Human (Brandy Norwood album)

Human
Studio album by Brandy
Released December 5, 2008
(see release history)
Recorded 2008
Genre R&B, pop
Length 50:01
Label Epic
Producer Brandy Norwood (exec.), Rodney Jerkins (exec.), Brandon Creed (exec.), Chase N. Cashe, D'Mile, Toby Gad, Hit-Boy, Brian Kennedy, Bruno Mars, Midi Mafia, RedOne, Dapo Torimiro, Soundz[1][2]
Brandy chronology
The Best of Brandy
(2005)		 Human
(2008)		 A Family Business
(2011)
Singles from Human
  1. "Right Here (Departed)"
    Released: August 25, 2008
  2. "Long Distance"
    Released: October 15, 2008

Human is the fifth studio album by American R&B singer Brandy, first released in France in December 2008 and by March 2009 in most international music markets.[3] Distributed by Koch Records and Sony Music, the album marked Brandy's debut on the Epic Records label, following her split with Atlantic Records in 2005,[4] and her reunion with long-time contributor and mentor Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, who wrote and executive produced most of the album with his songwriting collective.[5]

Generally well-received by critics, Human debuted at number fifteen on the U.S. Billboard 200 with opening week sales of 73,000 copies, becoming the singer's lowest-charting debut since her first album fourteen years prior.[6] With a domestic sales total of 210,045 copies, it widely failed to revive the success of its predecessors, also becoming the singer's lowest-selling effort to date.[7] While leading single "Right Here (Departed)" scored Brandy her biggest chart success since 2002's "Full Moon," the album failed to impact elsewhere, resulting into lackluster sales in general and the release of just one other single, "Long Distance."[8]

In mid-2009 during the recording sessions for Norwood's sixth album (and second with Epic Records), Norwood ended her management contract with Roc Nation. This was followed by the termination of her contract with Epic, after singer-songwriter Amanda Ghost was appointed the new president of the label..[9] Disappointed by its performance, Norwood later expressed her dislike of the album itself.[10]

Contents

Background and development

Although much of the album was not recorded until late into its production, Brandy had been working on and off on her fifth regular studio album since 2005, following her departure with Atlantic Records the same year. Yet unsigned, she entered the studio with several songwriters and producers to create a follow-up to 2004's Afrodisiac, including Scandinavian production team Maximum Risk,[11] Tim & Bob,[12] and Rockwilder,[13] as well as Atlanta-based Bryan Michael Cox and partner WyldCard, with whom she recorded at least three tracks, among others.[14] Cox, in addition, was entlisted as the album's executive producer at one time or another, as he confirmed in an interview with AllHiphop in 2007.[5]

It was not until spring 2008, the singer started to record new songs with Midi Mafia, RedOne, and Toby Gad, and reunited with former mentor Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins following his absence on the Afrodisiac album due to a disagreement on Brandy's decision to work with Timbaland in 2003.[15] Jerkins went on to produce the bulk of Human, and as a result, joined her to executive produce the album, replacing producer Brian Kennedy, whose tracks — except "Fall" and "Locket (Locked in Love)" — were not included on the album.[5] On her decision to revamp the album with Jerkins, Brandy commented: "With Rodney being the person who produced [the first single], I, of course, wanted to go from there because of our history and all the music we have made in the past. It felt like the right thing to do. It felt like home for me, because we work so well together and we have a great chemistry," she said. "So, I wanted to see where that chemistry would take us creatively this time round."[5] While they considered the project complete by September 2008 and Epic Records announced the U.S. release of the album for November 11, a call by Timbaland, who requested Brandy to record additional music with him and protegés J-Roc and James Fauntleroy, caused a month-long delay of Human.[16] His tracks did however also not make the final cut on the album track listing as he was unable to contribute trademark backing vocals to his songs.[17]

In addition, Brandy worked with producers Rico Love,[18] Blac Elvis,[18] Rob Knox,[19] The Clutch,[20] and songwriters Chasity Nwagbara,[18] Atozzio "T-Wiz "Townes,[18] Kara DioGuardi,[21] and Greg Curtis on Human,[22] although their songs remain yet unreleased on any format. Further studio collaborations with Kerry "Krucial" Brothers, Missy Elliott, Yung Berg, Tonex, and Taio Cruz, by contrast, failed to materialize due to scheduling conflicts.[23][24][25]

