Never Say Never (Brandy Norwood album)

For other albums with this name, see Never Say Never.

Never Say Never
Studio album by Brandy
Released	June 9, 1998 (1998-06-09)
Recorded	August 1997–April 1998
Genre	R&B, pop
Length	66:30
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Dallas Austin, David Foster, Fred Jerkins III, Rodney Jerkins, Brad Gilderman, Marc Nelson, Harvey Mason Jr., Guy Roche
Brandy chronology
Brandy (1994) Never Say Never (1998) Full Moon (2002)
Singles from Never Say Never
"The Boy Is Mine" Released: May 19, 1998 "Top of the World" Released: July 2, 1998 "Have You Ever?" Released: December 29, 1998 "Angel in Disguise" Released: January 21, 1999 "Almost Doesn't Count" Released: April 13, 1999 "U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To)"/"I Do It for You" Released: September 28, 1999 "Never Say Never" Released: May 23, 2000

Never Say Never (stylized as Never S-A-Y Never) is the second studio album by American singer Brandy. Released by Atlantic Records in June 1998, Norwood's label consulted David Foster and upcoming producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and his team to work with her on the record, the latter of who went on to craft the majority of the album and would evolve as her mentor and head producer on succeeding projects in the 2000s.^[1]

Influenced by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, Norwood wanted to present a more mature facet of herself with the album, incorporating a ballad-heavy style and an adult contemporary feel into her urban-pop sound for the album.^[2] Upon its release, Never Say Never facilitated Norwood in becoming a viable recording artist with media–crossing appeal. It debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 160,000 copies in its first week, and remained 28 weeks within top 20 of the chart.^[3] It became both her highest-charting and highest-selling album to date on most international markets, and won numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "The Boy Is Mine."^[4]

The album was supported by Brandy's Never Say Never World Tour in 1999, which featured soldout performances in The US, Asia, Africa and Canada. Never Say Never is listed in the Top 100 Best-selling albums in the US.^[5]

Production and title

After a lengthy musical break, which saw Norwood establishing a flourishing acting career with her sitcom Moesha, she eventually entered recording studios in 1997 to intensify work on her second studio album. Barely satisfied with the material that was presented to her however, the recording of the album was postponed several times as Norwood felt that many songs wouldn't express what she wanted to tell at this point of her career.^[6] "Many of the songs I heard were not 'me'," the singer stated during a promotional interview with Jet in 1999, "And If I can't feel it, then I won't sing it. I'm not the little girl I was when I made my first record. My voice is a strong instrument now; my vocals come from both my heart and my diaphragm. My heart because I matured in the four years since the last album; I'm more emotionally there."^[6] While Atlantic Records refused the approach to have Norwood work with Timbaland and his team on the album, the label consulted David Foster and then-newcomer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins to contribute to the project, the latter of who went on to craft the majority of the album and would evolve as the its executive producer.^[7] Norwood credited the chemistry with both producers with her musical growth: "They brought out the best in me, the vocals I didn't know I had," she said.^[6]

Contents

The album opens with the "Angel in Disguise," a Rodney Jerkins-produced mid-tempo track. The song was released as an airplay-only single in early 1999 and charted within the top twenty of the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, peaking at number 17.^[8] Norwood has noted the song one of her favorite recordings on Never Say Never.^[9] Set as the album's lead single, "The Boy Is Mine" was released in May 1998 to good reviews. "The Boy Is Mine" was noted for being "smooth",^[10] also it was panned by critics saying, "When Brandy has it out with Monica in the backstabbing The Boy Is Mine, there's none of the soul-baring theatrics we'd get if Faith Evans and Mary J. Blige had gone at it. Instead, the two younger women play second fiddle to the steady-thumping bass, keeping their voices so low you'd think they were afraid a teacher might overhear them."^[11] The single was originally intended to be a solo song for Brandy, but due to Monica's success by that time it was released as a duet. It reached number one in the US and spent 13 weeks on the top spot, it outsold the success of its predecessor, lead single "I Wanna Be Down", which reached number 6. "The Boy Is Mine" was also the international breakthrough success, peaking on the charts at number one in Japan, Canada, Netherlands and New Zealand and Top Ten in several other states. The single's music video was nominated for two 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, for Best R&B Video, and Video of the Year.

