Passion, Pain & Pleasure

Last updated

Passion, Pain & Pleasure
TreysongzPPP.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 14, 2010
Genre R&B
Length55:50
Label
Producer
Trey Songz chronology
Ready
(2009)
Passion, Pain & Pleasure
(2010)
Anticipation II
(2011)
Singles from Passion, Pain & Pleasure
  1. "Bottoms Up"
    Released: July 27, 2010
  2. "Can't Be Friends"
    Released: September 28, 2010
  3. "Love Faces"
    Released: January 11, 2011
  4. "Unusual"
    Released: May 17, 2011 [1] [2]

Passion, Pain & Pleasure (stylized as PASSION PAIN & PLEASURE) is the fourth studio album by American R&B recording artist Trey Songz; it was released on September 14, 2010. The album serves as a follow-up to his commercial breakthrough Ready (2009). Production for the album took place from March 2010 to July 2010 and was handled by several record producers, including his mentor Troy Taylor, Bryan-Michael Cox, Stargate and Mario Winans, among others.

Contents

The album debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200, selling 240,000 copies in its first week. It has produced two singles, including "Can't Be Friends" and Billboard hit "Bottoms Up". The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for combined sales and streaming equivalent units of over a million units. Upon its release, Passion, Pain & Pleasure received positive reviews from most music critics. Songz promoted the album via his Summer 2010 tour with R&B singer Monica.

Singles

The album's lead single "Bottoms Up" featuring Nicki Minaj, was released on July 27, 2010. The music video was filmed on July 31, 2010 and was released Tuesday, August 17, 2010 on BET. [3] It has reached at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [4] [5]

The album's second single "Can't Be Friends" was released on September 28, 2010. The song produced by Mario Winans and it contains a sample of composer Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Bibo no Aozora" from the score of 2006 drama film Babel . [6] It charted at number 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100. [4] [5] The music video was filmed and was released on September 7, 2010.

"Love Faces" and "Unusual" featuring Drake were released as the third and fourth singles respectively. [1]

Leaks

In August 2010, the tracks "Love Faces" and "Doorbell" leaked through the internet. [7] On his Ustream.tv channel, Songz expressed his feelings regarding the leaks, stating "Shout out to everybody who didn't listen to the leaks. Bootleggers gotta eat. I ain't mad at y'all boys". [7] In his response, Songz also premiered the track "Massage", a boudior-oriented slow jam about giving a lover a head-to-toe massage that he performs on tour with giving a selected audience member a massage onstage. [7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
BBC Online (favorable) [10]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
PopMatters (8/10) [12]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
The Sydney Morning Herald Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
The Washington Post (favorable) [16]

Passion, Pain & Pleasure received positive reviews from most music critics. [17] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 71, based on five reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". [17] Allmusic writer Andy Kellman gave it four out of five stars and complimented its second half as "the strongest, most varied side of a Trey Songz album, just about flawless. It smoothly shifts through several moods". [9] BBC Online's Mike Diver praised the album's "in-depth descriptions of how our protagonist is going to pleasure his other half" and noted Songz's performance as a strength, stating "The skill is in the execution, in the articulation – and Trey is well studied and blessed with some wonderfully smooth vocals". [10] Sean Fennessey of The Washington Post wrote that the album "is softer and subtler than 'Ready'. There are more ballads here -- and fewer 'panty-droppers' and 'baby-makers'. Instead, Trey is making 'Love Faces' at his girl, or growing reflective, and occasionally maudlin, as on 'Can't Be Friends'". [16] Tyler Lewis of PopMatters commented that "Songz rides the tonal and rhythmic shifts with impressive agility" and commended "a clearly rejuvenated songwriting team of Troy Taylor, Edrick Miles, Tony Scales, and Songz himself, who in various combinations wrote the lyrics and melodies to nearly every song here". [12]

