I Am (Chrisette Michele album)

I Am
Studio album by Chrisette Michele
Released June 18, 2007 (2007-06-18)
(see release history)
Recorded 2006–2007
Studio
Genre
Length 56:25
Label Def Jam
Producer
Chrisette Michele chronology
I Am
(2007)		 Epiphany
(2009)
Singles from I Am
  1. "If I Have My Way"
    Released: May 2007
  2. "Best of Me"
    Released: July 6, 2007
  3. "Be OK"
    Released: December 11, 2007
  4. "Love Is You"
    Released: April 2008

I Am is the debut album by American R&B recording artist Chrisette Michele, released in the United States on June 19, 2007 by Def Jam Recordings.

Production

Michele began working on the music that would make up I Am before she had a recording contract, and started promoting her work by visiting events for independent artists. During this time, she caught the attention of L.A. Reid, who later signed her to Island Def Jam, where she got support from producers such as Babyface, will.i.am, and John Legend.

The video for the album's lead single "If I Have My Way" premiered on VH1 Soul. The video for her second single "Best of Me" premiered on July 6, 2007 on Yahoo! Music, and was later added to VH1's video rotation. "Be OK", which features will.i.am, was released as the third single from the album, whose music video was on BET's 106 & Park on December 18, 2007. "Love Is You" was the fourth and final single and was released in 2008.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The A.V. ClubB[2]
Billboardfavorable[3]
Robert Christgau 2007
Ebonyfavorable 2007
PopMatters5/10 link
USA Today 2007
The Village Voicemixed 2007

I Am debuted at number twenty-nine on the US Billboard 200, selling about 26,000 copies in its first week.[4] Despite lack of promotion, the album has thus far managed to sell 419,000 units in the United States as of late February 2009.[5]

I Am received generally positive reviews. Internet publication AllHipHop gave the album a stellar rating, stating: "She is Chrisette Michele and with her debut, I Am (Def Jam), this constituent of the House of Hov delivers one of the quietest, yet most powerful albums out there." The album's third single, "Be OK", won the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.

Track listing

I Am – Standard edition
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Like a Dream"  
 3:59
2. "Work It Out"  
  • Payne
  • Grant
  • Lindsey
 4:21
3. "If I Have My Way"  
 4:02
4. "Best of Me"  
 3:53
5. "Your Joy"  
 4:32
6. "Good Girl"  
 4:04
7. "Be OK" (featuring will.i.am)
 3:43
8. "Mr. Radio"  
  • Payne
  • Grant
  • Lindsey
 3:54
9. "Golden"  
  • Payne
  • Joseph Smart
 4:23
10. "Let's Rock"  
 4:44
11. "Love Is You"  
 3:17
12. "In This for You"  
  • Payne
  • Remi
 3:41
13. "Is This the Way Love Feels"  
  • Payne
  • Kelvin Wooter
 6:46
14. "I Am One" (hidden track)
  • Payne
  • Wooten
 3:45
Sample credits

Personnel

Musicians
  • Eileen Moon – cello
  • Sandra Park – violin
  • Bruce Purse – bass trumpet
  • Salaam Remi – bass, drums, guitar, piano
  • Robert Smith III – drums
  • Qiang Tu – cello
  • Jeremy Turner – cello
  • Omari Williams – drums
  • Steve Williamson – clarinet
  • Kelvin Wooten – bass, organ, piano
  • Sharon Yamada – violin

Production

  • Chrisette Michele – producer
  • Babyface – producer, keyboard programming
  • Stephen Barber – string arrangements
  • A.J. Benson – A&R
  • Shalik Berry – A&R
  • Paul Boutin – engineer
  • Thom Cadley – engineer
  • Lysa Cooper – stylist
  • Dwayne"Whateva" Lindsey - Producer
  • Andrew Dawson – engineer
  • Nichell Delvaille – art coordinator, photo coordination
  • Gleyder "Gee" Disla – assistant
  • Dylan Dresdow – mixing engineer
  • Doug "Biggs" Ellison – programming, executive producer, management, vocal editing
  • Anthony Gallo – vocal engineer
  • Jon Gass – mixing
  • GI Joe – producer
  • Don Goodrick – assistant engineer
  • Christopher "Jazz" Grant – engineer
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering
  • Courtney Harris – assistant engineer
  • Q. Nicole Jackson – A&R
  • Matt Jones – photography
  • Doug Joswick – package production
  • Hyomin Kang – assistant engineer
  • John Legend – producer
  • Rob Lewis – string arrangements
  • Riley Mackin – engineer
  • Manny Marroquin – mixing
  • Tony Maserati – mixing
  • Mo Jaz – producer
  • Amber Noble – marketing
  • Linette Payne – personal manager
  • Kevin Randolph – producer
  • L.A. Reid – executive producer
  • Kendal "KD" Revanales – programming, engineer, vocal editing
  • Rubin Rivera – engineer
  • Mark Roule – digital editing, mixing assistant
  • Joseph Smart – engineer
  • Jason Stasium – engineer
  • David Lee Stewart – producer
  • Matt Taylor – design
  • Nadia Vessel – hair stylist
  • will.i.am – producer
  • Kelvin Wooten – producer, string arrangements
  • Patricia Yankee – grooming

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2007) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[6] 186
US Billboard 200[7] 29
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] 5

Year-end charts

Chart (2008) Position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[9] 44

Release history

Country Date Format Label Catalog Ref.
United Kingdom June 18, 2007
Island 14466 [10]
United States June 19, 2007 Def Jam B000877402 [11]
Canada July 10, 2007
Germany July 24, 2007 Universal Music – [12]
Japan November 21, 2007 Universal Japan 91147 [13]

References

  1. ↑ 2007
  2. ↑ 2007
  3. ↑ 2007
  4. ↑ Hasty, Katie (June 27, 2007). "Bon Jovi Scores First No. 1 Album Since 1988". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  5. ↑ Concepcion, Mariel (February 24, 2009). "Chrisette Michele Has An 'Epiphany' On second album". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  6. ↑ "I Am – Oricon". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  7. ↑ "Chrisette Michele – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Chrisette Michele.
  8. ↑ "Chrisette Michele – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Chrisette Michele.
  9. ↑ "2008 Year-End Charts – Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  10. ↑ http://www.rakuten.co.uk/shop/youwantitwegotit/product/14466
  11. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-am-bonus-track-version/id257651211
  12. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/i-am-mr0003103912
  13. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/i-am-bonus-tracks-mr0001806832
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/24/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.