"Learn the Hard Way" is the album's fourth track. It is the third song on the album, and shares similarities with the song Never Say Never. The Guy Roche-produced "Almost Doesn't Count" is the fifth track. Brandy performed the song in the 1999 film Double Platinum, starring Diana Ross and herself. The international single "Top of the World" is the album's sixth track. It is a collaboration with Mase and the song talks about Brandy as a popstar just trying to be her and not feeling like being in her own world. In the music video, directed by Paul Hunter, Brandy was featured incurring various supernatural phenomena. She spontaneously floated in the air, flipping and somersaulting above random objects; telephone poles and vehicles, as people stopped to stare. These strange phenomena also included balancing herself vertically and horizontally alongside skyscrapers and buildings. The Darkchild-produced "U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To)", which is the album's seventh and final single, is noted for its remix version with Shaunta and Da Brat. The remix was released as the lead single to the same-named EP. "Never Say Never", also produced by Rodney Jerkins , is the eighth song of the album. "Never Say Never" was released as a Germany single in 2000. "Thruthfully", the ninth song, tells about a broken relationship.

The number-one-hit "Have You Ever?" was the tenth track. Brandy states that it was the first time she had been in the studio with a producer like David Foster. Her voice wasn't as developed as it is now and the song required what producers call ‘money notes' - the kind that get you a No. 1 on the charts. She says she was really nervous but it all worked just fine.",^[9] "Put That on Everything" a mid-tempo ballad is the albums eleventh track and was written by Brandy Norwood, L. Daniels, Fred Jenkins III, Rodney Jerkins and Joana Tejeda and is produced by Rodney Jerkins. The album's twelfth song is actually a phone conversation in the car between Brandy, Rodney and Fred Jerkins. "Happy", an R&B up-tempo-song, that was featured in the motion picture Double Platinum and received positive critics from The Rolling Stone magazine,^[12] was the albums thirteenth song. It also served as the theme song of the 2002 reality TV show Brandy: Special Delivery, which was aired on MTV. "One Voice", the fourteenth track, is the official UNICEF theme song in its 50th anniversary year. Entertainment Weekly describes her voice in the song as soft and smoky and as a gospel-fired ballad that find her effortlessly raising the roof.^[11] "Tomorrow", another ballad is the fifteenth track and is with almost 6 minutes the albums longest song. The final song is the Bryan Adams cover "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You". Although lacking video or promotion the song received a top thirty entry on New Zealand singles chart.

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[13]
BBC Music	(positive)[14]
Entertainment Weekly	(B)[2]
The Independent	(mixed)[15]
Rolling Stone	[16]
The Spokesman-Review	(positive)[17]

Never Say Never received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic gave the album four out of five stars and noted it a "better, more adventurous record than her debut," adding: "Brandy wisely decides to find a middle ground between Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige — it's adult contemporary with a slight streetwise edge. [Her] delivery has improved and her subdued vocals can make mediocre material sound convincing. Still, what makes Never Say Never a winning record is the quality songs and production."^[13] Daryl Easlea from BBC Music felt that the collection of smooth, mid-paced jams provided a snapshot of commercial R&B from the era. He described Never Say Never "as the epitome of a mixed bag. However, given that a lot of R&B in the late 90s sounds like an ornate musical box revolving, the album is an intelligent brew that deviates sufficiently from that template and plays to Brandy and executive producer Rodney Jerkins's considerable strengths."^[14] The Spokesman-Review critic Richard Harrington was positive with the album, writing: "Brandy is co-writer on six of the album's 14 songs and no matter their achievement lyrically, she finds herself grown-up and confident, without taking any false steps."^[17]

