''Truthfully Speaking'' is the debut studio album by American singer Truth Hurts. It was released on June 25, 2002, through

Aftermath Entertainment Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Interscope Records. Current acts include Dr. Dre himself, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, ...

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 Mu ...

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

served as the album's executive producer.

Critical reception

''Truthfully Speaking'' earned generally mixed reviews from music critics.

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 ...

critic Emmy Perry called the album a "quality debut performance with solid production and Truth's considerable talents as a songwriter making up for the fact that few tracks match up to the originality of the first single. There is however no questioning the calibre and tone of her operatic voice, which appears to convey the harsh sound of the streets whilst keeping the church firmly in mind." Sal Cinquemani, writing for

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...

, called ''Truthfully Speaking'' a "slow burner that draws on more traditional hip-hop and R&B sound structures and displays Truth’s versatile, often coquettish, vocal (think a less socially-conscious

Jill Scott Jill Scott may refer to: * Jill Scott (singer) (born 1972), American soul singer and songwriter. * Jill Scott (racing driver) (1902–1974), English racing driver * Jill Scott (media artist) (born 1952), Australian media artist * Jill Scott (footba ...

)." ''

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, f ...

'' described ''Truthfully Speaking'' as a "a simple album filled with plenty of vocal potential but misses the mark with its overall simplicity."

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 dat ...

editor John Bush found that despite a "star-studded credit list, ''Truthfully Speaking'' is a bland record; Truth Hurts' vocals, while evocative and rangy, aren't incredibly strong (especially when she's stretching a note), and she usually needs a backup chorus to keep the songs sounding good ..A few of the productions make for good tracks, though most of the time Truth Hurts struggles to keep up with the best in the contemporary R&B field."

Commercial performance

The album debuted at five on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 89,000 copies. By October 2003, ''Truthfully Speaking'' had sold 338,000 copies in the United States, according to

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Track listing

Notes * denotes co-producer Sample credits *"Push Play" contains a portion of "I'm Still #1" as performed by

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of ...

. *"Addictive" contains a sample from "Do It (Til You're Satisfied)" as written by

Billy Nichols William Lee Nichols (born 1940) is an American guitarist and soul songwriter from Carrollton, Mississippi. Early years Nichols was one of nine children born to Laura Bell and Tom Sanders. Sanders was a farmer who played blues guitar in his sp ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 2002 debut albums Aftermath Entertainment albums Albums produced by Dr. Dre Albums produced by DJ Quik Albums produced by Timbaland Albums produced by Focus... Albums produced by R. Kelly Truth Hurts albums