''Dedicated'' is the debut album by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

singer

Lemar Lemar Obika (born 4 April 1978), known as Lemar, is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. Initially rising to fame after finishing third on the first series of British talent show ''Fame Academy'', he was later signed to Sony BMG ...

. It was released on 24 November 2003 by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

. The now defunct girl group

The 411 The 411 are an English girl group comprising Carolyn Owlett, Tisha Martin and Tanya Boniface. Originally a four-piece with Suzie Furlonger, the group was formed in late 2002 after Martin and Boniface sang backing vocals on Lemar's version of ...

provided backing vocals for a number of tracks.

Background

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...

signed Lemar to a five-record deal after his success on the BBC Television programme ''

Fame Academy ''Fame Academy'' was a British television talent competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a successful music artist and part of the international franchise ''Star Academy'' known under va ...

'' in 2002. His first single "

Dance (with U) "Dance (With U)" is the second single released by British R&B singer Lemar and his first for Sony Music UK after coming third place in the BBC show ''Fame Academy''. The single became a hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number two on the U ...

" was written with Craig Hardy and Fitzgerald Scott who had previously worked with Keith Sweat. The second single "50/50" was recorded by the Norwegian Stargate production team. Fingaz, who has produced hits by British group Big Brovaz, also produced the song "What About Love". Lemar also recorded a version of "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green which was one of his featured songs by ''Fame Academy''.

Critical reception

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...

critic Karen Goodchild called ''Dedicated'' "a great album that is packed full of potential hits that showcase Lemar's amazing vocal ability. That, coupled with the fact that Lemar co-wrote several of these tracks, will surely mean that he'll be around a lot longer than the other over-hyped reality TV stars." Caroline Sullivan from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' found that ''Dedicated'' presented Lemar "as

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

's answer to Luther Vandross: a romantic of the old school who sells a song with understated sleekness and a hint of chest fur. The contents are all Obika co-writes save for a hip-hoppety version of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together;" the mid-tempo boudoir grooves hardly do justice to the voice, but at least lay the foundations for what could be a substantial future."

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 databa ...

rated the album three stars out of five.

Commercial performance

The first single from the album, "Dance With U", reached number 2 on the UK singles charts in early 2003. His first album ''Dedicated'' was released late in 2003 with additional singles "50/50" and "Another Day" also achieving chart success in the UK. Following the success of the album, he commenced his first headlining tour of the UK. ''Dedicated'' was certified platinum 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 ...

(BPI) for sales in excess of 300,000 copies.

Track listing

Personnel

*Jarl Ivar Andersen – multi instruments *Pete Beachill – trombone *Joe Belmaati – keyboards, programming *Dave Bishop – saxophone *Tim Briley – assistant engineer, mixing assistant *James Cruz – mastering *Snake Davis – saxophone *Joe Fields – engineer *Fingaz – keyboards, producer *The 411 – background vocals *Matt Furmidge – assistant engineer *Carrie Grant – vocal arrangement *Simon Hale – horn arrangements, string arrangements, horn conductor, string conductor *Michael Hansen – percussion *Craig Hardy – producer *Lawrence Johnson – vocals, choir arrangement *Marc Lane – engineer *Vanessa Letocq – production coordination *The London Session Orchestra – strings *Andy Love – producer *Nigel Lowis – producer *Paul Meehan – arranger, programming, producer *Roy Merchant – engineer, mixing *Mikkel SE – multi instruments *Matz Nilsson – mixing *Nicole Nodland – photography *Adam Phillips – guitar *Nick Raphael – A&R *

Brian Rawling Brian Rawling is a British record producer and songwriter. He is the managing director of publisher and production company Metrophonic. Rawling has produced singles and albums for artists such as Cher, with whom he won a Grammy in 1999 for his w ...

– arranger, producer *Fitzgerald Scott – vocal arrangement, vocal engineer, vocal producer *Alan Simpson – guitar *Alexis Smith – assistant engineer *Stargate – producer *Ren Swan – mixing *

John Themis John Themis is an Australian-born musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his long-term work with Boy George and Culture Club, collaborating on many of their songs and albums since the 1990s. He also worked on ''Taboo'', a music ...

– guitar * Derek Watkins – trumpet * Gavyn Wright – orchestra leader *Jong Uk Yoon – engineer, mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

Lemar Online pageLemar Top of The Pops Interview
{{Authority control 2003 debut albums Lemar albums RCA Records albums Albums produced by Stargate Albums produced by Brian Rawling