So Blu is the debut album by American recording artist Blu Cantrell. It was released by Arista Records on July 31, 2001 in the United States. The album was primarily produced by Tricky Stewart, who oversaw the majority of the recording sessions, with additional production from Dallas Austin, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Jason Rome, Don Vito, and Olliewood & Scrilla. Cantrell herself was actively involved in the creative process, serving as a co-writer on half of the tracks in the album's final tracklist.
The album was praised for Cantrell's powerful vocals and fresh take on contemporary R&B, though critics noted some conventional material and signs of a developing musical identity. It debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200, selling 89,000 copies in its first week, and was certified gold in both the US and Canada, with domestic sales of over 600,000 copies. So Blu's lead single "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)" became a top five hit in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
Background
In the late 1990s, Cantrell built early industry experience as a professional backing vocalist.[1] In 1999, she became a member of the girl group 8th Avenue, mentored by producer Teddy Riley. Although the group recorded multiple songs, their momentum came to a halt after Riley's departure from Blackstreet, and with their material shelved, 8th Avenue soon disbanded.[1] Following this setback, Cantrell was introduced to producer Tricky Stewart, while staying in Atlanta. Although Stewart initially considered her for his girl group 321, a productive studio session convinced him that Cantrell was better suited for a solo career. He began developing her as an individual artist, and she moved in with Stewart while working closely on her music.[2]
Stewart soon arranged a meeting with Arista Records executive Antonio "L.A." Reid.[1] After Cantrell performed a song she had written and sang it for Reid and his team, she was immediately offered a recording contract. A competitive bidding war among several labels followed, but Reid’s offer prevailed, leading Cantrell to sign with Arista Records and officially launch her solo career.[1] Apart from Stweart, Reid arranged for her to co-wrote with other musicians on material for her debut album So Blu, including Dallas Austin, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Big Jim Wright.[2] Largely self-taught, Cantrell developed melodies organically and added lyrics as needed, without relying on prewritten material.[1]
AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated called the album "a wonderfully fresh recasting of contemporary soul and R&B mores." He found that the material was "conventional, but it still sounds vibrant, thanks not just to Cantrell's impassioned vocals, but how the songs and productions are wrapped in contemporary mores but delivered as if they were classic. This is a record that maintains its momentum from beginning to end."[3] James Salmon, writing for Yahoo! Music UK, felt that while "the album is good on the whole, it has to be said that "Hit 'Em Up Style" is one of the clear standouts. The remainder of the album sees the 25 year-old fit snugly into the traditional diva mould of the tragi-heroine who has loved and lost and, to put it bluntly, been shat on by from a great height by various members of the opposite sex."[6]
Entertainment Weekly's Cheo Tyehimba wrote: "Bluesy but modern, Cantrell belts it out with the immediacy and energy of a hard-bop trumpet player. Although at times her flashy vocal stylings obscure the songs' emotional depth, this woman has a story to tell."[4]People found that "most of the best songs on So Blu are torchy, gut-wrenching ballads [...] On these tracks the Providence-born chanteuse, whose mother was a jazz singer, really shines." The magazine found that Cantrell lacked "the vision of Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige or Erykah Badu, [but] the 25-year-old newcomer is clearly still searching for her musical identity on routine R&B numbers ]...] But at least the jazzy, introspective title tune seems to be so Cantrell."[7]Robert Christgau described the album as "higher-res than Res, more songful than Mary" and cited "Swingin'" and "The One" as highlights.[5]
Commercial performance
So Blu debuted and peaked at number eight on the US Billboard 200 in the week ending August 18, 2001,[8] with first week sales of 89,000 units.[9] On August 31, 2001, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album gold for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies.[10] By January 2003, So Blu had sold 603,000 copies.[11] The album was also certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) in 2001,[12] having sold more than 50,000 copies in Canada.[13]
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