Sparkle is the self-titled debut album by R&B singer, Sparkle

Sparkle (singer)

Stephanie Edwards , better known as Sparkle is an American R&B singer. She began her career in 1998 as a protégé of R. Kelly.-Career:...

. It was released on May 19, 1998 through Interscope Records

Interscope Records

Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...

 and was entirely produced by her mentor R. Kelly

R. Kelly

Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...

. The album was a success in large part to the Sparkle-R.Kelly duet "Be Careful", which peaked at 3 on the Rhythmic Top 40 and 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay

The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart is the airplay component chart of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. It is not the R&B subset of The Hot 100 Airplay, but rather a separate panel of R&B stations in urban markets used for the R&B/Hip-Hop chart...

. The album itself peaked at 3 on the 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...

 and was certified gold on December 7, 2000.

In addition to "Be Careful", "Time to Move On" and "Lovin' You" were also released as singles, but neither made it to the Billboard charts.

Entertainment Weekly (6/19/98, p.74) - "Unlike her wannabe-diva peers, this R.Kelly protegee remembers what the 'B' in R&B stands for....R.Kelly surrounds her with blaxploitation-vintage wah-wah guitars, haunting strings, and blue-collar blues; the resulting soul digs far deeper than Kelly's usual bump'n' grind..." - Rating: B+

Track listing

1. "Good Life"- 3:46 (Featuring Cam'ron
   Cam'ron
   Cameron Giles , better known by his stage name Cam'ron or "Killa Cam", is a Grammy-nominated American actor. He is the founder of the hip-hop group The Diplomats , and also of The U.N. group....
   
    and Nature
   Nature (rapper)
   Jermain Baxter , better known as Nature, is an American rapper, best known for his association with fellow Queensbridge-born rapper Nas.-Career:...
   
   )
2. "Time to Move On"- 4:03
3. "Lean on Me"- 4:22
4. "I'm Gone"- 5:14
5. "Turn Away"- 4:43
6. "What About"- 4:47
7. "Be Careful"- 5:17 (Featuring R. Kelly
   R. Kelly
   Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
   
   )
8. "Nothing Can Compare"- 4:09
9. "Quiet Place"- 1:39
10. "Lovin' You"- 4:08
11. "Straight Up"- 4:46
12. "Vegas"- 4:08
13. "No Greater"- 3:04
14. "Play On"- 5:07
15. "Plenty of Good Lovin"- 3:24

Samples

"Time to Move On" sampled "Intimate Friends" by Eddie Kendricks

Eddie Kendricks

Eddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things...

"Lovin' You"- "Loving You" by Minnie Riperton

Minnie Riperton

Minnie Julia Riperton was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single "Lovin' You". She was married to songwriter and music producer Richard Rudolph from 1972 until her death in the summer of 1979. They had two children - music engineer Marc Rudolph and actress/comedienne Maya...

"Good Life"- "Good Times" by Chic

Chic (band)

Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...

Credits

Jason Bacher- Assistant Engineer

Percy Bady- Keyboards

Rick Behrens- Assistant Engineer, Engineer, Mixing Assistant

Chris Brickley- Assistant Engineer, Engineer, Mixing Assistant, Programming

Cam'ron- Rap

Lafayette Carthon, Jr.- Keyboards

Trey Fratt -Assistant Engineer

Stephen George -Engineer, Mixing, Programming

Keith Henderson- Guitar

Cynthia Jernigan -Vocals (Background)

Mark Johnson -Mixing Assistant

R. Kelly

R. Kelly

Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...

- Arranger, Executive Producer, Mixing, Performer, Producer, Songwriter, Vocals (Background)

Jeff Lane- Mixing Assistant

Ron Lowe -Assistant Engineer, Engineer, Mixing Assistant

Mr. Lee -Mixing, Programming

Nature -Rap

Joshua Shapera-Engineer

Sparkle -Vocals (Background)

Martin Stebbing -Engineer, Programming

Ed Tinley- Assistant Engineer

Tone & Poke -Mixing

Jeff Vereb- Assistant Engineer, Mixing Assistant

Recorded at Chicago Recording Company, Battery Studios, Chicago Trax, Chicago, Illinois.