Cassie (album)

Cassie
Studio album by Cassie
Released	August 7, 2006 (2006-08-07)
Genre	Hip hop pop R&B
Length	35:26
Label	Bad Boy NextSelection Atlantic
Producer	Ryan Leslie (exec.) Sean "Diddy" Combs (exec.)
Cassie chronology
Cassie (2006) RockaByeBaby (2013)
Singles from Cassie
"Me & U" Released: April 25, 2006 "Long Way 2 Go" Released: October 23, 2006

Cassie is the self-titled debut album by American recording artist Cassie, released on August 8, 2006 by NextSelection Lifestyle Group, Bad Boy Records, and Atlantic Records. Cassie was discovered by record producer Ryan Leslie, who helped Cassie record demo tapes. After Cassie was signed by P. Diddy, the founder of Bad Boy Records, she continued to work with Leslie who produced the entire album. Musically, Cassie is mainly a R&B, hip hop and pop album with urban, pop rock and contemporary R&B styles, containing "looming synthesizer patterns" and "ice-cream-truck melod[ies] to give it a slightly twisted and threatening edge," as well as "flippant playfulness."^[1]

The album was well-received critically and praised for its production. In addition to being called "confection," it drew comparisons to Ashanti and Ciara. Cassie debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 with 100,374 copies sold in its first week. It stayed in the top twenty for two weeks. As of April 2008, the album had sold 321,000 copies in the US.

"Me & U" was released as the lead single from the album on May 16, 2006. "Me & U" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit the top twenty in six other countries. "Long Way 2 Go" was released as the second single from the album on September 2006. "Long Way 2 Go" did not perform as well as "Me & U" in the US, only reaching number ninety-seven on the Hot 100, however the single did well in the United Kingdom and reached number twelve on the UK Singles Chart.

Background

At the age of fourteen Cassie began modeling, and when she was sixteen, she was modeling for local department stores, Delia's fashion catalog, and Seventeen.^[2][3][4] Cassie also briefly appeared in the music video for R&B singer Mario's "Just a Friend 2002."^[5] Encouraged by producer Rockwilder, Cassie took vocal lessons as well as using her schools performing arts program, taking modern ballet.^[2] Cassie finished high school in 2004, instead of going to college like her peers she moved to New York city, where she returned to modeling and classes at the Broadway Dance Center.^[2] Whilst Cassie was in New York Cassie began booking print and commercial modeling gigs and being represented by Wilhelmina Models.^[6]

Development

Cassie signed to Bad Boy Records.

Ryan Leslie spotted Cassie at clubs and parties in late 2002 frequently.^[2][7] The two wrote a duet called "Kiss Me," and after recording the track, Leslie played the song for music executive Tommy Mottola.^[2][7] Mottola offered Cassie a management deal, and Leslie signed her to NextSelection Lifestyle Group, his music-media company he founded with online marketing partner Rasheed Richmond.^[8][9] Leslie wrote and produced Cassie's first single, "Me & U," in 2005. The song became a club hit in Germany.^[3] During this time, Diddy heard "Me & U" in a club, and Leslie convinced him to partner his Bad Boy Records with Leslie's NextSelection imprint for the release of Cassie's debut album.^[3]

Ryan Leslie produced most of the album, which is a mix of pop and R&B. Ventura said in an interview, "I rap, I sing, I do my R&B, I do my slow songs and stuff that the girls will love, I have a down South joint, I have a rock song that I did with my girls this band called Pretty Boys." She paid tribute to her Filipino culture by incorporating OPM sounds into some of the ballads.^[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
Blender	[12]
DJBooth.net	[13]
Rolling Stone	[14]
Slant Magazine	[15]
Stylus Magazine	D+[16]
USA Today	[17]

Cassie received generally positive reviews from music critics. Washington Post's Chris Richards described it as "One of the best pop albums released this year sounds it came from outer space. Or the future. Or maybe just heaven," adding that "Cassie's voice is incredibly sweet and somewhat hypnotic."^[18] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone praised Leslie's production, "a master of the minimal electro hook minimal hook, whether he's going for an R&B ballad ("Kiss Me") or hip-hop ("Long Way 2 Go")," while Cassie "shines with her understated cool," highlighting "What Do U Want," for mashing "bhangra with the Go-Go's [...] But the whole album coasts on the hypnotic groove of "Me and U"."^[14]

