''Moodring'' is the third studio album by American singer
Mýa
Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), (stylized as Mýa), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born into a musical family, she studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Initially, Mýa began her career as a VJ ...
, released on June 26, 2003, by
A&M and
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
. Before Mýa began to work on what would eventually be her third studio album, she participated in prior engagements which would result in the blockbuster success of 2001's "
Lady Marmalade
"Lady Marmalade" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, originally for Nolan's disco group. The song is famous for the repeated refrain of " ''Voulez-vous coucher avec moi''?" in French as part of the chorus, a sexually suggestive line ...
", a collaboration for the ''
Moulin Rouge!
''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and cour ...
'' soundtrack, and a supporting role in the 2002 film ''
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
''.
Production on ''Moodring'' was handled by a bevy of producers and songwriters. Mýa enlisted the assistance of producers
Ron Fair
Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several art ...
,
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...
,
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
,
Rockwilder
Dana Stinson (born February 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Rockwilder, is an American hip hop record producer and rapper.
A long term friend of Def Jam rapper Redman, Rockwilder got his start producing for East Coast hip hop artists ...
,
Damon Elliott
Damon William Elliott (born March 21, 1973) is an American musician, record producer, singer, songwriter and composer, who has worked in several genres of music including hip hop, R&B, pop, pop rock, gospel, reggae and country. He is the founder ...
,
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most ...
, and a handful of others. With this album, Mýa wrote "99.9%" of her own lyrics and co-produced many of the album's tracks.
While recording the album, Mýa funded her own studio time, and used several songs taken from her archive of music, recorded two years prior.
Described by Mýa as "
mewhat of a bi-polar album", ''Moodring'' contains elements of
R&B,
hip hop,
techno
Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
,
pop, and
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
.
The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, with
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 ...
praising Mýa for coming up with her best and most varied set of songs yet.
''Moodring'' debuted at number three on the
''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 113,000 copies, marking Mýa's highest debut and first-week sales yet. It was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA), and has sold 589,000 copies in the United States. ''Moodring'' spawned two singles, "
My Love Is Like...Wo" and "
Fallen
Fallen may refer to:
People
* Carl Fredrik Fallén (1764–1830), Swedish botanist and entomologist
* Gabriel Toledo (born 1991), known as FalleN, Brazilian ''Counter-Strike'' player
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional entities
* Fallen ( ...
", with the former reaching the top 40 in several countries. To further promote the album, Mýa embarked on the
Moodring Tour. In August 2005, after five years with Interscope Records, Mýa decided to part ways with the label and her management.
Background
In 1999, Mýa began production on an album that would eventually become her second studio effort ''
Fear of Flying
Fear of flying is a fear of being on an airplane, or other flying vehicle, such as a helicopter, while in flight. It is also referred to as flying anxiety, flying phobia, flight phobia, aviophobia, aerophobia, or pteromechanophobia (although ae ...
''. Partially inspired by
Erica Jong
Erica Jong (née Mann; born March 26, 1942) is an American novelist, satirist, and poet, known particularly for her 1973 novel ''Fear of Flying''. The book became famously controversial for its attitudes towards female sexuality and figured pro ...
's 1973
novel of the same name, the album featured contributions from producers
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists.
Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...
,
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...
,
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most ...
,
Knobody
Jerome Foster, better known as Knobody, is an American music producer and A&R. Knobody has produced records across different genres including soul, R&B, hip hop and rock for several multi-platinum artists including Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Akon, The Game ...
, and
Wyclef Jean
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...
. The majority of ''Fear of Flying'' was co-written and co-produced by Mýa. Harrison was also heavily involved in the
recording
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
* Record (computer science), a data structure
** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, ...
, producing,
mixing, and
mastering processes.
Released in April 2000, ''Fear of Flying'' debuted at number 15 on the
''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 72,000 copies. Initially, the album stalled on the charts until the release of the album's second single, "
Case of the Ex
"Case of the Ex" (sometimes subtitled "Whatcha Gonna Do") is a song by American singer Mýa. It was written and composed by Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and his songwriting partners Traci Hale and Thabiso "Tab" Nkhereanyne for Mýa's second studi ...
".
The song reached number two and three in the United States and United Kingdom, respectively.
