Never Say Never (album)

[http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/brandy/albums/album/200271/review/5945797/never_say_never link]
Last album = "Brandy"
(1994)
This album = "Never Say Never"
(1998)
Next album = "Full Moon"
(2002)
Misc = Singles
Name = Never Say Never
Type = studio
Single 1 = The Boy Is Mine
Single 1 date = May 19, 1998
Single 2 = Top of the World
Single 2 date = August, 1998
Single 3 = Have You Ever?
Single 3 date = December 29, 1998
Single 4 = Angel in Disguise
Single 4 date = February, 1999
Single 5 = Almost Doesn't Count
Single 5 date = May 10, 1999
Single 6 = U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To)
Single 6 date = August, 1999
Single 7 = (Everything I Do) I Do It for You
Single 7 date = September, 1999
Single 8 = Never Say Never
Single 8 date = March, 2000

"Never Say Never" is the second studio album by American R&B/pop singer Brandy, released by Atlantic Records on June 8, 1998 in Europe and on June 9, 1998 (see 1998 in music) in North America at the age of 19. Chielfy produced by Rodney Jerkins, the album helped cement Brandy as a mature hitmaker, and helped popularize Jerkins' Timbaland-inspired production sound, which he later used for recordings by Whitney Houston, Destiny's Child, and others. "Never Say Never" earned Brandy five Grammy-nominations and became her biggest-selling album to date. It has sold more than 14 million units. [ [http://www.laut.de/wortlaut/artists/b/brandy/biographie/index.htm laut.de | Brandy (Biographie) ] ]

History

Production and title

After a lengthy break and several soundtrack appearances, Brandy eventually entered recording studios in 1997 to start work on her then-untitled second album with producer Rodney Jerkins and father Willie Norwood. While Jerkins contributed most to the album and moreover served as its executive producer, Norwood also worked with producers Dallas Austin, Guy Roche, David Foster, among others. In addition, she also recorded with Babyface, Fat Joe, Da Brat and Big Pun but none of the songs written with them made the final tracklisting. Some of the songs can be heard on the remix EP "U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To)".

Release and reception

While most professional reviewers liked the album's ballads, the album was praised for Brandy's raspy and clear voice. Brandy's second album became a global success: It debuted at number three on the "Billboard" 200 and on the U.S. "Billboard" Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, selling more than 160,000 copies in its first week of release. The album sold another 153,000 the following week less than the week before but moving up one spot to number two. The album continued selling well, and the album eventually received five platinum certifications by the RIAA for more than five million copies shipped to stores. While the album managed to enter the Top Ten in the U.S., the Netherlands, Germany, Canada and Denmark it was a top twenty success in the majority of the charts it appeared on.

In Asia, the album was a hit sensation, becoming one of the first R&B albums to achieve multiple chart hit singles. "The Boy Is Mine," "Have You Ever" and Top of The World" all topped the MTV Asia Hitlist during the nineties.

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.

Songs

"Angel In Disguise", which features production from Darkchild, is the opening track (not including the intro) of "Never Say Never". The song was an unofficial single and charted with out video or CD Single on the Billboard Hot 100. Set as the album's lead single, The Boy Is Mine was released on May 1998 to good reviews. The Boy Is Mine was noted for being "smooth", [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0eozefykogf3 allmusic ((( Never Say Never > Overview ))) ] ] 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." [ [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,283602,00.html Never Say Never | Music Review | Entertainment Weekly ] ] . 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."cite web|title="The Best of Brandy"|work=Soultracks|url=http://www.soultracks.com/brandy.htm|accessdate=2007-07-10] ,

"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 conversation 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, [ [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/brandy/albums/album/200271/review/5945797/never_say_never Brandy: Never Say Never : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone ] ] was the albums thirteenth song. "One Voice", the fourteenth track, is the official UNICEF theme song in it's 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". [ [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,283602,00.html Never Say Never | Music Review | Entertainment Weekly ] ]

"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.

Track listing

Credits and personnel

* Anas Allaf - guitar
* Chuckii Booker - drums
* Nathan East - bass
* David Foster - keyboard
* Harvey Mason, Sr. - percussion, keyboard
* Dean Parks - guitar
* Isaac Phillips - guitar
* Michael Thompson - guitar
* Rick Williams - guitar

Production

* Executive producers: Paris Davis, Rodney Jerkins, Craig Kallman, Brandy Norwood
* Vocal assistance: Alex Brown, Bridgette Bryant, Carmen Carter, Nikisha Grierf, Dorian Holley, LaTonya Holman, Richard Jackson, Bobette Jamison-Harrison, Donyle Jones, Vatrina 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
* Engineers: 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
* Assistant engineers: Carlton Lynn, Victor McCoy, Moana Suchard, Greg Thompson
* Mixing: Gerry Brown, Ken Deranteriasian, Brad Gilderman, Mick Guzauski, Dexter Simmons
* Mixing assistance: Tom Bender
* Mastering: Brian Gardner, Bernie Grundman
* Art Direction: Thomas Bricker

Leftover tracks

* "Fooled By The Moon" [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0GqK5bPfkY YouTube - Brandy - Fooled By The Moon ] ]
* "Sunday Morning" [ [http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ko5VJnKXpJ8&feature=user Brandy - Sunday Morning] ]
* "The Only One For Me" [ [http://youtube.com/watch?v=jVnat-DNzG4&feature=user Brandy - The Only One For Me] ]

Charts and certification

References