Right Here, Right Now (Jordin Sparks album)
| Right Here, Right Now | ||||
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| Studio album by Jordin Sparks | ||||
| Released | August 21, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | October 2010 – June 2015 | |||
| Studio |
Various
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 52:07 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Jordin Sparks chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Right Here, Right Now | ||||
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Right Here, Right Now is the third studio album by American recording artist Jordin Sparks. It was released on August 21, 2015,[1] by her first release under Sparks' new joint label deal with Louder Than Life / Red Associated Labels (RAL), an imprint of Sony Music Entertainment, and 19 Recordings. Sparks made the official album announcement on November 25, 2014, after releasing her mixtape, #ByeFelicia.
Background
In October 2010, in an interview, Sparks revealed she had started working on her third studio album.[2] In November 2010, during an interview with Good Day New York, Sparks confirmed she would be recording the album in New York and Arizona.[3] In January 2011, it was reported Sparks and John Legend were working together on songs in the studio.[4] On August 9, 2012, Sparks stated during her interview with Billboard, she had about seven songs set so far for her third album. Sparks stated, "It's going to be different from what my fans have heard before. With (2009's) 'Battlefield' it was pop/rock and a little bit of pop/R&B, but I'm going for more of the R&B side now, so it's like R&B/pop instead of pop/R&B."[5]
Development
In May 2013, Sparks took to Twitter announcing she and RCA Records had come to an agreement regarding releasing new material. Sparks asked her fans to email her with their opinions and frustrations regarding the delay in the release of her third studio album. "Skipping a Beat" was released on August 1, 2013. It was announced Sparks' third album had officially been completed and was awaiting release. However, it was later announced new music from Sparks would not be released until early 2014 due to timing issues with acting projects.[6] as well as placement issues within her label RCA.[7]
On August 15, 2014, Salaam Remi used Instagram to preview the logo for his new label 'Louder than Life', a subsidiary of Sony Music. Remi also announced Sparks is now a part of the 'Louder than Life' roster. In an article with 'Music Connection', Remi also announced he would be producing Sparks' upcoming album.[8] During a promotional tour for Sparks' movie, Left Behind, Sparks announced she is in the finishing stages of her new album. Sparks announced she is also no longer with her previous label, RCA Records. Sparks stated her single is due by the end of the year, with an album release in 2015. Sparks said she and her label were currently picking the first single, first look, and deciding on the album name.[9][10]
On October 23, 2014, Remi hosted a music showcase featuring Sparks, showcasing three of her songs, two of which were performed live. Sparks announced this was the first time she played new music for people outside of the industry. On November 26, 2014, Sparks followed up with an official release of "How Bout Now", which debuted on the 'LALeakers' Soundcloud page and website. Her mixtape, #ByeFelicia, was released on the following day at 11:11 PST.[11][12] On the last track of the mixtape, '(11:11) Wish', Sparks stated her upcoming album would be titled 'Right Here, Right Now' and it would be released in 2015.
Release
Promotion
To create buzz for Sparks' upcoming album, Sparks joined forces with the LALeakers to produce a mixtape that would be given to fans for free. The mixtape titled #ByeFelicia was released on November 25, 2014 and contained interview clips where Sparks talked about each song. At the end of the last track, "11:11", Sparks announced that some of the songs from the mixtape, as well as new tracks, would be on her upcoming third album. The same day Sparks released a album pre-order on her official website; giving fans the opportunity to have their names placed in her official album booklet.
In the weeks leading up to the album release Sparks began releasing instant gratification tracks from the album each Friday, in which she called #NewMusicFridays. Beginning on July 24, 2015, Sparks released the album track "100 Years",[13] followed by 'They Don't Give' (a video was also released exclusively through VH1.com on August 7 [14]), 'Work From Home (ft. B.o.B)', and 'Boyz in the Hood' in the following weeks.
On August 14, Sparks released an exclusive full stream of the album through VH1 and Reese's VH1First program, an entire week before the official album release.[15] Sparks performed on Today on August 27, 2015,.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[16] |
| Stereo Gum | favorable[17] |
| Press Play OK |   [18] |
| NY Daily News | [19] |
| AllMusic |  [20] |
| Rolling Stone | [21] |
| Renowned For Sound | [22] |
Critical response
Upon its release, Right Here, Right Now received generally favorable reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 69/100 from Metacritic, Sparks highest rating.[23] With many critics citing Right Here, Right Now as Sparks best work to date, applauding her for finally finding her sound.
