''From the Bottom Up'' is the debut studio album by American girl group Brownstone. It was released by Epic Records and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's MJJ Music on January 10, 1995 in the United States. Brownstone worked with a wide range of producers and songwriters on the album, including Jorge Corante, Dave "Jam" Hall,

Soulshock & Karlin Soulshock & Karlin is a duo of Danish record producers and songwriters, Carsten Schack and Kenneth Karlin. They have produced many successful songs, including Monica's " Before You Walk out of My Life", Whitney Houston's "Heartbreak Hotel", JoJo ...

, and

Gordon Chambers Gordon Anthony Chambers (c. 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer who has written songs for more than 75 recording artists including Angie Stone, Yolanda Adams, The Isley Brothers, Brandy, Trey Songz, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBel ...

. ''From the Bottom Up'' spawned four singles, including the top 10 R&B hits " If You Love Me" and "

Grapevyne "Grapevyne" is a single by American R&B vocal group Brownstone. Released on April 11, 1995, it reached #49 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B Singles chart. It also charted at #16 on the UK Singles Chart. Critic ...

," and a cover of

The Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s ...

' "

I Can't Tell You Why "I Can't Tell You Why" is a song by the American rock band Eagles that appeared on their 1979 album '' The Long Run''. It was written by band members Timothy B. Schmit, Glenn Frey and Don Henley. Recorded in March 1978, it was the first song ...

". In addition, "Sometimes Dancin'" was featured in the '' Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home'' soundtrack. The album debuted at number 48 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and peaked at number 29 on March 11, 1995. It spent 37 consecutive weeks on the chart and earned a

platinum certification 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 ...

from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on August 16, 1995. ''From the Bottom Up'' received critical acclaim and garnered several accolades, including a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nomination for

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances. The award had several minor name changes: *From 1967 to 1968 the ...

for "If You Love Me," and five ''Billboard'' Music Award nominations, winning one for Top Hot R&B Single Airplay for "If You Love Me."

Critical reception

William Cooper from

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 ...

called ''From the Bottom Up'' a "solid debut." He found that the album "showcases the group's considerable vocal talents, but Brownstone is somewhat distinctive in that the group's members also had a hand in writing their own material. Predictably, the album's songs alternate between R&B funk workouts and slinky slow jams, but the vocals rise above the material, making the album a delightful listen ..''From the Bottom Up is'' somewhat undermined by an overabundance of producers. But this doesn't take away from the quality of the songs and the solid vocal performances."

Track listing

Samples *"If You Love Me" embodies portions of the composition "Spellbound" as performed by

K-Solo Kevin Madison, also known as K-Solo (born April 17, 1968) is an American rapper from Brentwood, New York who, along with Redman, EPMD, Das EFX, and Keith Murray, was part of the Hit Squad in the 1990s. Career K-Solo was a member of EPMD's "Hit S ...

. *"Sometimes Dancin'" contains elements from "Kamazaki" as performed by

Prince Jammy Lloyd James (born 26 October 1947),Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter: "Reggae: The Rough Guide", 1997, Rough Guides, better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a Jamaican dub mixer and record producer. He began his musical career as a dub ma ...

Personnel

Adapted credits from the liner notes of ''From the Bottom Up''. *Alan Yoshida – mastering (A&M Mastering Studios) *Jono Kohan – A&R (MJJ Music) *DAS Communications – management *Mary Mourer – art direction *Doug Erp – design *Warren Mantooth – photography *Cheri Grey – front cover/logo design

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1995 debut albums Brownstone (group) albums Albums produced by Soulshock and Karlin