Content

Introduced by the words of Brandy's description of a human being on "Human Intro," the album opens with Jerkins-crafted "The Definition," one of the few uptempo recordings on the album.[26] Penned by Atlanta writer Crystal Johnson, the song depicts the singer rhapsodizing about love.[26] It received generally mixed reviews, with The Boston Globe emphasizing it the most essential track on Human, and reached number sixteen on the Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart based on downloads only.[26][27] "Warm It Up (With Love)," another Darkchild production, was created around a piano sample and released to strong positive reactions.[28] Highlighted by AllMusic and Slant Magazine,[28] Newsday writer Glenn Gamboa noted it as "guiding principle" on the album.[29] Lead single "Right Here (Departed)" was not recorded until late into the production of Human and the first song Brandy recorded with Jerkins following their musical reunification in early June 2008.[30] Written by The Writing Camp and recorded with therapeutical background, the track chronicles a woman's talks about mutual support with loved ones.[2][16] It reached number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, number 22 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and the top ten of the French Singles Chart, becoming the singer's biggest chart success in years.[31] Fourth track "Piano Man" was recorded as an ode to the kind of creative relationship cultivated by a vocalist and his or her producer or DJ.[2][32]

Second single "Long Distance," a ballad about the difficulties of a long-distance relationship, was released to positive reactions by critics, with The New York Times calling it an "hymnlike single that distantly echoes Janet Jackson’s "Again."[33] On the charts however, the track tanked, although it became the album's second consecutive number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.[34] Sixth track "Camouflage," one out of two songs on the album that were penned by songwriter Claude Kelly, garnered strong reviews in general, with Newsday delaring it a "worthy cousin to Beyoncé's 'Irreplaceable' that [is] more about esteem-raising and self-improvement than a search for a sassy put-down."[29] "Torn Down," a joint production by Midi Mafia and Dapo Torimiro, was one of the few prominent Human features on the setlist of Brandy's promotional 2009 concert tour. Incorporating elements of country music, critics noted it a "resolute, crisp mix of static synths, acoustic guitar, and hand claps."[26] Brandy wrote the album's title track with help from producer Toby Gad and Canadian singer Esthero. A "silky R&B anthem" as described by Newsday,[29] the adult contemporary ballad deals with forgiveness.[2] "Shattered Heart" is a downbeat track, that incorporates elements of Middle Eastern music and changes its tempo after three minutes. It has been described as the only "Timbo-esque" record on Human.[35]

The album's twelfth track, a piano-driven ballad entitled "True," was contributed by RedOne and Claude Kelly and initially written for Michael Jackson.[36] The song was re-arranged and partially re-written to fit Norwood's persona.[36] Released to positive reviews by critics, who noted it one of the stronger tracks on Human,[26] the song also managed to enter the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart due to high download numbers, reaching number eighteen.[37] "A Capella (Something's Missing)," produced by Soundz, is a near-a cappella song on which Brandy provides "a polyphonic cyberchorus" with multiple tracks of her own voice.[38] Humming the bassline and providing the rhythm, the instrumentation on the track consists of a sole electric guitar.[33] Hand-clap-laden uptempo recording "1st & Love," the album's fourteenth track, depicts a woman's euphoria with a new-found love at first sight and was discussed as the third single at times.[39] Final track "Fall," another piano ballad, was co-written by label mate Natasha Bedingfield. As reported Brandy and Bedingfield were forced to delay their first joint recording session from Atlanta, Georgia to Los Angeles, California as singer Chris Brown and his entourage crashed into the studio, where they blasted Brown's songs and horsed around.[40]

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [28]
Blender [41]
Boston Globe (favorable)[26]
Digital Spy [42]
Entertainment Weekly (B)[43]
The Guardian [38]
Los Angeles Times [44]
New York Times (favorable)[33]
Slant [35]
RWD [45]

