Full Moon (Brandy Norwood album)

Full Moon
Studio album by Brandy
Released February 25, 2002 (2002-02-25)
Recorded 2000–2001
Genre R&B, soul, pop, dance-pop
Length 70:34
Label Atlantic
Producer Brandy Norwood (exec.), Rodney Jerkins (exec.), Big Bert, Stuart Brawley, Warryn Campbell, Mike City, Keith Crouch, Jason Derlatka, Fred Jerkins III, Kamillion
Brandy chronology
Never Say Never
(1998)		 Full Moon
(2002)		 Afrodisiac
(2004)
Singles from Full Moon
  1. "What About Us?"
    Released: January 1, 2002
  2. "Full Moon"
    Released: June 16, 2002
  3. "He Is"
    Released: September 17, 2002

Full Moon is the third studio album by American singer Brandy Norwood. First released by Atlantic Records on February 25, 2002, it was recorded during fall 2000 to October 2001 at several recording studios, amid a three-year musical hiatus following the release of her highly successful previous studio album Never Say Never (1998) and her nervous breakdown in November 1999.

As with Never Say Never, Norwood collaborated with Rodney Jerkins and his Darkchild crew on the majority of the album's production. The record saw her abandon her teenage appeal for a more adult and sensual edginess, coinciding with her relationship with music producer Big Bert and her pending pregnancy.[1] Along with her image, Norwood's voice had gone through a major change, losing the "girly-rasp" that she once had, for a now deeper and warmer voice, that had acquired a scratchy, evocative edge.[2] The music also reflected the change, as songs such as "What About Us?" and "Full Moon" explored more adult, sexual topics, and a sound that blended her previous urban pop sound with heavy influences of UK garage, dubstep, and progressively futuristic tones.[3]

Her first album in four years, Full Moon debuted on top of the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and at number two on the Billboard 200, selling approximately 156,000 copies in its first week of release.[4] It eventually received a platinum certification by the RIAA for more than one million copies shipped to stores.[5] While the album entered the top twenty on the majority of the charts it appeared on oustide the United States, it also reached the top ten in Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.[6]

Contents

Background and development

After the end of her promotional touring for her album Never Say Never (1998), the cancellation of her UPN sitcom Moesha and a flurry of tabloid headlines discussing her nervous breakdown in November 1999 —the result of a failed relationship and her then-hectic and unhealthy lifestyle—[7] Norwood went on a lengthy hiatus to reflect and take some introspective looks. "I needed to rejuvenate, get my creative juices flowing, balance my life with some privacy, to find my confidence, find my love of music again," she told Jet magazine in 2002.[8] In mid-2000, she started reconsecrating herself on her musical career, contributing songs to albums such as Urban Renewal (2001) and the Osmosis Jones soundtrack (2001), which introduced a scratchy, evocative edge to Norwood's voice, wo had acquired a now deeper and warmer tone in favor of a lower register and notably stronger falsetto.[2][9]

In fall 2000, Norwood finally began conceiving ideas for a third studio album with the Atlantic label.[8] While Rodney Jerkins, the main producer of her previous album, and his Darkchild crew, including Fred Jerkins III and LaShawn Daniels, had been working on several new songs for the singer's upcoming project in hopes of recreating the winning chemistry of Never Say Never,[10] Norwood wanted to make sure that she was gaining more creative control over the project and thus, arranged meetings with all her writers and musicians to discuss the lyricals topics and sounds she wanted for the album.[8] "I was invloved from A-Z," she said. "Every song on the album was inspired by my life [...] I wanted to talk about how I feel on so many levels. I wanted to be in touch with all of my emotions and share them. I've taken three years off for myself and got a chance to find things I like to do, things I don't like and things I want to change about myself."[8] While Jerkins maintained his status as the album's executive producer, contributing most to its track listing with his team, Norwood also worked with producers Mike City, Keith Crouch, Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell, Stuart Brawley, Jason Derlatka, and Jerkin's cousin Robert "Big Bert" Smith, with whom she became romantically involved during the project. In addition, she also recorded with Babyface, and production duos Soulshock & Karlin and The Neptunes, but none of their songs eventually made the album's final tracklisting.[10][11] Rapper Ja Rule was reportedly also involved into the project.[12]

