''My Way'' is the second
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American singer
Usher. It was released on September 16, 1997, by
LaFace Records
LaFace Records was an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated as a unit of Sony Music Entertainment from 2008 to 2011 and was historically a part of Bertelsmann Music Group from 1989 to 2004. It was most active and achie ...
in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
. The album features
guest appearance
In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...
s from
Monica
Monica may refer to:
People
*Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress
*Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...
,
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ.
Early life
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...
, and
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 ...
. The album was supported by three
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
s, all platinum-selling: "
Nice & Slow
"Nice & Slow" is a song from American singer-songwriter Usher's second album, ''My Way'' (1997). Released on January 6, 1998, the song became Usher's first number-one single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in February 1998. The song was w ...
", "
My Way
"My Way" is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra set to the music of the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François and first performed in 1967 by Claude François. Its E ...
", and "
You Make Me Wanna...".
With most of the album production by
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 ...
and Dupri, the album became a commercial success, debuting at number 15 on the
''Billboard'' 200 and peaking at number four. The album also reached number four on the US
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 ...
chart and eventually topped the ''Billboard'' R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for three weeks. It was certified
seven times platinum 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). ''My Way'' became Usher's breakthrough album and earned him a nomination for the
Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance was awarded between 1968 and 2011. The award has had several minor name changes:
*In 1968 it was awarded as Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Male
*From 1969 to 1994 it was awarded as Best R&B V ...
for "You Make Me Wanna...".
Critical reception
In a contemporary review, ''
The Source
''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...
'' magazine said with ''My Way'', "Usher proves that he's aiming to become more than just R&B music's best kept secret". Asondra R. Hunter from ''
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 ...
'' said that Usher is sensual through his mild and gentle tone and tasteful, refined lyrics.
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
, writing in ''
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 ...
'', cited "Just Like Me" and "You Make We Wanna..." as highlights, and quipped that Usher was "the sweetest nonvirgin a mama could ask".
He gave ''My Way'' a one-star honorable mention,
indicating "a worthy effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well like." In a negative review 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 ...
'',
David Fricke
David Fricke is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 years. I ...
felt that the album has too many downtempo songs, and criticized the writing and production quality.
In a retrospective review for
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 ...
,
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...
gave ''My Way'' four out of five stars and praised Usher's vocal restraint, but noted inconsistency in quality.
[ My Way – Usher ]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 ...
. Rovi Corporation
TiVo Corporation, formerly known as the Rovi Corporation and Macrovision Solutions Corporation, was an American technology company. Headquartered in San Jose, California, the company is primarily involved in licensing its intellectual property ...
. Retrieved on June 24, 2013. In a 2002 review, ''
Q'' magazine also gave it four stars and wrote that it established Usher's reputation as a young and skillful performer of R&B
slow jam
A slow jam is music with rhythm and blues and soul influences. Slow jams are commonly R&B ballads
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', whi ...
s.
Keith Harris, writing in ''
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...
'' (2004), gave it three-and-a-half stars and said that, although Dupri's combination of
hi-hat
A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist o ...
hits, acoustic-guitar
arpeggios
A broken chord is a chord broken into a sequence of notes. A broken chord may repeat some of the notes from the chord and span one or more octaves.
An arpeggio () is a type of broken chord, in which the notes that compose a chord are played ...
, and occasional guest raps from him and Lil Kim can inhibit the album, ''My Way'' was the work of a significant, enterprising artist.
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music was a brand under which Yahoo! provided a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming. Previously, users with Yahoo! accounts could gain access to hundreds of ...
's Billy Johnson Jr. credited the album for Usher's breakthrough into the music industry, and lauded the production of the three singles.
Accolades
Commercial performance
''My Way'' debuted at number 15 on the US
''Billboard'' 200 chart dated October 4, 1997, selling 66,000 copies in its first week in the United States.
It entered 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 ...
at number four on that same week. The album rose to number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums on January 10, 1998; it topped the chart for three consecutive weeks, and remained on the chart for a total of seventy-five weeks.
''My Way'' peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200, and spent seventy-nine weeks on that chart.
It has since been certified
six times platinum 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) for sales of over six million copies in the United States. As of 2002, it had sold six million copies in the United States and seven million copies worldwide. In Sept 2022, the album was finally certified to have sold seven million copies in the US alone.