''Fear of Flying'' later earned Mýa a
Soul Train Music Award
The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of ''Soul Train'', the pro ...
nomination for R&B/Soul Album – Female and a
MOBO
The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...
nomination for Best Album in 2001. The album sold over a million copies in the United States and received 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 ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) on March 28, 2001.
In 2001, Mýa contributed vocals to the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
to
Baz Luhrmann
Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...
's ''
Moulin Rouge!
''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and cour ...
'', for which she collaborated with singers
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
and
P!nk
Alecia Beth Moore Hart (born September 8, 1979), known professionally as Pink (stylized as P!nk), is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She was originally a member of the girl group Choice. In 1995, LaFace Records saw potential ...
, and rapper
Lil' Kim
Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include:
*
*
*
*
* better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and reality television personality. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, she lived much of he ...
on the remake of
Labelle's 1975 song "
Lady Marmalade
"Lady Marmalade" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, originally for Nolan's disco group. The song is famous for the repeated refrain of " ''Voulez-vous coucher avec moi''?" in French as part of the chorus, a sexually suggestive line ...
". The single became a worldwide success. It topped the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 in its eighth week, spending five consecutive weeks at number one. The song reached number one in over 15 countries, and became Mýa's first chart-topper and third non-consecutive top 10 entry on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. In February 2002, it won the quartet a
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 ...
for
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was 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 pop songs on which singers c ...
. Additionally, Mýa began to dabble in acting with a supporting role in the 2002
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
-winning musical film, ''
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
'', for which she won a
Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. In early 2003, Mýa appeared on
hip-hop alternative group
Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 is an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1994 by rappers Charles Stewart (Chali 2na), Dante Givens (Akil), Courtenay Henderson (Soup aka Zaakir), Marc Stuart (Marc 7); and disc jockeys Mark Potsic (DJ Nu-Mark) and Lucas Macf ...
's remix version of "Thin Line". Chosen as their second single and more R&B driven, "Thin Line" addressed the tension that often exists in platonic male-female relationships. Speaking about the gap between albums, and her transition from one Interscope-distributed imprint University Music to
A&M Records
A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
, Mýa told ''Billboard'' magazine, "this has been the biggest gap between projects. Not knowing when my album would come, working with someone like A&M Records president
Ron Fair
Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several art ...
and the transition from moving from an
independent label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
to Interscope sort of left us in limbo."
Development
Although ''
Fear of Flying
Fear of flying is a fear of being on an airplane, or other flying vehicle, such as a helicopter, while in flight. It is also referred to as flying anxiety, flying phobia, flight phobia, aviophobia, aerophobia, or pteromechanophobia (although ae ...
'' garnered critical and commercial success, Mýa felt unfulfilled and unsatisfied musically and had developed a complex with her last album because it felt more like a concession than her own body of work to her.
While speaking with ''
Trace
Trace may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* ''Trace'' (Son Volt album), 1995
* ''Trace'' (Died Pretty album), 1993
* Trace (band), a Dutch progressive rock band
* ''The Trace'' (album)
Other uses in arts and entertainment
* ''Trace'' ...
'', Mýa admitted ''Fear of Flying'' was a political war at
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
between her former manager Haqq Islam and CEO
Steve Stoute
Steve Stoute (born June 26, 1970) is an American businessman and record executive. Stoute is the founder and CEO of the Translation, a marketing agency, and the author of ''The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the ...
competing with each other.
She expressed she was "tired of songs that didn't reveal her vocal capabilities."
While acknowledging, that her radio singles were "cool", "nice" and "happy" but didn't really display any of her vocal talent.
Mýa also bluntly dismissed ''Fear of Flying'' as a whole, commenting, "I wouldn't even have bought my last album off of what I presented! In order to buy my last album, I would want more from Mya!"
Frustrated with label politics, she sought to take full control of her next studio effort.
Mýa named her next project ''Moodring'' because she felt there were many facets to this album‚ "ever changing moods, and ever changing colors".
With ''Moodring'', Mýa objective was to record an album that she could firmly stand by, and be proud of.
Pushed by her newfound freedom, she was instrumental in all creative aspects on the album and credited as a co-writer, co-producer along with
Ron Fair
Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several art ...
as well as served as
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
.
Of her contributions on ''Moodring'', Harrison commented, "I found all my songs this time, with the exception of one or two. I didn't have a puppet master looking over my shoulder, telling me what to, and not do."
