''In and Out of Love'' is the debut album of American R&B singer

Cheri Dennis Cheri Dennis (born August 7, 1979), is an American R&B singer from Cleveland, Ohio. Early life Cheri Dennis was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and was initially a member of a girl group named Spoyled. When the group broke up, Dennis left ...

, issued by Bad Boy/

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. It was exclusively released digitally through the

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on November 13, 2007 with physical CDs and LPs made available on February 26, 2008. ''In and Out of Love'' debuted at #74 on the ''Billboard'' 200, Dennis' debut album was critically acclaimed despite questions being raised concerning the album's sudden halt possibly due to the record label and the music industry's infamous promotional discrepancies, corruption, quid pro quo, fraudulent fine print being added onto contracts, breach of contract, and federal embezzlement. "Portrait of Love", the second of three singles released, reached #55 on ''

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Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. It was originally entitled "Portrait" and featured only Yung Joc, but after the single was leaked, the track title was changed and Gorilla Zoe was added to the song. The first single "I Love You" peaked at #18 on Billboard, and the third single "Pretend" featuring Maino peaked at #116 on the charts. Promotion of third single then ceased due to her record label revoking budgets and refusing to grant funds for the album's future singles because of slow record sales. The albums was then taken out of print and is available only through digital outlets.

Critical reception

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 Matt Rinaldi wrote that Dennis "has been providing hooks for Bad Boy tracks since she first collaborated with Mase in 1999. On her full-length debut, ''In and Out of Love'', Cheri lends her sweet and sensual vocals to 16 hot tracks with production sounds that range from 1990s hip-hop to contemporary neo-soul." ''

'' found that ''In and Out of Love'' harks back to the early ‘90s, when a green

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

..created hip-hop soul with songs like “ Real Love” and “What's the 411?.” ''

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'' felt that the album made "crystal clear that the production is often only as good as the performer. Cheri lacks the passion to transcend the melody of these mid-tempo love songs, and her unassuming interpretation ultimately gets buried. ''In and Out of Love'' doesn't rise to the standards set by many mainstream R&B artists today. Its sound simply plays it too safe and lacks artistic depth ..She'll get lost in this here-today-gone-tomorrow music industry. Maybe her sophomore effort will be her saving grace and prove that she's indeed a true star on the rise."

Track listing

Notes * denotes co-producer Sample credits *"All I Wanna Do" contains an interpolation of "Got My Mind Made Up" (1996) by

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

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Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of t ...

, & Redman. *"Dropping Out of Love" contains elements of " Sky's the Limit" (1997) by

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

and

112 112 may refer to: *112 (number), the natural number following 111 and preceding 113 *112 (band), an American R&B quartet from Atlanta, Georgia **112 (album), ''112'' (album), album from the band of the same name *112 (emergency telephone number), t ...

, which in turn contains samples of

Bobby Caldwell Robert Hunter Caldwell (born August 15, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz and adult contemporary. He is known for his soulful and versatile vocals. Caldwell released the ...

's "My Flame" and D. Train's "Keep On". *"Waiting" contains a sample from "Forever" (1975) by British soul band Kokomo.

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2007 debut albums Albums produced by Rodney Jerkins Albums produced by Timbaland Albums produced by Ryan Leslie Bad Boy Records albums Cheri Dennis albums Albums produced by Sean Combs Albums produced by Eric Hudson