Complex Simplicty is the debut album by American
R&BContemporary R&B is a music genre of western popular music. Although the acronym “R&B” originates from its association with traditional rhythm and blues music, the term R&B is today most often used to define a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in the 1980s...
-
soulSoul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer
Teedra MosesTeedra Moses is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter.-Biography:Moses was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, to a gospel singer mother, Shirley Moses. She later moved to Los Angeles after her parents' divorce. Moses brought a little bit of that fervor to her own vocal style when she...
, released in the United States on July 20, 2004 by
TVT Records-History:Gottlieb, a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law, launched the label from his New York City apartment with the release of Television's Greatest Hits. It was an album featuring theme songs from various TV shows, hence the label's acronym TVT . The album proved so successful that a...
. All tracks are produced by Paul Poli, except "Take Me", produced by
Raphael SaadiqRaphael Saadiq , is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Saadiq has been a standard bearer for "old school" R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! He also produced songs of such artists as Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J...
, and "You Better Tell Her", produced by
Lil JonJonathan Smith , better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American composer, producer, promoter, and rapper. He is best known as a pioneer of the hip hop sub-genre crunk...
. All lyrics are written by Moses. While underperforming on the charts and being virutally unknown in mainstream music, the album has managed to become an underground classic, a feat highly attributed to its positive critical ratings and reviews.
Complex Simplicity has been embraced by many fans, bloggers, and music critics.
Complex Simplicty is the debut album by American
R&BContemporary R&B is a music genre of western popular music. Although the acronym “R&B” originates from its association with traditional rhythm and blues music, the term R&B is today most often used to define a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in the 1980s...
-
soulSoul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer
Teedra MosesTeedra Moses is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter.-Biography:Moses was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, to a gospel singer mother, Shirley Moses. She later moved to Los Angeles after her parents' divorce. Moses brought a little bit of that fervor to her own vocal style when she...
, released in the United States on July 20, 2004 by
TVT Records-History:Gottlieb, a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law, launched the label from his New York City apartment with the release of Television's Greatest Hits. It was an album featuring theme songs from various TV shows, hence the label's acronym TVT . The album proved so successful that a...
. All tracks are produced by Paul Poli, except "Take Me", produced by
Raphael SaadiqRaphael Saadiq , is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Saadiq has been a standard bearer for "old school" R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! He also produced songs of such artists as Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J...
, and "You Better Tell Her", produced by
Lil JonJonathan Smith , better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American composer, producer, promoter, and rapper. He is best known as a pioneer of the hip hop sub-genre crunk...
. All lyrics are written by Moses. While underperforming on the charts and being virutally unknown in mainstream music, the album has managed to become an underground classic, a feat highly attributed to its positive critical ratings and reviews.
Critical reception
Complex Simplicity has been embraced by many fans, bloggers, and music critics. The album is said to be "awe-inspiring and cool and touching and kind of
avant-gardeAvant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English, to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
in a weird homegrown way."
Vibe called the album "a great entry into the R&B game." Further, Allmusic's review stated boldly that
Complex Simplicity "is the best R&B album of 2004—if not the best
popPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
-oriented R&B album since
CrazySexyCoolCrazySexyCool is the second studio album by American group TLC, released by LaFace Records on November 15, 1994 in North America. CrazySexyCool earned a Grammy and became the group's biggest-selling album to date. It has sold more than 15 million units...
." The album compelled many critics to compare to superstars and legends of R&B, including
Mary J. BligeMary Jane Blige , more commonly known as Mary J. Blige, is an American recording artist, record producer and actress. She has sold more than forty eight million albums worldwide. She has received many Grammy Award nominations for her work, winning ten, and has been awarded the World Music Legends...
,
Deniece WilliamsDeniece "Niecy" Williams is a Grammy Award-winning American singer, songwriter and record producer who achieved success in the 1970s and 1980s...
,
Teena MarieTeena Marie is an American Grammy Award-nominated singer–songwriter–producer. Marie, nicknamed Lady T, is a protegée of late funk legend Rick James, and is notable as one of the few successful white performers of R&B. She sings R&B with strong, robust vocals and plays rhythm guitar, keyboards and...
, and
CherrelleCheryl Week Norton , better known as Cherrelle, is an American R&B singer. Some of her best-known songs are "Saturday Love" and "Never Knew Love Like This", duets with R&B singer Alexander O'Neal, "Everything I Miss at Home", and "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On.-Biography:Cherrelle began her career...
.
Track listing
- "Be Your Girl" – 4:09
- "You'll Never Find (A Better Woman)" (featuring Jadakiss
Jadakiss is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. He recently signed to Roc-A-Fella Records, an imprint under Def Jam Recordings....
) – 4:13
- "Caution" – 4:37
- "Backstroke" – 3:37
- "No More Tears" – 4:11
- "Rescue Me" – 4:06
- "Take Me" (featuring Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq , is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Saadiq has been a standard bearer for "old school" R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! He also produced songs of such artists as Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J...
