Simply Deep is the debut solo album by
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer
Kelly RowlandKelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
, first released by
Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
on October 28, 2002 in North America, and by February 3, 2003 throughout most international territories. Recorded within the three weeks during the hiatus of former group
Destiny's ChildDestiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
and upon the success of worldwide number-one hit single "
Dilemma"Dilemma" is a song by the American rapper Nelly, featuring R&B singer Kelly Rowland. The single was released in 2002 from the Nelly's album Nellyville, and Rowland's album Simply Deep...
", a collaboration with rapper
NellyCornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
, the album facilitated Rowland in becoming a viable solo star. The album features guest appearances from
NellyCornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
,
Solange KnowlesSolange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
and
Joe Budden-Early life:Budden was born in Spanish Harlem, but lived in Queens until he was 12 and from there moved to Jersey City, New Jersey. He is one of five boys...
.
Simply Deep debuted and peaked at number twelve on the
Billboard 200The 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...
in the US, selling 77,000 copies on the first week. It eventually sold 600,000 copies and was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of AmericaThe Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
in 2003. The album also topped the
UK Albums ChartThe 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...
. It garnered two nominations at the
TMF AwardsThe TMF Awards are an annual television awards show broadcast live on TMF .The first Dutch TMF Awards were held in 1995, as a brand extension to the recently launched local Dutch music channel TMF. The show was very small and held in the company cafeteria...
at
Holland, and eventually won both trophies, including Best R&B International Artist. The single "Dilemma" won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with
NellyCornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
. Simply Deep has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the most successful albums of 2003.
In late-2003, nearly a year after Simply Deeps initial release, Rowland embarked on a European tour, the
Simply Deeper TourThe Simply Deeper Tour was a 2003 European concert tour by American pop/R&B singer Kelly Rowland, to help promote her debut solo album Simply Deep.It is estimated the tour grossed over $16 million based on 17 concerts reported to Billboard....
, to promote the album. Visiting seventeen venues, Rowland embarked on the tour in the
United KingdomThe 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...
on September 13, 2003 and concluded it on October 6, 2003 in Paris, France.
Background
Rowland launched her singing career with all-female
R&BContemporary 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...
group
Destiny's ChildDestiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
in the late 1990s. While recording their third studio album, Survivor, in late 2000, the band announced that members of the group would disband for a short period to produce solo albums in the coming years, which they hoped would boost interest in Destiny's Child. The idea of individual releases emanated from the group's manager,
Mathew KnowlesMathew Knowles is an American music executive and manager. He is the father and former manager of R&B singer Beyoncé , Knowles also managed Kelly Rowland as well as girl group Destiny's Child . He was also the manager of Solange Knowles.-Manager and producer:Knowles is an alumnus of Fisk...
. With different types of music for each member to produce, the albums were not intended to compete on the charts as Destiny's Child's management strategically planned to stagger the release of each group member's album to maximise sales. While
Michelle WilliamsTenitra Michelle Williams , commonly known as Michelle Williams, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress...
became the first to release a debut solo album,
Heart to YoursHeart to Yours is the first solo album by American singer Michelle Williams. Released on April 16, 2002, by Sanctuary and Columbia Records it became the first solo release of any Destiny's Child member...
, in April 2002, Knowles debuted on the big screen, starring in the comedy film
Austin Powers in GoldmemberAustin Powers in Goldmember is a 2002 American spy comedy film and the third installment of the Austin Powers series starring Mike Myers in the title role. The movie was directed by Jay Roach, and co-written by Mike Myers and Michael McCullers. Myers also plays the roles of Dr. Evil, Goldmember,...
, and started recording her solo debut
Dangerously in LoveDangerously in Love is the debut solo album of American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles, released on June 22, 2003, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in 2002 to 2003 at several studios, during the hiatus of her then-group Destiny's Child...
(2003). Meanwhile, Rowland collaborated with American rapper
NellyCornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
on the song "
Dilemma"Dilemma" is a song by the American rapper Nelly, featuring R&B singer Kelly Rowland. The single was released in 2002 from the Nelly's album Nellyville, and Rowland's album Simply Deep...
" as a featured artist. The second single to be lifted from the his album
Nellyville- Personnel :Credits for Nellyville adapted from Allmusic.* Nelly - Executive Producer* Ryan Bowser - Producer* Sandy Brummels - Art Direction* C-Love - Executive Producer* Luis Conte - Percussion* James Duncan - Assistant Engineer...
(2002), it became a worldwide number-one hit that year, leading her label
Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
to advance the release date of her debut solo album from 2003 to late 2002.
Recording
To get done within deadline, the singer was forced to rush the album within three weeks only. Recording sessions for the album took place at several recording studios, including Studio 353,
The Hit FactoryThe Hit Factory was a recording studio in New York City famous for its clientele. It was officially closed for business April 1, 2005 whereas other Hit Factory studio locations remained open, such as in Miami, Florida.-History:...
and Sound-on-Sound Studio in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Stankonia Recording Studio in
AtlantaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Audio Vision Recording Studios in
Miami BeachMiami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, and The Enterprise in
BurbankBurbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
,
Henson Recording StudiosHenson Recording Studios was established in 2000 at the former A&M Studios. The remake of We Are the World was recorded at Henson Recording Studios in February 2010 to benefit the Haiti earthquake victims....
and The Record Plant in
Los AngelesLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Heeba Jeeba Studios in Sherman Oaks and the Real FM Sound and Nature's Finest Studios in Hollywood. Several record producers and songwriters collaborated with Rowland on the album, including
Damon ElliottDamon Elliott , commonly known as Dame, is an American producer, writer, composer, recording artist and entrepreneur. His production genre’s include pop, hip hop, rock, R&B, gospel, and more recently, country....