NY Daily News writes "At 25, Sparks finally sounds like a woman, one in control of both her voice and her character. … The most direct role model for the project seems to be Mariah Carey’s better urban records of the ’90s and early 2000s. Carey fans may consider the best of “Right Here” the stuff they wished for years that Mariah would cut. … That hybrid, and Sparks’ new maturity, allows her to find her voice, as well as a potential new role. While many fans have called Ariana Grande the new Mariah, “Right Now” makes Sparks sound like the true heir."[24]
Entertainment Weekly said "On her third album, the Idol alum enlists 2 Chainz and B.o.B to add edge to her sultry R&B sound. But it’s Shaggy’s support on an island-y ode to committed relationships that pops among a mix of passionate R&B jams and take-charge lady anthems."[25]
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number 161 on the US Billboard 200,[26] and number 4 on the Billboard R&B albums.[27]
Singles
"It Ain't You" was the first release from the album as a promotional single. The song debuted on Sparks' mixtape, #ByeFelicia on November 25, 2014. The official version of the song then debuted on Sparks' Vevo channel on December 2, 2014. This version differed from the version on her mixtape in production as well as some vocal additions. The song became available for pre-order on major music markets such as iTunes and Amazon Music on the same day and was officially released on December 16, 2014.[28]
"Double Tap", featuring 2 Chainz, was announced to be the official lead single from the album. It was originally set to be released to major music markets such as iTunes and Amazon Music on February 24, 2015, however it was pushed back a week to coincide with the radio release date and became available on March 3, 2015 in the United States, but in the United Kingdom it became available on iTunes on March 2, 2015.[29] It was released to Rhythmic radio in the U.S. on the same day.[30] The music video was shot in Atlanta on February 11, 2015, and was exclusively premiered by Yahoo Music on March 10, 2015.[31] It was made available to all digital outlets including Vevo the following day on March 11, 2015.
The title track, "Right Here, Right Now", was released as the album's second official single on July 8, 2015.[32] Its music video premiered on July 9, 2015 in Times Square.[33] "They Don't Give" was serviced to Rhythmic Top 40 Radio on September 2, 2015 as the third single from the album.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Work from Home" (featuring B.o.B) |
|
4:25 | |
| 2. | "1000" (featuring J-Doe) |
| Dem Jointz | 2:37 |
| 3. | "Right Here, Right Now" |
|
|
2:47 |
| 4. | "Double Tap" (featuring 2 Chainz) |
| Jeberg | 3:25 |
| 5. | "Boyz in the Hood" |
| Jeberg | 3:33 |
| 6. | "Silhouette" | Deekay [35] | 3:40 | |
| 7. | "They Don't Give" |
|
|
3:48 |
| 8. | "Left....Right?" |
| Crada | 3:42 |
| 9. | "Casual Love" (featuring Shaggy) |
| D'Mile | 3:56 |
| 10. | "Unhappy" (featuring Elijah Blake) |
|
4:04 | |
| 11. | "Tell Him That I Love Him" |
| The Underdogs | 4:56 |
| 12. | "11:11" |
| Remi | 3:56 |
| 13. | "100 Years" |
| Key Wane | 3:57 |
| 14. | "It Ain't You" |
|
|
3:21 |
Total length: |
52:07 | |||
Credits and personnel
- Performance credits
- Primary artist - Jordin Sparks
- Featured vocals - 2 Chainz, Elijah Blake, B.o.B., J-Doe, Shaggy
- Production
- Producers – Mikely Adam, Babyface, Crada, D' Mile, Deekay, Rochad "Catdaddy Ro" Holiday, Jonas Jeberg, Dem Jointz, DJ Mustard, Salaam Remi, Trakmatik, The Underdogs, Key Wane
- Songwriters - Dwayne Abernathy, Mikely Adams, Elijah Blake, Marlin "Hookmn" Bonds, Kenneth Edmonds, Dernst Emile II, Kaciny Emile, Greg "Buggyeye" Desilus, James J-Doe, Tauheed Epps, Flauntleroy, Nikki Flores, Reina Gonzalez, Tyrone Williams Griffin, Jr., Alja Jackson, Jonas Jeerg, Lars Halvor Jensen, Johannes R. Joergensen, Christina Kalla, Kurtis Kingston, Thomas "Tommy" Paker Lumpkins, Victoria Monet McCants, Dijon McFarlane, Salaam Remi, Shaggy, Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr., Meleni Smith, Jordin Sparks, Steven Russell, The Underdogs, Dwayne Weir, William Calvin Wesson, Dewain Whitemore, Anthony C. Williams II