In contrast, Rolling Stone writer Will Hermes gave the album two out of five stars and stated "it's just steady mackin' over dull, airbrushed slow-jams". [13] Andrew Murfett of The Sydney Morning Herald expressed a negative response towards its sexual content and stated "Little, if anything, is left to the imagination here". [14] Los Angeles Times writer August Brown viewed that Songz "lacks an especially charismatic voice", but complimented its musical quality and wrote that the album "leaves you like a perfect one night stand — you don’t have to remember the person, just the way he or she made you feel". [11] About.com's Mark Edward Nero stated "this album's musical and vocal quality are consistently good from track to track" and concluded "despite the few miscues, this is clearly Trey's most consistent album yet". [8] USA Today 's Steve Jones gave the album three out of four stars and stated "his consistent passion makes listening a pleasure". [15]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 240,000 copies. [18] In its second week, it dropped to number 7 on the chart and sold 66,000 copies. [19] The album remained at number 7 and sold 42,000 copies in its third week. [20] It fell two spots to number 9 on the chart and sold 32,000 copies in its fourth week. [21] The album has currently sold 823,000 copies in the United States. [22] The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for combined sales and streaming equivalent units of over a million units. Passion, Pain & Pleasure debuted at number 32 on Canada's Top 100 Albums chart. [23]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Here We Go Again (Intro)"
  • Troy Taylor
  • Jerren "J-Kits" Spruill
0:40
2."Love Faces"
  • Neverson
  • Taylor
  • Edrick Miles
  • Tony Scales
  • T. Taylor
  • Edrick Miles
4:02
3."Massage"
  • Neverson
  • Taylor
  • John McGee
  • Miles
  • Scales
  • T. Taylor
  • $K
4:17
4."Alone"
  • Neverson
  • Scales
  • Taylor
  • Miles
  • J. Henderson
  • C. Whitacre
Tha Bizness 3:31
5."Bottoms Up" (featuring Nicki Minaj)
  • Neverson
  • Scales
  • Miles
  • Daniel Johnson
  • Milton James
  • Onika Maraj
4:00
6."Pain (Interlude)"
  • Neverson
  • Taylor
  • McGee
  • Miles
  • Frank Brim
  • Scales
  • T. Taylor
  • Romeo Taylor
1:26
7."Can't Be Friends"
Mario Winans 3:45
8."Please Return My Call"
  • Neverson
  • Taylor
  • Mark Jackson
  • T. Taylor
  • Mark "The Mogul" Jackson
3:57
9."Made to Be Together"
4:28
10."Pleasure (Interlude)"TaylorT. Taylor1:29
11."Red Lipstick"
  • Neverson
  • Taylor
  • McGee
  • T. Taylor
  • $K
4:00
12."Unusual" (featuring Drake)
3:32
13."Doorbell"
  • Neverson
  • Taylor
  • McGee
  • Miles
  • Frank Brim
  • Scales
  • T. Taylor
  • $K
  • Trey Songz
3:56
14."Passion (Interlude)"  Bei Maejor 1:24
15."Unfortunate"
  • Neverson
  • Miles
  • Shebib
  • Scales
  • 40
  • Trey Songz
3:49
16."Blind"
  • Neverson
  • Brandon Green
  • Miles
  • Scales
Bei Maejor4:06
17."You Just Need Me"
  • Neverson
  • Taylor
  • Johnson
  • Jeremy Coleman
  • Miles
  • Scales
  • Kane Beatz
  • JMIKE
3:32
Bonus tracks
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
18."Already Taken" Polow Da Don 3:58
19."I Like Dat" (featuring Swizz Beatz and T.I.) Swizz Beatz 3:44
iTunes deluxe version and Japan bonus tracks
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
18."Panty Droppa" (The Complete Edition)
  • T. Taylor
  • Patrick "Guitar Boy" Hayes
3:52
19."Love Me Better" (Here We Go Again Complete Edition)
  • J-Kits
  • T. Taylor
3:39

Notes

Personnel

Credits for Passion, Pain & Pleasure adapted from Allmusic. [24]

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [38] Platinum1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

CountryDateLabel
United States September 14, 2010 [39]
United Kingdom November 1, 2010 [40] Atlantic Records
Germany March 11, 2011 [41]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trey Songz</span> American R&B singer (born 1984)

Tremaine Aldon Neverson, known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer and actor. Upon being discovered by record producer Troy Taylor, he signed to Atlantic Records in 2005 and released his debut studio album, I Gotta Make It in July of that year. His follow-up album, Trey Day (2007), spawned his first top 20 single, "Can't Help but Wait". Neverson released his third album, Ready, in 2009 and a single from the album, "Say Aah", peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. Ready was nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 2008 Grammy Awards. The following year saw Neverson release his highest-charting song to date, "Bottoms Up", which preceded his fourth album, Passion, Pain & Pleasure (2010).