Track listing
;
Sample credits
* "Come Back" contains a
sample
Sample or samples may refer to:
Base meaning
* Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set
* Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal
* Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...
of "
Woman to Woman" by
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...
.
* "One Day You'll Be Mine" contains a sample of "
Footsteps in the Dark" by
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...
.
Personnel
Credits are adapted 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 ...
and album's liner notes.
*
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 ...
– executive producer; producer, background vocals, keyboards, and drum programming
(tracks 4, 8); bass
(track 4)
* Butch BelAir – photography
* Michael Benabib – photography
* Kyle Bess – mixing assistant
(tracks 4, 8)
*
Paul Boutin
Paul Boutin (born December 11, 1961 in Lewiston, Maine) is an American magazine writer and editor who writes about technology in a pop-culture context.
Boutin, who began writing for ''Wired'' in 1997, wrote for ''The New York Times'' from 2003 ...
– engineer
(tracks 4, 8)
* Trina Broussard – background vocals
(track 9)
*
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ.
Early life
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...
– executive producer, producer
(tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 9, 10), mixing
(tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 9), instruments
(tracks 1, 10), background vocals
*
Nathan East
Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass player and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degr ...
– bass
(track 8)
* Brian Frye – mixing assistant
(tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 9, 10)
* John Frye – mixing assistant
(tracks 1–3, 9, 10)
* Jon Gass – mixing
(tracks 4, 8)
* Serban Ghenea – engineer
(track 7)
* John Hayes – engineer
(track 7)
*
Jagged Edge – background vocals
(track 3)
*
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 ...
– vocals
(track 2)
*
Trey Lorenz
Trey Lorenz (born Lloyd Lorenz Smith; January 19, 1969) is an American R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. He was born in Florence, South Carolina and is a graduate of Wilson High School. Lorenz is best known for his duet with recording a ...
– background vocals
(tracks 6, 9)
*
Manny Marroquin
Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work.
Life and career
M ...
– engineer
(tracks 4, 8)
* George Meyers – engineer
(track 7)
*
Monica
Monica may refer to:
People
*Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress
*Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...
– lead and background vocals
(track 4)
*
Greg Phillinganes
Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, singer-songwriter, and musical director based in Los Angeles, California. A prolific session musician, Phillinganes has contributed the role of keyboards to numerous alb ...
– piano
(tracks 4, 8)
* Herb Powers – mastering
*
L.A. Reid
Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid (born June 7, 1956) is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer. He is the founder and served as co-chairman of Hitco Entertainment. He also previously served as the chairman and CEO of Ep ...
– executive producer
* Ivy Skoff – production coordination
(track 8)
*
Manuel Seal
Manuel L. Seal, Jr. (born September 26, 1960) is an American multi-instrumentalist, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, vocal coach, and arranger. His credits include artists as Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Usher, TLC, Aretha Frankli ...
– co-producer
(tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 9), instruments
(tracks 1, 10), background vocals
(tracks 6, 9)
*
Shanice
Shanice Lorraine Wilson-Knox (née Wilson; born May 14, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and dancer. Shanice had the ''Billboard'' hit singles "I Love Your Smile" and "Silent Prayer" in 1991 and "Saving Forever for You" in 1993. ...
– background vocals
(track 8)
* LaKimbra Sneed – design
*
Phil Tan Phil Tan is a Malaysian-American music and audio engineer.
Early life and education
Tan was born in Malaysia. He attended Full Sail University in Florida in the U.S., where he attained a degree in Recording Arts in 1990. Afterwards he moved to Atla ...
– engineer and mixing
(tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 9, 10)
*
Usher – vocals
(all tracks)
* Randy Walker – MIDI programming
(tracks 4, 8)
* D.L. Warfield – art direction
* Rob Williams – engineer
(track 2)
* Sprague "Doogie" Williams – producer
(track 7)
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
See also
*
List of number-one R&B albums in the United States
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:My Way (Usher Album)
1997 albums
Usher (musician) albums
LaFace Records albums
Arista Records albums
Albums produced by Jermaine Dupri
Albums produced by Babyface (musician)
it:My Way (disambigua)#Musica