''C.M.B.'' is the debut album by American recording act

Color Me Badd ''Color'' Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by lead singer Bryan Abrams (born November 16, 1969), tenor Mark Calderon (born September 27, 1970), second tenor Sam Watters (born July 23 ...

, released July 23, 1991, on

Giant Records In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: '' gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 fr ...

. It was produced by several record producers, including Dr. Freeze, Nick Mundy, and

Howie Tee Hitman Howie Tee (born Howard Thompson) is an English-born hip-hop DJ and producer of West Indian origin, but raised in Brooklyn NY. Howie Tee is best known for his work with U.T.F.O, Chubb Rock, Special Ed and The Real Roxanne. Howie got his ...

. The album received mixed reviews from critics who found the production and lyrics generic despite some decent vocal work. ''C.M.B.'' peaked at number 3 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and spawned seven

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

s: "

I Wanna Sex You Up "I Wanna Sex You Up" is a song by American R&B group Color Me Badd, released in March 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, ''C.M.B.'' (1991). The song was produced by Dr. Freeze and was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1991 fil ...

", "

I Adore Mi Amor "I Adore Mi Amor" is a song by American R&B group Color Me Badd, released as the second single (third in the United Kingdom) from their debut album, '' C.M.B.'' (1991). The song peaked at number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for two ...

", "

All 4 Love "All 4 Love" is a song by American music group Color Me Badd. In the United Kingdom, it was released in July 1991 as the second single from their debut album, ''C.M.B.'' (1991), while in the United States, it was released as the album's third ...

", "Color Me Badd", "Thinkin' Back", "Heartbreaker" and "

Slow Motion Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slo-mo or slow-mo) is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use o ...

". The album was certified

triple platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

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), denoting shipments of three million copies in the country.

Commercial performance

The album reached number three on the US ''Billboard'' 200, spending 77 weeks on the chart, Color Me Badd Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200 ''

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 ...

''. Retrieved on January 27, 2011. and shipped one million copies within its first two months of release in the United States. It also charted at number three in the United Kingdom, and it was certified gold by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...

on September 1, 1991, having shipped 100,000 copies in the UK.Certified Awards Search
.

. Retrieved on 2011-01-27. It produced five US hit singles, "I Wanna Sex You Up" (US #2), "I Adore Mi Amor" (US #1), "All 4 Love" (US #1), "Thinkin' Back" (US #16), and "

" (US #18). On July 15, 1992, ''C.M.B'' was certified

by the

(RIAA), for shipments of three million copies in the US.Gold & Platinum – Searchable Database: Color Me Badd

. Retrieved on January 26, 2011.

Critical reception

Arion Berger of ''

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 ...

'' gave the album a "C+" and criticized its content: "However decent C.M.B.'s intentions of turning street-corner harmonies into dance-floor grooves, nothing on their debut — not their four fine voices, glossy production, or titillating youthful smut — sounds honest".Berger, Arion (August 9, 1991)
Review: ''C.M.B.''
''

''. Retrieved on January 26, 2011. In his consumer guide for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'', critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

gave it a one-star honorable mention (),Christgau, Robert (October 1, 1991).
Consumer Guide: ''C.M.B.''
. ''

''. Archived fro
the original
on January 26, 2011. indicating "a worthy effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well like". In a retrospective review of the album,

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 Alex Henderson gave ''C.M.B.'' four out of five stars and said that "most of the songs are pedestrian and generic", but wrote that it "does have its moments, including the hit

slow jam A slow jam is music with rhythm and blues and soul influences. Slow jams are commonly R&B ballads or downtempo songs, and are mostly soft-sounding with heavily emotional or romantic lyrical content. The earliest known use of the term is the 1983 ...

s 'I Adore Mi Amor' and 'I Wanna Sex You Up' (which samples rapper

Slick Rick Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known as Slick Rick, is an English-American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence with Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. Their songs " The Show" and " ...

in a rather clever fashion)".Henderson, Alex (August 1, 2003)
Review: ''C.M.B.''

. Retrieved on 2011-01-26.

Track listing

;Notes * signifies a co- producer

Personnel

Credits for ''C.M.B.'' adapted from

.Credits: ''C.M.B.''
AllMusic. Retrieved on January 26, 2011. * Bryan Abrams – vocals * Royal Bayyan – producer, mixing * Mark Calderon – vocals * Steve Casper – assistant engineer * Pavel DeJesus – assistant engineer * Buck Dewit – assistant engineer * D'La Vance – keyboards * Dr. Freeze – producer, mixing * Michael Fossenkemper – engineer * Michael Lavine – photography * Hamza Lee – keyboards, producer, mixing * Josh Melville – engineer * Cassandra Mills – executive producer * Nick Mundy – arranger, programming, producer, engineer * Angela Piva – engineer * James Pollock – engineer, mixing * Johnny Potoker – mixing * Donna Roth – assistant engineer * Doug Schwartz – engineer * Donnell Spencer – drum programming * Spyderman – producer, mixing * Howie Tee – producer, engineer, mixing * Kevin Thornton – vocals * Dirk Walter – design * Sam Watters – vocals * Warren Woods – engineer, mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1991 debut albums Albums produced by Howie Tee Albums recorded at Unique Recording Studios Color Me Badd albums Giant Records (Warner) albums Reprise Records albums Warner Records albums