Though Norwood has acknowledged that the creative focus of the album was very much on its technical realization and its sound,[13] she declared Full Moon a concept album based on the development of a male-female relationship: "It's definitely the concept for the album —me falling in love, then going through some turbulence, and then, at the end, I find the person that I really want to be with— so it's a great concept and it's a great experience that I had. I found out a lot about myself. I found a lot out about love, and I'm just happy to have that reflect in my music."[14] Accounting the last three years of her life, Norwood decided to name the album after its title track, stating: "I have done a complete circle and I feel whole. All of that's reflected in the music. That's why I entitled [my album] Full Moon. It's a concept album, it's autobiographical. Everything that I've gone through in the last three years is reflected."[15] The album was originally set to be released on November 20, 2001, but plans were scrapped.[10]

Content

The album opens with its title track, producer Mike City's only contribution to the album.[16] A piano-dominated up-tempo song, Brandy characterised "Full Moon" as ghetto, explaining that it is "pop and R&B at the same time [but] has a lot of elements to it."[3] Lyrcially, the song deals with a love at first sight during a full moon night.[3] "I Thought," a Jerkins-crafted song about female empowerment, features electro bass lines and crunchy drums that "propels [it] away from the traditional R&B sound in to a new arena," according to Christian Hopwood of BBC Music.[17] Jerkins described it as an "anthem [and] a flip off of "The Boy Is Mine."[10]

Fourth track "When You Touch Me," a ballad, revolves around the planning of a rendezvous.[15] On "All in Me," a "futuristically funked-out" record according to MTV News, Brandy pleads with her lover to have faith in her, promising him that she'll provide whatever he needs.[15] Producer Rodney Jerkins decided on the inclusion of a 2-step groove section during the middle of the song, following a gig in London, England months before where he was inspired by artists like Craig David and Artful Dodger.[15]

"It's Not Worth It" finds Brandy trying to hold her relationship together after it has deteriorated to shambles.[15] Initially penned in 1999, Jerkins built the song around Michael Jackson's ad-libbed vocals, resulting from a joint recording sessions for Jackson's 2001 studio album Invincible;[18] the output of which was not released by Jackson, but was also used on a Jerkins' track, 'Ride with Me', from his instrumental album, Versatility.

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [19]
BBC Music (mixed)[17]
Billboard (mixed)[20]
Entertainment Weekly (A-)[2]
The Michigan Daily (mixed)[21]
Rolling Stone [22]
Slant [23]

Although Full Moon was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 2003 Grammy Awards, media reception for the album was generally mixed.[24] Craig Seymour of Entertainment Weekly gave Full Moon an A− rating, saying that "where [Rodney] Jerkins' herky-jerky stylings come off cold on Jacko's latest, they embolden 23-year-old Brandy as she learns the difference between teen heartbreak and grown-up betrayal, [suggesting] maturity and the high price that often comes with it."[2] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic was critical with the album's length of over 70 minutes but considered it Norwood's most assured, risky album yet, stating: "Full Moon comes the closest to being a full-fledged, well-rounded album, as well as establishing a personality as a singer [...] There are plenty of moments here that are seductively smooth and even the filler goes down smoothly."[19] He gave the album four out of five stars.[19]

