''Late Nights & Early Mornings'' is the debut studio album by English singer
Marsha Ambrosius
Marsha Ambrosius-Billups (born 8 August 1977) is an English singer and songwriter from Liverpool, England. She embarked on her musical career as a member of Floetry. Ambrosius released her debut solo album '' Late Nights & Early Mornings'' in Ma ...
. Recorded after the disbandment of her former band
Floetry
Floetry were an English contemporary R&B, R&B duo comprising Marsha Ambrosius ("The Songstress") and The Floacist, Natalie Stewart ("The Floacist"). The group recorded two studio albums and one live album and sold over 1,500,000 records worldwi ...
, it was released by
J Records
J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...
on 1 March 2011 in the United States. Her only album for the label before its dissolution seven months later, it debuted at number two on the US
''Billboard'' 200 with 96,400 copies sold in the first week.
Background
Songs from ''Late Nights & Early Mornings'' were produced and written by Ambrosius herself with other contributors, including
Just Blaze
Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Blaze attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his mu ...
,
Dre & Vidal
Dre & Vidal is a songwriting and production duo consisting of Andre Harris and Vidal Davis, who are best known as the main producers for Jill Scott and Glenn Lewis. Alumni of DJ Jazzy Jeff's A Touch of Jazz production team, Dre & Vidal were also ...
,
Focus... and co-writing credits by
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
and
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...
[(August 2, 2010) Jermy Leeuwis]
Marsha Ambrosius to release Late Nights and Early Mornings album
''musicremedy.com''. Retrieved 10-10-2010. The album also contains a cover version of
Portishead's "
Sour Times
"Sour Times" is a song by English trip hop group Portishead, from their debut album, '' Dummy'' (1994). It was written by all three members of the band and released as a single by Go! Beat Records in August 1994, accompanied by three bonus tra ...
".
Ambrosius said that the overall vibe of the album is "sensual, it’s sincere, it’s seductive"
[Clover Hope]
Marsha Ambrosius Discovers Herself On ‘Sensual, Seductive’ Solo Album
''vibe.com''. Intermedia Vibe Holdings, LLC. Retrieved 10-10-2010. and also explained, “Not too many women get the opportunity to say what they want, and having controlled and written pretty much everything I get to do all of that on one album. J Records, they understood me as an artist and said, ‘What do you want? How do you want to sound? What do you feel like your album should be’ and they allowed me to go in the studio.”
Ambrosius describes the song, "Hope She Cheats on You (With a Basketball Player)" as "the reality of a bad break up."
Promotion
"
Hope She Cheats On You (With A Basketball Player)" was released as the album's first single on 13 August 2010. The song peaked on the US
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 at number twenty-two. "
Far Away" was released as the album's second single on 7 December 2010. It is produced by
Just Blaze
Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Blaze attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his mu ...
and written by
Marsha Ambrosius
Marsha Ambrosius-Billups (born 8 August 1977) is an English singer and songwriter from Liverpool, England. She embarked on her musical career as a member of Floetry. Ambrosius released her debut solo album '' Late Nights & Early Mornings'' in Ma ...
with co-writing by
Sterling Simms
Sterling Lauren Simms (born July 7, 1982), is an American R&B singer-songwriter. His debut album, '' Yours, Mine & The Truth'' was released on December 23, 2008, by Def Jam Records.
Biography and career
Sterling recorded his first song with ...
. The track was inspired by one of Ambrosius's own friends who committed suicide, and discusses how it feels once someone she's loved is gone. This song has reached number three on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The title track, "Late Nights & Early Mornings", was released as the third single.
Critical reception
''Late Nights & Early Mornings'' received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics.
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 Andy Kellman found that "in a way, ''Late Nights & Early Mornings'' picks up where 2005's ''
Flo'Ology
''Flo'Ology'' is the second and final studio album by the English R&B duo Floetry, released in the United States on 8 November 2005 by Geffen Records and in the United Kingdom on 14 November 2005 by Polydor Records. It debuted at number seven o ...
'', left off
..Those who could not get into the
Floetry
Floetry were an English contemporary R&B, R&B duo comprising Marsha Ambrosius ("The Songstress") and The Floacist, Natalie Stewart ("The Floacist"). The group recorded two studio albums and one live album and sold over 1,500,000 records worldwi ...
albums due to Ambrosius' occasionally tremulous delivery should have no problem this time. The characteristic is no distraction – put to use with less frequency and typically in service to the song, not purely for show."
Melody Charles from ''
SoulTracks
''SoulTracks'' is an American online magazine
An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine ...
