''I'm Ready'' is the second studio album by singer

Tevin Campbell Tevin Jermod Campbell (born November 12, 1976) is an American singer and songwriter. He performed gospel in his local church from an early age. Following an audition for jazz musician Bobbi Humphrey in 1988, Campbell was signed to Warner Bros. Re ...

, released on October 26, 1993. With this album, Campbell showed his skill as a soul singer. ''I'm Ready'' was nominated for 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 pres ...

in the

Best R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre. Honors ...

category.

Reception

The album sold over 2 million copies, reaching

double 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 ...

status, and yielded the biggest R&B hit of his career, the #1 R&B single "

Can We Talk "Can We Talk" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Tevin Campbell. It was written and produced by Babyface and Daryl Simmons and served as the first single to be released from Campbell's second studio album '' I'm Ready'' (1993). The so ...

". The album produced 3 more charting singles with " I'm Ready", " Always In My Heart" and "

Don't Say Goodbye Girl "Don't Say Goodbye Girl" is a song by American contemporary R&B, R&B singer Tevin Campbell. It was written by Burt Bacharach, Sally Jo Dakota, and Narada Michael Walden for his second studio album ''I'm Ready (Tevin Campbell album), I'm Ready'' ( ...

". To date this has been Tevin's biggest selling album and many considered this album to be the high mark of his career despite the fact he was only 16 when he recorded the album. The album was nominated for 3

Grammy Awards 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 pres ...

: 1994 Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance – Male ("Can We Talk"), 1995 Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance – Male ("I'm Ready"), and Best Rhythm & Blues Album.

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

was credited as

Paisley Park Paisley Park Records was an American record label founded by musician Prince in 1985, which was distributed by and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album '' Purple Rain''. ...

for his contributions to the album as a songwriter, arranger, and producer.

Track listing

Notes * denotes an associate producer * denotes an additional producer

Personnel

Credits adapted from album's liner notes. * Eric Anest – engineer * Michael B. – drums *

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

– producer, instruments, and background vocals *

Tommy Barbarella Tommy Barbarella (born Thomas Elm) is an American keyboardist. He was a member of The New Power Generation, Prince's recording and stage band, from 1991 to 1996. Barbarella also played on Miley Cyrus's album, '' Breakout''. In 2010, Barbarella b ...

– keyboards *

Louis Biancaniello Louis John Biancaniello is an American songwriter and record producer. Career Biancaniello's skills were developed while working alongside producer Narada Michael Walden with whom he produced hits for Shanice '' I Love Your Smile'', Whitney ...

– associate producer, keyboards, programming, and synthesizer arrangements * Vernon "Ice" Black – acoustic guitar *

Atlanta Bliss Matthew "Atlanta Bliss" Blistan (born c. 1952) is an American jazz trumpeter. He is best known for his work with Prince from 1985–1991. He won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for the 1986 single "Kiss" by P ...

– horns * Nicole Bradin – background vocals *

Michael Brauer Michael Brauer is a New York-based mix engineer. He received a Grammy for "Best Pop Vocal Album" for his work on John Mayer's ''Continuum'', "Best Alternative Album" for Coldplay's ''Parachutes'', and also "Best Rock Album" for Coldplay's ''Viva la ...

– mixing *

– lead vocals , background vocals * Milton Chan – assistant engineer * Bruck Dawit – assistant mix engineer * David Eike – assistant engineer * David "Frazeman" Frazer – mixing and vocal engineer * Lori Fumar – assistant engineer * Tom Garneau – engineer * Nikita Germaine – background vocals * Brad Gilderman – engineer *

Preston Glass Preston Glass (born January 9, 1960) is an American musician, songwriter and producer. Glass is the winner of six BMI Awards. He has also worked several famous artists such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Kenny G, Natalie Cole and ...

– sitar , background vocals * William "DJ" Graves – scratches * Sandy Griffith – background vocals * Ray Hahnfeldt – engineer , additional engineering *

Jerry Hey Jerry Hey (born 1950) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Michael Jackson's ''Thriller'', '' Rock with You'' ...

