''The MF Life'' is the second studio album by Canadian recording artist

Melanie Fiona Melanie Fiona Hallim (born July 4, 1983) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.SRC Records and

Universal Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an i ...

. Production was handled by several record producers, including

No I.D. Ernest Dion Wilson (born June 23, 1971), professionally known as No I.D. (formerly Immenslope), is an American hip hop and R&B producer from Chicago, Illinois. Wilson is also a disc jockey (DJ), music arranger and former rapper, having relea ...

Salaam Remi Salaam Remi Gibbs (born May 14, 1972) is a Grammy winning American record producer known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, Robby, Fugees, Fergie, Estelle, Black Thought, and Miguel, and for his reggae-tinged (often referred to as ...

Andrea Martin Andrea Louise Martin (born January 15, 1947) is an American-Canadian actress, singer, and comedian, best known for her work in the television series '' SCTV'' and ''Great News''. She has appeared in films such as '' Black Christmas'' (1974), ''W ...

Rico Love Richard Preston Butler Jr. (born December 3, 1982), better known by his stage name Rico Love, is an American record producer, songwriter, singer, and rapper. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, but split his childhood between Milwaukee, Wiscon ...

Los Da Mystro Carlos McKinney (born January 10, 1973), known professionally as Los Da Mystro, is an American record producer and jazz pianist. Biography McKinney was born into a prominent Detroit jazz family; he is a nephew to pianist Harold McKinney, ba ...

and T-Pain, among others. Its music expands on the traditional R&B influences of Fiona's 2009 debut album, '' The Bridge'', and its songs deal with themes of aggrievement, longing, and romantic triumph. The album debuted at number seven on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 34,000 copies in its first week. It produced three singles, including the R&B hit " 4 AM". Upon its release, ''The MF Life'' received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended its production, songwriting and Fiona's vocals. Fiona promoted it with a national tour throughout March 2012. As of May 2012, the album has sold 69,500 copies in the United States.

Background and recording

After the shutdown of

Universal Motown Records Universal Motown Records was an American record label that operated as a division of Universal Motown Republic Group. It was the contemporary incarnation of the legendary Motown Records label, and the "urban" half of UMG, although there were some ...

, Fiona was transferred to

. In an interview with

Gary Graff Gary Graff (born 1960) is an American music journalist and author. Biography Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Graff attended Taylor Allderdice High School where he wrote for school newspaper ''The Taylor Allderdice Foreword''. He receiv ...

, she said that the delay in the album's release allowed her to reach out to rappers

J. Cole Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985) is an American rapper and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained recognition as a rapper following the release of his d ...

and

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

to contribute to the songs "This Time" and "Running", respectively. Recording sessions for the album took place at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, 4220 Feng Shui Studios in Los Angeles, Circle House Studios, The Hit Factory Criteria, and Body Music in Miami, Chevy Shack and Losta Studios in Atlanta, Summit Sound in New York, and The Armoury Vault in Toronto, Canada. In a

press release A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...

, Fiona explained the album's title, "the ‘MF’ in the album title represents my initials, but it also gets at the many facets of myself as an artist and a young woman. It can be viewed as the ‘Mighty Fine Life’ in times of triumph and success, but also the ‘Mother-F-ing Life’ when I'm dealing with frustration or misfortune. I celebrate both. I feel it would be dishonest if everything was all about glitz and glamour. It's about the balance of life, the yin and the yang, the good and the bad, all of that."

Music and lyrics

According to Sarah Godfrey of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', ''The MF Life'' expands on the traditional R&B influences of Fiona's debut album, with some songs Andy Kellman 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 ...

said delve into

soft rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...

and classic

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

influences. Songs such as "L.O.V.E." and "Watch Me Work" are styled in soul; the guitar-laden "Break Down These Walls" and "Wrong Side of a Love Song" have rock elements. " 4 AM" draws on the hazy synth of

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

's "

Marvins Room "Marvins Room" is a song by Canadian recording artist Drake. It is the lead single from Drake's second studio album '' Take Care''. Produced by 40, it features keyboard-based instrumentation and muted bass. "Marvins Room" is performed from the ...

" and the emotional aesthetic of

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

' "

Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart" is a song by American recording artist Alicia Keys. It was released as the second single (third in the UK) from her fourth studio album, '' The Element of Freedom'' (2009). The ballad has been hailed by many mus ...

". The album's lyrics deal with themes of longing, aggrievement, and romantic triumph. Music writers have noted Fiona's singing voice on the album as slightly husky and emotive.

Release and promotion

The album's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

, "Gone and Never Coming Back", peaked at number 37 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

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 second single, "4 AM", was sent to urban radio stations on August 30, 2011. It peaked at number eight on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and number 81 on the ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

. Originally scheduled for a 2011 release, ''The MF Life'' was released on March 20, 2012, on SRC and Universal Republic. Fiona promoted the album with a national tour throughout March 2012. It included dates at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia and the Austin Urban Music Festival in Texas. When ''The MF Life'' was released, it sold 34,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number seven on the ''Billboard'' 200. It sold 16,200 copies in its second week on the chart. By May 2012, the album had sold 69,500 copies in the United States. In Switzerland, ''The MF Life'' charted for eight weeks and peaked at number 23. It also charted at number 32 on the United Kingdom's R&B Albums Chart.

Critical reception

''The MF Life'' received generally positive reviews from critics. 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 normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, 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 75, based on nine reviews.

editor Andy Kellman found Fiona "remarkably versatile when it comes to modes of expression" and stated, "The more beneficial mix of songwriting and production collaborators ... helps make ''The MF Life'' superior to the debut in every way." ''

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 ...

'' felt the "slow-burning" songs remain her strength, while Jon Caramanica from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' praised the production overall and stated, "Though this album lacks some of the intensity of her debut ... it still showcases Ms. Fiona ably." Ken Capobianco of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' viewed the album as "a more fully realized and personal set of songs than her debut", writing that "she charts the vicissitudes of love with searing conviction and style ... she ratchets up the intensity, as she co-writes nearly all of the songs and often delivers them with stunning clarity and power." ''

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 ...

'' writer

Maura Johnston Maura K. Johnston (born May 28, 1975) is a writer, editor and music critic. A member of Boston College's journalism faculty, she has written for ''Rolling Stone'', ''The Boston Globe'', ''Pitchfork'', ''The Awl'', ''The New York Times'', ''Spin' ...

called her "multidimensional" and stated, "Big-name guests ... accentuate Fiona's strengths instead of overshadowing them, a testament to her supreme confidence." In a mixed review, Kevin Ritchie of ''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'' felt that ''The MF Life'' is "closer to a traditional multi-producer record featuring a checklist of styles ... that showcase her technical precision as a singer but reluctance to colour outside the lines." ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' writer

Ernest Hardy Ernest George Hardy (15 January 1852 – 26 October 1925) was a classicist and Principal of Jesus College, Oxford, from 1921 to 1925. Biography Hardy was born in Hampstead, England and was educated at Highgate School. He then went to Exeter Col ...

viewed that Fiona's "lapses into hard, hyper-emotive singing" make the content's emotion seem ingenuine and stated, "The songs are a bit stronger this time around, but few offer much in the way of great lyrics or real insight". Alex Macpherson of ''

Fact A fact is a datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance, which, if accepted as true and proven true, allows a logical conclusion to be reached on a true–false evaluation. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scient ...

'' called the album "occasionally transcendent" and commented that it "aims more to be a well-rounded work than a visionary one, and in that respect it succeeds admirably."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits for ''The MF Life'' adapted from liner notes. * Johntá Austin – background vocals * Diego Avendaño – engineer * B.o.B – featured artist * Bobby Brass – assistant engineer, end chorus, engineer * Myisha Brooks – publicity * Sandy Brummels – art direction * Los DaMystro – conductor, producer * Gleyder "Gee" Disla – engineer * E – producer * Kirk Edwards – photography * Espionage – musician, producer * Jay Fenix – musician, producer * Melanie Fiona – art direction, primary artist * Elizabeth Gallardo – assistant engineer * Eric Goudy II – keyboards, programming * Skye Griffin – background vocals * George Gumbs – vocal engineer * Tiara Hargrave – publicity * Chuck Harmony – additional music, additional production * Vincent Henry – guitar, saxophone * Melantha Hodge – marketing * Antario Holmes – keyboards, producer * Earl Hood – keyboards, programming * Diallobe Johnson – marketing * Rob Kinelski – engineer, mixing * Jason "Chyld" Kpana – A&R * Cameron Krone – photography * John Legend – featured artist * Espen Lind – engineer * Rico Love – background vocals, composer, producer * Omar Loya – assistant engineer * Victor Mancusi – assistant engineer, end chorus, engineer, mixing * Fabian Marasciullo – mixing * Rob Marks – mixing * Manny Marroquin – mixing * Andrea Martin – associate producer, background vocals, producer, vocal producer * Sean McCoy – mixing assistant * Pierre Medor – engineer * Vlado Meller – mastering * Ian Mercel – engineer * Michael Michel – A&R, producer * Carmen Murray – A&R, art direction, producer, stylist * Francis Murray – engineer * F. Najm – composer * Nas – featured artist * Scott Naughton – engineer * Tiffany Naval – art direction * No Id – producer, vocals * K. Randolph – composer * Kevin Randolph – keyboards * Salaam Remi – arranger, bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, producer * Tony Reyes – bass, guitar * Steve Rifkind – producer * Gillian Russell – A&R * Gennaro Schiano – mixing assistant * Lynn Scott – marketing * Noah Shebib – vocal producer * Jack Splash – engineer, mixing, musician, producer * Jordan Suecof – percussion, producer, programming * T-Pain – composer, featured artist, producer * T-Minus – producer * Javier Valverde – vocal engineer * Martha Violante – stylist * James Wisner – mixing * Steve Wyreman – bass, composer, guitar

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* *
The MF Life
' at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mf Life 2012 albums Albums produced by Jack Splash Albums produced by No I.D. Albums produced by Rico Love Albums produced by Salaam Remi Albums produced by Supa Dups Albums produced by T-Minus (record producer) Albums produced by T-Pain Universal Republic Records albums Melanie Fiona albums