''A Different Me'' is the third
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American singer
Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Myeshia Cole Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Cole began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer. After signing with A&M Records ...
. It was released by
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.
Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...
in association with
Imani Entertainment
Imani Entertainment Group is an American entertainment company founded and owned by Manny Halley. The company has offices in Atlanta and Los Angeles.
History
Founded by Manny Halley in 2005, Imani Entertainment Group is a full-service entertai ...
and
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
on December 16, 2008 in the United States. Cole reteamed with producers Toxic,
Ron Fair
Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several art ...
and
The Runners to work on ''A Different Me'', but also worked with a variety of additional collaborators on new material, including
Polow da Don
Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977, or 1978), professionally known as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper.
Jones has produced a variety of singles for a multitude of artists including "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj (2014) ...
,
The Outsyders
The Outsyders was a record producers, production team from Atlanta, Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, which consisted of Dean Beresford (Deaneaux), Kamran Main (KAM), Ervin Ward (Wiz Kid), and Rapheal Akinyemi (Ro.A). Their writin ...
,
Kwamé,
Carvin & Ivan
Carvin & Ivan are a production duo from Philadelphia consisting of producer and songwriters Ivan "Orthodox" Barias and Carvin "Ransum" Haggins. Initially starting out as solo hip hop artists, Haggins and Barias moved into production and songwriti ...
,
Tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...
,
Theron Feemster
Theron Otis Feemster, commonly known as Theron Feemster, also known by the names Ron Feemster or Neff-U, is a Grammy Award winning American record producer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter.
Life and career
Theron "Neff-U" Feemster is a Gr ...
, and
Poke & Tone
The Trackmasters are an American hip hop production duo composed of music producers Poke (Jean-Claude Olivier) and Tone (Samuel Barnes), best known for their commercial hit records in the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s. Frank "Nitty" Pimentel joi ...
.
Guest appearances include Amina,
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ( ...
,
Monica
Monica may refer to:
People
*Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress
*Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...
and
2Pac
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
.
The album received generally positive reviews from critics who complimented it for its free-spirited and adventurous nature. ''A Different Me'' debuted and peaked at number two on the US
''Billboard'' 200, selling 322,000 copies in its first week of release. It was eventually certified
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Platinu ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) and became the third highest-selling R&B/Hip-Hop album of 2009.
''A Different Me'' spawned the singles "
Playa Cardz Right", "
You Complete Me", and "
Trust
Trust often refers to:
* Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality
It may also refer to:
Business and law
* Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another
* Trust (bus ...
," all of which entered the top ten of the US
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
.
Conception
''A Different Me'' focuses less on heartache and more on maturity of her vocals and lyrics. Cole explained that, "The first two albums were more…painful. It's a different me this time: a young woman who's still growing and finding myself, exploring life through different routes musically and in other areas. I wrote more about other people's situations than my own. I'm moving forward."
On the songwriting process, Cole stated, "When I hear something, I hear it—it doesn't take me three, four, five times to hear a song and say, 'OK, let's write.' If I don't write to it right off the bat, it's not working."
All the songs on the album were written or co-written by Cole.
Guest appearances include Amina,
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ( ...
,
Monica
Monica may refer to:
People
*Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress
*Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...
and
2Pac
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
.
Along with the album, Cole was developing a movie based on her life. A screenwriter has develop the script with Cole in 2009.
Release and promotion
Before the album was released,
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...
released the third and final season of her reality show, ''
Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is'' which showed her in the process of finishing the album and writing a movie. Guests during the season include
Ron Fair
Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several art ...
,
Polow Da Don
Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977, or 1978), professionally known as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper.
Jones has produced a variety of singles for a multitude of artists including "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj (2014) ...
,
Monica
Monica may refer to:
People
*Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress
*Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...
, and
Shirley Murdock
Shirley Murdock (born May 22, 1957) is an American R&B singer-songwriter, who is best known for her 1986 R&B hit single "As We Lay" and for her vocals on Zapp and Roger's hit single " Computer Love". Her lead vocal special guest appearance w ...
. Cole also embarked on the
I Am Music Tour
The I Am Music Tour, was a concert tour headlined by American rapper Lil Wayne. The tour was following his Grammy Award-winning album ''Tha Carter III''.
The tour concluded with America's Most Wanted Tour featured Wayne's record label, Young M ...
in late 2008 and
A Different Me Tour in the summer of 2009. She was featured in magazines ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'', ''WordUp'' and ''
VIBE
''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...