While Human became Brandy's first effort not be nominated for a Grammy Award in any category, it received generally favorable reviews from music critics, averaging a 69 out of a 100 among averaged reviews on Metacritic.[46][47] Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe complimented the album as appropriately rich and varied: "It's better than good enough. It's a light, breezy listen that shows off Brandy's resilience, humility, joy, and vibrancy."[26] She especially highlighted Jerkins' input on the album: "Jerkins manages to bring out the expressive best in her pleasantly raspy vocalizing."[26] The Guardian writer Alex Macpherson noted Human "a thoughtful, intimate work on which Norwood sings movingly about fragility and fear," giving it four and a half stars out of five,[38] while Andy Kellman of AllMusic called the album Brandy's "most platitudinal" and "least enjoyable release in her catalog," adding: "Brandy is clearly in a comfort zone that enables her to open up more than ever [...] Human is nothing if not a serious album. But it could very well be her most useful one."[28] He gave the album three and half stars out of five.[28] Billboard magazine said that "while Human is missing the sassy Brandy we know and love from such tracks like 'I Wanna Be Down' and 'Talk About Our Love,' we can still appreciate the much-needed solace of setting personal turmoil to memorable music."[48]

Jon Dolan, writing for Blender, gave the album three out of five stars and commended Norwood's decision to re-team with Jerkins: "Now she’s gone back to girlie hip-hop Eden; four songs were written by Jerkins, author of her best late-’90s hits. Fluttery jams about long distance longing and time-suspending slow dances are balanced by grown-up moments of deeply felt, if slightly weird, balladic fortitude."[41] Jon Pareles from The New York Times felt that the sentiments of the songs, whether self-affirming or heartbroken, were back to generic ones: "Song titles like 'Torn Down' and 'Shattered Heart' show how much Brandy is trying to get serious, taking on an adult world where happily ever after is elusive. But she still comes across as a fledgling, a personality still being formed, eagerly tagging along after her role models."[33] In his review for Entertainment Weekly, Henry Goldblatt noted "the huskiness that defined Brandy's prior work has been replaced by wispier and higher tones. The result is pleasant but far less ambitious than her last CD, 2004's Afrodisiac."[43] Mikael Wood's review for Los Angeles Times was less emphatic. He gave the album one and a half stars out of four, and said: "Unfortunately, it's also hard to make it through the thing. Brandy's strong suit has never been her thoughtfulness; appropriately for someone with her Hollywood history, she's long been one of R&B's emptiest vessels, a gorgeous voice used by a series of gifted producers to communicate their own unique ideas."[44]

Commercial performance

One week after its domestic release, Human debuted at number five on the U.S. Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and at number fifteen on the official Billboard 200 chart, with moderately successful first week sales of 73,000 copies (about half as much as her previous effort album Afrodisiac), making it Brandy's second-lowest charting effort in the U.S. behind her debut album fourteen years prior which reached the number 20 position.[6] In addition, the album reached number six on the Billboard Top Digital Albums chart.[49] While leading single "Right Here (Departed)" became Brandy's best-charting single success in years throughout Europe, Human widely underperformed overseas, failing to enter most national music charts.[50] It however, reached the top fifty of the Belgian Albums Chart, and made it to the top 200 of the French Albums Chart.[50]

In mid-2009, during the production of new material for a second album with the label, Epic Records ended their contract with Brandy following the appointment of Amanda Ghost, making Human her only album with the label.[9] While the singer stated that she was not trying "to focus on the sales or chart position anymore", [39] a Los Angeles Times article revealed her discontent with the success of the project the following year when asked about the commercial failure of Human during a 2009 interview: "It was lacking my belief in it. It lacked my vision. Pretty much bottom line, if you don’t believe in something it’s not going to go," she said. "So do I believe that Human was as creative as Never Say Never and Full Moon? No, I do not. You definitely want to put something out that’s like that. I felt at the same time I could have had much better songs and a much better set-up."[51] A statement she made during a 2010 interview with Out magazine turned out more harsh: "To hell with that album! [...] Where I felt creatively it could’ve gone and the space I was in creatively, I needed everybody around me to be in that same space. It would’ve been a different album, but with the same inspiration and same blessing for other people. It would’ve been hotter music and a hotter look."[10] Blaming herself for the album’s commercial results, Norwood dismissed the album as “too pop.”[52] The debut season of her 2010 VH1 reality series Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business further revealed that the album's underperformance resulted into another argument between her and executive producer Rodney Jerkins, whose commitment to the project Brandy felt not as "creative and forthcoming" as on previous albums.[53] Jerkins had distanced himself from the project following its official release, declaring his dissatisfaction with the involvement of other producers on the album.[54]