In Slant Magazine, Sal Cinquemani also praised the production, making comparisons between Cassie and Janet Jackson, continuing to say "the album, which is only slightly longer than half-an-hour in length, plays to the singer's strengths, maximizing her limited range by keeping the songs short and the production simple."^[15] Mallory O’Donnell from Stylus Magazine called Cassie's vocals "confection," claiming that she "is possessed of a voice that's like candy: sweet, simple, and see-through-thin when you stretch it out like taffy," pointing out potential in "Cassie's still-developing vocal presence."^[16] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Casey Dolan considered that Cassie "has fashioned an album that slots easily into the new hybrid stream of R&B with nods toward hip-hop and pop. Her distinguishing vocal delivery is soft and languid, unlike almost every other singer out there who shouts you into submission," continuing that it "deftly flirts with adult themes but in a youthful way."^[19]

Kelefa Sanneh of the New York Times said that the album "mastered R&B-lite songs over space-age beats," noting the track "Ditto" as a standout.^[20] AllMusic editor Andy Kellman commented that "As a vocalist, Cassie has enough character and ability to sell her material without fail. And there will never not be a need for a vocalist who doesn't handle each stage of a relationship as if her life depends on it."^[11] Blender's Dorian Lynskey wrote, "Even the 35-minute running time indicates a rare self-control that makes this the most consistently arresting R&B debut since Kelis's."^[12] Steve Jones of USA Today felt despite vocal limitations, Cassie is "engaging enough to keep things interesting."^[17] Clover Hope from Billboard stated "the album's whispery piano runs and simple basslines create a fresh listening experience."^[21] In an editorial review on Amazon.com, Tammy La Gorce opined that other than the singles, "this brief disc bumps along on the greatness of its beats. Credit Cassie, though, for concocting a whole lotta 'tude," calling her "a master of sass, a guru of guile."^[22]

Commercial performance

Cassie debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 with 100,374 copies sold in its first week. It stayed in the top twenty for two weeks, in the top forty for three weeks and on the chart for twelve weeks. As of April 2008, the album had sold 321,000 copies in the United States.^[23] The album charted in other international territories including Belgium (Flanders) at ninety-six and Belgium (Wallonia) at seventy-eight, while in France the album peaked at forty-eight. In Switzerland Cassie peaked at number fifty-six, in the Netherlands at seventy-eight and Germany at eighty-two. It also peaked within the top forty in Japan at number thirty and the United Kingdom at thirty-three, receiving a Silver certification by the British Phonographic Industry for combined sales of over 60,000 in 2015.^[24] It had sold 650,000 copies worldwide as of January 2010.^[25]

Singles

"Me & U" was released as the lead single from the album on May 16, 2006. "Me & U" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit the top twenty in six other countries.

"Long Way 2 Go" was released as the second single from the album on September 2006. "Long Way 2 Go" did not perform as well as "Me & U" in the US, only reaching number ninety-seven on the Hot 100. Its music video did, however, peak at number three on MTV's TRL, and the single did well in the United Kingdom and reached number twelve on the UK Singles Chart. The third single was rumored to be either "Ditto," "Call U Out," or "Kiss Me," but was canceled.^[26]

Track listing

Notes

• "Kiss Me" contains interpolations from "T-Shirt," written by Angela Beyincé, Vidal Davis, Garrett Hamler, Andre Harris, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelendria Rowland and Tenitra Williams, as performed by Destiny's Child.

Charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Personnel

• Eric Archibald – stylist
• Cassie Ventura – vocals, background vocals
• Chris Gehringer – mastering
• Akisia Grigsby – design, creative director
• Kevin Krouse – engineer, mixing
• Charlie Langella – photography
• Ryan Leslie – piano, arranger, programming, vocals, producer, engineer, executive producer, mixing, instrumentation
• Galadriel Masterson – vocals, engineer
• Gwendolyn Niles – executive producer, A&R, project manager
• Harve Pierre – executive producer
• Hopey Rock – guitar, vocals, engineer
• Ed Woods – executive producer
• Brandee Younger – harp

Notes

References

External links