,
Mark J. FeistMark J. Feist is a multi-platinum producer/songwriter who has contributed to the sale of over 25 million records worldwide. Feist currently resides in Los Angeles, California.- Early Age :...
,
Rob FusariRob Fusari is a record producer and songwriter, possibly best known for his work with American recording artist Lady Gaga.-Early life:Born and raised in Livingston, New Jersey, Fusari began studying classical piano at age eight, and became so skilled as a pianist, that he started performing in...
,
Rich HarrisonRich Harrison is a Grammy Award-winning record producer and songwriter from Washington, D.C.. He is primarily an R&B/Hip-Hop producer...
,
Teron BealTeron Beal is an American singer/songwriter born in Tyler, Texas. He has also written songs for Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, P!nk, Kelly Rowland, Chrisette Michele, Robyn, Jaheim and others....
, Billy Mann,
Damon SharpeDamon Sharpe is an award-winning music producer and songwriter who works in Los Angeles. He has contributed many recognizable songs to popular culture and has been involved with the production of various popular albums that cumulatively have sold over 34 million copies.-Early life:Sharpe was born...
, and
Robert "Big Bert" SmithRobert Anthony Smith, professionally known as Big Bert or Robert Anthony, is an American record producer, composer, songwriter and musician, who made his break in the industry when Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins consulted him to join his Darkchild collective in the late 1990s...
, the latter who contributed "Love/Hate," a song co-written by fellow singer
BrandyBrandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
.
Solange KnowlesSolange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
, Beyoncé's younger sister, wrote and co-produced three songs on Simply Deep.
Rowland who felt pressured by high exepectations, coming from Destiny's Child, was initially terrified by recording solo. "It was a challenge and I did that creatively and vocally," she later revealed, "I was very nervous, but I came through with flying colors because of my family and, of course, Destiny's Child. There were days in the studio where I would run out, like, 'I'm frustrated! I don't wanna do this!' And they would calm me and tell me that everything was gonna be okay. I got through it because of them." Rowland eventually overcame her fears during the process as her newfound independence offered her an opportunity to branch out and try new things. In fact, she co-wrote three songs on the album and came up with the vocal arrangements for several tracks. Musically, the album took Rowland's solo work further into an alternative music mixture, which she described as a "weired fusion [of] a little bit of
SadeSade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
and a little bit of
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
."
Release
Simply Deep was released through
Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in collaboration with Music World Music on October 28, 2002 in both the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The album would not be released worldwide until February 3, 2003. The album yielded three singles. "
Stole"Stole" is a song by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was written and co-produced by Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein and Steve Kipner and recorded for Rowland's solo album Simply Deep...
," a rock pop-influenced mid-tempo track about loss, was released as the album's lead single. The song entered the top twenty on the majority of the charts it appeared on, reaching the top five in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
,
IrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and the
United KingdomThe 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...
, where it remains her highest-charting solo single to date.
The album's second single was an up-tempo track entitled "
Can't Nobody"Can't Nobody" is an R&B song performed by American singer Kelly Rowland. Penned and produced by Rich Harrison for Rowland's solo debut album Simply Deep , it incorporates elements of Trouble Funk's 1982 record "Let's Get Small", written by band members Robert "Syke Dyke" Reed and Tony Fisher.The...
". The final single, "
Train on a Track"Train on a Track" is a pop/R&B song written by American producer Rob Fusari, Tiaa Wells, Balewa Muhammad and Sylvester Jordan for Kelly Rowland's solo debut album Simply Deep . It also was co-produced by Fusari and received a generally positive reception from music critics...
", was featured on the soundtrack of the
romantic comedyRomantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
film
Maid in ManhattanMaid in Manhattan is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Wayne Wang about a hotel maid and a high profile politician who fall in love starring Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, and Natasha Richardson. It is based on a story by John Hughes who is credited using a pseudonym. The original music score...
(2003).
Critical reception
Upon its release, Simply Deep received generally mixed to lukewarm reviews from most music critics. British morning newspaper
The IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
gave the album a generally favorable review, writing that "on the whole the album sticks closely to the standard urban-diva formula, mixing garage twitchers with the usual billing and cooing on ballads such as "Haven't Told You". But it's all done with style and intelligence, whether she's luxuriating in the loneliness of "Everytime You Walk Out That Door" or evoking the momentum of the first flush of love in "Train on a Track"." Lisa Verrico of
The TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
stated "on first listen, Simply Deep does everything but live up to its title. It sounds like a shallow stroll through the poppier end of urban music [...] But give it another listen and [it] does grow on you if you’re looking for an easy-on-the-ear album. It is a pleasant listen." Joy Dunbar, writing for
BBC MusicBBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
, noted that while "the albums main weakness is that it tries to offer too much diversity and Kelly tries too hard to stand outside her former incarnation," it was a must-have for fans of R&B music, adding: "Simply Deep endeavours to demonstrate another side of Kelly Rowland, as a song writer and an independent solo artist [...] The in frequent high points make this a must for your collection."
