A Different Me
Encyclopedia
A Different Me is the third studio album
by American R&B
singer Keyshia Cole
, released on December 16, 2008 in the United States. The album has been certified gold
by the RIAA.
On the songwriting process, Cole stated, "When I hear something, I hear it—it doesn't take me three, four, five times to hear a song and say, 'OK, let's write.' If I don't write to it right off the bat, it's not working." All the songs on the album were written or co-written by Cole. Guest appearances include Amina, Nas
, Monica and 2Pac
. Along with the album, Cole is developing a movie based on her life. A screenwriter will develop the script with Cole in 2009.
The lead single of the album, "Playa Cardz Right
" featuring Tupac
, was released on October 21, 2008. It originally appeared on Tupac's Pac's Life, but was rearranged by Cole and producers Ron Fair
and Carvin & Ivan
.
which showed her in the process of finishing the album and writing a movie. Guests during the season include Ron Fair
, Polow Da Don
, Monica, and Shirley Murdock
.
The album was released on December 16, 2008. Earlier that week, Cole made an appearance on BET's 106 and Park being interviewed and introducing the video to Playa Cardz Right. Cole also embarked on the I Am Music Tour
in late 2008 and A Different Me Tour
in the summer of 2009. She was featured in Billboard
Magazine, WordUp Magazine, and VIBE Magazine from Winter of 2008 to Spring of 2009.
said that "Cole emphatically dares to be different—and pretty great". On the contrary, Jon Caramanica of The New York Times
noted that Cole "let go of her doubt", going on to say that "it's missed".
, selling 322,000 copies in its first week, giving Cole her best week sales. In its second week, the album fell to number seven, selling 127,000 copies. In its third and fourth week, the album remained at number seven, selling 54,000 and 37,000 copies, respectively. In its fifth week, the album fell to number nine, selling 31,000 copies. In its sixth week, the album climbed to number six, selling 31,000 copies. In its seventh week, the album fell to number eight, selling 31,000 copies. In its eighth week, the album fell to number ten. Despite the two tracks not being singles, Beautiful Music and Where This Love Could End Up both made it on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at #95 and #79. The album has sold over 900,000 copies in the U.S.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
singer Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Myeshia Cole Gibson born October 15, 1981) is an American singer–songwriter and actress. She gained nationwide acclaim when her 2005 debut album, The Way It Is went platinum. Her sophomore album Just Like You went into production shortly after that and was released in September 2007...
, released on December 16, 2008 in the United States. The album has been certified gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the RIAA.
Conception
A Different Me focuses less on heartache and more on maturity of her vocals and lyrics. Cole explained that, "The first two albums were more…painful. It's a different me this time: a young woman who's still growing and finding myself, exploring life through different routes musically and in other areas. I wrote more about other people's situations than my own. I'm moving forward."On the songwriting process, Cole stated, "When I hear something, I hear it—it doesn't take me three, four, five times to hear a song and say, 'OK, let's write.' If I don't write to it right off the bat, it's not working." All the songs on the album were written or co-written by Cole. Guest appearances include Amina, Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, Monica and 2Pac
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
. Along with the album, Cole is developing a movie based on her life. A screenwriter will develop the script with Cole in 2009.
The lead single of the album, "Playa Cardz Right
Playa Cardz Right
"Playa Cardz Right" is a song by R&B singer Keyshia Cole released as the lead single from her third album A Different Me. It features rapper 2Pac. The song is also featured on 2Pac's 2006 album Pac's Life...
" featuring Tupac
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
, was released on October 21, 2008. It originally appeared on Tupac's Pac's Life, but was rearranged by Cole and producers Ron Fair
Ron Fair
Ron Fair is a veteran A&R executive, record producer arranger, recording engineer and songwriter. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several artists, but he is best known as a "guru/mentor", guiding the careers of unknown artists...
and Carvin & Ivan
Carvin & Ivan (Karma Productions)
Carvin & Ivan is a multi-platinum production duo out of Philadelphia consisting of Grammy nominated producer/songwriters Ivan "Orthodox" Barias and Carvin "Ransum" Haggins...
.
