Brandy is the debut studio album by American singer Brandy. It was released on September 27, 1994, by Atlantic Records. Chiefly produced by Keith Crouch, the album contains a range of contemporary genres, including hip-hop, pop-soul, and R&B. Aside from Crouch, Norwood worked with a range of other writers and producers, including R&B group Somethin' for the People, Arvel McClinton, and Damon Thomas.
Sarah Connor is a German singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence after she signed with X-Cell Records in 2000 and released her debut album Green Eyed Soul (2001) the following year. She followed it with a series of successful albums, including Unbelievable (2002), Key to My Soul (2003), Naughty but Nice (2005), Christmas in My Heart (2005), Soulicious (2007), Sexy as Hell (2008) and Real Love (2010). Several songs from these albums became hit singles on the pop record charts, including the number-one hits "From Sarah with Love", "Music is the Key", "Just One Last Dance", "Living to Love You" and "From Zero to Hero". In 2015, Connor's first German language project Muttersprache became her second chart-topper after a decade.
"That's the Way Love Goes" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her fifth album, Janet (1993). The song was released on April 20, 1993, as the lead single from the Janet album. Written and produced by Jackson and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song's themes of romantic lust saw Jackson transitioning to sensual territory, considered a shocking contrast to her previous releases among critics and the public. The song's slow tempo fused R&B, pop, funk and soul music with flourishes of downtempo and hip hop music. It received positive reviews from contemporary music critics, who praised it as "iconic", "hypnotic", and "extravaganza" for its production and vocals.
"Any Time, Any Place" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her fifth studio album, Janet (1993). It was written and produced by Jackson along with production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and released as the album's fifth single on May 11, 1994, by Virgin Records. A remix produced by R. Kelly was also released. "Any Time, Any Place" reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became another R&B chart-topper for Jackson. She has performed the song on several of her tours.
"Loverboy" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on June 19, 2001, by Virgin Records America as the lead single from her eighth studio album Glitter, the soundtrack to the 2001 film of the same name. Written and produced by Carey, Larry Blackmon, Thomas Jenkins and Clark Kent, "Loverboy" is built around a sample from "Candy" by the funk band Cameo, who are also featured on the track. Lyrically, the song finds Carey fantasizing about her loverboy, a man that will fulfill her physical and sexual desires. The recording was accompanied by an official remix, titled "Loverboy Remix", featuring guest artists Ludacris, Da Brat, Shawnna and Twenty II.
"Girl" is a song recorded by American girl group Destiny's Child for their fifth studio album Destiny Fulfilled (2004). The group co-wrote the song with Darkchild, Ric Rude, Angela Beyincé, Sean Garrett, and Patrick "9th Wonder" Douthit; the latter co-produced it with group members Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland. Sampling "Ocean of Thoughts and Dreams" by the Dramatics, the soul song was written about an abusive relationship Rowland went through during the time of writing. "Girl" was released as the third single from Destiny Fulfilled on March 15, 2005, by Columbia Records.
"Soldier" is a song recorded by American group Destiny's Child, featuring American rappers T.I. and Lil Wayne, for the group's final studio album Destiny Fulfilled (2004). The artists wrote the song with Sean Garrett and Rich Harrison who produced it with the latter co-produced it with Beyoncé. A Southern hip hop mid-tempo song, it lyrically describes each member's favorite type of male love interest. The song was released as the second single from Destiny Fulfilled on November 9, 2004, by Columbia Records and Sony Urban Music.
"If I Ain't Got You" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys for her second studio album The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003). Inspired by the 2001 death of singer Aaliyah, the September 11 attacks, and other events in the world and in Keys' life, the song is about "how material things don't feed the soul". It was released as the second single from The Diary of Alicia Keys on February 17, 2004, by J Records. The single cover depicts Keys similarly to the subject of Man Ray's 1924 photograph Le Violon d'Ingres.
"Doo Wop (That Thing)" is a song recorded by American recording artist Lauryn Hill for her debut solo studio album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). It was written and produced by Hill. The song was released as the lead single from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on August 10, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. No commercial release was originally intended for the single in the US, but limited-quantity physical formats were issued two months later, on October 27.
Key to My Soul is the third studio album by German recording artist Sarah Connor. It was released by X-Cell and Epic Records on 17 November 2003 in German-speaking Europe. As with her previous albums, Green Eyed Soul (2001) and Unbelievable (2002), Connor reunited with songwriting and production duo Rob Tyger and Kay Denar to work on the majority of the album, with Diane Warren, TQ, Wayne Wilkins, and Connor's then-husband Marc Terenzi receiving songwriting credits and Brock Landers and Stephen Shape producing "Daddy's Eyes".