In her review for Simply Deep, Caroline Sullivan of
The GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
wrote, "Rowland is no longer a mere backing vocalist for
Beyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
. But while she undoubtedly has talent to burn, her first solo album is a mildly disappointing setting for it. A top-flight example of the American inclination toward lush but lightweight soul, it makes all the right R&B noises without engaging the emotions." She gave it three out of five stars. Sal Cinquemani of
SlantSlant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
dismissed the ballads on Simply Deep as "all gloppy-goo and no soul; but through it all Rowland manages to keep her cool. The album's best tracks, the light and breezy "Train on a Track" and "(Love Lives In) Strange Places," infuse the singer's lush harmonies with acoustic guitars and poetic wordplay." He especially criticized
Solange KnowlesSolange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
' contribution to the album, noting her "icky [and] laughable lyrics" as the worst on Simply Deep which he rated two and a half out of five stars. Jon Caramanica of
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
commented that "Rowland, at times, seems like Destiny's adopted child, never receiving a full helping of Knowles-family adulation. Alas, her first solo project doesn't pull her out from Beyonce's shadow. She needs added star power: Her backup-singer instincts leave even the hottest songs herre feeling somewhat chilly."
Craig SeymourCraig Seymour is an American writer, photographer, celebrity interviewer, music critic and former stripper. He was born in Washington, D.C.. He has written for The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Vibe, and Spin, among other publications, and has served as pop music critic for The Buffalo...
of Vibe was generally disappointed with the album, writing: "Rowland's solo album marks an attempt to further establish herself as a singular talent, but the effort is as misguided as the Nelly hookup was savvy [...] An abundance of of cheesy folk/R&B numbers make Rowland come off like
BrandyBrandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
fronting as
India.ArieIndia.Arie is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and record producer . She has sold over 3.3 million records in the U.S. and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album.-Background:Simpson was born in Denver, Colorado...
." He gave Simply Deep one and a half out of five stars.
Commercial performance
Simply Deep peaked at number twelve on the
Billboard 200The 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...
, the official albums chart in the United States, on November 9, 2002, selling 77,000 units in its first week of release. Simultaneously, the album also charted on the Billboard
Top R&B/Hip-Hop AlbumsTop 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...
tally, reaching number three behind
LL Cool JJames Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
's
10-Charts:Albums – Billboard Singles – Billboard...
(2002) and
Gerald LevertGerald Levert was an American R&B singer. Gerald Levert sang with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon in the R&B trio LeVert. He was also a part of LSG, an R&B supergroup comprising Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, and Levert...
's The G Spot (2002). By the end of the year, Simply Deep was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of AmericaThe Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA). It went on to sell more than 600,000 copies in the U.S.
Released to even bigger success in international territories, in the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number-one on the
UK Albums ChartThe 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...
on February 15, 2003, selling more than 100,000 copies in its first week. It received both a silver and a gold certification by the
British Phonographic IndustryThe British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
(BPI) the following week, and by April 2011, had been certified platinum for shipping 300,000 units. Simply Deep also reached the top spot on the
Irish Albums ChartThe Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...
and was certified gold by the
Irish Recorded Music AssociationIrish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:...
(IRMA). Elsewhere in Europe, the album managed to enter the top ten in Denmark and the top twenty in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland. Across Oceania, it placed fifth and seventh on the Australian and the New Zealand Albums Chart, in the week of January 26, 2003,
Simply Deep is the debut solo album by
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer
Kelly RowlandKelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
, first released by
Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
on October 28, 2002 in North America, and by February 3, 2003 throughout most international territories. Recorded within the three weeks during the hiatus of former group
Destiny's ChildDestiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
and upon the success of worldwide number-one hit single "
Dilemma"Dilemma" is a song by the American rapper Nelly, featuring R&B singer Kelly Rowland. The single was released in 2002 from the Nelly's album Nellyville, and Rowland's album Simply Deep...
", a collaboration with rapper
NellyCornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
, the album facilitated Rowland in becoming a viable solo star. The album features guest appearances from
NellyCornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
,
Solange KnowlesSolange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
and
Joe Budden-Early life:Budden was born in Spanish Harlem, but lived in Queens until he was 12 and from there moved to Jersey City, New Jersey. He is one of five boys...
.
Simply Deep debuted and peaked at number twelve on the
Billboard 200The 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...
in the US, selling 77,000 copies on the first week. It eventually sold 600,000 copies and was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of AmericaThe Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
in 2003.
The album also topped the
UK Albums ChartThe 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...
.
It garnered two nominations at the
TMF AwardsThe TMF Awards are an annual television awards show broadcast live on TMF .The first Dutch TMF Awards were held in 1995, as a brand extension to the recently launched local Dutch music channel TMF. The show was very small and held in the company cafeteria...
at
Holland, and eventually won both trophies, including Best R&B International Artist. The single "Dilemma" won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with
NellyCornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
. Simply Deep has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the most successful albums of 2003.
In late-2003, nearly a year after Simply Deeps initial release, Rowland embarked on a European tour, the
Simply Deeper TourThe Simply Deeper Tour was a 2003 European concert tour by American pop/R&B singer Kelly Rowland, to help promote her debut solo album Simply Deep.It is estimated the tour grossed over $16 million based on 17 concerts reported to Billboard....
, to promote the album. Visiting seventeen venues, Rowland embarked on the tour in the
United KingdomThe 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...
on September 13, 2003 and concluded it on October 6, 2003 in Paris, France.
Background
Rowland launched her singing career with all-female
R&BContemporary 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...
group
Destiny's ChildDestiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
in the late 1990s. While recording their third studio album, Survivor, in late 2000, the band announced that members of the group would disband for a short period to produce solo albums in the coming years, which they hoped would boost interest in Destiny's Child.
The idea of individual releases emanated from the group's manager,
Mathew KnowlesMathew Knowles is an American music executive and manager. He is the father and former manager of R&B singer Beyoncé , Knowles also managed Kelly Rowland as well as girl group Destiny's Child . He was also the manager of Solange Knowles.-Manager and producer:Knowles is an alumnus of Fisk...
.
With different types of music for each member to produce, the albums were not intended to compete on the charts as Destiny's Child's management strategically planned to stagger the release of each group member's album to maximise sales.
