Tamia (album)

Last updated
Tamia
Tamia - Tamia.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 14, 1998 (1998-04-14)
Length60:57
Label
Producer
Tamia chronology
Tamia
(1998)
A Nu Day
(2000)
Singles from Tamia
  1. "Imagination"
    Released: February 10, 1998
  2. "So into You"
    Released: June 23, 1998
  3. "Loving You Still"
    Released: March 2, 1999

Tamia is the debut studio album by Canadian recording artist Tamia. It was released on April 14, 1998, on Quincy Jones's Qwest Records, while distribution was handled through Warner Bros. Recorded after the release of her Grammy Award-nominated collaborations with Jones and the single "Missing You", her contribution to the soundtrack of the 1996 motion picture Set It Off , Tamia worked with a plethora of producers on her debut, including Jermaine Dupri, Tim & Bob, Mario Winans, J-Dub, Keith Crouch, and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, many of which would become frequent producers on subsequent projects.

Contents

Upon its release, Tamia received a mixed to positive reception by critics, who complimented Tamia's vocal performance and the progression from her earlier recordings but found the material uneven. It debuted and peaked at number sixty-seven on the Billboard 200 chart and entered the top twenty of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Five singles were released from the album. "Imagination" was chosen as the album's lead single, reaching the top 20 in Canada and top forty in both the United States and New Zealand. The album's second single produced by Tim & Bob called "So into You" was well-received and charted even higher. A remake of "Careless Whisper" was released as the album's fourth single in Japan. A critical success, Tamia garnered the singer two Juno Award nominations for Best New Solo Artist and R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the 1999 award ceremony.

Background

After dominating local talent competitions through her teenage years, in 1994, Windsor native Tamia performed at a multiple sclerosis benefit in Aspen, Colorado, when she met music manager, Lionel Richie's ex-wife Brenda Richie, who was cosponsoring the event and introduced herself to Tamia after the show. [1] A few months later, Tamia, who was being courted by Warner Bros. Records at the time, called Richie to say that she was coming to Los Angeles for a photo session, resulting in her lasting stay and a management deal with Richie. [1] Weeks later, Richie arranged for her to perform at a star-studded party that she held for singer Luther Vandross. [1] Her performance reportedly impressed all in attendance, including veteran producer Quincy Jones, who later offered her the chance to appear on his album Q's Jook Joint (1995). [1]

Overwhelmed by his offer, Tamia recorded vocals for "You Put a Move on My Heart", which Jones later selected as the album's first single. [2] A moderate commercial success, the collaboration earned acclaim from critics; it was later nominated for a Grammy Award along with their second collaboration "Slow Jams" and "Missing You", a song she recorded with Brandy, Gladys Knight, and Chaka Khan for the soundtrack of the 1996 motion picture Set It Off . [3] All three track reached the top twenty on Billboard 's Hot R&B Singles chart and gained Tamia additional recognition with nominations from the Soul Train Music Awards and the NAACP Image Awards. [2] Following this, Jones signed her his label Qwest Records, a joint venture with Warner Bros., and enlisted the services of several producers to work on her debut self-titled album. [2] Recording was reportedly intermitted when Tamia filmed the role of Sheri Silver in Speed 2: Cruise Control , playing the part of a featured vocalist at the dinner theatre aboard the luxury cruise ship. [2]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Tamia earned mixed to positive reviews from critics. Leo Stanley of AllMusic remarked that the album "is an appealingly stylish collection of contemporary urban soul", while also stating that "it suffers from some uneven material". He rated the album three out of five stars. [4] Cherie Saunders from Vibe found that "the disc is a deliberate attempt – and successful one – to free Tamia from the steely adult-contemporary cage". Impressed with the up-tempo songs on the album, she however found that Tamia's "strength clearly lies with ballads", concluding that "despite some inconsistency, Tamia's shining vocal skills prove that she won't get pushed around by anyone on today's music playground". [5] In his review for Billboard , Paul Verna wrote that Tamia "excels at ballad and midtempo tracks such as "So into You", "Falling for You", and "Rain on Me". He was less impressed with lead single "Imagination", which he criticized for Jermaine Dupri's unsuitable guest rap and a lack of "vocal punch". [6]

Upon its release, Tamia debuted and peaked at sixty-seven on the US Billboard 200 and reached the eighteenth spot on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. [7] In total, the album sold 416,000 copies in the United States, [8] and finished sixty-second on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums year-end chart in 1998. [9] In Japan, Tamia was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in June 1998 for more than 100,000 copies shipped to stores. [10] Five singles were released from the album, including "Imagination" and "So into You" both of which reached the top forty of the US Billboard Hot 100. A critical success, Tamia garnered the singer two Juno Award nominations for Best New Solo Artist and R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the 1999 award ceremony.