Release and Promotion
Before the album was released, BET released the third and final season of her reality show, Keyshia Cole: The Way It IsKeyshia Cole: The Way It Is
Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is is R&B singer Keyshia Cole's own reality show, which aired on BET. The series was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. The series debuted July 12, 2006 and concluded on December 30, 2008...
which showed her in the process of finishing the album and writing a movie. Guests during the season include Ron Fair
Ron Fair
Ron Fair is a veteran A&R executive, record producer arranger, recording engineer and songwriter. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several artists, but he is best known as a "guru/mentor", guiding the careers of unknown artists...
, Polow Da Don
Polow Da Don
Polow-Freache Jamal Fincher Jones , better known by known by professional name Polow da Don or Awesome Jones, is an American record producer, songwriter, rapper, and singer. His cousin is Atlanta singer Monica. He has produced for a variety of artists including Usher, Nelly, Christina Aguilera, T.I...
, Monica, and Shirley Murdock
Shirley Murdock
Shirley Murdock is an American R&B singer, who is best known for her 1986 R&B hit single "As We Lay" and for her vocals on Zapp and Roger hit single Computer Love.-Career:...
.
The album was released on December 16, 2008. Earlier that week, Cole made an appearance on BET's 106 and Park being interviewed and introducing the video to Playa Cardz Right. Cole also embarked on the I Am Music Tour
I Am Music Tour
The I Am Music Tour, was a concert tour headlined by American rapper Lil Wayne and with special guest Nicki Minaj. The tour was following his Grammy Award-winning album Tha Carter III....
in late 2008 and A Different Me Tour
A Different Me Tour
A Different Me Tour is the first headlining concert tour by American singer Keyshia Cole in support to her third studio album A Different Me. The tour visited North America...
in the summer of 2009. She was featured in Billboard
Billboard
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Magazine, WordUp Magazine, and VIBE Magazine from Winter of 2008 to Spring of 2009.
Critical response
The album received generally favorable reviews. Andy Kellman of Allmusic gave the album four out of five stars, calling the album "Cole's most free-spirited and adventurous album to date", going on to say that there are "at least seven songs here that rate as highly as the best from the first two albums". Jim Farber of Daily News also gave the album four out of five stars, noting that "Cole's assertions of sweetness and light hardly prove as seamless, or simple, as her songs declare". He declares that "her makeover feels less like a day at the spa than a night at the shrink", going on to say that "instead of seeming harrowing or dark", the album's result is "soulful and fulfilling". The Boston GlobeThe Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
said that "Cole emphatically dares to be different—and pretty great". On the contrary, Jon Caramanica of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
noted that Cole "let go of her doubt", going on to say that "it's missed".
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling 322,000 copies in its first week, giving Cole her best week sales. In its second week, the album fell to number seven, selling 127,000 copies. In its third and fourth week, the album remained at number seven, selling 54,000 and 37,000 copies, respectively. In its fifth week, the album fell to number nine, selling 31,000 copies. In its sixth week, the album climbed to number six, selling 31,000 copies. In its seventh week, the album fell to number eight, selling 31,000 copies. In its eighth week, the album fell to number ten. Despite the two tracks not being singles, Beautiful Music and Where This Love Could End Up both made it on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at #95 and #79. The album has sold over 900,000 copies in the U.S.
Singles
- Playa Cardz Right was the debut single featuring a posthumous release from rap icon, Tupac ShakurTupac ShakurTupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
. The album was originally featured on 2006's Pac's Life before being remastered. It was produced by Carvin & IvanCarvin & Ivan (Karma Productions)Carvin & Ivan is a multi-platinum production duo out of Philadelphia consisting of Grammy nominated producer/songwriters Ivan "Orthodox" Barias and Carvin "Ransum" Haggins...
and Ron FairRon FairRon Fair is a veteran A&R executive, record producer arranger, recording engineer and songwriter. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several artists, but he is best known as a "guru/mentor", guiding the careers of unknown artists...
. The video was released on BET's Access Granted on October 30, 2008 and was officially released on October 31, 2008. It peaked at #9 on Billboard's US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
- You Complete Me the second single. It was featured on Cole's Myspace page in December and officially released on January 20, 2009. It was produced by Theron FeemsterTheron FeemsterTheron Feemster, is an American 3x Grammy Award Winner record producer, songwriter, musician, and singer. He rose to fame in 2006 with featured production on singer Ne-Yo's album In My Own Words, and has since worked with many high-profile artists, including Keyshia Cole, Michael Jackson, Busta...
and Ron Fair. It peaked at #7 on Billboard's US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
- Trust was the third single. Originally recorded as a solo by Cole and released as an iTunes bonus track to her previous project, Just like YouJust like You (Keyshia Cole album)Just Like You is the second studio album by American R&B singer Keyshia Cole. The album was released on September 25, 2007 on Geffen Records. It was nominated in the Best Contemporary R&B Album category at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards that was held February 2008, but lost to Ne-Yo's Because of You...