While
Michelle WilliamsTenitra Michelle Williams , commonly known as Michelle Williams, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress...
became the first to release a debut solo album,
Heart to YoursHeart to Yours is the first solo album by American singer Michelle Williams. Released on April 16, 2002, by Sanctuary and Columbia Records it became the first solo release of any Destiny's Child member...
, in April 2002,
Knowles debuted on the big screen, starring in the comedy film
Austin Powers in GoldmemberAustin Powers in Goldmember is a 2002 American spy comedy film and the third installment of the Austin Powers series starring Mike Myers in the title role. The movie was directed by Jay Roach, and co-written by Mike Myers and Michael McCullers. Myers also plays the roles of Dr. Evil, Goldmember,...
, and started recording her solo debut
Dangerously in LoveDangerously in Love is the debut solo album of American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles, released on June 22, 2003, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in 2002 to 2003 at several studios, during the hiatus of her then-group Destiny's Child...
(2003).
Meanwhile, Rowland collaborated with American rapper
NellyCornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
on the song "
Dilemma"Dilemma" is a song by the American rapper Nelly, featuring R&B singer Kelly Rowland. The single was released in 2002 from the Nelly's album Nellyville, and Rowland's album Simply Deep...
" as a featured artist. The second single to be lifted from the his album
Nellyville- Personnel :Credits for Nellyville adapted from Allmusic.* Nelly - Executive Producer* Ryan Bowser - Producer* Sandy Brummels - Art Direction* C-Love - Executive Producer* Luis Conte - Percussion* James Duncan - Assistant Engineer...
(2002), it became a worldwide number-one hit that year, leading her label
Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
to advance the release date of her debut solo album from 2003 to late 2002.
Recording
To get done within deadline, the singer was forced to rush the album within three weeks only.
Recording sessions for the album took place at several recording studios, including Studio 353,
The Hit FactoryThe Hit Factory was a recording studio in New York City famous for its clientele. It was officially closed for business April 1, 2005 whereas other Hit Factory studio locations remained open, such as in Miami, Florida.-History:...
and Sound-on-Sound Studio in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Stankonia Recording Studio in
AtlantaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Audio Vision Recording Studios in
Miami BeachMiami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, and The Enterprise in
BurbankBurbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
,
Henson Recording StudiosHenson Recording Studios was established in 2000 at the former A&M Studios. The remake of We Are the World was recorded at Henson Recording Studios in February 2010 to benefit the Haiti earthquake victims....
and The Record Plant in
Los AngelesLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Heeba Jeeba Studios in Sherman Oaks and the Real FM Sound and Nature's Finest Studios in Hollywood.
Several record producers and songwriters collaborated with Rowland on the album, including
Damon ElliottDamon Elliott , commonly known as Dame, is an American producer, writer, composer, recording artist and entrepreneur. His production genre’s include pop, hip hop, rock, R&B, gospel, and more recently, country....
,
Mark J. FeistMark J. Feist is a multi-platinum producer/songwriter who has contributed to the sale of over 25 million records worldwide. Feist currently resides in Los Angeles, California.- Early Age :...
,
Rob FusariRob Fusari is a record producer and songwriter, possibly best known for his work with American recording artist Lady Gaga.-Early life:Born and raised in Livingston, New Jersey, Fusari began studying classical piano at age eight, and became so skilled as a pianist, that he started performing in...
,
Rich HarrisonRich Harrison is a Grammy Award-winning record producer and songwriter from Washington, D.C.. He is primarily an R&B/Hip-Hop producer...
,
Teron BealTeron Beal is an American singer/songwriter born in Tyler, Texas. He has also written songs for Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, P!nk, Kelly Rowland, Chrisette Michele, Robyn, Jaheim and others....
, Billy Mann,
Damon SharpeDamon Sharpe is an award-winning music producer and songwriter who works in Los Angeles. He has contributed many recognizable songs to popular culture and has been involved with the production of various popular albums that cumulatively have sold over 34 million copies.-Early life:Sharpe was born...
, and
Robert "Big Bert" SmithRobert Anthony Smith, professionally known as Big Bert or Robert Anthony, is an American record producer, composer, songwriter and musician, who made his break in the industry when Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins consulted him to join his Darkchild collective in the late 1990s...
, the latter who contributed "Love/Hate," a song co-written by fellow singer
BrandyBrandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
.
Solange KnowlesSolange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
, Beyoncé's younger sister, wrote and co-produced three songs on Simply Deep.
Rowland who felt pressured by high exepectations, coming from Destiny's Child, was initially terrified by recording solo. "It was a challenge and I did that creatively and vocally," she later revealed, "I was very nervous, but I came through with flying colors because of my family and, of course, Destiny's Child. There were days in the studio where I would run out, like, 'I'm frustrated! I don't wanna do this!' And they would calm me and tell me that everything was gonna be okay. I got through it because of them."
Rowland eventually overcame her fears during the process as her newfound independence offered her an opportunity to branch out and try new things.
Musically, the album took Rowland's solo work further into an alternative music mixture, which she described as a "weired fusion [of] a little bit of
SadeSade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
and a little bit of
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
."
Release
Simply Deep was released through
Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in collaboration with Music World Music on October 28, 2002 in both the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The album would not be released worldwide until February 3, 2003. The album yielded three singles. "
Stole"Stole" is a song by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was written and co-produced by Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein and Steve Kipner and recorded for Rowland's solo album Simply Deep...
," a rock pop-influenced mid-tempo track about loss, was released as the album's lead single. The song entered the top twenty on the majority of the charts it appeared on, reaching the top five in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
,
IrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and the
United KingdomThe 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...