Harrison further explained, "This time if I didn't write the song, then I produced it. With every song I was hands-on -- the structure of the track, bringing in musicians, and wanting it to sound the way I wanted it to sound."
Convinced that ''Moodring'' was her best work to date, she acknowledged she "fronted her own money for studio time, so she could do her own thing. This was the first time in her entire career that she could say that she could breathe."
While noting, she took her time with ''Moodring'' because she wanted the music to be a representative of Mýa.
Recording
In the beginning stages of her third studio album, Mýa booked a lot of her own studio time and invested in equipment on her own. While on the road touring, she would record ideas on her tour bus or in her hotel room, singing to tracks from producers that she'd worked with before and people that she would just run into.
Commenting on the process, she elaborated: "I began to write and book studio time. That's how I came up with a lot of lyrical and melodic ideas. However, they weren't fully produced."
Impressed with the tracks Mýa had worked on while on the road,
A&M president
Ron Fair
Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several art ...
offered to serve as the album's
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
. "He'd bring in a lot of musicians or orchestras or bring a hip-hop track to another level", she said of his contributions.
Mýa reportedly recorded 60 songs for the album; as a result, only the 16 songs were used. Mýa had hoped to work with
Shaggy
Shaggy may refer to:
People
*Shaggy (musician) (born 1968), Jamaican American reggae rapper and singer
* Shaggy 2 Dope, half of the hip hop, horrorcore band Insane Clown Posse
* Shaggy Flores (born 1973), Nuyorican poet, writer and African diaspor ...
and Prodigy from
Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City. The duo consisted of rappers Prodigy and Havoc. They are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hopEdwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Scien ...
, however collaborations failed to materialize.
Tentatively titled ''Smoke & Mirrors'', ''Moodring'' was initially characterized as a combination of
G-funk
G-funk, short for gangsta funk, is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the late 1980s. The genre is heavily influenced by 1970s psychedelic funk (P-funk) sound of artists such as Parliament-Funkadelic.
Characte ...
,
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
and a little bit of
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
. Prior to entering a recording studio, Mýa had 20 songs already written, produced and mastered before she decided to start recording new material for the album. Admittedly, Mýa hoped that the album would show her maturity as an artist. "I've grown up and gone through some things, so I'm expressing what I feel", she noted.
Unlike her second album ''Fear of Flying'' (2000), which addressed somewhat superficial relationship issues, the singer envisioned her new material to be more real and personal, prompting her to pen her own lyrics for this album, according to
Damon Elliott
Damon William Elliott (born March 21, 1973) is an American musician, record producer, singer, songwriter and composer, who has worked in several genres of music including hip hop, R&B, pop, pop rock, gospel, reggae and country. He is the founder ...
, who produced six songs on the disc.
Elliott said Mýa's lyrical development was not a shock tactic or an effort to keep up with her racy peers – it is more a sign of her own maturation and her interest in being honest and open.
Concluding, "Mýa can stand on her own", Elliott said. "Her album is gonna be off the chain. It's gonna be off the hook, man."
Music and composition
Previewed by ''Trace'' magazine, journalist Omar Dubois wrote, "thematically ''Moodring'' was more consistently optimistic than ''Fear of Flying'' which he declared was engulfed in adolescent cynicism.
Viewed as Mýa's most personal album,
''Moodring'' was about the person Mýa was in 2003 with songs that ranges from emotional to erotic.
''Moodring'' opens with the
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...
-produced "My Love Is Like...Wo", a "sexy, no holds-barred" song about a woman in control sexually and emotionally.
It is followed by "Fallen", the titillating
mid-tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
jeep-banger which cleverly
interpolates the
Pharcyde
The Pharcyde (currently known as The Far Side) is an American alternative hip hop group, formed in 1989, from South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani (Emandu Wilcox), Slimkid3 (Trevant Hardson), Bootie Brown ...
's "
Runnin'."
Next up, the hypnotic,
drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
and
keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
-driven,
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
-laced "Step".
The album's fifth track, "Sophisticated Lady", previously known as "Cold Blooded", is a
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
-baptized, palpitating bedding.
On this record, ''Trace'' magazine described Mýa as a spunky, seductive, femme-fatale.