'' remarked that the album "captures what is so intriguing about the triple-threat performer: her straight-forward sensuality, her emotional authenticity and the way she grafts those qualities together into melodic masterpieces
..Self-possessed, skillfully-rendered and undeniably soulful, Ms. Ambrosius' debut is already one of 2011's Must-Haves: if you value depth and dimension in your listening experience, count on having many ''Late Nights & Early Mornings'' with this CD/download enveloping your ears."
DJBooth.net's Nathan Slavik referred to the album as a "near-classic," stating "Marsha Ambrosius’ debut is the R&B album of the year."
''
Slant
Slant can refer to:
Bias
*Bias or other non-objectivity in journalism, politics, academia or other fields
Technical
* Slant range, in telecommunications, the line-of-sight distance between two points which are not at the same level
* Slant d ...
'' critic Jesse Cataldo wrote that "despite the appearance of established hip-hop producers and the vocal talents of an intelligent, assured female performer, ''Late Nights & Early Mornings'' is drab all over. None of its elements, from expressions of female sexuality to revenge wishes against unfaithful ex-lovers, are sufficiently piercing to cut through the blandness." She felt that the album "blurs together through typical narratives of love and loss, joy and sorrow, merely approximating these emotions through the standard language established for such things. Nothing especially stands out, and though Ambrosius makes no overt mistakes on her first album, nothing she offers ever approaches making it memorable."
Commercial performance
In the United States the album debuted at number two on the
''Billboard'' 200, behind fellow Brit
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...
's "
21", with fellow Brits
Mumford and Sons Mumford may refer to:
*Amazing Mumford, a Muppet character on ''Sesame Street''
* ''Mumford'' (film), a 1999 American comedy-drama film
* Mumford procedure, also called distal clavicle excision or distal clavicle resection, an orthopedic surgical pr ...
"
Sigh No More" at number 3 (the first instance British artists had held the top 3 positions on the chart in over 25 years). It also peaked at number one on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...
, with 96,400 copies sold in the first week.
By June 2011, ''Late Nights & Early Mornings'' had sold 306,700 units in the United States.
Track listing
Sample credits
*"Far Away" contains a portion of the composition "
You Keep Me Hangin' On
"You Keep Me Hangin' On" is a song written and composed by Holland–Dozier–Holland. It was first recorded in 1966 by American Motown girl group the Supremes, reaching number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. American rock band Vanilla Fudge ...
" as performed by
The Supremes
The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...
.
*"Sour Times" is a cover of the composition "
Sour Times
"Sour Times" is a song by English trip hop group Portishead, from their debut album, '' Dummy'' (1994). It was written by all three members of the band and released as a single by Go! Beat Records in August 1994, accompanied by three bonus tra ...
" by
Portishead.
*"Tears" contains a portion of the composition "Crying" as written by
Norman Whitfield
Norman Jesse Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) was an American songwriter and producer, who worked with Berry Gordy's Motown labels during the 1960s.allmusic Biography/ref> He has been credited as one of the creators of the Motow ...
.
Credits and personnel
Credits for ''Late Nights & Early Mornings'' 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 databas ...
.
*
Marsha Ambrosius
Marsha Ambrosius-Billups (born 8 August 1977) is an English singer and songwriter from Liverpool, England. She embarked on her musical career as a member of Floetry. Ambrosius released her debut solo album '' Late Nights & Early Mornings'' in Ma ...
– Composer, Primary Artist, Producer
*Glynis Selina Arban – Photography
*
Geoff Barrow
Geoffrey Paul Barrow (born 9 December 1971) is an English music producer, composer, and DJ. He is a member of the bands Portishead, Beak and supergroup Quakers, and has scored several films.
Portishead—formed in 1991—was named after the s ...
– Composer
*
Adam Blackstone
Adam Blackstone (born December 4, 1982, in Trenton, NJ) is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and bassist. He is the musical director for Nicki Minaj and Justin Timberlake. Blackstone has also directed and played in performances with ...
– Bass, Bass (Upright)
*
Mikaelin 'Blue' Bluespruce Mikaelin 'Blue' Bluespruce is an American, New York City based mix engineer and record producer. He has worked with notable artists of many different genres including: Solange Knowles, Nas, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Skepta, Dev Hynes, Marsha Ambrosius, A ...
– Engineer, Mixing
*Henry Brooks – Composer
*Nell Brown – Engineer
*Canei Finch – Composer, Mixing, Producer
*
Vidal Davis
Dre & Vidal is a songwriting and production duo consisting of Andre Harris and Vidal Davis, who are best known as the main producers for Jill Scott and Glenn Lewis. Alumni of DJ Jazzy Jeff's A Touch of Jazz production team, Dre & Vidal were also ...