– conductor and string arrangements *

Charlie Hunter Charlie Hunter (born May 23, 1967) is an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. First coming to prominence in the early 1990s, Hunter plays custom-made seven- and eight-string guitars on which he simultaneously plays bass lines, chords, a ...

– electric guitar * Skyler Jett – background vocals * Kathleen Johnson – background vocals * Kirk Johnson – additional production , percussion *

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

– executive producer * Ellen Keating – background vocals * Janice Lee – production coordinator *

Eric Leeds Eric Leeds is an American saxophone player, mostly known for his work with Prince. He has recorded mostly music in the pop and funk genres, but is a studied jazz musician.Cole, George.Eric Leeds: Interviews: The Last Miles: The Music of Miles D ...

– horns and horn arrangements *

Tony Lindsay Anthony Mark Lindsay (born 1954) is a vocalist and longest-tenured lead singer of Santana (band), Santana. He first joined the band 1991 and performed with Santana from 1995 to 2015, the group's period of greatest commercial success, during which ...

– background vocals * Mike Mani – associate producer, keyboards, and programming * Frank "Killer Bee" Martin – synthesized strings * Leslie Matthews – background vocals *

Benny Medina Benny Medina (born January 24, 1958) is an American record executive, talent manager, and television producer. Early life and education Medina was born in East Los Angeles, California, of Dominican parents into a poor family. The death of hi ...

– executive producer * Steve Noonan – engineer * Barney Perkins – mixing *

– producer, arranger, and executive producer * Marc "Elvis" Reyburn – engineer *

Claytoven Richardson Claytoven Richardson (born 1956, in Berkeley, California) is an American singer, instrumentalist, producer, songwriter, and author. Biography Born Clayton D. Richardson on May 23, 1956. Larry Batiste, a childhood friend (and later business pa ...

– background vocals * Rail Rogut – assistant engineer , strings engineer * Matt Rohr – assistant engineer * Marc Russo – soprano saxophone *

Levi Seacer Jr. Levi Seacer Jr. (born April 30, 1961) is an American musician. He was an early associate of Sheila E. when he was tapped by Prince to form a new touring band after the demise of The Revolution in 1986. Seacer became the band's bassist, as we ...

– guitar * Monty Seward – associate producer, keyboards, and programming * Cynthia Shiloh – production coordinator *

Daryl Simmons Daryl L. Simmons is an American R&B musician, songwriter and record producer, who worked with the production duo of L.A. Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. In 1977–1980 Daryl, with Manchild (band) recorded 2 soul & funk albums & the minor h ...

– producer * Ivy Skoff – production coordinator * Donnell Sullivan – engineer *

Sonny T. Sonny T. (born Sonny Thompson) is an American bass player. He was a member of The New Power Generation, Prince's recording and stage band, from 1991–1996. Sonny T. was a member of the Minneapolis bands Back to Black and The Lewis Connectio ...

– bass *

Jeanie Tracy Jeanie Tracy is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as a background singer of Sylvester, an American disco singer. Her first album, '' Me and You'' (1982), featured post-disco hits "I'm ...

– background vocals * Kevin Walden – production coordinator * Narada Michael Walden – producer and arranger , rhythm and vocal arrangements , piano * Randy Walker – MIDI technician * Steve Warner – assistant engineer *

Dave Way Dave Way is an American producer, mixer and audio engineer based in Los Angeles, California, United States. He has worked with Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow, Kesha, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Macy Gray, Ringo Starr, Shakira, Phoebe Bridgers, John Doe, Sa ...

– mixing *

Ulrich Wild Ulrich Wild is an American record producer, engineer and mixer specializing in the rock and metal genres. Born and raised in Switzerland, Ulrich is now a naturalized citizen in the United States, living in Los Angeles, California. In a career th ...

– assistant engineer * Jim "Z" Zumpano – engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

Tevin Campbell-I'm Ready at Discogs
{{Authority control 1993 albums Tevin Campbell albums Qwest Records albums Warner Records albums Albums produced by Prince (musician) Albums produced by Babyface (musician) Albums produced by Narada Michael Walden