An
ode
An ode (from grc, ᾠδή, ōdḗ) is a type of lyric poetry. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structured in three majo ...
to
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 ...
and
Rick James
James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in ...
, Mýa explained the concept behind the song, commenting, "I love that pretty s*$%, that pimp s*$%" "That's the s*$% that turns me on when I go to see a stage show. I love Rick like crazy, but Prince is the ultimate of that crazy, feminine, pretty man s*$%! I love it, it's drama! But it's still masculine, because it turns women on! And now, I just flipped it as a female."
The sultry, invitingly delivered "No Sleep Tonight" served as the album's sixth track.
Ninth track, the
pop soul
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describes a ...
ish
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...
meets
Neneh Cherry
Neneh Mariann Karlsson (born 10 March 1964), better known as Neneh Cherry, is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, occasional DJ and broadcaster. Her musical career started in London in the early 1980s, where she performed in a number of punk roc ...
choon "Things Come & Go", featured
dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...
rapper
Sean Paul
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican rapper and singer who is regarded as one of dancehall's most prolific artists.
Paul's singles "Get Busy" and "Temperature" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the ...
.
A
garage
A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include:
*Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicle ...
-driven number, "Whatever Bitch" was primarily inspired by a gay dance called
wagging, and
drag queen
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...
s at the
KitKatClub
The KitKatClub is a nightclub in Berlin, opened in March 1994 by Austrian pornographic filmmaker Simon Thaur and his life partner Kirsten Krüger.
Overview
The KitKatClub is known for its sexually uninhibited parties. Guests are allowed to e ...
in Berlin.
While previewing the album, ''Trace'' noted "Whatever Bitch" had all the potential of being a staple on the club scene stateside, and a contender for the prime position on the European club and pop charts.
Unbeknownst to the public, an artist had offered Mýa and her label a million dollars for the song.
Track fifteen, the soothing,
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
-laden "Take a Picture" was co-written by former collaborator
Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
.
As with "Whatever Bitch", ''Trace'' noted "Take a Picture" had the potential to be a towering cross-over smash.
Release and promotion
Initially, Mýa's third studio album was scheduled for release in November or December 2002 with the album's first single expected to be out in September 2002; however, nothing ever materialized.
Speaking with ''Billboard'', Mýa appointed the album's delay due to her transitioning within the
Universal Music
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...
system from an
independent label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
to
A&M Records
A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
.
After much delay, Interscope released ''Moodring'' on June 26, 2003, in Japan.
A month later, ''Moodring'' arrived in stores on July 21, 2003, in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States.
Subsequently, ''Moodring'' was released on September 8, 2003 in Germany.
As strategic marketing, her label, Interscope coupled ''Moodring'' with limited-edition calendars. To kick off promotion for ''Moodring'', Mýa appeared and performed "
Turn The Beat Around
"Turn the Beat Around" is a disco song written by Gerald Jackson and Peter Jackson, and performed by American actress and singer Vicki Sue Robinson in 1976 (see 1976 in music), originally appearing on her debut album, '' Never Gonna Let You Go' ...
" on ''The Disco Ball''. Taped in 2002, the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
special aired on January 16, 2003.
In late 2002,
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, ...
signed Mýa to star in their new advertising campaign. Joined by rapper
Common
Common may refer to:
Places
* Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
* Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts
* Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts
* Clapham Common, originally com ...
, their spot featured the two singing an original song based on the 1960s jazz hook of
Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 – November 5, 1996) was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ. His best-k ...
' "
Compared to What
"Compared to What" is a protest song written by Gene McDaniels. It was recorded by Roberta Flack in February 1969 for her debut album '' First Take'', but became better known following a performance by Les McCann (piano and vocals) and Eddie Harr ...
". Interspersed are scenes of each singer casting an amused but skeptical eye on the trappings of celebrity. The 90-second commercial aired during the
30th American Music Awards on January 13, 2003. During a press conference, Dominic Sandifer, senior VP of strategic marketing for
Interscope
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Musi ...
,
Geffen, and
A&M at
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
, explained the motion behind the ideal joint project for labels nowadays, noting the Coca-Cola's campaign starring Mýa and Common. He commented, "the beverage company licensed the song 'Real Compared to What' for use in its spots, placed Mýa and Common in the ad and ran the campaign to coincide with the July release of Mýa's album ''Moodring'' which featured their version of 'Real Compared to What'. The campaign was worth more than $10 million in promotional TV and radio media for ''Moodring''.