Track listing

Tamia– Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Imagination" (featuring Jermaine Dupri)
  • Dupri
  • Seal
3:33
2."So Into You"
Tim & Bob 4:21
3."Never Gonna Let You Go"
Winans4:01
4."Falling for You" Stevie J. 5:11
5."Show Me Love"Paige Lackey J-Dub 4:06
6."Rain on Me"
  • Hickson
  • Washington
  • Winans
Winans4:22
7."Is That You?" (featuring Jermaine Dupri)
  • Durpi
  • Seal
  • Durpi
  • Seal
3:22
8."Who Do You Tell?"
Daryl Simmons4:20
9."Gotta Move On"
Crouch5:08
10."This Time It's Love"
Tricky Stewart 5:52
11."Loving You Still"SimmonsSimmons5:09
12."Careless Whisper"
  • Samuel J. Sapp
  • Tim Shider
5:12
13."You Put a Move on My Heart" Rod Temperton Quincy Jones 6:12
Total length:60:57
Bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."So Young"Alex Rowe Jon-John Robinson  

Notes and sample credits

Personnel

Performance credits

Instruments

Technical and production

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Tamia
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ) [15] Gold100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Winans</span> American singer, songwriter, and record producer

Mario Mendell Winans is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from South Carolina, and an extended member of the musical family The Winans. He is best known for his 2004 song "I Don't Wanna Know", which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the charts in Germany and the United Kingdom. Winans also co-wrote CeCe Winans's song "Pray" in 2005, which won a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamia</span> Canadian singer and songwriter (born 1975)

Tamia Marilyn Washington Hill is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Tamia performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. In 1994, after signing a development deal with Warner Bros. Records, she was asked by veteran producer Quincy Jones to appear on his album Q's Jook Joint (1995), earning her Grammy Award nominations for their collaboration on "You Put a Move on My Heart" and "Slow Jams". Her self-titled debut album was released in 1998 and followed by a series of successful albums with Elektra Records, including A Nu Day (2000) and More (2004). Several songs from these albums became hit singles on the pop and R&B record charts, including "So Into You", "Stranger in My House", and "Imagination", as well as her collaborations "Into You", "Missing You", and "Spend My Life with You".

<i>The Hard Way</i> (213 album) 2004 studio album by 213

The Hard Way is the only studio album from American hip hop trio 213, which consisted of Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg. It was released on August 17, 2004 under Doggystyle Records, G-Funk Entertainment, Dogg Foundation, TVT Records.

<i>Street Dreams</i> (Fabolous album) 2003 album by Fabolous

Street Dreams is the second studio album by American rapper Fabolous. The album was released on March 4, 2003, by Desert Storm Records and Elektra Records. It was received moderately from a critical standpoint and was a commercial success. It reached number three on the US Billboard 200, with 185,000 copies sold in its first week.

<i>A Nu Day</i> 2000 studio album by Tamia

A Nu Day is the second studio album by Canadian recording artist Tamia. It was released by Elektra Records on October 10, 2000, following her transition from Qwest Records. A less ballad-driven collection of songs and more progressive approach than her debut effort, Tamia worked with a smaller number of songwriters and producers on the album, including Dallas Austin, Shep Crawford, Missy Elliott, Bink!, Errol "Poppi" McCalla, and Jazz Nixon, some of whom would become frequent collaborators on subsequent albums. As with Tamia, a cover version, DeBarge's 1983 single "Love Me in a Special Way", was also recorded for the album.