, where it remains her highest-charting solo single to date.
The album's second single was an up-tempo track entitled "
Can't Nobody"Can't Nobody" is an R&B song performed by American singer Kelly Rowland. Penned and produced by Rich Harrison for Rowland's solo debut album Simply Deep , it incorporates elements of Trouble Funk's 1982 record "Let's Get Small", written by band members Robert "Syke Dyke" Reed and Tony Fisher.The...
". The final single, "
Train on a Track"Train on a Track" is a pop/R&B song written by American producer Rob Fusari, Tiaa Wells, Balewa Muhammad and Sylvester Jordan for Kelly Rowland's solo debut album Simply Deep . It also was co-produced by Fusari and received a generally positive reception from music critics...
", was featured on the soundtrack of the
romantic comedyRomantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
film
Maid in ManhattanMaid in Manhattan is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Wayne Wang about a hotel maid and a high profile politician who fall in love starring Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, and Natasha Richardson. It is based on a story by John Hughes who is credited using a pseudonym. The original music score...
(2003).
Critical reception
Upon its release, Simply Deep received generally mixed to lukewarm reviews from most music critics.
British morning newspaper
The IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
gave the album a generally favorable review, writing that "on the whole the album sticks closely to the standard urban-diva formula, mixing garage twitchers with the usual billing and cooing on ballads such as "Haven't Told You". But it's all done with style and intelligence, whether she's luxuriating in the loneliness of "Everytime You Walk Out That Door" or evoking the momentum of the first flush of love in "Train on a Track"."
Lisa Verrico of
The TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
stated "on first listen, Simply Deep does everything but live up to its title. It sounds like a shallow stroll through the poppier end of urban music [...] But give it another listen and [it] does grow on you if you’re looking for an easy-on-the-ear album. It is a pleasant listen."
Joy Dunbar, writing for
BBC MusicBBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
, noted that while "the albums main weakness is that it tries to offer too much diversity and Kelly tries too hard to stand outside her former incarnation," it was a must-have for fans of R&B music, adding: "Simply Deep endeavours to demonstrate another side of Kelly Rowland, as a song writer and an independent solo artist [...] The in frequent high points make this a must for your collection."
In her review for Simply Deep, Caroline Sullivan of
The GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
wrote, "Rowland is no longer a mere backing vocalist for
Beyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
. But while she undoubtedly has talent to burn, her first solo album is a mildly disappointing setting for it. A top-flight example of the American inclination toward lush but lightweight soul, it makes all the right R&B noises without engaging the emotions."
She gave it three out of five stars.
Sal Cinquemani of
SlantSlant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
dismissed the ballads on Simply Deep as "all gloppy-goo and no soul; but through it all Rowland manages to keep her cool. The album's best tracks, the light and breezy "Train on a Track" and "(Love Lives In) Strange Places," infuse the singer's lush harmonies with acoustic guitars and poetic wordplay."
He especially criticized
Solange KnowlesSolange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
' contribution to the album, noting her "icky [and] laughable lyrics" as the worst on Simply Deep which he rated two and a half out of five stars.
Jon Caramanica of
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
commented that "Rowland, at times, seems like Destiny's adopted child, never receiving a full helping of Knowles-family adulation. Alas, her first solo project doesn't pull her out from Beyonce's shadow. She needs added star power: Her backup-singer instincts leave even the hottest songs herre feeling somewhat chilly."
Craig Seymour is an American writer, photographer, celebrity interviewer, music critic and former stripper. He was born in Washington, D.C.. He has written for The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Vibe, and Spin, among other publications, and has served as pop music critic for The Buffalo...
of Vibe was generally disappointed with the album, writing: "Rowland's solo album marks an attempt to further establish herself as a singular talent, but the effort is as misguided as the Nelly hookup was savvy [...] An abundance of of cheesy folk/R&B numbers make Rowland come off like
BrandyBrandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
fronting as
India.ArieIndia.Arie is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and record producer . She has sold over 3.3 million records in the U.S. and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album.-Background:Simpson was born in Denver, Colorado...
."
He gave Simply Deep one and a half out of five stars.
Commercial performance
Simply Deep peaked at number twelve on the
Billboard 200The 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...
, the official albums chart in the United States, on November 9, 2002, selling 77,000 units in its first week of release. Simultaneously, the album also charted on the Billboard
Top R&B/Hip-Hop AlbumsTop 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...
tally, reaching number three behind
LL Cool JJames Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
's
10-Charts:Albums – Billboard Singles – Billboard...
(2002) and
Gerald LevertGerald Levert was an American R&B singer. Gerald Levert sang with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon in the R&B trio LeVert. He was also a part of LSG, an R&B supergroup comprising Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, and Levert...
's The G Spot (2002). By the end of the year, Simply Deep was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of AmericaThe Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA). It went on to sell more than 600,000 copies in the U.S.
Released to even bigger success in international territories, in the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number-one on the
UK Albums ChartThe 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...
on February 15, 2003, selling more than 100,000 copies in its first week. It received both a silver and a gold certification by the
British Phonographic IndustryThe British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
(BPI) the following week, and by April 2011, had been certified platinum for shipping 300,000 units. Simply Deep also reached the top spot on the
Irish Albums ChartThe Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...
and was certified gold by the
Irish Recorded Music AssociationIrish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:...
(IRMA). Elsewhere in Europe, the album managed to enter the top ten in Denmark and the top twenty in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland.
