The Makings of Me
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| The Makings of Me | ||
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| Studio album by Monica | ||
| Released | October 3, 2006 | |
| Recorded | 2004-2006; Doppler Studios, SouthSide Studios, The Black Room, (Atlanta, Georgia); Hit Factory Criteria, Goldmind Studios (Miami, Florida); Quad Recording Studios, Sony Music Studios (New York City, NY) |
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| Genre | R&B | |
| Length | 38:19 | |
| Label | J | |
| Producer(s) | Bryan Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Missy Elliott, Sean Garrett, Larry Jackson, Harold Lilly, Dave Lindsey, Manuel Seal, Swizz Beatz, Steve Russell, Tank, The Underdogs | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Monica chronology | ||
| After the Storm (2003) |
The Makings of Me (2006) |
|
The Makings of Me is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Monica, released by J Records on October 3, 2006 in the United States and October 10, 2006 in Canada (see 2006 in music). It was primarily produced by Missy Elliott and Jermaine Dupri, with additional production from Bryan Michael Cox, The Underdogs, Swizz Beatz, Sean Garrett, and others. The album was a critical success, but failed to receive major commercial success, eventually becoming Monica's lowest selling album to date.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Production and title
After giving birth to her son Rodney Ramone Hill III in May 2005, Monica entered recording studios to continue working on her then-untitled fourth album with producers Missy Elliott, Bryan Michael Cox, and executive producer Jermaine Dupri.[1] While Elliott, and Dupri contributed most to the album, Monica also worked with producers Sean Garrett, Harold Lilly, Swizz Beatz, Tank, and The Underdogs. In addition, she also recorded about forty others songs with Dre & Vidal, Tricky Stewart, Scott Storch, Jazze Pha, No I.D., Akon, and rappers Mannie Fresh, and Young Jeezy, but none of the songs written with them made the final tracklisting.[2][3]
Although the album was tentatively titled Street Butterfly, Raw, or A Dozen Roses at one time or another, the longplayer was eventually named after Curtis Mayfield's "The Makings of You," which is sampled in the album's second single "A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me)": "This album is really the makings of me because it talks about so many different scenarios, both good and bad, that have pretty much brought me to the point where I'm at mentally," Monica told in an interview with Billboard, comparing it with a "musical diary where people can really see me in a lot of different lights for once."[4]
The singer also attributed the personal sound of the album to the words of her self-written poetries, and her friendship to Elliott and Dupri, and other songwriters like Tank, who "could really get a good feel of what" she was talking about, and created much of the album off of her poems. "This album is very, very different from the other ones, because of me personally," Monica said to MTV News. "Now, at 26, the way I look at things, even relationships, I was really able to involve more of my life experiences in the album."[5]
[edit] Chart performance
The album debuted at number one on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and at number 8 on the official Billboard 200, with moderately successful first week sales of 92,935 copies (up to 90,000 less than her previous number-one album After the Storm); so far The Makings of Me has sold 270,000 copies domestically,[6] making it Monica's lowest selling album to date. In Canada, the album opened at number 23 on the R&B Top 50 Chart.
As of January 2007, The Makings of Me has spawned three singles: The lead album's first single, Dupri-produced "Everytime tha Beat Drop" barely made it to top fifty on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart with a peak position of number 48 only, becoming Monica's least successful lead single since 2002's "All Eyez on Me". It, however, reached number 11 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and number 7 on the World R&B Top 30 Singles chart. The second single from the album, "A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me)", underquoted this success with a peak position of number 48 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, never making it to the official Hot 100. Most recently, "Sideline Ho" opened up at number 77 on the same chart on early airplay alone, and has since risen to number 45.
[edit] Samples
- "Everytime tha Beat Drop" samples Dem Franchize Boyz' 2006 "Lean wit It, Rock wit It"
- "A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me)" samples Curtis Mayfield's 1972 "The Makings of You"
- "Doin' Me Right" samples The Whispers' 1976 "Chocolate Girl"
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Everytime tha Beat Drop" (featuring Dem Franchize Boyz) | 3:43 |
| 2. | "A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me)" | 3:52 |
| 3. | "Sideline Ho" | 3:44 |
| 4. | "Why Her?" | 4:09 |
| 5. | "Hell No (Leave Home)" (featuring Twista) | 4:45 |
| 6. | "Doin' Me Right" | 3:19 |
| 7. | "Raw" (featuring Swizz Beatz) | 3:43 |
| 8. | "My Everything" | 3:40 |
| 9. | "Gotta Move on" | 3:44 |
| 10. | "Getaway" | 3:36 |
| 11. | "Thanks for the Misery" (Japanese/Best Buy bonus track) | 3:42 |
[edit] Credits and personnel
- Adelaide Federici - violin
- Karen Freer - cello
- P. David Hancock - cello
- Helen Kim - violin
- Tom Knight - drums
- Alice Lord - viola
- PJ Morton - piano, keyboards
- Tania Maxwell Clements - viola
- Jackie Pickett - double bass
[edit] Production
- Album Producers: Clive Davis, Monica, Lary Jackson
- Executive producers: Monica Arnold, Jermaine Dupri
- Assoctiate executive producer: Melinda Dancil
- Producers: Bryan Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Missy Elliott, Sean Garrett, Larry Jackson, Harold Lilly, Dave "DaveyBoy" Lindsey, Manuel Seal, Swizz Beatz, Steve Russell, Tank, The Underdogs
- Vocal assistance: Missy Elliott, Tweet
- Engineers: Angelo Aponte, Corte Ellis, Paul J. Falcone, John Horesco IV, Samuel "Vaughan" Merrick, Tadd Mingo, Vernon Mungo, Sam Thomas
- Mastering: David Kutch
- Design: Jane Morledge
- Art Direction: Chris Lebeau
- Photography: Markus Klinko and Indrani
[edit] Leftover tracks
- "Ain't Nothing" (produced by Scott Storch) [1]
- "Born and Raised" (featuring Rock) [2]
- "Dance wit U" (written by Tricky Stewart, Shamora) [3]
- "No Stoppin'" (produced by Missy Elliott) [4]
- "Pullin Up" (produced by Jazze Pha) [5]
- "So in Love" (written by Shawn Fernandes, Traci Hale, Tricky Stewart) [6]
- "Something to Wrap" (written by Kim Cantade) [7]
- "Stop" (written by Dre & Vidal, Claudette Ortiz, Ryan Toby) [8]
- "Thought You Had Me" (written by Dre & Vidal, Ryan Toby, Yummy Bingham) [9]
- "Why Lie" (featuring Smitty) [10]
- "Wonder Why I'm Mad" (written by Tricky Stewart) [11]
[edit] Charts
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Canadian R&B Top 50 | 23 |
| 2006 | U.S. Billboard 200 | 8 |
| 2006 | U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 1 |
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Jermaine Dupri Says Usher's 'Getting The Bug Again'". MTV News. January 30, 2006. Retrieved on January 20, 2007.
- ^ "Akon Corrals Eminem, Snoop For New Album". Billboard. August 28, 2006. Retrieved on January 20, 2007.
- ^ "Keep on truckin'". Creative Loafing. September 20. Retrieved on January 26, 2007.
- ^ "Monica Opens Up 'Musical Diary' On New Album". Billboard. July 28, 2006. Retrieved on January 21, 2007.
- ^ "Monica Overcomes Pregnancy Rumors, Ex-Boyfriend's Suicide To Form Makings Of Me". MTV News. September 8, 2006. Retrieved on January 20, 2007.
- ^ Ask Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved on 2007-03-04.