<i>More</i> (Tamia album) 2004 studio album by Tamia

More is the third studio album by Canadian R&B recording artist Tamia. It was released by Elektra Records on April 6, 2004 in North America. Created over a period of three years, in which the singer gave birth to her first child, the album, initially titled Still, was indefinitely bumped from its original August 2003 schedule after Tamia was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and forced to undergo treatment. With the illness in remission, she resumed work on the album later that year and arranged additional recording sessions with producers Poke & Tone, Spanador and R. Kelly to revamp parts of the album which saw her also reteaming with frequent partners such as Jermaine Dupri, Shep Crawford and Mario Winans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Eyez on Me (song)</span> 2002 single by Monica

"All Eyez on Me" is a song by American singer Monica. It was written in collaboration with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and LaShawn Daniels for her original third studio album of the same name, while production was helmed by the former. The song incorporates excerpts of "P.Y.T. " (1983) by American singer Michael Jackson. Due to the inclusion of the sample, Quincy Jones and James Ingram are also credited as songwriters. A lighthearted party jam that is built on a danceable groove, "All Eyez on Me" talks about self-confidence.

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

Canadian singer and songwriter Tamia has released nine albums, and twenty-six singles. She began her career in 1995 as a protégé of musician Quincy Jones, who offered her the chance to appear on his album Q's Jook Joint (1995). Selected as the album's first single, their collaboration "You Put a Move on My Heart" became a top 20 success on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song, along with their second collaboration "Slow Jams" and "Missing You", a song she recorded with Brandy, Gladys Knight, and Chaka Khan for the soundtrack of the 1996 motion picture Set It Off, was later nominated for a Grammy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">So Into You (Tamia song)</span> 1998 single by Tamia

"So Into You" is a song performed by Canadian singer Tamia from her self-titled debut album Tamia (1998). It was written by Tamia, Tim Kelley, and Bob Robinson, with production helmed by Kelley and Robinson under their production moniker Tim & Bob. The song is built around a sample from "Say Yeah" (1978) by American soul band The Commodores. Due to the inclusion of the sample, its writers Lionel Richie and Ronald LaPreads are credited as songwriters. "So Into You" is a mid-tempo R&B song with lyrics describing the protagonist's feelings of love for her partner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ai No Corrida (song)</span>

"Ai No Corrida" is a song by the English singer and multi-instrumentalist Chaz Jankel, written by Jankel and Kenny Young. The title is based on the Japanese title of the erotic film In the Realm of the Senses. It was first recorded in 1980 and featured on Chaz Jankel's debut album Chas Jankel for A&M Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stranger in My House (Tamia song)</span> 2001 single by Tamia

"Stranger in My House" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Tamia. It was written by Shae Jones and frequent collaborator Shep Crawford and produced by the latter. Initially helmed for fellow R&B singer Toni Braxton, it was left unused and later recorded by Tamia for her second studio album, A Nu Day (2000). Inspired by the surprise ending of the supernatural thriller film The Sixth Sense (1999), the strings-led, dramatic contemporary R&B ballad is about a woman who is confused with her partner's recent change in behavior and goes into denial about it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imagination (Tamia song)</span> 1998 single by Tamia featuring Jermaine Dupri

"Imagination" is a song by Canadian recording artist Tamia, released as the first single from her self-titled debut album (1998). It was written and produced by Jermaine Dupri and his protégé Manuel Seal and features additional vocals by the former. "Imagination" is a mid-tempo R&B song that contains an interpolation from The Jackson 5's 1969 song "I Want You Back", written and produced by Motown's The Corporation team consisting of Berry Gordy, Alphonzo Mizell, Freddie Perren, and Deke Richards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slow Jams</span> 1996 single by Quincy Jones featuring Babyface and Tamia with Portrait and Barry White

"Slow Jams" is a song by American musician Quincy Jones, taken from his studio album Q's Jook Joint (1995). Written and produced by Rod Temperton, vocals for the song were initially recorded by Babyface, Portrait, Barry White and Coko. A remix version, released in 1996 as the album's second single, replaced the latter's vocals with Tamia. A commercial success, it peaked at number 2 on the New Zealand Singles Chart and reached the top 20 on Billboard's Hot R&B Songs chart. The remix version featuring Tamia earned a nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 39th Grammy Awards in 1997.

<i>Beautiful Surprise</i> 2012 studio album by Tamia

Beautiful Surprise is the fifth studio album by Canadian recording artist Tamia. It was released by her own label, Plus One Music Group on August 28, 2012 in the United States, with distribution handled by EMI and Capitol Records. Her first release since 2006's Between Friends following a longer hiatus during which she gave birth and raised her second daughter with husband Grant Hill, much of Beautiful Surprise was produced in the eight months leading up to the release of the album. A breakaway from her previous effort, Tamia consulted a wider range of musicians to work with her, including Claude Kelly, The Runners, duo Carvin & Ivan, Salaam Remi, and frequent collaborator Shep Crawford.