During the album's release week, Mýa made guest appearances on ''
Live! With Regis and Kelly
''Live with Kelly and Ryan'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts since ...
'',
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...
's ''
106 & Park
''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...
'', and
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
's ''
Passions
''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and pro ...
''. The following month in August, Mýa appeared on
WB's ''Pepsi Smash''. On September 13, 2003, Mýa performed on the sketch comedy show
MADTV
''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by '' Mad'' magazine. In its initial run, it aired on Fox from 1995 to 2009. After a one-off reunion show in 2015 to celebrate the twentiet ...
. In October 2003, Mýa performed at
Lifetime's fourth annual "Women Rock!" benefit concert. She performed her own rendition of
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...
's "
Stormy Weather." She also performed at the GQ Men of The Year Awards. In November 2003, she was invited to perform at
77th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Additionally, in November as well, she was featured on MTV's hidden camera-practical joke show ''
Punk'd
''Punk'd'' is an American hidden camera–practical joke reality television series that first aired on MTV in 2003. It was created by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, with Kutcher serving as producer and host. It bears a resemblance to both the ...
''.
In December 2003
Mýa made an appearance on the ''
Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn
''The Late Late Show'' is an American late-night television talk and variety comedy show on CBS. It first aired in January 1995, with host Tom Snyder, who was followed by Craig Kilborn, Craig Ferguson, and current host James Corden. The show or ...
''. Filmed in November, Mýa performed on the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
' fifth annual ''A Home for the Holidays'' special which aired in December as well.
Singles
''Moodring'' spawned two singles, including lead single "
My Love Is Like...Wo", which peaked at number 13 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 17 on the
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 ...
. The single was a commercial success due to its success on mainstream radio and became Mýa's fifth solo top-40 single. It was a moderate success internationally, charting within the top 40 in the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia. The second and final single, "
Fallen
Fallen may refer to:
People
* Carl Fredrik Fallén (1764–1830), Swedish botanist and entomologist
* Gabriel Toledo (born 1991), known as FalleN, Brazilian ''Counter-Strike'' player
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional entities
* Fallen ( ...
", peaked at number 51 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while reaching number 35 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. "Things Come & Go" featuring
Sean Paul
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican rapper and singer who is regarded as one of dancehall's most prolific artists.
Paul's singles "Get Busy" and "Temperature" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the ...
was initially planned as a single as well. Interscope had selected "Things Come & Go" as ''Moodring''s second international single and commissioned a music video to be filmed in Miami. Interscope's intentions were to push "Things Come & Go" internationally since Sean Paul had achieved recent success, and was keen to make Mýa a success in international territories as well. The plans were later scrapped.
Critical reception
''Moodring'' received generally positive reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a
weighted mean
The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 63, based on 9 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
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 gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and wrote that "with all the emotional and stylistic range that an album called ''Moodring'' should present Mýa comes up with her best and most varied set of songs yet." He felt that while "the constant changes of direction can be a little jarring on the first couple plays, they eventually become one of the album's charms."
[ Similarly, Lewis Dene of ]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 o ...
declared the album her "most complete and accessible yet", noting that with ''Moodring'' "Mya's set to further remind listeners of her ability to shrewdly bridge the gap between pop/R&B and street-level hip hop."
Sasha Frere-Jones, writing for ''Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
'', called ''Moodring'' the "most consistent R&B album of the year."
Tracy E. Hopkins, writing for ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', called the album an "ambitious third disc" that "reintroduces the former good girl as a sex kitten – a transformation that began with the Grammy-winning 'Lady Marmalade
"Lady Marmalade" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, originally for Nolan's disco group. The song is famous for the repeated refrain of " ''Voulez-vous coucher avec moi''?" in French as part of the chorus, a sexually suggestive line ...
'." She noted that "whatever her emotion, the eclectic ''Moodring'' effectively captures the evolving sensibilities of this rising star." In his review for ''USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'', Steve Jones commenced that Mýa "has matured nicely since her debut nearly five years ago. She shows no fear of flying off in new, creative directions." ''Vibe
''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...