<i>I Gotta Make It</i> 2005 studio album by Trey Songz

I Gotta Make It is the debut studio album by American R&B recording artist Trey Songz. It was released on July 26, 2005, by Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 2004 to 2005, with Songz' then mentor Troy Taylor overseeing most of the production. Additional producers include Warryn Campbell, Scott Storch, J.R. Rotem, Bei Maejor, and Organized Noize. Guest vocalists include American rappers Twista, Juvenile and T.I. as well as R&B singer Aretha Franklin.

<i>Trey Day</i> 2007 studio album by Trey Songz

Trey Day is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist Trey Songz. It was released on October 1, 2007, by Atlantic Records. Recording for the album began in mid-2006, with Songz again reteaming with longtime collaborator Troy Taylor. With the singer aiming for the album to be more mainstream-oriented than his debut album I Gotta Make It (2005), he also consulted a wider ranger of adodtional producers to work with him, including Bryan-Michael Cox, Danja, Stargate and R. Kelly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Help but Wait</span> 2007 single by Trey Songz

"Can't Help but Wait" is the second single from the Trey Songz album Trey Day. The song is written by Johntá Austin, Mikkel S. Eriksen, and Tor Erik Hermansen. On the issue date of October 6, 2007, the single debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 99. American actor Jackie Long (ATL) appears in the video as the abusive boyfriend. "Can't Help but Wait" peaked within the top 20 of the US Billboard Hot 100, at number 14 the week ending December 22, 2007. The video was filmed in Toronto, Ontario. The song was nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trey Songz discography</span>

American R&B singer Trey Songz has released nine studio albums, two extended plays (EPs), seven mixtapes and fifty-nine singles. His music has sold an overall 25 million records worldwide in singles and albums.

<i>Ready</i> (Trey Songz album) 2009 studio album by Trey Songz

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LOL Smiley Face</span> 2009 single by Trey Songz featuring Gucci Mane and Soulja Boy Tellem

"LOL Smiley Face" ") is a song by American recording artist Trey Songz. It features rappers Gucci Mane and Soulja Boy and serves as the second single from Songz' third studio album, Ready. The artists co-wrote the song with its producers Troy Taylor and Tony Scales. "LOL Smiley Face" is an R&B song featuring bouncy, poppy synths, and lyrically refers to sexting and other electronic multimedia messaging. The song was released as the second single from Songz's third album Ready on August 24, 2009.

<i>Stronger with Each Tear</i> 2009 studio album by Mary J. Blige

Stronger with Each Tear is the ninth studio album from American R&B and soul singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige. The album was released in the US on December 21, 2009, under Blige's own imprint, Matriarch Records.

<i>So Far Gone</i> (EP) 2009 EP by Drake

So Far Gone is the debut extended play by Canadian rapper and singer Drake. It was released on September 15, 2009 by Cash Money Records, Universal Motown Records and Young Money Entertainment. This is his reissued project from his third mixtape that was released earlier on February 13, 2009. This EP features five tracks from the mixtape, with the inclusions of two new songs. The EP features guest appearances from Trey Songz, Lil Wayne, Bun B and Young Jeezy. The EP was supported by three singles: "Best I Ever Had", "Successful" featuring Trey Songz and Lil Wayne, and "I'm Goin' In" featuring Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy. In April 2010, the EP won the Rap Recording of the Year at the 2010 Juno Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yesterday (Toni Braxton song)</span> 2009 single by Toni Braxton

"Yesterday" is a song by American R&B singer–songwriter Toni Braxton. The track is the lead single from her album, Pulse, released on May 4, 2010. Trey Songz appears on the American version released to radio, "Troy Taylor Radio Edit". Outside North America, the original version of the song was released, which features only Braxton's vocals.