Slant Magazine writer Sal Cinquemani rated the album three stars out of five and compared it to Janet Jackson's 1986 album Control, commenting: "For the most part, Full Moon is certainly a forward-minded album, lifting Brandy's typically schmaltzy brand of pop-R&B to a new, edgier plateau [...] The all-grown-up Miss Moesha seems to be making her final transition from sitting up in her room to sitting on top of the world."[23] Billboard magazine praised Full Moon for its ballads and the leading single but was unsatisfied with the album as a whole, stating that "those expecting more from the same [as "What About Us?"] will be disappointed, it's a fairly paint-by-numbers affair."[20] Devon Thomas, writer for The Michigan Daily, was generally disappointed with the album. He said that "heavily producer-driven, the album follows the template that catapulted her sophomore album to multi-platinum status. The tradition (or condition) continues on her junior outing, [which] exhibits the same ole Jerkins production we've heard time and time before, just slightly altered (or "updated") and equipped." Critical with mainstream R&B in general, he further summed: "We know it'll be another hit, another platinum plaque for the Moe-ster, but will this album go down on any 'Best of the Decade' lists? Highly unlikely."[21] Rolling Stone dismissed the album as "frantic, faceless, fake-sexy R&B."[22]

Commercial performance

In the United States, Full Moon debuted on top of the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at number two on the Billboard 200 on the issue dated March 13, 2002, marking her highest debut on both charts yet.[4] Selling approximately 155,000 copies in its first week of release, the album fell short of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack (2000) by less than 4,000 copies.[25] Spending thirty weeks on the latter chart, the album shifted about 700,000 copies within the first three months of its release in the United States,[26] and was eventually certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for more than 1.05 million sold units.[5][27] In addition, the album peaked at number eleven on the Billboard Top Internet Albums chart.[19]

In Canada, the album reached number eight, and was certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for shipment of 50,000 copies.[28] In the United Kingdom, Full Moon became Norwood's first top ten album, debuting and peaking at number nine on the UK Albums Chart. It was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipment of 100,000 copies.[29] While the album entered the top twenty on the majority of the charts it appeared on, it also reached the top ten in Germany and Switzerland where it became her highest-charting album to date.[6]

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "B-Rocka Intro"   LaShawn Daniels, Fred Jerkins III, Rodney Jerkins, Nora Payne, Kenisha Pratt Rodney Jerkins 1:19
2. "Full Moon"   Mike City Mike City 4:08
3. "I Thought"   L. Daniels, F. Jerkins, R. Jerkins Rodney Jerkins 4:29
4. "When You Touch Me"   R. Jerkins, N. Payne, K. Pratt, Robert Smith Rodney Jerkins, Big Bert 5:43
5. "Like This"   L. Daniels, F. Jerkins, R. Jerkins, Brandy Norwood Rodney Jerkins 4:32
6. "All in Me"   L. Daniels, F. Jerkins, R. Jerkins Rodney Jerkins 4:00
7. "Apart"   Keith Crouch, K. Pratt Keith Crouch, Kamillion, Brandy 4:27
8. "Can We"   L. Daniels, Alex Greggs, R. Jerkins Rodney Jerkins 4:43
9. "What About Us?"   L. Daniels, R. Jerkins, B. Norwood, N. Payne, K. Pratt Rodney Jerkins 4:10
10. "Anybody"   L. Daniels, F. Jerkins, R. Jerkins, B. Norwood, K. Pratt Rodney Jerkins 4:55
11. "Nothing"   L. Daniels, F. Jerkins, K. Pratt Uncle Freddie 4:48
12. "It's Not Worth It"   L. Daniels, F. Jerkins, R. Jerkins Rodney Jerkins 4:23
13. "He Is"   Warryn Campbell, Harold Lilly, Jr., B. Norwood Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell, Brandy 4:21
14. "Come a Little Closer"   Stuart Brawley, Jason Derlatka Rodney Jerkins, Stuart Brawley, Jason Derlatka 4:32
15. "Love Wouldn't Count Me Out"   L. Daniels, F. Jerkins, S. Johnson, B. Norwood Uncle Freddie 4:19
16. "WOW"   L. Daniels, B. Norwood, N. Payne, K. Pratt, R. Smith Big Bert, Brandy 4:19