'' editor Dimitri Ehrlich noted that though Mýa "doesn't add any real depth to her artistic sack, she captivates by revealing another stage in her development – as a woman." ''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' writer Neil Drumming gave the album a B− rating, commenting that "at best, ''Moodring'' exhibits some minor genre dabbling, but truthfully, Mýa's source material hasn't broadened much." In speaking of Mýa's voice, he said: "Without a commanding voice to override such outdated overtures, Mýa's efforts sound strikingly out of touch."
''People
A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...
'' found that "at times ''Moodring'', with its trip-hop
Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tempos ...
beats and sensual slow jams, is reminiscent of Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...
; other times the disc’s pop-R&B sheen brings to mind a younger Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
. Like both of those singers, Mýa has developed a feathery sexiness to go along with the natural sweetness of her soprano, which nevertheless wouldn’t scare the competition on ''American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
''. Still, this is the stuff that real pop idols are made of." ''Blender
A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen appliance, kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsion, emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender ...
''s James Hunter felt that "Mýa gets lost on ''Moodring''. The album has no point of view
Point of view or Points of View may refer to:
Concept and technique
* Point of view (philosophy), an attitude how one sees or thinks of something
* Point of view (literature) or narrative mode, the perspective of the narrative voice; the prono ...
, no way of joining the great Jam-Lewis moments with the crasser stuff. A lover of dance and Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
who wants to communicate with teens as well as adults, she faces the tall order of making real mink connect with real asphalt, and being Halle Berry
Halle Maria Berry (; born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant and coming in sixth in the Mis ...
with a mic." Terry Sawyer from ''PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' wrote that "for the most part, ''Moodring'' sinks like a stone." Declaring the album mixed to her disadvantage, while declaring Mýa's voice as "thin", she felt the album "is supposed to be sexy and yearning, but it doesn't rise to the sincerity of a soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
." She continued by saying "without the vocal acrobatics, the slower numbers serve only to highlight the squeaky fringe of her voice."
Accolades
''Moodring'' was featured on ''The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
''s Pazz & Jop
Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...
end of the year critics list.
Commercial performance
In the United States, ''Moodring'' debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 and at number two on ''Billboard''s 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 Jan ...
chart, selling 113,000 copies in its first week of release. It marked the highest-selling week of her career up to that point, as well as Mýa's highest-peaking album yet on both charts. In its second week, ''Moodring'' sold additional 59,700 copies, while dropping to number nine on the ''Billboard'' 200. In total, it spent a total of 18 non-consecutive weeks on the chart and was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) on September 25, 2003. As of August 2006, it had sold 589,000 copies in the United States.
Internationally, the album was less successful than her previous albums ''Mýa
Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), (stylized as Mýa), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born into a musical family, she studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Initially, Mýa began her career as a VJ ...
'' (1998) and ''Fear of Flying
Fear of flying is a fear of being on an airplane, or other flying vehicle, such as a helicopter, while in flight. It is also referred to as flying anxiety, flying phobia, flight phobia, aviophobia, aerophobia, or pteromechanophobia (although ae ...
'' (2000). While ''Moodring'' debuted and peaked at number 74 on the Australian Albums Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
, it failed to enter the top 75 of the UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
, peaking at number 197. It, however, debuted and peaked at number 25 on the Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocea ...
, becoming Mýa's highest-charting album there to date, and peaked at number 53 on the Japan Oricon Albums Chart.
Track listing
Notes
* signifies a co-producer
* signifies an additional producer
* signifies a vocal producer
Sample credits
* "Fallen" contains excerpts and elements from "Saudade Vem Correndo" (1962) as performed by Stan Getz
Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...
and Luiz Bonfá
Luiz Floriano Bonfá (17 October 1922 – 12 January 2001) was a Brazilian guitarist and composer. He was best known for the music he composed for the film ''Black Orpheus''.
Biography
Luiz Floriano Bonfá was born on October 17, 1922, in Ri ...
.
* "Sophisticated Lady" contains replayed elements from " Cold Blooded" (1983) as performed by Rick James
James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in ...
.
* "Things Come & Go" contains excerpts from " Aht Uh Mi Hed" (1974) as performed by Shuggie Otis
Johnny Shuggie Otis (born Johnny Alexander Veliotes, Jr.; November 30, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist.