<i>The Darkside Vol. 1</i> 2010 studio album by Fat Joe

The Darkside Vol. 1 is the tenth studio album by American rapper Fat Joe. The album was released July 27, 2010 by Terror Squad Entertainment and E1 Music. The album's production was handled by Cool & Dre, Streetrunner, DJ Infamous, Just Blaze, Scram Jones, DJ Premier, Raw Uncut, and Scoop DeVille, among others. The album also featured guest appearances came from Trey Songz, Too Short, R. Kelly, Cam'ron, Clipse, Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Here I Am (Monica song)</span> 2010 single by Monica featuring Trey Songz

"Here I Am" is a song by American recording artist Monica, taken up from her sixth studio album, Still Standing (2010). It was composed by the former along with Ester Dean, Paul Dawson, Mark Hartnett, Jason Perry, and her cousin Polow da Don, featuring production by the latter. Chiefly written by Dean, the smoky downtempo song was initially written for and recorded by a male singer but partially reconstructed for Monica. Lyrically, "Here I Am" outlines a woman's physical desires over a dubstep-lite instrumental.

<i>Trigga</i> (album) Album by Trey Songz

Trigga is the sixth studio album by American singer Trey Songz. It was released on July 1, 2014, by Songbook and Atlantic Records. The album serves as the follow-up to the singer's fifth studio album Chapter V (2012). Trey Songz enlisted a variety of record producers such as DJ Mustard, Mike Will Made It, Da Internz, Soundz, Dun Deal, The Featherstones, D'Mile and The Insomniakz, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bottoms Up (Trey Songz song)</span> 2010 single by Trey Songz featuring Nicki Minaj

"Bottoms Up" is a song by American singer Trey Songz. It was produced by Kane Beatz and features rapper Nicki Minaj. The song serves as the lead single from his fourth studio album, Passion, Pain & Pleasure. It is his most successful single to date, peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Be Friends</span> 2010 single by Trey Songz

"Can't Be Friends" is an R&B song by American recording artist Trey Songz. It was officially sent to U.S. urban radio on September 28, 2010 as the second single of Songz' fourth studio album, Passion, Pain & Pleasure. The song is produced by Mario Winans and written by Winans and Songz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Faces</span> 2011 single by Trey Songz

"Love Faces" is a song by American recording artist Trey Songz. It was released on January 11, 2011, as the third single from his fourth studio album, Passion, Pain & Pleasure (2010). Written by Songz with Tony Scales, Troy Taylor and Edrick Miles, and produced by the latter two, "Love Faces" is a mid-tempo ballad and uses the piano as its foundation. Beginning with a spoken introduction, the song discusses facial expressions during sexual intercourse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unusual (song)</span> 2011 single by Trey Songz featuring Drake

"Unusual" is a song by American recording artist Trey Songz, released as the fourth official single from his fourth studio album, Passion, Pain & Pleasure (2010). featuring Drake. It is produced by Pop & Oak, Dexter Wansel, Ezekiel Lewis and Drake.

<i>Chapter V</i> (Trey Songz album) 2012 studio album by Trey Songz

Chapter V is the fifth studio album by American R&B recording artist Trey Songz. It was released on August 21, 2012, by Atlantic Records. It was produced by several record producers, including Troy Taylor, Eric Hudson, Rico Love, and Benny Blanco, among others. Recording sessions for the album took place at several recording studios in Miami—Circle House Studios and Songbook Miami Studios—and New York City—Downtown Music Studios, Engine Room Audio, Icon Studio, Lotzah Matzah Studios, and Premier Digital—as well as Stanley House Studios in London.

<i>Inevitable</i> (Trey Songz EP) 2011 EP by Trey Songz ghost writer Joshua A Wynn

Inevitable is the debut extended play by R&B singer Trey Songz. It was released on November 28, 2011, his 27th birthday. It features five songs that were originally supposed to appear on his studio album, Chapter V, but didn't make the final cut. It has two promotional singles, "Top of the World" and "What I Be On" which features rapper and longtime collaborator Fabolous, but the only official single on Inevitable is "Sex Ain't Better Than Love". The album cover has a white background version of his debut, I Gotta Make It, the only difference being he has a low cut instead of his at the time signature cornrows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simply Amazing</span> 2012 single by Trey Songz

"Simply Amazing" is a song by American recording artist Trey Songz for his fifth studio album, Chapter V (2012). It was written by Songz, Najja McDwell with its producers Troy Taylor and Christopher Umana. It was released as the third single from the album in Europe on August 3, 2012. "Simply Amazing" is a pop and pop rock song built as an acoustic-driven, midtempo ballad, while also having R&B beats and Songz' smooth vocals.

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