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Human Intro"       0:19
2. "The Definition"   Rodney Jerkins, Crystal Johnson Darkchild 3:43
3. "Warm It Up (With Love)"   Jerkins, Marvin "Tony" Hemmings, Jordan Omley Darkchild 4:03
4. "Right Here (Departed)"   Jerkins, E. Kidd Bogart, David Quiñones, Erika Nuri, Victoria Horn Darkchild 3:38
5. "Piano Man"   Jerkins, Hemmings, Omley Darkchild 3:59
6. "Long Distance Interlude"   Brandy Norwood Darkchild 0:59
7. "Long Distance"   Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Jerkins, Jeff Bhasker Bruno Mars, Darkchild 3:51
8. "Camouflage"   Jerkins, Claude Kelly Darkchild, D'Mile 4:04
9. "Torn Down"   Kevin Risto, Waynne Nugent, Dapo Torimiro, James Fauntleroy Midi Mafia, Dapo Torimiro 3:53
10. "Human"   Norwood, Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins, Jenny-Bea Englishman Toby Gad 3:53
11. "Shattered Heart"   Jerkins, Johnson, LaShawn Daniels Darkchild 3:53
12. "True"   Nadir Khayat, Kelly RedOne 3:47
13. "A Capella (Something's Missing)"   Kenneth Charles Coby, Chad C. Roper, LeChe D. Martin, Tiyon Mack Soundz 3:34
14. "1st & Love"   Chauncey Hollis, Rich King, Christopher Breaux, Jesse Woodard Hit-Boy, Chase N. Cashe 3:20
15. "Fall"   Brian Seals, Norwood, Natasha Bedingfield, Daniels Brian Kennedy 4:21

Credits and personnel

Musicians

Production

  • Brandy Norwood — executive producer, vocal producer and arranger
  • Rodney Jerkins — producer, executive producer, arranger, conductor
  • Brian Gardner — mastering
  • Mike Donaldson — engineer
  • Paul Foley — engineer
  • LaShawn Daniels — vocal producer
  • Red One — programming, producer, arranger, instrumentation, editing
  • Dapo Torimiro — producer
  • Bruce Waynne — producer
  • Fusako Chubachi — art direction
  • John D. Norten — engineer
  • Andy Gwynn — engineer
  • Rich King — vocal producer, arranger
  • Toby Gad — arranger, programming, producer, vocal producer, recording
  • James Fauntleroy — vocal producer
  • Greg Ogan — engineer, vocal recording
  • Claude Kelly — vocal arrangements
  • Mattias Bylund — string arrangement
  • Soundz — producer
  • Brian Kennedy — producer
  • Brandon Creed — executive producer
  • Hit-Boy — producer
  • Jordan Omley — vocal producer
  • Chase N. Cashe — producer
  • Bruno Mars — producer
  • Chris Plata — producer

Charts

Chart (2008) Provider Peak
position
French Albums Chart[50] SNEP/IFOP 129
U.S. Billboard 200[55] Billboard 15
U.S. Billboard Top Digital Albums[49] 6
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[55] 5
Chart (2009) Provider Peak
position
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[50] Ultratop 81
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[50] 50

Release history

Region Date Label
France[4] December 5, 2008 Epic
Australia[4] December 8, 2008
United Kingdom[56] December 8, 2008
Canada[4] December 9, 2008 Epic, Knockout, Koch
United States[4]
Japan[4] February 18, 2009 Epic, Sony Music Japan
Belgium[4] February 23, 2009 Epic, Sony Music
Japan (limited CD/DVD edition) March 22, 2009 Epic, Sony Music Japan
Germany March 27, 2009 Sony Music
Austria
Switzerland

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  53. ^ "Ep. 103 - 'When Business Gets Personal'". VH1. 2010-06-08. http://www.vh1.com/shows/a_family_business/episode.jhtml?episodeID=167329. Retrieved 2010-04-21. 
  54. ^ "Rodney Jerkins: Was Brandy's Album A Flop?". Blackarazzi.com. YouTube. 2010-06-08. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apctGxZN1Q4. Retrieved 2010-06-21. 
  55. ^ a b Paine, Jake (2008-12-17). "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 12/14/08". HipHopDX. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.8272/title.hip-hop-album-sales-the-week-ending-12-14-08. Retrieved 2008-12-17. 
  56. ^ "Brandy - Human". hmv.com. http://hmv.com/hmvweb/simpleSearch.do?searchUID=&pGroupID=-1&adultFlag=false&primaryID=-1&simpleSearchString=Brandy+Human. Retrieved 2008-08-23. 

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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