Otis's composition "Strawberry Letter 23" (as recorded by The Brothers Johnson) topped ...
.
* "After the Rain" contains excerpts and elements from " Let Me Make Love to You" (1973) as performed by 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 ...
.
* "Take a Picture" contains elements from " (Lay Your Head on My) Pillow" (1994) as performed by Tony! Toni! Toné!
Tony! Toni! Toné! was an American soul/ R&B band from Oakland, California, popular during the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s. During the band's heyday, it was composed of D'wayne Wiggins on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Raphael Saadiq ...
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Moodring''.
Performers and musicians
* Alex Al – bass guitar
* Romeo Antonio – guitar
* Kyle Armbrust – viola
* Ravi Best – trumpet
* Sandra Billingslea – violin
* Krystyana Chelminski – violin
* Eddie Cole & His Gang – bass, guitar
* Luis Conte – percussion
* James Czeiner – violin, horn
* Earl Flemming – keyboard
* Steve Ferrone
Steve Ferrone (born 25 April 1950) is an English drummer. He is known as a member of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from 1994 to 2017, replacing original drummer Stan Lynch, and as part of the "classic lineup" of the Average Whi ...
– drums
* Eileen Folson – viola, cello
* Clark Gayton – trombone
* G.A. Grant – horn
* Gary Grant – horn
* Darryl Harper – keyboard
* O.J. Harper – keyboard
* 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'', ...
– horn
* Dan Higgins – horn
* Cecelia Hobbs Gardner – violin
* Jun Jensen – cello
* Natalie Leggett – violin, viola
* Jerry Ney – horn
* Joel Peskin – horn
* Bill Reichenbach Jr.
William Frank Reichenbach Jr. (born November 30, 1949) is an American jazz trombonist and composer. He is the son of Bill Reichenbach, who was the drummer for Charlie Byrd from 1962 to 1973. He is best known as a session musician for television, ...
– horn
* Kris Ricat – guitar, horn
* Maxine Roach – viola
* Derek Scott – guitar
* Carl "Butch" Small – percussion
* Michael Valerio – bass
Technical
* Mike Anzel – engineer
* Marc Baptiste – photography
* Patrice Bowie – vocal assistance
* Bruce Buechner – engineer
* Randy Bugnitz – engineer
* Sue Ann Carwell – vocal assistance
* Ian Cross – engineer
* Eric Dawkins – vocal assistance
* Jimmy Douglass
Jimmy Douglass, also known as "The Senator", is an American recording engineer and record producer. His career has spanned more than four decades.
Career
In the early 1970s at Atlantic Records studios in New York City, he started his studio ca ...
– engineer
* Dylan Dresdow – engineer
* Laurie Evans – vocal assistance
* Ron Fair – vocal production
* Drew FitzGerald – art direction
* David Guerrero – engineer
* Mark Harrison – vocal production
* Tal Herzberg – engineer
* Troy Hightower – engineer
* Kathryn Keller Moss – A&R
* Pete Karam – engineer
* Matt Marrin – engineering assistance
* Sheryl Nields
Sheryl Nields is an American portrait photographer.
Life
Nields grew up in Los Angeles, California. She attended Parsons School of Design, and then worked as an assistant to Patrick Demarchelier and Walter Chin. She started photographing mus ...
– photography
* Dave Pensado
Dave Pensado is a Grammy Award-winning mix engineer. His career began in Atlanta in the 1970s and 1980s doing live and studio sound engineering. He has lived in Los Angeles since 1990.
He mixes between 200 and 250 songs a year at Larrabee Studios ...
– mixing engineer
* Eddy Schreyer – mastering engineer
* Brian Summerville – engineer
* Brian "B Luv" Thomas – engineer
* Ryan West – engineer
* Katrina Willis – vocal assistance
* Ethan Willoughby – mixing assistance
* Doug Wilson – engineer
* Frank Wolf – engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
Notes
References
{{Authority control
2003 albums
A&M Records albums
Albums produced by DJ Clue?
Albums produced by James Poyser
Albums produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Albums produced by Missy Elliott
Albums produced by Questlove
Albums produced by Rockwilder
Albums produced by Ron Fair
Albums produced by Timbaland
Albums produced by Tricky Stewart
Interscope Records albums
Mýa albums