''C.M.B.'' is the debut album by American R&B group,

Color Me Badd Color Me Badd is an American 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, 1970) and b ...

, released July 23, 1991, on Giant Records. 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 Jamaican origin, but raised in Brooklyn. Howie Tee is best known for his work with U.T.F.O, Chubb Rock, Special Ed and The Real Roxanne. Howie got his sta ...

. 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 Adore Mi Amor", " All 4 Love", "Color Me Badd", "Thinkin' Back", "Heartbreaker" and "

Slow Motion Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slow-mo or slo-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 ...

". 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 advertis ...

''. 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 BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

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 online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' 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 publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'', critic

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

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 database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

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 from a ...

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 as part of Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. His 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 * Tarik Bayyan – producer, writer * Mark Calderon – vocals * Steve Casper – assistant engineer * Acar Key – engineer * Pavel DeJesus – assistant engineer * Buck Dewit – assistant engineer * D'La Vance – keyboards * Dr. Freeze – producer, mixing * Michael Fossenkemper – engineer * Nat Foster – engineer, assistant 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