'' from winter of 2008 to spring of 2009.
The album was released on December 16, 2008. Earlier that week, Cole made an appearance on BET's ''
106 and Park
''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rate ...
'' being interviewed and introducing the video to lead single "
Playa Cardz Right" featuring
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the Li ...
. The song was released on October 21, 2008 and originally appeared on Tupac's album ''
Pac's Life
''Pac's Life'' is the tenth and final studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It is also his seventh posthumous album, released on November 21, 2006, in the United States, on Amaru Entertainment. Its 2006 release date was intended to commemorate t ...
'', but was rearranged by Cole and producers
Ron Fair
Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several art ...
and
Carvin & Ivan
Carvin & Ivan are a production duo from Philadelphia consisting of producer and songwriters Ivan "Orthodox" Barias and Carvin "Ransum" Haggins. Initially starting out as solo hip hop artists, Haggins and Barias moved into production and songwriti ...
. It peaked at number nine on ''Billboard''s US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Second single "
You Complete Me" featured on Cole's Myspace page in December and officially released on January 20, 2009. It peaked at number seven on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Third single "
Trust
Trust often refers to:
* Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality
It may also refer to:
Business and law
* Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another
* Trust (bus ...
" was originally recorded as a solo by Cole and released as an
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
bonus track to her previous project, ''
Just like You''. The song was rerecorded featuring vocals from R&B singer and friend,
Monica
Monica may refer to:
People
*Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress
*Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...
. It peaked at number five on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, becoming the most successful single of the album. "No Other" was to be the fourth and final single of the album. Although the single was never officially released, it did receive radio airplay and a music video.
Critical reception
''A Different Me'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 67 based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."
Album of the Year collected 5 reviews and calculated an average of 71 out of 100.
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
editor Andy Kellman called the album "Cole's most free-spirited and adventurous album to date," going on to say that there are "at least seven songs here that rate as highly as the best from the first two albums."
Jim Farber of ''
Daily News'' noted that "Cole's assertions of sweetness and light hardly prove as seamless, or simple, as her songs declare". He declared that "her makeover feels less like a day at the spa than a night at the shrink," going on to say that "instead of seeming harrowing or dark", the album's result is "soulful and fulfilling".
Ken Capobiano from ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' said, "On her first two records, good grooves and great singing were matched by her healthy arrogance and fire. Here she's reining in some of the 'tude, and, along with her star producers, showing a sweeter and supremely sexy side
..Cole emphatically dares to be different—and pretty great."
''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
''s Mikael Wood wrote that "on ''A Different Me'', this
Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
-born belter turns her focus from heartbreak to happiness only a few years after
Blige promised she was done with drama. Fortunately, Cole still sounds plenty intense singing about finding a guy who completes her; in her experience-ravaged vocals you can hear relief, but also the knowledge that stability has a way of attracting trouble."
''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' writer Steve Jones found that Cole "is in a sexier, more playful mood on her third album. Her songs still wring the emotion, but there is much less pain than on previous works
..It seems the still-evolving singer just keeps getting better."
Similarly, Barry Walters from ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' remarked that "despite her third full-length’s title, Cole doesn’t mess with the formula established on her previous platinum albums, and that’s a blessing. Matching street beats to stringed-up balladry, she narrows the gap between classic and contemporary soul with lived-in love songs that sidestep filler
..Cole maintains an assured autobiographical voice. Accentuating joy over pain to reflect her ascent from troubled beginnings, this is the rare upbeat R&B disc that still feels real."
On the contrary, Jon Caramanica of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' noted that Cole "let go of her doubt," going on to say that "it's missed."
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number two on the US
''Billboard'' 200, selling 322,000 copies in its first week, giving Cole her best week sales. In its second week, ''A Different Me'' fell to number seven, selling further 127,000 copies. In its third and fourth week, it remained at number seven, selling 54,000 and 37,000 copies, respectively. In its fifth week, the album fell to number nine, selling 31,000 copies. In its sixth week, the album climbed to number six, selling 31,000 copies. In its seventh week, ''A Different Me'' fell to number eight, selling 31,000 copies. In its eighth week, the album fell to number ten. The album sold over 1,000,000 copies in the US and has been certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA).
Track listing
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''A Different Me''.
[Cole, Keyshia. "A Different Me" Liner Notes. Geffen, 2009.]
;Notes and sample credits
*
denotes additional producer
*"Make Me Over" contains an interpolation of "Tina's Wish" as written by
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocal ...
