The Trouble with Being Myself

The Trouble with Being Myself
Studio album by Macy Gray
Released April 28, 2003
Recorded Ameraycan Recording Studios, Royaltone Studios
(North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California)
O'Henry Sound Studios
(Burbank, California)
Paramount Studios
(Hollywood, Los Angeles, California)
Genre R&B, soul, neo soul
Length 50:56
Label Epic
Producer Macy Gray, Dallas Austin, DJ Kiilu Grand, Darryl Swann, Dave Way
Macy Gray chronology

The Id
(2001)		 The Trouble with Being Myself
(2003)		 The Very Best of Macy Gray
(2004)
Singles from The Trouble with Being Myself
  1. "When I See You"
    Released: April 24, 2003
  2. "She Ain't Right for You"
    Released: September 8, 2003
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic (74/100)[1]
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]
The A.V. Club (mixed)[3]
BBC Music (mixed)[4]
Entertainment Weekly A−[5]
The Guardian [6]
PopMatters [7][1]
Rolling Stone [8]
Spin (7/10)[9]
Uncut [10]
The Village Voice B+[11]

The Trouble with Being Myself is the third studio album by American recording artist Macy Gray, released in the United States on July 15, 2003 by Epic Records. Despite not being a major commercial success for Gray, it received mostly positive reviews. The album features the singles "When I See You" and "She Ain't Right for You". It has since been considered a failure, especially in the United Kingdom, where it reached number seventeen after Gray's first two albums reached number three and number one respectively. It also debuted at number forty-four on the Billboard 200, falling to number forty-seven the next week.

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "When I See You"  Macy Gray, Jeremy Ruzumna, Victor Indrizzo, Justin Meldal-JohnsenGray, Dallas Austin*, Dave Way* 3:43
2. "It Ain't the Money" (featuring Pharoahe Monch)Gray, Ruzumna, Indrizzo, Meldal-Johnsen, Troy Jamerson, Beck HansenGray, DJ Kiilu Grand* 4:07
3. "She Ain't Right for You"  Gray, Ruzumna, Indrizzo, Meldal-JohnsenGray, Austin* 4:12
4. "Things That Made Me Change"  Gray, Andre Harris, Vidal DavisGray, Austin* 4:29
5. "Come Together"  Gray, Ruzumna, Indrizzo, Christopher ThomasGray, Austin*, Way* 4:35
6. "She Don't Write Songs About You"  Gray, Darryl Swann, Ruzumna, Indrizzo, Meldal-JohnsenGray, Swann* 4:39
7. "Jesus for a Day"  Gray, Ruzumna, Meldal-Johnsen, Bobby Ross Avila, Izzy AvilaGray, Austin* 3:30
8. "My Fondest Childhood Memories"  Gray, Ruzumna, Indrizzo, Meldal-JohnsenGray, Austin* 3:36
9. "Happiness"  Gray, Swann, Ruzumna, Indrizzo, Meldal-JohnsenGray, Swann* 4:13
10. "Speechless"  Gray, Ruzumna, Indrizzo, Meldal-JohnsenGray 4:06
11. "Screamin'"  GrayGray, DJ Kiilu Grand* 3:16
12. "Every Now and Then"  Gray, Ruzumna, Indrizzo, Meldal-JohnsenGray, Austin* 6:30

