Anytime (Brian McKnight Album)

''Anytime'' is the third studio album by American singer Brian McKnight. It was released by Mercury Records on September 23, 1997 in the United States. Following his moderately successful second album '' I Remember You'' (1995), McKnight consulted a wider range of collaborators to work with him on the album, including producers Sean Combs, Keith Thomas, Poke & Tone and songwriters Diane Warren, and Peter Black. While McKnight would provide most of the material by himself, ''Anytime'' deviated from the urban adult contemporary sound of his older work, with the former acts taking his music further into the hip hop soul genre.

Upon its release, the album garnered generally mixed reviews from music critics and broke into the top 20 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, while becoming McKnight's first album to top the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A steady seller, it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), indicating sales in excess of 2.0 units, and spawned several singles, including the top 20 hit " You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)". ''Anytime'' marked McKnight's last record with Mercury Records before moving to Motown Records.

Background

''Anytime'' marked McKnight's third studio album with Mercury Records. While his previous album '' I Remember You'' (1995) was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), it only sold half as much as its predecessor ''Brian McKnight'' (1992). Feeling initially pressured after what he called "the pseudo-failure of the ''I Remember You'' album,” McKnight, who was used to writing and producing most of his music by himself, decided to work with a wider range of musicians on the ''Anytime'', including Sean "Puffy" Combs, Keith Thomas, Poke & Tone, Diane Warren, and Peter Black. With ''Anytime'' exposing McKnight to a wider audience, McKnight elaborated in a 2012 interview: "If ''Anytime'' was the spark, then '' Back at One'' became the fire. I was doing things then that I had never done before, that an audience had never heard or seen."

Critical reception

''Anytime'' garnered generally mixed reviews from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic felt that McKnight "continues with the mellow, romantic urban R&B that has become his trademark, but there's a new twist ..McKnight hasn't exhausted its possibilities yet – ''Anytime'' is as strong as its predecessor – but "You Should Be Mine" and "Hold Me" suggest that he may be better off pursuing a new, hip-hop-influenced direction." In a contemporary review, ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'' wrote that ''Anytime'' "signaled the start of a new phase in McKnight's career." In his review for ''Vibe'', Darren McNeill called ''Anytime'' a "collection of mostly tired joints ..McKnight's solo effort pales in comparison to work by emerging-soul craftsmen like Eric Benét and Rahsaan Patterson." In his consumer guide for ''The Village Voice'', critic Robert Christgau gave ''Anytime'' a "cut" rating, indicating "an album that isn't worth your time or money – sometimes a Neither, more often a Dud."

Chart performance

In the United States, ''Anytime'' became McKnight's highest-charting album yet, peaking at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' 200. McKnight's first album to do so, it also reached the top on ''Billboard''s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, spending three weeks at number one. According to Soundscan, ''I Remember You'' had sold 1.7 million copies by January 1999. It was eventually certified double pltianum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), indicating sales in excess of 2.0 million copies. ''Billboard'' ranked the album fourth on its 1998 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums year-end chart.

Singles

The lead single " You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)" became McKnight's biggest hit in four years, peaking at number 17 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It featured rapper Mase, whose own career was at its peak during 1997. The title track was an even bigger hit, reaching number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart in May 1998. Since it was not released as a physical single, it was ineligible to chart on the Hot 100, but was still one of the most played songs on the radio during 1998. ''Anytime''s third single "The Only One for Me" hit number 14 on the Rhythmic Top 40, as again no physical single was released for it. The fourth and final single was "Hold Me" hit number 35 on the Hot 100 and number 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The music video for "Hold Me" was released for the week ending on November 8, 1998.

Track listing

Samples
* "Anytime"contains a sample of "Outside Your Door" by Meshell Ndegeocello
* "You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)" contains samples from "I Got Ants in My Pants" by James Brown.
* "Hold Me" contains samples " I Get Around" by 2Pac, " Computer Love" by Zapp, "Step in the Arena" by Gang Starr and "Impeach the President" by The Honey Drippers.
* "Jam Knock" contains samples from " I Can't Wait" by Nu Shooz.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

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1997 albums
Brian McKnight albums
Albums produced by Brian McKnight
Albums produced by Troy Taylor (record producer)