.
Personnel
* "Toxic" Donald Alford – music producer (Track 10)
* Ivan "Orthodox" Barias – record producer (Track 8), all other instruments (8)
* Keyshia Cole –
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
, vocal arrangement (Tracks 1-4, 6-7, 9-12, 14-15),
A&R, vocal producer 1-4, 6-7, 9-12, 14-15)
* Claudio Cueni – 2Pac original vocal recording engineer (Track 8)
*
Esther Dean
Esther Renay Dean (born April 15, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, music producer and actress. Dean has also written songs for many artists, with numerous Top 10 hits, including No. 1 hits for Rihanna and Katy Perry, earning the name ...
– vocal arrangement, vocal producer (Track 2)
* Bojan Dugich – recording engineer (Track 13-14)
* Mike "Angry" Eleopoulos – recording engineer (All Tracks)
* Eric Eylands – audio mixing assistant (Track 10)
*
Ron Fair
Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several art ...
–
organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
(Track 2), harmonica (5-6, 8-12, 14), horn conductor (2, 7, 13), producer (2-6, 8-11, 14),
vibraphone
The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...
(5, 8-9, 11), executive producer, vocal arrangement (1-4, 6, 9-12, 14-15), horn arrangements (2, 7, 13),
string arrangements (3-6, 8-14), vocal producer (1-4, 6, 9-12, 14-15), string conductor (3-6, 8-14)
* Ron Feemster – drums (Track 5), additional keyboards (5), music producer (4-5), additional instruments (4-5)
*
Bernie Grundman
Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer.
He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...
–
mastering
* Josh Gudwin – recording engineer (Track 2)
* Carvin "Ransum" Haggins – record producer (Track 8)
* Manny Halley – executive producer, A&R,
management
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
* Tal Herzberg – recording engineer (Track 2), Pro-Tools music editing (Tracks 1-5, 7-12, 14-15)
* Dan Higgins –
flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
(Track 14)
* Nate Hill – assistant recording engineer (Track 2)
* Buffy Hubelbank –
production coordination (All Tracks)
* Chris James – recording engineer (Track 4)
*
Johnny "J"
Johnny Lee Jackson (August 28, 1969 – October 3, 2008) was a Mexican-American multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper best known for his early career with Death Row Records, and for his work with 2Pac on ''Me Against the World ...
– original 2Pac vocal recording producer (Track 8)
* Ryan Kennedy – assistant recording engineer (Tracks 2-3, 9, 11)
* Kid Named Cus – recording engineer (Track 6)
* Jonathan Merritt – audio mixing assistant (All Tracks)
* Jason T. Miller – producer (Track 12), guitar, synths
* Peter Mokran – audio mixing (Tracks 2-3, 6, 8, 10-12)
* James Murray – recording engineer (Track 5)
* Vek Neal –
illustration
An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vid ...
s
* Outsyders – music producer, recording engineer (Track 7)
* Carlos Oyanedel – audio mixing assistant (Tracks 1, 4, 15)
* Dave Pensado – audio mixing (Tracks 5, 9, 13)
* Jason Perry – drums (Track 2)
* Poke & Tone – music producer (Tracks 13-14)
*
Polow da Don
Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977, or 1978), professionally known as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper.
Jones has produced a variety of singles for a multitude of artists including "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj (2014) ...
– music producer (Track 2)
* James Poyser – additional music producer (Track 6)
* David "DQ" Quinones – recording engineer (Track 12)
* David "Davix" Foreman;- vocal production (Track 9)
* Josh "Guido" Rivera – guitar (Track 6)
* Mike Ruiz – photography
*
The Runners – music producer, recording engineer (Track 3)
* Allen Sides – string recording engineer (Tracks 5-6, 8, 10, 14)
* Johnnie "Smurf" Smith – keyboards (Track 8)
* Phil Tan – audio mixing (Tracks 1, 4, 15)
*
Tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...
– music producer (Track 11)
* Eric Weaver – audio mixing assistant (Tracks 2-3, 6, 8, 11)
* Frank Wolf – string recording engineer (Track 3, 9, 11-13)
* Andrew Wuepper – audio mixing assistant (Tracks 7, 9)
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Different Me, A
2008 albums
Keyshia Cole albums
Albums produced by Johnny "J"
Albums produced by Polow da Don
Albums produced by the Runners
Albums produced by Theron Feemster