Across Oceania, it placed fifth and seventh on the Australian and the New Zealand Albums Chart, in the week of January 26, 2003,
Simply Deep is the debut solo album by
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer
Kelly RowlandKelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
, first released by
Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
on October 28, 2002 in North America, and by February 3, 2003 throughout most international territories. Recorded within the three weeks during the hiatus of former group
Destiny's ChildDestiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
and upon the success of worldwide number-one hit single "
Dilemma"Dilemma" is a song by the American rapper Nelly, featuring R&B singer Kelly Rowland. The single was released in 2002 from the Nelly's album Nellyville, and Rowland's album Simply Deep...
", a collaboration with rapper
NellyCornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
, the album facilitated Rowland in becoming a viable solo star. The album features guest appearances from
NellyCornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
,
Solange KnowlesSolange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
and
Joe Budden-Early life:Budden was born in Spanish Harlem, but lived in Queens until he was 12 and from there moved to Jersey City, New Jersey. He is one of five boys...
.
Simply Deep debuted and peaked at number twelve on the
Billboard 200The 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...
in the US, selling 77,000 copies on the first week. It eventually sold 600,000 copies and was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of AmericaThe Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
in 2003.
The album also topped the
UK Albums ChartThe 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...
.
It garnered two nominations at the
TMF AwardsThe TMF Awards are an annual television awards show broadcast live on TMF .The first Dutch TMF Awards were held in 1995, as a brand extension to the recently launched local Dutch music channel TMF. The show was very small and held in the company cafeteria...
at
Holland, and eventually won both trophies, including Best R&B International Artist. The single "Dilemma" won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with
NellyCornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
. Simply Deep has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the most successful albums of 2003.
In late-2003, nearly a year after Simply Deeps initial release, Rowland embarked on a European tour, the
Simply Deeper TourThe Simply Deeper Tour was a 2003 European concert tour by American pop/R&B singer Kelly Rowland, to help promote her debut solo album Simply Deep.It is estimated the tour grossed over $16 million based on 17 concerts reported to Billboard....
, to promote the album. Visiting seventeen venues, Rowland embarked on the tour in the
United KingdomThe 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...
on September 13, 2003 and concluded it on October 6, 2003 in Paris, France.
Background
Rowland launched her singing career with all-female
R&BContemporary 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...
group
Destiny's ChildDestiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
in the late 1990s. While recording their third studio album, Survivor, in late 2000, the band announced that members of the group would disband for a short period to produce solo albums in the coming years, which they hoped would boost interest in Destiny's Child.
The idea of individual releases emanated from the group's manager,
Mathew KnowlesMathew Knowles is an American music executive and manager. He is the father and former manager of R&B singer Beyoncé , Knowles also managed Kelly Rowland as well as girl group Destiny's Child . He was also the manager of Solange Knowles.-Manager and producer:Knowles is an alumnus of Fisk...
.
With different types of music for each member to produce, the albums were not intended to compete on the charts as Destiny's Child's management strategically planned to stagger the release of each group member's album to maximise sales.
While
Michelle WilliamsTenitra Michelle Williams , commonly known as Michelle Williams, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress...
became the first to release a debut solo album,
Heart to YoursHeart to Yours is the first solo album by American singer Michelle Williams. Released on April 16, 2002, by Sanctuary and Columbia Records it became the first solo release of any Destiny's Child member...
, in April 2002,
Knowles debuted on the big screen, starring in the comedy film
Austin Powers in GoldmemberAustin Powers in Goldmember is a 2002 American spy comedy film and the third installment of the Austin Powers series starring Mike Myers in the title role. The movie was directed by Jay Roach, and co-written by Mike Myers and Michael McCullers. Myers also plays the roles of Dr. Evil, Goldmember,...
, and started recording her solo debut
Dangerously in LoveDangerously in Love is the debut solo album of American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles, released on June 22, 2003, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in 2002 to 2003 at several studios, during the hiatus of her then-group Destiny's Child...
(2003).
Meanwhile, Rowland collaborated with American rapper
NellyCornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
on the song "
Dilemma"Dilemma" is a song by the American rapper Nelly, featuring R&B singer Kelly Rowland. The single was released in 2002 from the Nelly's album Nellyville, and Rowland's album Simply Deep...
" as a featured artist. The second single to be lifted from the his album
Nellyville- Personnel :Credits for Nellyville adapted from Allmusic.* Nelly - Executive Producer* Ryan Bowser - Producer* Sandy Brummels - Art Direction* C-Love - Executive Producer* Luis Conte - Percussion* James Duncan - Assistant Engineer...
(2002), it became a worldwide number-one hit that year, leading her label
Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
to advance the release date of her debut solo album from 2003 to late 2002.
Recording
To get done within deadline, the singer was forced to rush the album within three weeks only.
Recording sessions for the album took place at several recording studios, including Studio 353,
The Hit FactoryThe Hit Factory was a recording studio in New York City famous for its clientele. It was officially closed for business April 1, 2005 whereas other Hit Factory studio locations remained open, such as in Miami, Florida.-History:...
and Sound-on-Sound Studio in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Stankonia Recording Studio in
AtlantaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Audio Vision Recording Studios in
Miami BeachMiami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, and The Enterprise in
BurbankBurbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
,
Henson Recording StudiosHenson Recording Studios was established in 2000 at the former A&M Studios. The remake of We Are the World was recorded at Henson Recording Studios in February 2010 to benefit the Haiti earthquake victims....
and The Record Plant in
Los AngelesLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Heeba Jeeba Studios in Sherman Oaks and the Real FM Sound and Nature's Finest Studios in Hollywood.
Several record producers and songwriters collaborated with Rowland on the album, including
Damon ElliottDamon Elliott , commonly known as Dame, is an American producer, writer, composer, recording artist and entrepreneur. His production genre’s include pop, hip hop, rock, R&B, gospel, and more recently, country....