, it was rerecorded featuring vocals from R&B singer and friend, Monica. It was produced by Toxic and Ron Fair. The video premiered on April 9, 2009 and peaked at #1 on BET's 106 & Park. It peaked at #5 on Billboard's US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs becoming the most successful single of the album.
- This Is Us was rumored to be the fourth and final single of the album. Although, the single was never officially released, it did receive radio airplay.
Track listing
Personnel
- "Toxic" Donald Alford – producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
- Ivan "Orthodox" Barias – producer, musicianMusicianA musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
- Keyshia Cole – executive producer, vocal arrangement, A&RA&RArtists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
, vocal producer - Claudio Cueni – engineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
- Esther DeanEster DeanEster Renay Dean is an American singer and songwriter, and record producer signed to Zone 4 Records/Interscope Records. She is most notable for her dual appearance on Rio: Music From The Motion Picture and her 2009 US hit single "Drop It Low", which featured singer Chris Brown...
– vocal arrangement, vocal producer - Bojan Dugich – engineer
- Mike "Angry" Eleopoulos – engineer
- Eric Eylands – mixing assistant
- Ron FairRon FairRon Fair is a veteran A&R executive, record producer arranger, recording engineer and songwriter. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several artists, but he is best known as a "guru/mentor", guiding the careers of unknown artists...
– organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, conductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, producer, vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
, executive producer, vocal arrangement, horn arrangements, string arrangementsString sectionThe string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
, vocal producer, string conductor - Ron Feemster – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, producer, musician - Bernie Grundman – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Josh Gudwin – engineer
- Carvin "Ransum" Haggins – producer
- Manny Halley – executive producer, A&R, management
- Tal Herzberg – engineer, digital editingDigital mediaDigital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
- Dan Higgins – fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
- Nate Hill – assistant engineer
- Buffy Hubelbank – production coordinationProduction coordinatorA Production Coordinator is a unionized position in stagecraft under the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and is governed in Los Angeles by ....
- Chris James – engineer
- Johnny "J"Johnny "J"Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...
– producer - Ryan Kennedy – assistant engineer
- Kid Named Gus – engineer
- Jonathan Merritt – assistant engineer
- Jason T. MillerJason T. MillerJason T. Miller is an American record producer, songwriter, and television and film composer. He has produced and/or co-written songs for music artists including Kanye West and Keyshia Cole...
– producer, guitar, synths - Peter Mokran – mixing
- James Murray – engineer
- Vek Neal – illustrationIllustrationAn illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
s - Outsyders – producer, engineer
- Carlos Oyanedel – mixing assistant
- Dave Pensado – mixing
- Jason Perry – drums
- Poke & Tone – producer
- Polow da DonPolow Da DonPolow-Freache Jamal Fincher Jones , better known by known by professional name Polow da Don or Awesome Jones, is an American record producer, songwriter, rapper, and singer. His cousin is Atlanta singer Monica. He has produced for a variety of artists including Usher, Nelly, Christina Aguilera, T.I...
– producer - James Poyser – producer
- David "DQ" Quinones – engineer
- Josh "Guido" Rivera – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Mike Ruiz – photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- The RunnersThe RunnersThe Runners is a hip hop production duo from Orlando, Florida, consisting of Andrew "Dru Brett" Harr and Jermaine "Mayne Zayne" Jackson. They came together to form the team in 2000, but they have known each other since they were in kindergarten. They are best known for producing the hit singles "Go...
– producer, engineer - Allen Sides – string engineer
- Johnnie "Smurf" Smith – keyboards
- Phil Tan – mixing
- TankTank (American singer)Tank is an American R&B singer, songwriter and producer.-Career:Tank was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and moved with his family as a child to the Washington, D.C. suburb of Clinton, Maryland. He was a multi-sport athlete at Crossland High School and was offered the opportunity to play college...
– producer - Eric Weaver – mixing assistant
- Frank Wolf – string engineer
- Andrew Wuepper – mixing assistant
Chart history
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
1 |