Rolling Stone magazine was generally positive with the album, giving it three stars out of five stars rating, and wrote: "Brandy exudes more pizazz than the Hanson brothers combined and bursts with enough naive charm to make Jewel look like a jaded sailor. Her second album bubbles with that same effervescence [...]."^[16] J. D. Considine, reviewer for Entertainment Weekly, felt that Norwood's voice was lacking passion on the album.^[2] Although he indicated that it was "hard to argue with Brandy's deference to the rhythm, especially when she rides one of producer Rodney Jerkins itchily propulsive tracks," he also noted that it was flattening "its emotional range, until the romantic bliss of "Happy," the dogged determination of "Never Say Never," and the conflicted affection of "Angel in Disguise" all end up sounding pretty much the same."^[2] He gave the album a B rating.^[2] Angela Lewis, writer for The Independent was disappointed with the album, saying: "This is pop R&B without the soul, and could see Brandy without a future in the adult big league. She lacks real command of tracks like "Have You Ever?", showing she's better at playing by the rules than anything else."^[15]

Chart performance

Never Say Never debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, the official albums chart in the United States, on June 16, 1998.^[3] Selling approximately 160,000 units in its first week of release, it opened to Norwood's biggest week sales yet and, as of 2010, still retains the largest first-week seller within her discography.^[3] The following week, the album managed to climb up to its peak position on the chart, reaching numer-two, even though its sales had dipped slightly to 152,000 copies.^[3] In the end, Never Say Never spent a total of 72 weeks on the Billboard 200 — 28 of which were in the top 20 — and sold more than 4.4 million copies in the United States.^[3] It was eventually certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for more than 5 million shipped units,^[18] surpassing the quadruple-platinum achievement of her 1994 debut album.^[19]

On the international front, Never Say Never received the following certifications: quadruple-platinum certification in Canada; double-platinum in Japan; platinum in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa; and gold in the U.K., Ireland, Germany, France, Denmark, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia.^[19] To date, the album remains Norwood's biggest-selling effort with worldwide sales in excess of 14 million copies.^[4]

Awards and nominations

Never Say Never was nominated for four 41st Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year for "The Boy Is Mine", Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song for "The Boy Is Mine", Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals for "The Boy Is Mine", won the latter one and received generally good reviews.

At the 42nd Grammy Awards, Never Say Never received one Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Almost Doesn't Count". Besides the Grammys Never Say Never received multiple Billboard Music Awards and was nominated for several American Music Awards, MTV Awards and Soul Train Awards.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Never Say Never Intro"			0:49
2.	"Angel in Disguise"	LaShawn Daniels, Traci Hale, Fred Jerkins III, Rodney Jerkins, Nycolia "Tye-V" Turman	R. Jerkins, Brandy	4:48
3.	"The Boy Is Mine" (with Monica)	L. Daniels, F. Jerkins, R. Jerkins, B. Norwood, J. Tejeda	R. Jerkins, Dallas Austin, Brandy	4:55
4.	"Learn the Hard Way"	L. Daniels, F. Jerkins, R. Jerkins, Sybil Jerkins Cherry, B. Norwood, Rick Williams	R. Jerkins	4:51
5.	"Almost Doesn't Count"	Guy Roche, Shelly Peiken	G. Roche, F. Jerkins	3:37
6.	"Top of the World" (featuring Mase)	Mason Betha, L. Daniels, F. Jerkins, R. Jerkins, Isaac Phillips, N. Turman	R. Jerkins	4:41
7.	"U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To)"	Sean Bryant, Paris Davis, R. Jerkins, B. Norwood, I. Phillips	R. Jerkins	4:28
8.	"Never Say Never"	L. Daniels, R. Jerkins, F. Jerkins, B. Norwood, Japhe Tejeda, Rick Williams	R. Jerkins	5:10
9.	"Truthfully"	Harvey Mason Jr., Marc Nelson	Brad Gilderman, R. Jerkins, H. Mason Jr., M. Nelson	4:58
10.	"Have You Ever?"	Diane Warren	David Foster	4:32
11.	"Put That on Everything"	L. Daniels, R. Jerkins, F. Jerkins, B. Norwood, J. Tejeda	R. Jerkins, F. Jerkins	4:51
12.	"In the Car: The Phone Call" (Interlude)			1:10
13.	"Happy"	L. Daniels, R. Jerkins, F. Jerkins, B. Norwood, J. Tejeda	R. Jerkins, Brandy	4:06
14.	"One Voice"	Phil Gladston, Gordon Chambers	D. Foster	4:08
15.	"Tomorrow"	L. Daniels, R. Jerkins, F. Jerkins, B. Norwood, J. Tejeda	R. Jerkins , F. Jerkins, Brandy	5:21
16.	"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"	Bryan Adams, Michael Kamen, Robert John "Mutt" Lange	D. Foster	4:10