Credits and personnel

  • Lori Andrews - strings
  • Larry Gold - cello
  • Edward Green - strings
  • Gerald Heyward - drums
  • Jubu - guitar
  • Suzie Katayama - conductor
  • Lila Kazakova - strings
  • Kimbo - violin
  • Eugene Mechtovich - strings
  • Patrick Morgan - strings
  • Michele Nardone - strings
  • Isaac Phillips - guitar
  • Robin Ross - strings
  • Marston Smith - strings
  • Thomas Tally - strings
  • Charles Veal, Jr. - strings
  • Zheng Wang - strings
  • Joe "Flip" Wilson - piano
  • Tibor Zelig - strings
  • Yihuaw Zhao - strings
  • Michael Jackson - Backing vocals on "It's Not Worth It"

Production

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2002) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[6] 13
Austrian Albums Chart[6] 54
Belgian Albums Chart 26
Canadian Albums Chart[19] 8
Dutch Albums Chart[6] 23
French Albums Chart[6] 12
German Albums Chart[6] 8
New Zealand Albums Chart[6] 14
Norwegian Albums Chart[6] 24
Swedish Albums Chart[6] 20
Swiss Albums Chart[6] 7
UK Albums Chart 9
U.S. Billboard 200 2
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 1
U.S. Billboard Top Internet Albums 2

Certifications

Country Certification
Canada (CRIA) Gold
Japan (RIAJ) Gold[30]
United Kingdom (BPI) Gold[31]
United States Platinum[32]

Year-end charts

Chart (2010) Position
German Albums Chart[33] 97
US Billboard 200[34] 72
US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[35] 31

Release history

Country Date
Europe February 25, 2002
Canada March 5, 2002
United States
France March 26, 2002