– Composer, Drum Programming, Mixing, Producer
*DJ Aktive – Scratching, Turntables
*
Lamont Dozier
Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK.
Career
Doz ...
– Composer
*
Peter Edge
Peter Edge is an English-American record executive. He is the chairman and CEO of RCA Records.
Early life and education
Edge was born near Coventry, England. Fueled in part by his sister’s record collection – which included influential ...
– Producer
*Robyn Fernandes – Stylist
*
Focus... – Engineer, Instrumentation, Producer
*Jesus Garnica – Assistant
*
Beth Gibbons
Beth Gibbons (born 4 January 1965) is an English singer and songwriter. She is the singer and lyricist for the band Portishead, which has released three albums. She released an album with Rustin Man, '' Out of Season'', in 2002, followed by an ...
– Composer
*Erwin Gorostiza – Creative Director
*
Andre Harris
Andre "Dre" Harris is an American songwriter and record producer.
Biography
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Harris grew up in a city known for its contributions to Black American music, namely the sub-genre of Philly soul. De ...
– Composer, Engineer, Producer
*
Rich Harrison
Richard Christopher Harrison (born 1979) is an American record producer and songwriter from Washington, D.C., specializing in R&B and hip hop music.
The winner of a Grammy Award, Harrison is well known for producing songs such as " Get Right ...
– Composer, Producer
*Brandon D. Henderson – Engineer
*
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...
– Composer
*
Brian Holland
Brian Holland (born February 15, 1941) is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound, and numerous hit ...
– Composer
*
Eddie Holland
Edward Holland Jr. (born October 30, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer.
Holland was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Although he was an early Motown artist who recorded minor hit singles such as "Jamie", ...
– Composer
*Rayfield Holloman – Guitar, Musician
*Michelle Holme – Art Direction
*
Jaycen Joshua
Jaycen Joshua is a mix engineer and music producer who owns the revered Canton House Studios in Studio City, California. Joshua started his mix career in 2005 when he became partners with his mentor Dave Pensado and formed The Penua Project. Joshu ...
– Mixing
*Trevor Jerideau – Producer
*JJ – Make-Up
*
Just Blaze
Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Blaze attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his mu ...
– Producer
*
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
– Composer
*Ryan Moys – Engineer
*
Reggie Perry – Composer
*Oscar Ramirez – Engineer
*Montez Roberts – Engineer
*
Darrell Robinson
Darrell Robinson (born December 23, 1963) is an American former track and field athlete who specialized in the 400-meter dash. He set a US high school national record of 44.69 seconds in the 400 m at the age of 18. He was in the world' ...
– Brushes, Musician
*
Lalo Schifrin
Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Latin American musical elemen ...
– Composer
*Tippi Shorter – Hai Soon
*
Sterling Simms
Sterling Lauren Simms (born July 7, 1982), is an American R&B singer-songwriter. His debut album, '' Yours, Mine & The Truth'' was released on December 23, 2008, by Def Jam Records.
Biography and career
Sterling recorded his first song with ...
– Composer
*Justin Smith – Composer
*
Syience
Reginald "Reggie" Perry, better known as Syience, is a Grammy Award-winning American songwriter, record producer and musician from Flint, Michigan. He has worked with a number of recognizable and respected artists, including Beyoncé, Cheryl Col ...
– Musician, Producer
*
Otis Turner
Otis Turner (November 29, 1862 – March 28, 1918) was an American director, screenwriter and producer. Between 1908 and 1917, he directed more than 130 films and wrote 40 scenarios. He was born in Fairfield, Indiana, and died in Los Angele ...
– Composer
*
Adrian Utley
Adrian Francis Utley (born 27 April 1957) is an English musician and producer, and a member of the band Portishead.Jurek, ThomAdrian Utley Biography, Allmusic. Retrieved 31 December 2016
Career
Born in Northampton,Mejia, Paula (2015)In Search ...
– Composer
*Ryan West – Mixing
*
Norman Whitfield
Norman Jesse Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) was an American songwriter and producer, who worked with Berry Gordy's Motown labels during the 1960s.allmusic Biography/ref> He has been credited as one of the creators of the Motow ...
– Composer
*Andrew Wright – Engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Late Nights and Early Mornings
2011 debut albums
Marsha Ambrosius albums
Albums produced by Dre & Vidal
Albums produced by Focus...
Albums produced by Just Blaze
Albums produced by Rich Harrison
J Records albums