Drama is the debut album from British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 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...

 star Jamelia

Jamelia

Jamelia Niela Davis , best known mononymously as Jamelia, is an English singer-songwriter, model, entertainer, television presenter and actress. She is most famous for her use of a cappella and prolific work in the R&B genre...

. The album, a mix of
R&B, hip hop, and soul was released on June 26, 2000.

Background

The album features four singles including "I Do", "Money" (Jamelia's first top 5 hit), "Call Me" and "Boy Next Door", which just missed out on a UK top 40 place. "Thinking 'Bout You" was originally to be released after "I Do" as the album's second single, however it was replaced with "Money". The version of "Thinking 'Bout You" on this album is in fact a remixed version of the song with the original version scrapped, it originally contained a sample of "Thinking Of You

Thinking of You (Sister Sledge song)

"Thinking of You" is a single released by Sister Sledge in 1984 that became a hit single in the UK. It was originally recorded for their 1979 album, We Are Family....

" by Sister Sledge

Sister Sledge

Sister Sledge is an American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1972 and consisting of four sisters: Kim Sledge Debbie Sledge , Joni Sledge , and Kathy Sledge . They are granddaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams. The sisters used to perform under the name of "Mrs...

 with slightly different lyrics, it can be found on promotional copies of the single, a video was also filmed but never released.

The album peaked at #39 on the UK Albums Chart

UK Albums Chart

The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

, being certified as 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,...

, selling more than 100,000 copies.

Reception

Hot on the heels of two massive R&B hits, the UK equivalent to Monica introduces her debut album "Drama". Following the fresh yet gimicky sound of hit single "Money" I expected an album based on similar selling points. Instead I was pleasantly surprised by the mature sound throughout along with the quality and interesting production and vocals.

Standout tracks include "Money", "I Do" and "Call Me" as well as the melodic innocense of "Boy Next Door" and contrasting cheekiness of "Room 101". On the face of it, "Drama" doesn't bring anything new to the world of R&B and doesn't quite have the same impact as "Money". However, having written all but one of the 13 tracks (the exception being a cover of BeeGees' classic "Guilty"), Jamelia is one of the UK's big R&B's hopes and destined to shine brighter. A good debut!

Track listing

1. "One"
2. "Money
   Money (Jamelia song)
   "Money" is the third single from British R&B artist Jamelia and the second single from her debut album Drama. Originally "Thinking 'Bout You" was to be the second single from the album; a video was filmed and promotional copies of the single were sent to radio stations across the UK. That single...
   
   " (featuring Beenie Man
   Beenie Man
   Anthony Moses Davis , better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Grammy award winning Jamaican reggae artist. He is the self-proclaimed "King of the Dancehall".-Biography:...
   
   )
3. "Call Me
   Call Me (Jamelia song)
   "Call Me" is the fourth single from British R&B artist Jamelia and the third single from her debut album Drama. "Call Me" became another signature track in Jamelia's career and followed "Money" into the UK top 20, just missing out on a top 10 place, peaking at #11...
   
   "
4. "Not with You"
5. "Boy Next Door
   Boy Next Door (song)
   "Boy Next Door" is the fifth single from British R&B artist Jamelia and the fourth and final single from her debut album Drama. "Boy Next Door" is Jamelia's smallest hit, missing the UK Top 40, peaking at #42 and spending only two weeks inside the Top 75...
   
   "
6. "One Day"
7. "Ghetto"
8. "Thinking 'Bout You"
9. "I Do
   I Do (Jamelia song)
   "I Do" is the second single from British R&B artist Jamelia. "I Do" was the first single from her debut album Drama and was her first UK top 40 hit, peaking at #36 on the UK Singles Chart.-Track listing:# "I Do" # "I Do"...
   
   "
10. "Room 101"
11. "Guilty"
12. "I Can't Be"
13. "This Time"

Japanese track listing

1. "One"
2. "Thinking 'Bout You"
3. "I Do"
4. "Not with You"
5. "This Time"
6. "Money"
7. "Room 101"
8. "You Say You Love Me"
9. "I Can't Be"
10. "Call Me"
11. "Boy Next Door"
12. "Guilty"
13. "One Day"
14. "Ghetto"
15. "What Is Love"

Singles

Information
"I Do I Do (Jamelia song) "I Do" is the second single from British R&B artist Jamelia. "I Do" was the first single from her debut album Drama and was her first UK top 40 hit, peaking at #36 on the UK Singles Chart.-Track listing:# "I Do" # "I Do"... " Released: 19 July 1999 Chart positions: #36 (UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... )
"Money Money (Jamelia song) "Money" is the third single from British R&B artist Jamelia and the second single from her debut album Drama. Originally "Thinking 'Bout You" was to be the second single from the album; a video was filmed and promotional copies of the single were sent to radio stations across the UK. That single... " Released: 21 February 2000 Chart positions: #5 (UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... )
"Call Me Call Me (Jamelia song) "Call Me" is the fourth single from British R&B artist Jamelia and the third single from her debut album Drama. "Call Me" became another signature track in Jamelia's career and followed "Money" into the UK top 20, just missing out on a top 10 place, peaking at #11... " Released: 5 June 2000 Chart positions: #11 (UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... )
"Boy Next Door Boy Next Door (song) "Boy Next Door" is the fifth single from British R&B artist Jamelia and the fourth and final single from her debut album Drama. "Boy Next Door" is Jamelia's smallest hit, missing the UK Top 40, peaking at #42 and spending only two weeks inside the Top 75... " Released: 2 October 2000 Chart positions: #42 (UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... )