Personnel

Credits are taken from the album's liner notes.^[20]

Managerial

• Executive production – Paris Davis, Rodney Jerkins, Craig Kallman, Brandy Norwood

Instruments and vocals

Bass – Nathan East Drums – Chuckii Booker Guitar – Anas Allaf, Dean Parks, Isaac Phillips, Michael Thompson, Rick Williams Keyboard – David Foster, Harvey Mason, Sr. Percussion – Harvey Mason, Sr.

Backing vocals – Alex Brown, Bridgette Bryant, Carmen Carter, Nikisha Grierf, Dorian Holley, LaTonya Holman, Richard Jackson, Bobette Jamison-Harrison, Donyle Jones, Vatrena King, James McCrary, Kristle Murden, Willie Norwood, Kayla Parker, Shelly Peiken, Alfie Silas, Meri Thomas, Carmen Twillie, Mervyn Warren, Maxine Waters, Oren Waters, Yvonne Williams, BeBe Winans, Monalisa Young

Technical and production

Art Direction – Thomas Bricker Engineering – Leslie Brathwaite, Ken Deranteriasian, Felipe Elgueta, Ben Garrison, Brad Gilderman, Jean-Marie Horvat, Mario Lucy, Victor McCoy, Brandy Norwood, Al Schmitt, Rick Sigel, Moana Suchard, Chris Tergesen Engineers assistance – Carlton Lynn, Victor McCoy, Moana Suchard, Greg Thompson

Mastering – Brian Gardner, Bernie Grundman Mixing – Gerry Brown, Ken Deranteriasian, Brad Gilderman, Mick Guzauski, Dexter Simmons Mixing assistance – Tom Bender

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1998/1999) Peak position Australian Albums Chart[21] 13 Austrian Albums Chart[21] 17 Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[21] 21 Canadian Albums Chart[22] 3 Danish Albums Chart 10 Dutch Albums Chart[21] 5 French Albums Chart[21] 12 German Albums Chart[23] 10 Irish Albums Chart 15 Japanese Albums Chart[24] 14 New Zealand Albums Chart[21] 16 Norwegian Albums Chart[21] 25 Swedish Albums Chart[21] 15 Swiss Albums Chart[21] 11 UK Albums Chart[25] 19 U.S. Billboard 200[22] 2 U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[22] 2

Certifications Country Certifications Australia (ARIA) Platinum[26] Belgium BEA Platinum[19] Canada (CRIA) 4× Platinum[19] Denmark (IFPI Denmark) Gold[19] France (SNEP Platinum[27] Germany (BVMI) Gold[19] Korea (RIAK) Gold [28] Indonesia (ASIRI) Gold[19] Ireland (IRMA) Gold[19] Japan (RIAJ) 2× Platinum[19] Malaysia (RIM) Gold[19] Netherlands (NVPI) Gold[19] New Zealand (RIANZ) Platinum[19] Philippines (PARI) Platinum[19] South Africa (RISA) Platinum[19] Sweden (IFPI Sweden) Gold[19] United Kingdom (BPI) Gold[19] United States (RIAA) 5× Platinum[19]

Decade-end charts

Chart (1990–1999)	Position
U.S. Billboard 200[29]	79

Release history

Country	Date
France	June 4, 1998
Europe	June 8, 1998
Canada	June 9, 1998
United States