"Santa Baby" is a song performed by American singer Eartha Kitt with Henri René and His Orchestra and originally released in 1953. The song was written by Joan Javits and Philip Springer, who also used the pseudonym Tony Springer in an attempt to speed up the song's publishing process. Lyrically, the song is a tongue-in-cheek look at a Christmas list addressed to Santa Claus by a woman who wants extravagant gifts such as sables, yachts, and decorations from Tiffany's.
Unbelievable is the second studio album by German recording artist Sarah Connor, released by X-Cell Records on September 30, 2002 in German-speaking Europe. Connor re-teamed with Rob Tyger and Kay Denar to work on the majority of the production of the album, consulting additional help from Wyclef Jean, Jerry Duplessis, Bülent Aris, Sugar P, and Triage.
"Bounce" is a song by German recording artist Sarah Connor, taken from her second studio album, Unbelievable (2002). Written by Bülent Aris, Toni Cottura, and Anthony Freeman, with production helmed by the former, the song samples Mary J. Blige's 2001 song "Family Affair", while featuring guest vocals by Wyclef Jean. "Bounce" was originally released as the album's fourth and final single in Central Europe on 21 July 2003, amid Connor's first pregnancy. It reached the top 20 in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
German singer Sarah Connor has released eleven studio albums, one compilation album, two video albums, and more than three dozen singles and music videos. Her debut studio album, Green Eyed Soul, was released in November 2001. It received mixed reviews, but became a commercial success in Germany, where it reached number two on the German Albums Chart and earned triple Gold certification from the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI). The album's singles "Let's Get Back to Bed – Boy!" and "From Sarah with Love" became international hits, the latter of which reached number one in Germany and Switzerland, the top ten in Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Hungary, and the Netherlands, and was nominated for "Best National Single" at the 2002 ECHO Awards.
Diva is the third studio album by Puerto Rican reggaetón recording artist Ivy Queen. It was released on August 23, 2003 and independently distributed by Real Music Group after being dropped from Sony Discos. The recording followed her two previous studio albums which were commercially unsuccessful and a hiatus from her musical career beginning in 1999. It featured collaborations with Latin hip hop artists including Mexicano 777, Bimbo and K-7 while the album's production was handled by a variety of musical producers; Luny Tunes, DJ Nelson, Noriega, and Iván Joy were enlisted, while DJ Adam produced a majority of the tracks. Lyrically, the album explored female empowerment, infidelity, heartbreak and love with "a veritable compendium of her artistic passion, femininity, and culture". The musical styles of the recording alternate between reggaetón and hip-hop while Queen experiments with R&B, dancehall, and pop balladry.
Flashback is the fifth studio album by Puerto Rican reggaetón recording artist Ivy Queen, released on October 4, 2005 through Univision and on September 15, 2007 as Greatest Hits in Germany and Spain. It is often considered as a studio-compilation release due to the amount of the album being previously released material. Queen began working on Flashback after the moderate success of Real in early 2005. Featuring content dating back to 1995, when she was still a part of the all-male group The Noise, the album includes four new pieces of work all produced by Rafi Mercenario, the genre's most requested record producer at the time.
"Like You'll Never See Me Again" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys for her third studio album As I Am (2007). Written and produced by Keys and Kerry Brothers Jr., it was first heard on October 25, 2007, on Atlanta's V103 WVEE radio station. Subsequently, it was released as the second single from As I Am on January 22, 2008, by J Records.
"Something's Got a Hold on Me" is a song by American singer Etta James. The song was written by James, Leroy Kirkland and Pearl Woods, while production was handled by Leonard and Phil Chess. It was released in 1962 as the third single from her 1962 self-titled album as a 7" vinyl disc. Musically, "Something's Got a Hold on Me" is an R&B track with elements of soul, blues and gospel. Upon its release, the single was an R&B hit, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot R&B Sides chart.
Lilian Maranet, known as K-Mil or K-Mill, is a Puerto Rican reggaetón singer-songwriter and record producer. She began her career in 2003 with "Quien Tiene Mas Flow", a song which was featured on Luny Tunes and Noriega's debut compilation album Mas Flow. She continued recording with some of the best reggaetón producers including DJ Nelson and Rafi Mecenario, appearing on several compilation albums produced by the two, among others. Despite starting her career in 2003, K-Mil has yet to release a studio album.
Incomparable is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Faith Evans. It was released by Prolific Music Group, with distribution through BMG Chrysalis, on November 24, 2014 in the United States. Her third independent projects under her own label, following her sixth album Something About Faith (2010) and the compilation album R&B Divas (2012), Evans worked a diverse roster of collaborators on the album, including Lamar "Mars" Edwards, Chucky Thompson, Mike City, and Ben Briggs III, among others. A concept album, Incomparable chronicles Evans' post-divorce life, using preludes, interludes, postludes, transitions and segues to the songs together.