References

  1. ^ "Brandy Talks For A Minute Or Two… Pregnant & Glowing". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gr6YrT0Wec. Retrieved 2010-02-11. 
  2. ^ a b c d Seymour, Craig (2002-03-22). "Full Moon (2002)". Entertainment Weekly. EW.com. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,251312,00.html. Retrieved 2010-07-02. 
  3. ^ a b c Reid, Shaheem; Yago, Gideo (2002-02-25). "Brandy Comes Full Circle On Full Moon". MTV News. MTV.com. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1451839/20020117/brandy.jhtml. Retrieved 2007-05-20. 
  4. ^ a b Basham, David (2002-03-14). "Got Charts? The Long Road To #1 — And Those Who Rocked It". MTV News. MTV.com. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1452903/20020314/brandy.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-07-12. 
  5. ^ a b Cohen, Jonathan (2004-05-18). "Brandy Delivers Musical 'Afrodisiac'". Billboard. Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/brandy-delivers-musical-afrodisiac-1000512853.story. Retrieved 2010-07-12. 
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Full Moon Chart History". Swisscharts. http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Brandy&titel=Full+Moon&cat=a. Retrieved 2007-10-28. 
  7. ^ Johnson, Tina (1999-11-09). "Reasons Behind Brandy's Hospital Visit Still Unknown". MTV News. MTV.com. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1426513/19991109/brandy.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  8. ^ a b c d Brandy Talks About Her Nervous Breakdown, New Album, New Husband And Motherhood. Google Books. 2002-04-15. http://books.google.de/books?id=VcMDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA58&dq=brandy+%22full+moon%22&hl=de&ei=fF04TO-GLs-bOPjejIoK&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=brandy%20%22full%20moon%22&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-13. 
  9. ^ Ogunnaike, Lola (2002-04-01). Brand New. Google Books. http://books.google.de/books?id=1SUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA108&dq=brandy+%22full+moon%22&hl=de&ei=fF04TO-GLs-bOPjejIoK&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=brandy%20%22full%20moon%22&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  10. ^ a b c d Reid, Shaheem (2001-08-23). "Brandy, Rodney Jerkins Hope To Repeat Chemistry". MTV News. VH1.com. http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1446863/20010822/brandy.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  11. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2001-08-03). "Brandy Finishing Album With Babyface". MTV News. VH1.com. http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1445950/20010802/brandy.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  12. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2001-09-03). "Ja Rule Helps J. Lo Deliver Hot Crossover Joints". MTV News. VH1.com. http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1448513/20010829/brandy.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  13. ^ "Brandy — Afrodisiac (2004)". Foreverbrandy.com. NetMusicCountdown.com. 2004-06-03. http://netmusiccountdown.com/inc/artist.php?artist=Brandy. Retrieved 2007-01-20. 
  14. ^ "Jay-Z, Al Sharpton, Ananda Lewis & Others Turn Out For Brandy's Album-Release Party". Yahoo! Music. March 5, 2002. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
  15. ^ a b c d e Reid, Shaheem; Yago, Gideo (2002-01-18). "Fans Will Get A New Taste Of Brandy On Full Moon". MTV News. MTV.com. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1452576/20020222/brandy.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-07-20. 
  16. ^ Nathan, David. "The Best of Brandy". Soultracks.com. http://www.soultracks.com/brandy.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-10. 
  17. ^ a b Hopwood, Christian (2002-11-20). "With A Crew Of Gifted Producers, Including The Mighty Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins...". BBC. BBC.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/hqvr. Retrieved 2010-07-02. 
  18. ^ Guzman, Isaac (2002-03-05). "Brandy's Back, Calling The Tune". New York Daily News. NYDailyNews.com. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2002/03/05/2002-03-05_brandy_s_back__calling_the_t.html. Retrieved 2007-05-20. 
  19. ^ a b c d e Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Brandy - Full Moon > Overview". Allmusic. Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r571827. Retrieved 2010-07-02. 
  20. ^ a b Spotlights - Brandy - Full Moon (2002). Google Books. 2002-03-16. http://books.google.de/books?id=XhAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA33&dq=brandy+%22full+moon%22&hl=de&ei=fF04TO-GLs-bOPjejIoK&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=brandy%20%22full%20moon%22&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  21. ^ a b Thomas, Devon (2002-03-05). "Breaking Records: Brandy, Full Moon". The Michigan Daily. MichiganDaily.com. http://www.michigandaily.com/content/breaking-records-brandy-full-moon. Retrieved 2010-07-02. 
  22. ^ a b "Full Moon Review". Rolling Stone. 2002-03-05. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/brandy/albums/album/138185/review/6067490/full_moon. Retrieved 2010-07-04. 
  23. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (2002-02-22). "Brandy - Full Moon". Slant. SlantMagazine.com. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=22. Retrieved 2010-07-02. 
  24. ^ "45th Annual Grammy Awards". RockOnTheNet.com. http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2003/grammys.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-12. 
  25. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (2002-03-13). "Brandy Blocked From #1 Slot By 'O Brother' Soundtrack". MTV News. VH1.com. http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1452883/20020313/brandy.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-07-12. 
  26. ^ "MTV Follows Brandy Birth". BBC News. 2002-06-11. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:2rGH7LmeC8kJ:news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2037663.stm+brandy:+special+delivery+osbournes&cd=23&hl=de&ct=clnk&gl=de. Retrieved 2010-07-12. 
  27. ^ Staff (2003-11-20). "Brandy To Release New Album In March". Yahoo! Music. YahooMusic.com. http://new.music.yahoo.com/brandy/news/brandy-to-release-new-album-in-march--12045983. Retrieved 2010-07-12. 
  28. ^ "CRIA > Certified Awards Search". Canadian Recording Industry Association. http://www.cria.ca/cert_db_search.php?. Retrieved 2010-07-12. 
  29. ^ "BPI > Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx. Retrieved 2009-04-09. 
  30. ^ http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/145089/ranking/cd_album/
  31. ^ http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx
  32. ^ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. January 14, 2010. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&title=Full%20EMoon&artist=Brandy&perPage=25. Retrieved April 4, 2010. 
  33. ^ http://www.charts-surfer.de/musikcharts.php
  34. ^ http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/yearendcharts/2002/tlptitl.jsp
  35. ^ http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/yearendcharts/2002/blptitl.jsp

External links

Brandy Norwood
Studio albums
Brandy (1994) · Never Say Never (1998) · Full Moon (2002) · Afrodisiac (2004) · Human (2008)
Compilation albums
EPs
Films
Related topics
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