<i>Whisper a Prayer</i> 1993 studio album by Mica Paris

Whisper a Prayer is the third studio album by British singer-songwriter Mica Paris. It was released on 8 June 1993 by 4th & B'way Records, her last for the label. Recording sessions for the album commenced in the spring of 1992 and concluded the following spring with Paris co-writing four of the twelve songs and producing one. Whisper a Prayer features writing and production from Narada Michael Walden, Rod Temperton and Terry Britten all of whom were top record producers at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dat Sexy Body</span> 1998 single by Sasha

"Dat Sexy Body" is a song recorded by Jamaican deejay Sasha. It was released in 1998, however didn't gain chart success until five years after its release. The song was composed by Sasha and Anthony Kelly who also handled production of the song under his stage name Tony "CD" Kelly. The song itself is recorded over a variation of the bookshelf riddim. A music video for the song was also filmed. Two officials remixes, one with reggaeton performer Ivy Queen and another with Fatman Scoop was also recorded and released in 2004. In 2016, the song was sampled in Zara Larsson's song "I Would Like" and in 2017, the song was sampled in Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez's song "Sexy Body".

<i>Love Life</i> (Tamia album) 2015 studio album by Tamia

Love Life is the sixth studio album by Canadian recording artist Tamia, released on June 9, 2015 by Plus One Music Group and Def Jam Recordings. Her first major label release since More (2004), it saw Tamia consulting a diverse roster of collaborators including songwriting credits from Rachel Assil, Claude Kelly, and Dillon Pace. With much of the album completed in ten days only, she used two studios to record material for Love Life simultaneously. Production comes courtesy of the likes of Pop & Oak, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart and Polow da Don, as well as frequent collaborators The Stereotypes and Shep Crawford, amongst others.

"You Put a Move on My Heart" is a song by British recording artist Mica Paris, written and produced by Rod Temperton for her third studio Whisper a Prayer (1993).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuck with Me (Tamia song)</span> 2015 single by Tamia

"Stuck with Me" is a song by Canadian recording artist Tamia. It was written by Rachel Assil, Kesia Hollins and Jamal Jones for her sixth studio album Love Life (2015), while production was helmed by Jones under his production moniker Polow da Don. "Stuck with Me" is a silky, romantic R&B slow jam in which the singer professes her undying love for her significant other. Musically, the light and airy groove is built upon a liquid, pulsing bass line over which Tamia sings with smoky vocals, also making use of her falsetto range.

<i>Passion Like Fire</i> 2018 studio album by Tamia

Passion Like Fire is the seventh studio album by Canadian singer Tamia. It was released on September 7, 2018 through Plus One Music Group and 21 Entertainment. Her first project to be distributed by eOne Music, its release marked twenty years since the release of her solo debut single "Imagination" and its eponymous parent album. A breakaway from her previous album Love Life (2015), the singer worked with a smaller team of collaborators on the album, involving longtime contributors Shep Crawford and Salaam Remi as well as songwriters Lundon Knighten and Jonas Myrin and chief producer Lil' Ronnie and his team.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Canadian-born Bombshell". Vibe . 1998-06-01. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Quincy Jones Introduces Singer Tamia On New Album". Jet . 1995-11-13. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  3. "The Complete List of Nominees". Los Angeles Times . 1998-01-08. Retrieved 2015-06-28.
  4. 1 2 Stanley, Leo. "Tamia Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 2011-02-24.
  5. Saunders, Cherie (1998-04-01). "Reviews". Vibe . Retrieved 2015-06-24.
  6. Verna, Paul (1998-05-16). "Reviews & Previews". Billboard . Retrieved 2011-02-24.
  7. "Tamia: Tamia (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard .
  8. Caulfield, Keith (2003-10-29). "Ask Billboard". Billboard . Retrieved 2015-05-21.
  9. 1 2 "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 1998". Billboard . Retrieved 2015-06-15.
  10. "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 1998年6月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. June 1998 Edition](PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan. 465: 9. August 10, 1998. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 25, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  11. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3545". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  12. "タミアのリリース一覧". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  13. "Tamia Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  14. "Tamia Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  15. "Japanese album certifications – Tamia – Tamia" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan.