"Love 'Em All" is a song recorded by American singer

K. Michelle Kimberly Michelle Pate (born March 4, 1982) is an American Country, Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, and television personality. She was a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series ''Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'' during its first two sea ...

from the second studio album '' Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?'' (2014). It was released as the

lead single A lead single (or first 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. A similar term, "debut ...

from the record on September 16, 2014, through

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. "Love 'Em All" was written by Michelle and Bianca Atterberry and composed by B.A.M., Lil' Ronnie and Shea Taylor. Taylor co-produced the single with Lil' Ronnie and B.A.M. A

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

and R&B

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

, its lyrics are about sexuality and a woman pursuing multiple relationships. Michelle said that "Love 'Em All" is a response to

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

's 2013 single " Loyal". Critics responded positively to "Love 'Em All", and it peaked at numbers 26 and 35 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and

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 ...

''Billboard'' charts, respectively. An accompanying video, released on November 3, 2014, features Michelle dancing with a chair and singing on a throne. Michelle also promoted "Love 'Em All" through live performances. Atlantic also released remixes of the single, including one featuring American rapper

Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. He is credited, alongside fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for ...

Recording and release

"Love 'Em All" was written by Kimberly Michelle Pate, and Bianca Atterberry. It was composed by B.A.M., Lil' Ronnie and Shea Taylor. Taylor co-produced the single with Lil' Ronnie and B.A.M. and played the instruments. Atterberry produced the song's vocals, which were recorded by C Travis Kr8ts.

released "Love 'Em All" on September 16, 2014 as the

from Michelle's second studio album '' Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?'' (2014). To precede the song's release, Michelle held a livestream on

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. https://twitter.com/kmichelle/status/511696554227294208 Describing her debut album '' Rebellious Soul'' (2013) as "a glorified

mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

" due to her "angry and aggressive" approach, Michelle said that she recorded "Love 'Em All" to pursue a "new vibe" and act "innovative and progressive". Prior to its release, she posted a preview on her

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account. A remix with an additional verse from

was released on

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. Kevin Goddard of

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described the remix as "adding some hip-hop flavor to the grungy love ballad", and wrote that Jeezy rapped with "braggadocious rhymes and slick analogies for the streets". The remix was not included on the album. On March 10, 2015, additional remixes by Redondo and Toyboy & Robin was made available on

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Composition and lyrics

"Love 'Em All" is a

and R&B

that lasts four minutes and five seconds. The instrumental includes "pounding drums", and Emily Tan of '' The Boombox'' interpreted the composition as containing a "driving beat".

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's Alex Naidus identified Michelle's vocals as "brassy ndwailing". With lyrics revolving around sexuality and a woman "playing the field", "Love 'Em All" is a response to

's 2013 single " Loyal". Michelle said that the single was based on the line "these bitches ain't loyal", and explained that she wanted to make "a record that basically said what most women do but they won’t say".

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 ...

described "Love 'Em All" as a "heartbreaker anthem". The song opens with Michelle narrating: "They say I move too fast / Going man to man / Always holding a new hand.” She sings about her relationships in the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

: 'Cause they think I love 'em / But I love 'em all / I need another one to get over the other one.” Other lyrics include: “I broke another heart today / And I didn’t care, I just walked away / ‘Cause they think I love ’em, but I love ’em all.”

Reception

"Love 'Em All" received primarily positive reviews from music critics. Mike Wass of Idolator praised it as a "killer lead single", and

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Andy Kellman selected it as one of the album's highlights. Kevin Apaza of Direct Lyrics felt that it would be successful on

rhythmic radio Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 20, Rhythmic Top 30, Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hits ...

, and commended it as "an anthem for many women". ''Vibe'''s Michael Arceneaux praised the single, along with the album track "Judge Me" as "the best introduction to the K. Michelle of 2014". Alex Naidus and DJ JusMusic of Singersroom included "Love 'Em All" on their lists of the best R&B releases of 2014. In a more negative review, ''

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''' Devone Jones criticized the song as "good enough despite the boring lyrics". While he felt its opening set up an expectation for "a beautiful rock ballad", Jones wrote that it "just becomes another typical R&B song that isn’t a car crash". Commercially, "Love 'Em All" peaked at 26 and 35 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and

''Billboard'' charts, respectively.

Music video and promotion

On November 3, 2014, the single's accompanying music video debuted on

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. It was shown after the debut of Michelle's

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'' K. Michelle: My Life''. It was uploaded on the singer's

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account on the same day. Dressed in a sparkling leotard, Michelle dances with a chair; she appears alongside a group of back-up dancers in a room full of black mannequins. The singer is also seen singing while sitting on a throne. A writer for ''

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'' praised it as "her fiercest video yet". Comparing Michelle's choreography to that in

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

' music video for her 2000 single " Stronger", Kevin Apaza responded positively to the visual's "sexy treatment". As February 2, 2015, the video received over 7 million views on YouTube. Michelle also promoted "Love 'Em All" through live performances. On December 12, 2014, she performed it on '' Big Morning Buzz Live''. Rahsheeda Ali responded positively to Michelle's performance, writing that she "sounded amazing". She sang "Love 'Em All" as part of her 2015 My Twisted Mind Tour. The song was also included on the setlist for her 2016 Hello Kimberly Tour. Joey Guerra of the ''

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'' praised her performance as "an early highlight" of the show, and described it as "a stunning display of poise and power".

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits were adapted from the liner notes from ''Anybody Wanna Buy A Heart?'': * Kimberly Pate – lyricist * Bianca Atterberry – lyricist, vocal production * Shea Taylor –production, music, instrumentation * B.A.M. – co-production, music * Ronnie "Lil Ronnie" Jackson – co-production, music * C Travis Kr8ts – recording * Jaycen Joshua – mixing * Maddox Chhim – mixing assistantance * Ryan Kaul – mixing assistantance * David Kutch – mastering

Charts

Release history

Notes

References

External links

* {{authority control K. Michelle songs 2010s ballads 2014 singles 2014 songs American pop rock songs Answer songs Atlantic Records singles Contemporary R&B ballads Pop ballads Rock ballads Songs with feminist themes Songs written by K. Michelle Songs written by Shea Taylor Song recordings produced by Shea Taylor Songs written by Bianca Atterberry