,
Mark J. FeistMark J. Feist is a multi-platinum producer/songwriter who has contributed to the sale of over 25 million records worldwide. Feist currently resides in Los Angeles, California.- Early Age :...
,
Rob FusariRob Fusari is a record producer and songwriter, possibly best known for his work with American recording artist Lady Gaga.-Early life:Born and raised in Livingston, New Jersey, Fusari began studying classical piano at age eight, and became so skilled as a pianist, that he started performing in...
,
Rich HarrisonRich Harrison is a Grammy Award-winning record producer and songwriter from Washington, D.C.. He is primarily an R&B/Hip-Hop producer...
,
Teron BealTeron Beal is an American singer/songwriter born in Tyler, Texas. He has also written songs for Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, P!nk, Kelly Rowland, Chrisette Michele, Robyn, Jaheim and others....
, Billy Mann,
Damon SharpeDamon Sharpe is an award-winning music producer and songwriter who works in Los Angeles. He has contributed many recognizable songs to popular culture and has been involved with the production of various popular albums that cumulatively have sold over 34 million copies.-Early life:Sharpe was born...
, and
Robert "Big Bert" SmithRobert Anthony Smith, professionally known as Big Bert or Robert Anthony, is an American record producer, composer, songwriter and musician, who made his break in the industry when Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins consulted him to join his Darkchild collective in the late 1990s...
, the latter who contributed "Love/Hate," a song co-written by fellow singer
BrandyBrandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
.
Solange KnowlesSolange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
, Beyoncé's younger sister, wrote and co-produced three songs on Simply Deep.
Rowland who felt pressured by high exepectations, coming from Destiny's Child, was initially terrified by recording solo. "It was a challenge and I did that creatively and vocally," she later revealed, "I was very nervous, but I came through with flying colors because of my family and, of course, Destiny's Child. There were days in the studio where I would run out, like, 'I'm frustrated! I don't wanna do this!' And they would calm me and tell me that everything was gonna be okay. I got through it because of them."
Rowland eventually overcame her fears during the process as her newfound independence offered her an opportunity to branch out and try new things.
Musically, the album took Rowland's solo work further into an alternative music mixture, which she described as a "weired fusion [of] a little bit of
SadeSade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
and a little bit of
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
."
Release
Simply Deep was released through
Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in collaboration with Music World Music on October 28, 2002 in both the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The album would not be released worldwide until February 3, 2003. The album yielded three singles. "
Stole"Stole" is a song by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was written and co-produced by Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein and Steve Kipner and recorded for Rowland's solo album Simply Deep...
," a rock pop-influenced mid-tempo track about loss, was released as the album's lead single. The song entered the top twenty on the majority of the charts it appeared on, reaching the top five in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
,
IrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and the
United KingdomThe 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...
, where it remains her highest-charting solo single to date.
The album's second single was an up-tempo track entitled "
Can't Nobody"Can't Nobody" is an R&B song performed by American singer Kelly Rowland. Penned and produced by Rich Harrison for Rowland's solo debut album Simply Deep , it incorporates elements of Trouble Funk's 1982 record "Let's Get Small", written by band members Robert "Syke Dyke" Reed and Tony Fisher.The...
". The final single, "
Train on a Track"Train on a Track" is a pop/R&B song written by American producer Rob Fusari, Tiaa Wells, Balewa Muhammad and Sylvester Jordan for Kelly Rowland's solo debut album Simply Deep . It also was co-produced by Fusari and received a generally positive reception from music critics...
", was featured on the soundtrack of the
romantic comedyRomantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
film
Maid in ManhattanMaid in Manhattan is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Wayne Wang about a hotel maid and a high profile politician who fall in love starring Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, and Natasha Richardson. It is based on a story by John Hughes who is credited using a pseudonym. The original music score...
(2003).
Critical reception
Upon its release, Simply Deep received generally mixed to lukewarm reviews from most music critics.
British morning newspaper
The IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
gave the album a generally favorable review, writing that "on the whole the album sticks closely to the standard urban-diva formula, mixing garage twitchers with the usual billing and cooing on ballads such as "Haven't Told You". But it's all done with style and intelligence, whether she's luxuriating in the loneliness of "Everytime You Walk Out That Door" or evoking the momentum of the first flush of love in "Train on a Track"."
Lisa Verrico of
The TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
stated "on first listen, Simply Deep does everything but live up to its title. It sounds like a shallow stroll through the poppier end of urban music [...] But give it another listen and [it] does grow on you if you’re looking for an easy-on-the-ear album. It is a pleasant listen."
Joy Dunbar, writing for
BBC MusicBBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
, noted that while "the albums main weakness is that it tries to offer too much diversity and Kelly tries too hard to stand outside her former incarnation," it was a must-have for fans of R&B music, adding: "Simply Deep endeavours to demonstrate another side of Kelly Rowland, as a song writer and an independent solo artist [...] The in frequent high points make this a must for your collection."
In her review for Simply Deep, Caroline Sullivan of
The GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
wrote, "Rowland is no longer a mere backing vocalist for
Beyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
. But while she undoubtedly has talent to burn, her first solo album is a mildly disappointing setting for it. A top-flight example of the American inclination toward lush but lightweight soul, it makes all the right R&B noises without engaging the emotions."
She gave it three out of five stars.
Sal Cinquemani of
SlantSlant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
dismissed the ballads on Simply Deep as "all gloppy-goo and no soul; but through it all Rowland manages to keep her cool. The album's best tracks, the light and breezy "Train on a Track" and "(Love Lives In) Strange Places," infuse the singer's lush harmonies with acoustic guitars and poetic wordplay."