References

1. ^ Odum, Shanel (2008-12-01). "Girl, Interrupted". VIBE. Google Books. http://books.google.de/books?id=qiYEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA104&dq=brandy+sound+rodney&hl=de&ei=FBBATIT-BIr-4Abe2Om1Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CFAQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=brandy%20sound%20rodney&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-20. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} Considine, J.D. (1998-16-12). "Brandy - Never Say Never (2008)". Entertainment Weekly. EW.com. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,283602,00.html. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} Basham, David (2002-03-14). "Got Charts? The Long Road To #1 — And Those Who Rocked It". http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1452903/20020314/brandy.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-07-12. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Coker, Cheo Hodari (2004-07-01). "Not That Innocent". VIBE. Google Books. http://books.google.de/books?id=wCYEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94&dq=brandy+%22NEVER+SAY+NEVER%22+14+million&hl=de&ei=Rjk_TILLNpTNjAeMkcWTBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=brandy%20%22NEVER%20SAY%20NEVER%22%2014%20million&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-20. 
5. ^ "Gold & Platinum - January 10, 2011". RIAA. http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=4&table=tblTop100&action=. Retrieved 2011-01-10. 
6. ^ ^{a b c} "19-Years-Old Brandy Grows Up With New Album". Jet. Google. 1998-06-01. http://books.google.de/books?id=2sMDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=BRANDY+%22MEKHI+PhIFER%22+%22THE+BOY+IS+MINE%22&source=bl&ots=FKdAH4516R&sig=OXNerdXEtl2aYNEfRzwkzRfgtb4&hl=de&ei=Ej2jS-qPBZCssAbZmvHlBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CBcQ6AEwBDgU#v=onepage&q=BRANDY%20%22MEKHI%20PhIFER%22%20%22THE%20BOY%20IS%20MINE%22&f=false. Retrieved 2010-03-20. 
7. ^ Cornish, Melanie J. (2007-06-09). "Robert Reives: This Is How He Rocks". BallerStatus.com. http://www.ballerstatus.com/2007/09/06/robert-reives-this-is-how-he-rocks/. Retrieved 2010-03-20. 
8. ^ "AMG: Billboard Singles". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p142547. Retrieved 2007-04-29. 
9. ^ ^{a b} Nathan, David; Rizik, Chris. "Brandy Biography - The Best of Brandy". Soultracks.com. http://www.soultracks.com/brandy.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-10. 
10. ^ Allmusic ((( Never Say Never > Overview )))
11. ^ ^{a b} Never Say Never | Music Review | Entertainment Weekly
12. ^ Brandy: Never Say Never : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone
13. ^ ^{a b} Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (1998-16-12). "Never Say Never review". Allmusic. AllMusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r351851. Retrieved 2010-07-16. 
14. ^ ^{a b} Easlea, Daryl (2009-11-10). "The Epitome Of A Mixed Bag". BBC Music. BBC.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/pwd3/text.mp. Retrieved 2010-07-16. 
15. ^ ^{a b} Lewis, Angela (1998-06-13). "Music: Album Reviews". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/music-album-reviews-1164754.html. Retrieved 2010-08-18. 
16. ^ ^{a b} "Brandy - Never Say Never review". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/brandy/albums/album/200271/review/5945797/never_say_never. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
17. ^ ^{a b} Harrington, Richard (1998-06-21). "Brandy's Talent Showcased On New Never Say Never". The Spokesman-Review. Google Books. http://news.google.de/newspapers?id=SQwSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3vEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6809,2360651&dq=brandy+never+say+never+review&hl=en. Retrieved 2010-07-18. ^{[dead link]}
18. ^ "RIAA > Gold & Platinum Search". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS. Retrieved 2009-04-09. 
19. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q} Daniels, Karu F. (2000-01-14). "Brandy Outdoes Herself With Multiplatinum Certifications". Yahoo! Music. http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12063168. Retrieved 2007-07-29. 
20. ^ (1998) Release notes for Never Say Never by Brandy (CD liner). Atlantic Records.
21. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Brandy&titel=Never+Say+Never&cat=a
22. ^ ^{a b c} http://www.allmusic.com/artist/brandy-p142547/charts-awards
23. ^ http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/BRANDY/?type=longplay
24. ^ http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/145089/ranking/cd_album/
25. ^ http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/brandy/
26. ^ "Charts Accreditations Albums 1999". ARIA. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-albums-1999.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-16. 
27. ^ "InfoDisc : Les Certifications (Albums) du SNEP (Bilan par Artiste)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. 2008-09-09. http://www.infodisc.fr/Certif_Album.php. Retrieved 2010-05-04. 
28. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030415071759/http://foreverbrandy.com/girl/03.php
29. ^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. http://books.google.co.kr/books?id=9w0EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&lr&rview=1&pg=RA1-PA4#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved October 15, 2010. 

External links

• ForeverBrandy.com — official site