One Wish (Deborah Cox album)

Last updated

One Wish
Deborahcoxow.jpg
Studio album by
Deborah Cox
ReleasedSeptember 15, 1998
Length62:19
Label Arista
Producer
Deborah Cox chronology
Deborah Cox
(1995)		One Wish
(1998)		 The Morning After
(2002)
Singles from One Wish
  1. "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here"
    Released: September 15, 1998
  2. "It's Over Now"
    Released: May 4, 1999
  3. "We Can't Be Friends"
    Released: September 14, 1999
  4. "September"
    Released: 2000

One Wish is the second album by Canadian singer-songwriter Deborah Cox. It was released by Arista Records on September 15, 1998, in the United States. As with her self-titled debut album, One Wish was once again executive-produced by Clive Davis, but features more uptempo, contemporary R&B, and a slew of new producers and personnel, including Montell Jordan, Anthony "Shep" Crawford, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, DJ Quik, Stevie J and David Foster. It also contains dance and club music. Diane Warren, Daryl Simmons and Lascelles Stephens also returned with contributions to the album.

Contents

The album performed better in the US than its predecessor earning a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), while going gold in Canada. It was less successful in other territories. Cox was nominated for three Juno Awards for the album, winning two, including Best R&B Soul Recording for "Things Just Ain't the Same" in 1998 and Best R&B Soul Recording for One Wish in 1999. "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" also won a Soul Train Music Awards for Best Female R&B/Soul Single, and a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Best R&B/Soul Song of the Year.

The success of the album was in part due to the crossover success of the lead single "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" which became Cox's most successful entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number two, and remaining there for eight consecutive weeks, making it one of the longest stays at number two in chart history. The song also reached number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, spending a then record-breaking 14 weeks at number one. "We Can't Be Friends" was the second-most successful single from the album, reaching the top ten, while "It's Over Now" and "I Never Knew" both reached the top on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]

AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis described the album's musical spectrum as "varied, ranging from the typical cheating man song popular at the time, to safe middle-of-the-road, adult contemporary fare, and club anthems [...] Cox's voice, a powerhouse unto itself, sounds just as effective and very sweet when she's not belting out a tune Whitney Houston-style [...] A good album, which includes a couple of quintessential 1990s dance hits, and a prime example of Arista's incomparable marketing savvy." [1] In a review of second single "It's Over Now," Chuck Taylor from Billboard wrote that One Wish "continues to astound with a grace and beauty not found on so many of the hit R&B albums out there. Over the course of 13 songs, the ever-soulful Cox, along with a handful of savvy producers, unites multilayered grooves and lush orchestral arrangements – a divine match that harks back to the early recordings of Gladys Knight." [2]

Commercial performance

One Wish debuted at number 117 on the US Billboard 200 in the week of October 17, 1998 and eventually peaked at number 72 on November 28. [3] The album also peaked at number 14 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and became her second project to reach number one on the US Heatseekers Albums chart. [4] [5] On December 14, 1998, it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and on July 2, 1999, the album reached Platinum status in the United States. [6] In August 1999, One Wish also earned a Gold certification from Music Canada for selling 50,000 copies in Canada. [7]

Track listing

One Wish track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."September"
Stevie J4:45
2."It's Over Now"
  • Jackson
  • KayGee
4:20
3."Nobody's Supposed to Be Here"
Crawford4:22
4."We Can't Be Friends" (featuring R.L.)
  • Crawford
  • Jimmy Russell
  • Crawford
  • Professor Funk
4:41
5."Couldn't We" Diane Warren Daryl Simmons 4:32
6."One Wish"
4:34
7."I Won't Give Up"
  • Cox
  • Trina Powell
Lascelles Stephens4:32
8."Just When I Think I'm Over You"
 Rodney Jerkins 3:55
9."Love Is On the Way"
Stevie J4:43
10."I Never Knew"
Jerkins5:05
11."One Day You Will"Warren David Foster 4:12
12."Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (Dance Mix)
  • Crawford
  • Jordan
4:14
13."Things Just Ain't the Same" (Dance Mix)
  • Crawford
  • Hector [a]
4:11
14."September" (KayGee Remix) (hidden track)
  • Stevie J
  • Cox
  • Chambers
  • Turpin
  • Stevie J
  • KayGee [a]
4:13
Total length:62:19
One Wish– Japanese edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Things Just Ain't The Same"
  • Renée
  • Antoine
  • Evans
  • Bell
  • Creed
Evans3:38
15."September" (KayGee Remix) (hidden track)
  • Stevie J
  • Cox
  • Chambers
  • Turpin
  • Stevie J
  • KayGee [a]
4:13
Total length:65:57

Notes

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for One Wish
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [7] Gold50,000^
United States (RIAA) [6] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Allmusic review
  2. ↑ Taylor, Chuck (March 6, 1999). "Review & Previews". Billboard . Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Deborah Cox Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Deborah Cox Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Deborah Cox Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  6. 1 2 "American album certifications – Deborah Cox – One Wish". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Canadian album certifications – Deborah Cox – One Wish". Music Canada . Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
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