Pleasure & Pain (112 album)

Pleasure & Pain
Studio album by 112
Released	March 29, 2005 (Release history)
Recorded	2004
Genre	R&B
Length	61:28
Label	Def Soul
Producer	L.A. Reid and 112 (executive) Marcus T. Grant, Shakir Stewart, Daron Jones, Jermaine Dupri, Warryn Campbell, Mario Winans, Darrell "Delite" Allamby, Sean Garrett, Bryan-Michael Cox, The Track Boyz, Focus..., Ken Fambro
112 chronology
Hot & Wet (2003) Pleasure & Pain (2005) TBA
Singles from Pleasure & Pain
"U Already Know" Released: November 23, 2004 "What If" Released: March 11, 2005

Pleasure & Pain is the fifth and final studio album from American R&B group 112 named after the song "Pleasure & Pain" on 112's 1996 eponymous debut album, 112. This album did not fare as well as their first three albums, but the album did manage to spawn one hit single in 2005; the single "U Already Know" peaked at #32 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the second single "What If" reached #74. It was the first 112 album to get a Parental Advisory sticker (although a few songs from earlier releases contain profanity as well). The single, "U Already Know", has two official remixes, the official Murder Remix featuring Ja Rule & Harry O and the official Roc-A-Fella Remix featuring Foxy Brown.

Reception

Commercial

The album debuted at #4 on the charts with sales of 118,000 copies its first week.

Critical

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Rolling Stone	[2]
Stylus Magazine	C+[3]
USA Today	[4]

Andy Kellman of Allmusic reviewed, "What's more surprising? That Pleasure and Pain, 112's fifth album, is not a greatest-hits compilation named after a song off their 1996 debut, or that it comes with a parental advisory label? In nearly a decade of existence, the group has amassed enough charting singles to warrant a concise best-of, and not many artists coming up with them during the mid-'90s are still active. In the wake of parting with P. Diddy and Bad Boy, they've taken the opportunity to work with a mostly new pool of collaborators, including Mario Winans, Jermaine Dupri, and Bryan-Michael Cox, who each pitch in once or twice. They remain self-sufficient otherwise, with member Daron Jones handling a good portion of the production duties. The result isn't much different from the previous albums, with a few standout singles and album tracks surrounded by a generous amount of forgettable moments, and a similar ratio of upbeat numbers and ballads to match. The parental advisory label (a first for the once squeaky-clean group) can actually be pinned on previously unlikely collaborators Three 6 Mafia. (Who could've ever predicted that a line as forthright as "Is she gonna chew me up or she gon' swallow up my nads" would ever appear in one of their songs? Nobody.)"

Track listing

• (*) Denotes co-producer.

Samples

• "U Already Know" contains a sample of "Can We Fall in Love Again", as performed by Phyllis Hyman
• "The Way" contains an interpolation of "Change the Game", as performed by Jay-Z featuring Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel
• "That's How Close We Are" contains a sample of "That Sweet Woman of Mine", as performed by Leon Haywood

Personnel

• 112 — Vocals (background), Executive Producer
• L.A. Reid — Executive Producer
• Shakir Stewart — Executive Producer, A&R
• Marcus T. Grant — Executive Producer, Management
• Tara Podolsky — A&R
• Everett "LA" Quarles — A&R
• Leesa Brunson — A&R
• Daron Jones — Producer
• Bryan-Michael Cox — Producer
• The Track Boyz — Producer
• Jermaine Dupri — Producer, Mixing
• Kevin Wales — Producer
• Mario Winans — Producer
• Ken Fambro — Producer
• Sean Garrett — Producer, Vocal Producer
• Focus... — Producer
• Michael Keith — Vocal Producer
• Quinnes Parker — Vocal Producer
• Clifford Henson — Vocal Engineer
• Paul Osborn — Vocal Engineer
• Roxanne Estrada — Vocals (background)
• Jeanne Allamby — Production Coordination
• Darrell "Delite" Allamby — Producer, Engineer, Editing, Mixing, Tracking, Vocal Engineer, Instrumentation
• Bam — Producer, Instrumentation
• Butch Bonner — Guitar
• Floyd "Tag" Merriweather — Guitar
• Vernon Mungo — Engineer, Mixing
• Alvin Speights — Mixing
• Bruce Buechner — Engineer
• Eric Hunter — Engineer
• Tommy Jamin — Engineer
• Brian Frye — Engineer
• Manny Marroquin — Mixing
• Phil Tan — Mixing
• Ben Arrindell — Mixing
• Jim Beeman — Mixing
• Jean-Marie Horvat — Mixing
• Ryan Evans — Assistant Engineer, Assistant
• James M. Wisner — Assistant Engineer
• Josh Monroy — Assistant Engineer
• John Horesco IV — Assistant
• Khary Menelik — Assistant
• James Mungo — Assistant
• Rob Skipworth — Assistant
• Amber Noble — Marketing
• Erica Bowen — Recording Director
• Sandra Campbell — Project Coordinator
• Warryn Campbell — Programming, Producer, Instrumentation
• Sean Cooper — Sound Design
• Tom Coyne — Mastering
• Nichell Delvaille — Art Producer
• Roger Erickson — Photography
• Sybil Pennix — Wardrobe
• Robert Sims — Design, Creative Director
• Eric Weissman — Sample Clearance
• Matthew Betmalik — Prop Stylist

Charts

Release history

References