''Southern Hummingbird'' is the debut studio album by American singer
Tweet, released on April 2, 2002, by
The Goldmind Inc. and
Elektra Records. The album features production by
Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott,
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 ...
,
Craig Brockman
Craig Xavier Brockman (born May 16, 1973) is a hip hop and R&B record producer, arranger, keyboardist, and instrumentalist. He mostly works with Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Terrace Martin, Warren G. He is also a member of The Soul Seekers.
Pro ...
,
Nisan Stewart
Nisan Cumming Stewart (born 31 March 1974) is a noted drummer, record producer and songwriter. Having worked with Timbaland and Missy Elliott on Missy Elliott's earlier work (''This Is Not a Test!''), he co-produced Karen Clark Sheard's 2002 album ...
, guitarist John "Jubu" Smith, and Tweet herself. It also features guest vocals by Elliott,
Bilal, and
Ms. Jade
Chevon Young (born 1979), better known by the stage name Ms. Jade is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In 2002 she released her only album to date, ''Girl Interrupted (album), Girl Interrupted'', which featured the single (mus ...
, and included a bonus track performed by Elliott, "Big Spender", which samples the
song of the same name from the 1966 musical ''
Sweet Charity''.
The album was met with positive reviews from music critics, who commended the album's musical direction and its lyrical content. The album debuted at number three on the
''Billboard'' 200, selling 195,000 copies in its first week. ''Southern Hummingbird'' was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 30, 2002, and by September 2015, it had sold 897,000 units in the United States.
The album was preceded by lead single "
Oops (Oh My)
"Oops (Oh My)" is a song by American singer Tweet from her debut studio album, '' Southern Hummingbird'' (2002). It features vocals from American rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, who co-wrote the song with Tweet, while production was handle ...
", which reached number seven on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one 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 ...
chart. ''Southern Hummingbird'' also spawned the singles "
Call Me" and "
Boogie 2nite", as well as the promotional single "Smoking Cigarettes".
Background
In the 1990s, Tweet was part of the female trio Sugah. During this time, Tweet met and formed a close friendship with Missy Elliott. She also met
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 ...
, who would later provide production for ''Southern Hummingbird''.
Music and lyrics
According to Keysha Davis from
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 ...
, the album is a blend of blues, rootsy soul, and soft acoustic rock.
''Southern Hummingbird'' and Tweet were commended for creating a "mood in the room that might either make you want to take your clothes off or that of your significant others."
Noting the album's musical style as groovy and "just feels good".
Songs like "Smoking Cigarettes" were noticed for making the listener feel how Tweet feels.
Tweet's voice was compared to the album's title with critics saying "she's not called the Southern Hummingbird for no reason", describing her vocals as "
ft, gentle, emotional and captivating".
Lyrically the album fixates on the opposite sex, noted by ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' for its lyrical "intensity that borders on pathological". The album opens with Tweet "writhing in a pit of suicidal despair", followed by themes of Tweet singing about chastised cheating men, pined for the commitment-phobic, offered to take back lovers, and generally behaved like a strong woman whose happiness is nevertheless dependent almost entirely on her romantic entanglements."
The album's lyrics received large amounts of praise with reviewers say Tweet has a way with words continuing to say "songs like 'Beautiful' helped us understand how lyrics can move people."
The album's third song "Smoking Cigarettes" is described as a "lush, laid back affair" which incorporates "bluesy 70's soul" and multi-layered vocals, built over a snare drum. Lyrically the song is based on the idea of cigarette smoking being used as a coping mechanism.
"Best Friend", featuring American singer Bilal, displays "lilting strings, exquisite vocals and heartbeat bass" noted for its use of "grassroots soul".
"Boogie 2nite" is a "feel-good" song that contains a repetitive "
funky guitar riff" with lyrics discussing the "party vibe".
"Oops (Oh My)" is noted for its lyrical content which can be interpreted as discussing "female masturbation or a tribute to self-love." The song is built around a "superb groove" noted for its unmistakable Timbaland production. The song also contains "quick syncopated rhythms and Tweet's raspy vocals."
"Drunk" is an atmospheric song that continues to take influence from the idea of intoxicants, in the same vein as "Smoking Cigarettes". Lyrically the song sees Tweet broken and alone with only the aid of alcohol for company.
Singles
"
Oops (Oh My)
"Oops (Oh My)" is a song by American singer Tweet from her debut studio album, '' Southern Hummingbird'' (2002). It features vocals from American rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, who co-wrote the song with Tweet, while production was handle ...
", featuring Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, was released as the album's lead single in January 2002. The song was a commercial success, reaching number seven on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, number one on the US ''
Billboard''s
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, and number five on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
"
Call Me" was released as the second single in April 2002. It peaked at number 31 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and at number nine on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming Tweet's second consecutive top-10 entry on the latter chart.