(*) denotes co-producer

Personnel

  • Macy Gray – vocals, producer (all tracks); backing vocals (tracks 2, 6, 12)
  • Marsha Ambrosius – backing vocals (track 5); opera vocals (track 8)
  • Dallas Austin – co-producer (tracks 1, 3–5, 7, 8, 12); guitar, ARP synthesizer (track 1); programming (tracks 3, 4); backing vocals (track 5); executive producer
  • Bobby Ross Avila – piano (tracks 7, 12); backing vocals (track 7)
  • Israel Avila – programming (track 12)
  • Marina Bambino – percussion (tracks 10, 12); backing vocals (tracks 11, 12)
  • Steve Baxter – trombone (tracks 5, 12)
  • Beck – backing vocals, guitar (track 2)
  • Dawn Beckman – backing vocals (tracks 2, 5, 6, 11); choir leader (track 9)
  • Printz Board – trumpet (tracks 4, 12); flugelhorn (track 4)
  • Scott Breadman – percussion (tracks 1, 2, 4–8, 12)
  • David Campbell – string arrangements (tracks 3, 7)
  • Audra Cunningham-Nishita – backing vocals (track 1)
  • Rama Duke – backing vocals (track 11)
  • Logan Duntzelman – children's choir (track 9)
  • Mike Elizondo – bass (track 11)
  • Esthero – backing vocals (track 11)
  • Fanny Franklin – backing vocals (tracks 1, 3, 4)
  • Herb Graham, Jr. – drums (track 10)
  • DJ Kiilu Grand – co-producer (tracks 2, 11); programming (tracks 1, 2, 11); turntables (tracks 2, 9)
  • Charles Green – saxophone (tracks 5, 12)
  • Lukas Haas – acoustic guitar, backing vocals (track 10)
  • Mike Harris – trumpet (tracks 5, 12)
  • Aanisah Hinds – children's choir (track 9)
  • Happy Hinds – children's choir (track 9)
  • Tahmel Hinds – children's choir (track 9)
  • Hooshik – art direction, design
  • Victor Indrizzo – drums (tracks 1–9, 11, 12); guitar (tracks 1, 2, 9); guitar loops (track 5)
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Courtney Johnson – children's choir (track 9)
  • Joia Johnson – children's choir (track 9)
  • David LaChapelle – photography
  • Tim Lauber – assistant engineer
  • Jinsoo Lim – guitar (track 3)
  • Adam MacDougall – Moog synthesizer (tracks 1, 3); Hammond organ (track 10); piano (track 11)
  • Arik Marshall – guitar (tracks 4, 5, 7, 8, 10)
  • Justin Meldal-Johnsen – bass (tracks 1–4, 6–9, 12); backing vocals (track 2)
  • Mike Melnick – additional engineer
  • Pharoahe Monch – rap, backing vocals (track 2)
  • Traci Nelson – backing vocals (track 7)
  • Rose Noone – A&R
  • Zac Rae – Rhodes piano (tracks 3, 4); Chamberlin (tracks 3, 4, 8–10); Farfisa organ (tracks 5, 8); piano (tracks 5, 10); clavinet, organ (track 7); Wurlitzer (tracks 7, 9); tack piano (track 8); synthesizer (track 10)
  • Tom "Tombone" Rawls – trombone (tracks 4, 12)
  • Chris Richardson – children's choir (track 9)
  • Dave Rolicke – saxophone, trombone (track 8)
  • Mark Ronson – guitar (tracks 1, 11); programming, turntables (track 2)
  • Thom Russo – additional mixing (track 1); Pro Tools engineer (all tracks)
  • Jeremy Ruzumna – synthesizer (tracks 1, 2, 6, 9, 11); Wurlitzer (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 8–10, 12); piano (tracks 1, 8, 10); turntables (track 2); programming (tracks 2, 5, 10); Moog synthesizer (tracks 2, 6, 11); Hammond organ (tracks 3, 5, 8); clavinet (track 5); Chamberlin (track 9); organ (track 12)
  • Rick Sheperd – programming (tracks 3, 4, 6)
  • Christine Sirois – assistant engineer
  • Chino Smith – backing vocals (tracks 2, 3, 5, 8)
  • Sy Smith – choir leader (track 9); backing vocals (tracks 1, 4, 5, 11)
  • Natalie Stewart – backing vocals (track 5)
  • Daryl Swann – vocal producer (tracks 1, 7); co-producer, programming (tracks 6, 9); guitar (track 9)
  • Sonny Swann – children's choir (track 9)
  • Kam Talbert – backing vocals (track 11)
  • Chris Thomas – bass (track 5)
  • Danielle Thomas – backing vocals (tracks 4, 5, 8)
  • Tracy Wannomae – bass clarinet (track 4); saxophone (track 12)
  • Neil Ward – additional engineer
  • Dave Way – co-producer (tracks 1, 6); engineer, mixing, Pro Tools engineer (all tracks)
  • Dave Wilder – bass (track 10)
  • Chris Wonzer – additional engineer (tracks 2, 11); assistant engineer (all tracks)
  • Ericka Yancey – backing vocals (track 8)

