Ray Ray
Encyclopedia
Ray Ray, also known as Raphael Saadiq as Ray Ray, is the second studio album
by American R&B
and neo soul
musician Raphael Saadiq
, released September 27, 2004 on his Pookie Entertainment label. Production for the album was handled by Saadiq, Michael Angelo, Jake & The Phatman
, and Kelvin Wooten. Titled after a childhood nickname of Saadiq's, Ray Ray contains a more funk
-oriented sound than Saadiq's previous album, Instant Vintage
(2002), while it features romantic and some message-oriented lyrical themes. The album's cover artwork is inspired by the blaxploitation
films of the 1970s.
Prior to its release, Raphael Saadiq had stated that the album is "more aggressive, more radio-friendly. It's one of those good, Saturday-playing records". Ray Ray peaked at number 86 on the U.S. Billboard 200
, at number 18 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
, and at number 3 on the Top Independent Albums chart. Despite some mixed criticism towards its loose blaxploitation concept and Saadiq's songwriting, the album earned praise for its production quality and vintage style. Ray Ray received generally positive reviews from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 66/100 from Metacritic
.
.
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...
and neo soul
Neo soul
The term neo soul was originally coined by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Records in the late 1990s as a marketing category following the commercial breakthroughs of artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell...
musician Raphael Saadiq
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 TLC, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J...
, released September 27, 2004 on his Pookie Entertainment label. Production for the album was handled by Saadiq, Michael Angelo, Jake & The Phatman
Jake and the Phatman
Jake and the Phatman are Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum producers, songwriters, DJ's and Multi-Instrumentalists....
, and Kelvin Wooten. Titled after a childhood nickname of Saadiq's, Ray Ray contains a more funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
-oriented sound than Saadiq's previous album, Instant Vintage
Instant Vintage
Instant Vintage is the debut solo album of American R&B and neo soul musician Raphael Saadiq. It serves as Saadiq's first full-length solo album after spending much of his post-Tony! Toni! Toné! career as session player and producer. Primarily a neo soul album, it also exhibits musical styles such...
(2002), while it features romantic and some message-oriented lyrical themes. The album's cover artwork is inspired by the blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
films of the 1970s.
Prior to its release, Raphael Saadiq had stated that the album is "more aggressive, more radio-friendly. It's one of those good, Saturday-playing records". Ray Ray peaked at number 86 on the 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...
, at number 18 on the 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...
, and at number 3 on the Top Independent Albums chart. Despite some mixed criticism towards its loose blaxploitation concept and Saadiq's songwriting, the album earned praise for its production quality and vintage style. Ray Ray received generally positive reviews from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 66/100 from Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
Track listing
*Co-producerChart history
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US 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... |
86 |
| US 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... |
18 |
| US Billboard Top Independent Albums | 3 |
Personnel
Credits for Ray Ray adapted from DiscogsDiscogs
Discogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
.
- Michael Angelo – producer
- William Blochinger – photography
- Jake & The PhatmanJake and the PhatmanJake and the Phatman are Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum producers, songwriters, DJ's and Multi-Instrumentalists....
– co-producer - Will Ragland – artwork
- Raphael SaadiqRaphael 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 TLC, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J...
– exec. producer, performer, producer - Anette Sharvit – production coordinator
- Kris Solem – mastering
- Kelvin Wooten – producer
External links
- Ray Ray at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Ray Ray at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
- Saadiq Unveils 'Ray Ray' at Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...