The track also reached number 35 in the United Kingdom.
The album's third and final single, "
Boogie 2nite", was released solely in Europe in October 2002. After English
dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...
duo
Booty Luv
Booty Luv are a British dance group formed in June 2006 by their record label, Hed Kandi. The group comprises two R&B vocalists, Cherise Roberts and Nadia Shepherd, both of whom were in the original line-up of the hip hop and R&B group Big ...
released a
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of the track in November 2006, Tweet's original song charted at number 167 in the UK that same month.
Critical reception
''Southern Hummingbird'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that 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 average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, which assigns a
normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...
score of 73, based on 10 reviews.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of
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 databa ...
praised the album's musical direction and production, but felt that Tweet fading into the mix.
''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' praised the album's lyrical content and Tweet's "sultry" vocals, continuing to say, "Tweet recognizes the value of subtlety and understatement, but she also skillfully writes and produces or co-produces much of her own material."
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 ...
gave ''Southern Hummingbird'' called the album "the stuff of real divas", adding that "Tweet's inherent melancholy further confirms the musical rite of passage in the tradition of other soul greats such as
Aretha,
Mary J Blige
Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
and
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...
".
''
Dotmusic
''Dotmusic'' was a music webzine that existed as a standalone website from 1 June 1995 to December 2003. Initially intended as the web complement to the UK music industry trade magazine ''Music Week'', the site was relaunched in December 1998 as a ...
'' commended Tweet's vocals saying she has the "kind of voice that doesn't overpower her music but lets it breathe."
''
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 cu ...
'' gave the album a mixed review noting that the album's production was a highlight which helped to showcase her "breathy coo", while praising the "well-crafted" the critics felt the album contained "too-similar ballads."
Imran Ahmed of ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' gave a positive reception towards the album's production and musical style saying the album is a "rarely thrilling collection of R&B"; however, he felt the album lacked front to back cohesiveness.
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' felt that "Oops" and "Make Ur Move" were highlights of the album, noting them for making "this hummingbird
ly"
Commercial performance
''Southern Hummingbird'' debuted at number three on the US
''Billboard'' 200, selling 195,000 copies in its first week. The album was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 30, 2002,
and had sold 897,000 copies in the United States as of September 2015.
The album also fared well in European territories, peaking at number 15 on 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 ...
.
Track listing
Notes
* signifies an additional producer
Sample credits
* "Motel" contains a sample of "
Rapper's Delight
"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip-hop track by the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band's "King Tim III (Personality Jock)", "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip-hop mus ...
" by
The Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop trio. Their 1979 hit "Rapper's Delight" was the first rap single to become a top 40 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; reaching a peak position of number 36 on January 12, 1980. This was the trio's onl ...
.
* "Big Spender" contains a sample of "
Big Spender" from ''
Sweet Charity''. The song appears only on initial pressings of the album.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Southern Hummingbird''.
Musicians
*
Tweet – vocals
* Lil Charlie –
lead guitar
Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...
* John "Jubu" Smith – guitar
*
Bilal – vocals
* Dontae – bass
*
Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott – vocals
* Greg Leiz –
steel guitar
*
Ms. Jade
Chevon Young (born 1979), better known by the stage name Ms. Jade is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In 2002 she released her only album to date, ''Girl Interrupted (album), Girl Interrupted'', which featured the single (mus ...
– rap
Technical
*
Nisan Stewart
Nisan Cumming Stewart (born 31 March 1974) is a noted drummer, record producer and songwriter. Having worked with Timbaland and Missy Elliott on Missy Elliott's earlier work (''This Is Not a Test!''), he co-produced Karen Clark Sheard's 2002 album ...
– production ; additional production
*
Craig Brockman
Craig Xavier Brockman (born May 16, 1973) is a hip hop and R&B record producer, arranger, keyboardist, and instrumentalist. He mostly works with Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Terrace Martin, Warren G. He is also a member of The Soul Seekers.
Pro ...
– production ; additional production
* Dylan Dresdow – engineering, mixing
* Tweet – production ; executive production
* John "Jubu" Smith – production
*
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 ...
– production ; additional production ; executive production
*
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 ...
– engineering ; mixing
* Tyson Leeper – engineering
* Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott – production ; executive production
* Troy Johnson – production
* Carlos Bedoya – engineering
*
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
...
– mixing
*
Bernie Grundman
Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer.
He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...
– mastering
Artwork
* Ruven Afanador – photography
* Anita Marisa Boriboon – art direction, design
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
Notes
References
{{Authority control
2002 debut albums
Albums produced by Craig Brockman
Albums produced by Missy Elliott
Albums produced by Timbaland
Albums recorded at Westlake Recording Studios
Elektra Records albums
Tweet (singer) albums