Charts
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[36] | 161 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[37] | 11 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Edition(s) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | August 21, 2015 | Standard | [38] | ||
| Canada | [39] | ||||
| New Zealand | [40] | ||||
| United States | [41] |
References
- ↑ "Right Here Right Now by Jordin Sparks". iTunes Store United States. Apple Inc. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ↑ Naughton, Julie (2010-10-06). "Jordin on Jordin: Sparks Discusses Tattoos, Fragrance and More". WWD Eye Scoop. Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
- ↑ "Jordin Sparks On Good Day NY". MyFoxNY.com. 2010-11-09. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
- ↑ "Jordin Sparks Records New Song With John Legend". Rockstar Weekly. The RockStar Group. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
- ↑ "Soundtracks". Billboard. 2012-12-29. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
- ↑ "UB Interviews: The Cast of "The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete" – Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, Skylan Brooks & Ethan Dizon | UrbanBridgez.com | Urban E-Zine". UrbanBridgez.com. 2013-10-10. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
- ↑ "HuffPost Live". Huffington Post.
- ↑ "Producer Crosstalk: Salaam Remi". Musicconnection.com. 2014-05-05. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
- ↑ http://hollywoodlife.com/2014/10/01/jordin-sparks-jason-derulo-split-writing-music-new-album/
- ↑ http://www.idolator.com/7565033/jordin-sparks-jason-derulo-split-wendy-williams
- ↑ http://www.rap-up.com/2014/11/24/new-music-jordin-sparks-how-bout-now-remix/
- ↑ http://www.idolator.com/7571591/jordin-sparks-bye-felicia
- ↑ http://www.mtv.com/news/2223102/jordin-sparks-100-years/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/VH1Music/status/629654123919618048?s=17
- ↑ http://www.vh1.com/news/49658/jordin-sparks-right-here-right-now-album-stream/} VH1 Streaming Link
- ↑ Entertainment Weekly Review
- ↑ Stereo Gum Review
- ↑ Press Play OK Review
- ↑ NY Daily News Review
- ↑ AllMusic Review
- ↑ Rolling Stone Review
- ↑ Renowned For Sound Review
- ↑ "Right Here, Right Now". review. Metacritic. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ↑ Farber, Jim (2015-08-19). "‘Right Here, Right Now’ review: American Idol Jordin Sparks gets sexy, like Mariah Carey". review (New York). Retrieved 2015-08-19.
- ↑ Falcone, Dana Rose (2015-08-13). "Right Here Right Now by Jordin Sparks: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/charts/r-and-b-albums
- ↑ "Jordin Sparks releases 'It Ain't You' from upcoming third album". axs.com. Chase Hunt.
- ↑ "Double Tap [Explicit] - Jordin Sparks - Amazon.com". Amazon.com. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
- ↑ "Top 40/Rhythmic-Crossover Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on February 27, 2015.
- ↑ "Jordin Sparks Talks New Single "Double Tap" with 2 Chainz, ‘Right Here, Right Now’ Album & More". Hip-Hop since 1987.
- ↑ "Right Here Right Now - Single by Jordin Sparks". iTunes Store United States. Apple Inc. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ↑ Wass, Mike (9 July 2015). "Jordin Sparks Hits The Desert For Exotic "Right Here Right Now" Video". Idolator (Spin Media). Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ↑ Instagram Post by Executive Producer Salaam Remi
- ↑ Jordin Sparks Interview at HOT 97 Radio Station
- ↑ "Jordin Sparks – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Jordin Sparks. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Jordin Sparks – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Jordin Sparks. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/right-here-right-now/id1017497249
- ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/right-here-right-now/id1017497249
- ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/right-here-right-now/id1017497249
- ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/right-here-right-now/id1017497249
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