He especially criticized
Solange KnowlesSolange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
' contribution to the album, noting her "icky [and] laughable lyrics" as the worst on Simply Deep which he rated two and a half out of five stars.
Jon Caramanica of
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
commented that "Rowland, at times, seems like Destiny's adopted child, never receiving a full helping of Knowles-family adulation. Alas, her first solo project doesn't pull her out from Beyonce's shadow. She needs added star power: Her backup-singer instincts leave even the hottest songs herre feeling somewhat chilly."
Craig Seymour is an American writer, photographer, celebrity interviewer, music critic and former stripper. He was born in Washington, D.C.. He has written for The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Vibe, and Spin, among other publications, and has served as pop music critic for The Buffalo...
of Vibe was generally disappointed with the album, writing: "Rowland's solo album marks an attempt to further establish herself as a singular talent, but the effort is as misguided as the Nelly hookup was savvy [...] An abundance of of cheesy folk/R&B numbers make Rowland come off like
BrandyBrandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
fronting as
India.ArieIndia.Arie is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and record producer . She has sold over 3.3 million records in the U.S. and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album.-Background:Simpson was born in Denver, Colorado...
."
He gave Simply Deep one and a half out of five stars.
Commercial performance
Simply Deep peaked at number twelve on the
Billboard 200The 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...
, the official albums chart in the United States, on November 9, 2002, selling 77,000 units in its first week of release. Simultaneously, the album also charted on the Billboard
Top R&B/Hip-Hop AlbumsTop 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...
tally, reaching number three behind
LL Cool JJames Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
's
10-Charts:Albums – Billboard Singles – Billboard...
(2002) and
Gerald LevertGerald Levert was an American R&B singer. Gerald Levert sang with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon in the R&B trio LeVert. He was also a part of LSG, an R&B supergroup comprising Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, and Levert...
's The G Spot (2002). By the end of the year, Simply Deep was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of AmericaThe Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA). It went on to sell more than 600,000 copies in the U.S.
Released to even bigger success in international territories, in the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number-one on the
UK Albums ChartThe 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...
on February 15, 2003, selling more than 100,000 copies in its first week. It received both a silver and a gold certification by the
British Phonographic IndustryThe British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
(BPI) the following week, and by April 2011, had been certified platinum for shipping 300,000 units. Simply Deep also reached the top spot on the
Irish Albums ChartThe Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...
and was certified gold by the
Irish Recorded Music AssociationIrish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:...
(IRMA). Elsewhere in Europe, the album managed to enter the top ten in Denmark and the top twenty in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland.
Across Oceania, it placed fifth and seventh on the Australian and the New Zealand Albums Chart, in the week of January 26, 2003,
and was certified gold by both the
Australian Recording Industry AssociationThe Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) and the
Recording Industry Association of New ZealandThe Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
(RIANZ).
In addition, the album became a gold-seller in
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
,
Hong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, resulting into a worldwide sales total of two million copies, making it Rowland's best-selling solo album to date.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits are taken from the album's liner notes.
Managerial and imagery
- A&R
Artists 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 :...
– Theresa LaBarbera Whites
- Art Direction – Fabiola Caceres, Ian Cuttler
- Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
s – Mathew KnowlesMathew Knowles is an American music executive and manager. He is the father and former manager of R&B singer Beyoncé , Knowles also managed Kelly Rowland as well as girl group Destiny's Child . He was also the manager of Solange Knowles.-Manager and producer:Knowles is an alumnus of Fisk...
, Kelly Rowland
- Photography
Photography 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...
– Isabel Snyder
Performance credits
- Vocal assistance – Sherrie Ford, Jeanette Olsson
Instruments
- acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
– Billy Mann
- cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
– Kati Raitinen, Peter Tornblom
- electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
– Nick Moroch
- guitar
The 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...
– Romeo Antonio, Mats Berntoft, Svein H. Martinsen, Isaac Phillips, Sergio Ponzo, Stanka Simeonova
- viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
– Tonstudio Bauer, Torbjorn Helander, Mikael Sjogren
- bass
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
– Mark J. FeistMark J. Feist is a multi-platinum producer/songwriter who has contributed to the sale of over 25 million records worldwide. Feist currently resides in Los Angeles, California.- Early Age :...
- drums – Mark J. Feist
- violin – Christian Bergqvist, Ulrika Frankmar, Jan Isaksson, Roger Johnsson, Stanka Simeonova, Stanka Simeonova, Monika Stankkoliska
Technical and production
- Engineer
An 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,...
ing – Blake English, Paul Falcone, John Frye, Franny G, Jaime Sickora, Spider, Kevin Thomas
- Engineering assistance – Jun Ishizeki, Flip Osman, Daniel Milazzo
- Mastering
Mastering, 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...
: Tom Coyne
- Mixing
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
: Tony Maserati, Dave Pensado, Richard Travali
- Production – Anders Barrén, Dane Deviller, Mark J. Feist
Mark J. Feist is a multi-platinum producer/songwriter who has contributed to the sale of over 25 million records worldwide. Feist currently resides in Los Angeles, California.- Early Age :...
,Sean Hosein, Heeba Jeeba, Steve Kipner, Faltone Moore, Jany Schella, Damon Sharpe
- Vocal production – Teron Beal
Teron Beal is an American singer/songwriter born in Tyler, Texas. He has also written songs for Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, P!nk, Kelly Rowland, Chrisette Michele, Robyn, Jaheim and others....
, Brandy NorwoodBrandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
, Kelly Rowland, Tiaa Wells
Weekly charts
Certifications
Chart procession and succession
Release history
External links
- Simply Deep at Discogs
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...