Charts

Chart (2003) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[12] 23
Austrian Albums Chart[13] 27
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[14] 12
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[15] 22
Danish Albums Chart[16] 34
Dutch Albums Chart[17] 18
Finnish Albums Chart[18] 19
French Albums Chart[19] 61
German Albums Chart[20] 46
Irish Albums Chart[21] 40
Italian Albums Chart[22] 20
Japanese Albums Chart[23] 53
New Zealand Albums Chart[24] 41
Polish Albums Chart[25] 22
Swiss Albums Chart[26] 10
UK Albums Chart[27] 17
US Billboard 200[28] 44
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[28] 29

Release history

Country Date Label
United Kingdom April 28, 2003 Sony Music
United States July 15, 2003 Epic Records
Japan September 10, 2003 Sony Music

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "The Trouble With Being Myself – Macy Gray". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  2. ↑ Bush, John. "The Trouble with Being Myself – Macy Gray". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved July 12, 2006.
  3. ↑ Thompson, Stephen (August 5, 2003). "Macy Gray: The Trouble With Being Myself". The A.V. Club. Onion, Inc. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  4. ↑ Strachan, Derryck (May 6, 2003). "Review of Macy Gray – The Trouble With Being Myself". BBC Music. BBC Online. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  5. ↑ Tucker, Ken (July 18, 2003). "The Trouble With Being Myself (2003): Macy Gray". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
  6. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (April 25, 2003). "Macy Gray: The Trouble With Being Myself". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  7. ↑ Fuchs, Cynthia (August 1, 2003). "Macy Gray: The Trouble With Being Myself". PopMatters. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  8. ↑ Thigpen, David (July 2, 2003). "Macy Gray: The Trouble With Being Myself". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  9. ↑ Harris, Keith (June 15, 2003). "Macy Gray, 'The Trouble With Being Myself' (Epic)". Spin. Spin Media LLC. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Macy Gray – The Trouble With Being Myself". Uncut. IPC Media. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  11. ↑ Christgau, Robert (July 29, 2003). "Shadows in the Cave". The Village Voice. Village Voice Media. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Macy Gray – The Trouble With Being Myself". Australian Recording Industry Association. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Macy Gray – The Trouble With Being Myself" (in German). IFPI Austria. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Macy Gray – The Trouble With Being Myself" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Macy Gray – The Trouble With Being Myself" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Macy Gray – The Trouble With Being Myself". IFPI Denmark. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Macy Gray – The Trouble With Being Myself" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Macy Gray – The Trouble With Being Myself". IFPI Finland. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Macy Gray – The Trouble With Being Myself" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Chartverfolgung / Gray,Macy / Longplay" (in German). Media Control. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  21. ↑ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 1 May 2003". Irish Recorded Music Association. Chart-Track. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  22. ↑ "Macy Gray – The Trouble With Being Myself". Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  23. ↑ ザ・トラブル・ウィズ・ビーイング・マイセルフ/メイシー・グレイ [The Trouble With Being Myself / Macy Gray] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  24. ↑ "Macy Gray – The Trouble With Being Myself". Recorded Music NZ. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży". OLiS. May 19, 2003. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  26. ↑ "Macy Gray – The Trouble With Being Myself". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 16, 2008.
  27. ↑ "Macy Gray – The Trouble With Being Myself". Official Charts Company. Chart Stats. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "The Trouble with Being Myself – Macy Gray". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 1, 2011.

External links