint venture with Atlantic Records that same year. His debut studio album, I Gotta Make It (2005), entered the Billboard 200 at number 20, while his second album, Trey Day (2007), peaked at number 11. The latter was supported by the single "Can't Help but Wait", which peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. His third album, Ready (2009), peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "Say Aah", and was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Romeo Must Die: The Album is the soundtrack to Andrzej Bartkowiak's 2000 action film Romeo Must Die, composed of hip hop and R&B music. It was released on March 14, 2000 through Blackground Records and Virgin Records in association with Warner Bros. Records. Recording sessions took time between May 1999 and January 2000.
American singer Usher has released nine studio albums, ten compilation albums, eight extended plays, and 81 singles. His music has been released on the LaFace, Arista, Jive, RCA, and gamma record labels. Usher has sold more than 34 million albums in the United States alone and over 65 million albums worldwide. With over 150 million total records sold worldwide, he is one of the best selling music artists of all time. He has nine number-one singles and 18 Hot 100 top-ten singles on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1994, Usher released his self-titled debut album in North America, which went onto sell 500,000 copies, and produced the singles "Can U Get wit It", "Think of You", and "The Many Ways". The former two peaked in the lower half of the UK and US charts. His follow-up 1997 album My Way sold over 8 million copies worldwide, becoming his breakthrough album. It is certified seven-times platinum in the US, and spawned three successful singles, including his first UK number-one song, "You Make Me Wanna...", and first US Hot 100 number-one song, "Nice & Slow". Usher's success continued in 2001, with his third studio album, 8701. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. The album produced two number-one singles, such as "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". In 2002, the album was certified five-times platinum in the US for sales of 5 million copies. As of 2010, its worldwide sales stand at over 8 million.
Durrell Artaze Babbs, better known by his stage name Tank, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a backing vocalist for R&B singers Aaliyah and Ginuwine, and signed a recording contract with the former's record label, Blackground Records as a performing act in 1998. His 2001 single, "Maybe I Deserve" peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and led his debut studio album, Force of Nature (2001). It peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200, while his second album, One Man (2002), peaked within the top 20 and was met with mixed critical reception.
American singer-songwriter JoJo has released six studio albums, two mixtapes, two extended plays (EP), two re-recordings, twenty-one singles, fifteen promotional singles, and 34 music videos. After JoJo competed on the television show America's Most Talented Kids she signed a seven-album record deal with Blackground Records in 2003 and released her debut album the following year at the age of 13.
"Hot Like Fire" is a song recorded by American singer Aaliyah for her second studio album One in a Million (1996). The song was written by both Missy Elliot and Timbaland, with the latter producing the song. In 1997 it was re-recorded and released as the fifth and final single from One in a Million with "The One I Gave My Heart To" on September 16, 1997 by Blackground Records and Atlantic Records.
Sex, Love & Pain is the third studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Tank. It was released on May 15, 2007 by Blackground Records and Universal Motown Records. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 103,000 copies in its first week, while reaching number one on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Tank's first album to have a Parental Advisory sticker, Sex, Love & Pain was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album at the 50th Grammy Awards. Its first single was "Please Don't Go", followed by "Heartbreaker".
"Please Don't Go" is a song by American singer Tank. It was written and produced along with Lonny Bereal for his third studio album Sex, Love & Pain (2007). It was released by Blackground Records as the album's first single. The single sat at number one on the US Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart for more than six weeks.
Force of Nature is the debut studio album by American R&B recording artist Tank. It was released on March 13, 2001 by Blackground Records. The album debuted atop the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200.
Ready is the third studio album by American R&B recording artist Trey Songz. It was released on August 31, 2009, by Troy Taylor's record label Songbook, distributed by Atlantic Records. The album serves as the sequel to Trey Day (2007). Production for the album took place from 2008 to 2009, which was contributed by Songz's longtime collaborator and his mentor Troy Taylor, along with Bryan-Michael Cox, StarGate and Los da Mystro, among others.
"Sex Music" is a song by American singer Tank. It was written by Tank along with Robert Newt, Jerry "Texx" Franklin, Harvey Mason, Jr., Kristina Stephens, and J. Valentine for his fourth album Now or Never (2010), while production was helmed by Mason and Song Dynasty. It was released by Atlantic Records as the album's lead single on June 29, 2010 and peaked number 29 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
One Man is the second studio album by American recording artist Tank. It was released on October 28, 2002, by Blackground Records and Universal Records.
Stronger is the sixth studio album by American R&B recording artist Tank. The album was released on August 12, 2014, by Atlantic Records. The album was supported by the single "You're My Star". The album debuted at number 13 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 16,621 copies in its first week of release.
Sex Love & Pain II is the seventh studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Tank. It was released on January 22, 2016, by Atlantic Records and his synergetic label R&B Money. Sex Love & Pain II debuted at number 15 on the US Billboard 200 with 20,000 equivalent album units; it sold 17,000 copies in its first week. The album boasted over 2.1 million streams. It was the nine best-selling album of the week. Sex Love & Pain II was Tank's fifth solo album to debut at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