) – 4:44
- "You Better Tell Her" – 6:15
- "Outta My Head" – 3:39
- "Complex Simplicity" – 4:16
- "For a Lifetime" – 4:15
- "Caught Up" – 4:14
- "Last Day" – 3:41
- "I Think of You (Shirley's Song)" – 6:06
UK edition
- "Be Your Girl" – 4:09
- "You'll Never Find (A Better Woman)" (featuring Jadakiss) – 4:13
- "Caution" – 4:37
- "Backstroke" – 3:37
- "No More Tears" – 4:11
- "Rescue Me" – 4:06
- "Take Me" (featuring Raphael Saadiq) – 4:44
- "You Better Tell Her" (featuring Lil' Scrappy) – 4:29
- "Outta My Head" – 3:39
- "Doin' You" – 3:58
- "Complex Simplicity" – 4:16
- "For a Lifetime" – 4:15
- "Caught Up" – 4:14
- "Last Day" – 3:41
- "I Think of You (Shirley's Song)" – 6:06
- "Still Your Girl" (featuring Raphael Saadiq, Truth Hurts
Shari Watson , known as Truth Hurts, is an American R&B singer. She is noted for her funky and powerful vocal style.-Biography:...
and Scipio) – 4:15
European edition
- "Be Your Girl" (Video)
The European and Asian releases of
Complex Simplicity had the same track listing as the North American edition. The Asian release had an alternate artwork but was otherwise identical to the North American release. The European release was enhanced to include the video for "Be Your Girl", but was otherwise identical to the North American release. No video was included on the UK edition.
Unreleased/non-album tracks
- "Still Got Love" — featured as a B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to the 12" single for "Be Your Girl". Originally listed on the Complex Simplicity track listing.
- "Cut Buddy" (featuring Kwamé "K1 Mill"
Kwamé Holland is an American emcee who enjoyed brief popularity in the late-1980s and early-1990s. He is currently a music producer sometimes credited as K-1 Million or K1 Mil.-Biography:...
) — this track was originally intended for Christina MilianChristine Flores , better known by her stage name Christina Milian , is an American R&B and pop singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, and model. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Milian moved to Los Angeles when she was 13 years old, desiring to be an actress...
, and now has been recorded by Natasha. The demo version appeared on a Trackmasters mixtape hosted by Milian.
The following tracks were also originally intended for
Complex Simplicity, but were replaced by newer tracks:
- "Blow Me Out"
- "Winter '96"
- "Cabaret"
Singles
Personnel
- Rich Balmer – Engineer
- Gerry "The Gov" Brown – Engineer
- Gerald Clayton – Keyboards
- Kevin "KD" Davis – Mixing
- Claire Fisher – String Arrangements
- Ryan Freeland – Engineer, Mixing
- John Frye – Mixing
- Tony Gillis – Mastering
- Mark Gray – Assistant
- Amy Johnson – A&R
- Bryan Leach – Executive Producer, A&R
- Anthony Mandler – Photography
- Nonja McKenzie – Stylist
- Teedra Moses – Executive Producer, Vocal Arrangement
- Poli Paul – Keyboards, Producer, Engineer, Executive Producer, Vocal Arrangement
- Paul Poli – Producer, Executive Producer
- Malachy Robinson – Bass, Guitar, Percussion, Keyboards
- Daniel Romero – Engineer, Mixing
- Raphael Saadiq – Bass, Guitar, Producer, Vocal Arrangement
- Greg "Frosty" Smith – Engineer
- Jonathan Smith – Producer
- Shaffer Smith – Vocal Arrangement
- Benjamin Wheelock – Design
- Kelvin Wooten – Guitar, Drums, Keyboards
Charts
| Chart (2004) |
Peak
position |
| U.S. Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new 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...
|
168 |
| U.S. Billboard 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...
|
20 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Independent Albums |
11 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers is a weekly albums chart introduced by Billboard in 1993 whose purpose is to highlight sales by new and developing musical recording artists. Albums appearing on Top Heatseekers may also concurrently appear on the Billboard 200....
|
10 |
Release history
| Region |
Date |
Label |
| United States |
July 20, 2004 |
TVT -History:Gottlieb, a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law, launched the label from his New York City apartment with the release of Television's Greatest Hits. It was an album featuring theme songs from various TV shows, hence the label's acronym TVT . The album proved so successful that a...
|
| Canada |
EMIThe EMI Group is a British music company. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major publishing arm- EMI Music Publishing- based in New York City...
|
| Australia |
September 8, 2004 |
TVT |
| Japan |
February 2, 2005 |
Victoris a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan...
|
| United Kingdom |
June 20, 2005 |
TVT |
| Europe (except the UK) |
January 20, 2006 |