Beautiful (Vivian Green album)
Encyclopedia
Beautiful is the third studio album
by American
singer-songwriter
Vivian Green
, released by E1 Music on April 6, 2010 in the United States
. The album is heavily produced by Grammy- nominated long time friend and collaborator Anthony Bell with an addition production cut from Jason Farmer. Beautiful is the album's leading single and was released February 23, 2010.
/pianist
, continuing the vibrant creative evolution that began with her breakthrough debut album A Love Story and continued on her widely acclaimed follow up Vivian
.
Throughout Beautiful, Vivian Green
delivers compellingly contemporary R&B
songcraft that's steeped in the emotional immediacy of classic soul. The songs explore the ins and outs of love from a variety of perspectives, from the youthful romanticism of "Somewhere" to the playful insight of "Better Man" to the hard-won intensity of "When We’re Apart" and "Beautiful."
"These songs are all very personal, even if they're not all directly about me," Vivian asserts, adding, "A lot of them are songs I couldn't have written on my first two albums, because I just didn't have the experience or the wisdom at the time." "It's the most fun I've ever had making a record," Vivian says of Beautiful’s birth cycle. "We worked in Anthony's studio, which is in his home, and it was a very relaxed, creative environment. If I wanted to sit down at the piano and start writing a song from scratch, like I did with 'Somewhere,' I could. The whole experience was very natural and comfortable, and I hope that you can hear that in the music."
Co-writing with Vivian on four of Beautiful's songs was her younger brother Solomon Green, a budding rapper whom she'd been urging to branch out into songwriting. "I always felt he should diversify," she explains. "One day I brought him to the studio to write with me, and it was like, wow. It was awesome and rewarding to watch my baby brother blossom that way, and I'm really proud of him."
, #26 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
, and #13 on Independent Albums. To date, the album has sold more than 22,061 copies.
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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Vivian Green
Vivian Green
Vivian Green is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter and pianist.-Early life:Green was born May 22, 1979 in the East Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and took an interest in singing, playing the piano, and songwriting at a very young age. At the age of thirteen, she...
, released by E1 Music on April 6, 2010 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The album is heavily produced by Grammy- nominated long time friend and collaborator Anthony Bell with an addition production cut from Jason Farmer. Beautiful is the album's leading single and was released February 23, 2010.
Production
Beautiful is a musical and personal landmark for the charismatic Philadelphia-bred singer/songwriterSongwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
/pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, continuing the vibrant creative evolution that began with her breakthrough debut album A Love Story and continued on her widely acclaimed follow up Vivian
Vivian (Vivian Green album)
Vivian is the second studio album by American neo soul singer Vivian Green, released by Columbia on March 31, 2005 in the United States. The album involves production by Scott Storch and James Poyser with additional production from Anthony Bell, Junius Bervine, and Adam Black Stone, among others...
.
Throughout Beautiful, Vivian Green
Vivian Green
Vivian Green is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter and pianist.-Early life:Green was born May 22, 1979 in the East Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and took an interest in singing, playing the piano, and songwriting at a very young age. At the age of thirteen, she...
delivers compellingly contemporary 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...
songcraft that's steeped in the emotional immediacy of classic soul. The songs explore the ins and outs of love from a variety of perspectives, from the youthful romanticism of "Somewhere" to the playful insight of "Better Man" to the hard-won intensity of "When We’re Apart" and "Beautiful."
"These songs are all very personal, even if they're not all directly about me," Vivian asserts, adding, "A lot of them are songs I couldn't have written on my first two albums, because I just didn't have the experience or the wisdom at the time." "It's the most fun I've ever had making a record," Vivian says of Beautiful’s birth cycle. "We worked in Anthony's studio, which is in his home, and it was a very relaxed, creative environment. If I wanted to sit down at the piano and start writing a song from scratch, like I did with 'Somewhere,' I could. The whole experience was very natural and comfortable, and I hope that you can hear that in the music."
Co-writing with Vivian on four of Beautiful's songs was her younger brother Solomon Green, a budding rapper whom she'd been urging to branch out into songwriting. "I always felt he should diversify," she explains. "One day I brought him to the studio to write with me, and it was like, wow. It was awesome and rewarding to watch my baby brother blossom that way, and I'm really proud of him."
Tracklisting
- "Beautiful" (Bell, Green, Washington)
- "When We're Apart" (Bell, Green, Green)
- "I Know How" (Farmer, Green)
- "Better Man (Skit)" (Bell, Green, Green, Hanson)
- "Better Man" (Bell, Green, Green, Hanson)
- "Save Me" (Farmer, Green)
- "Too Intense" (Bell, Green, Thomas)
- "Somewhere" (Bell, Green)
- "Caught Up" (Bell, Green)
- "Search Is Over" (Bayley, Bell, Green, Green)
- "So Far Gone" (Bell, Green, Green)
- "Jordan's Song" (Bell, Green)
- "One of None" (Bonus Track) (Bell, Green)
Reception
In its opening week, the album debuted at #101 on 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...
, #26 on 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...
, and #13 on Independent Albums. To date, the album has sold more than 22,061 copies.
Chart History
| Chart (2010) | 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... |
101 |
| 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... |
26 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Independent Albums | 13 |