Timeless Journey
Encyclopedia
Timeless Journey is the fifteenth solo studio release by Patti LaBelle
and her first release off Def Soul Classics notable for the hit songs "New Day" and "2 Steps Away". It was also one of her most successful albums reaching number five on the R&B albums chart and hitting the top 20 on the Billboard 200
.
for seventeen years. The label had helped to increase LaBelle's popularity with both pop and R&B audiences resulting in a platinum album and four subsequent gold-selling follow-ups. However, LaBelle's last album with the label, 2000's solemnly-produced When a Woman Loves
failed to generate a hit record or even go gold. In 2002, MCA was sold off by Interscope Records
. As a result, LaBelle signed with Island Def Jam Records' Def Soul Classics division joining The Isley Brothers
as the two first acts on Antonio "L.A." Reid's new Def Jam imprint. LaBelle went to work on her new album in 2003 and by 2004, LaBelle and Def Jam released Timeless Journey.
. The success of the song eventually helped it reach Billboard's Digital Singles chart, her first charted single on that chart. "New Day" topped the Billboard Hot Dance Songs chart in 2004.
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
and her first release off Def Soul Classics notable for the hit songs "New Day" and "2 Steps Away". It was also one of her most successful albums reaching number five on the R&B albums chart and hitting the top 20 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...
.
Background
By 2002, Patti LaBelle had been with MCA RecordsMCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
for seventeen years. The label had helped to increase LaBelle's popularity with both pop and R&B audiences resulting in a platinum album and four subsequent gold-selling follow-ups. However, LaBelle's last album with the label, 2000's solemnly-produced When a Woman Loves
When a Woman Loves
When a Woman Loves is the fourteenth solo album released by singer Patti LaBelle, her sixth ever on the MCA Records label.-Background:By 2000, Patti LaBelle had achieved solo success with at least one platinum album and four gold albums. Four of the certified successes were with MCA Records, a...
failed to generate a hit record or even go gold. In 2002, MCA was sold off by 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:...
. As a result, LaBelle signed with Island Def Jam Records' Def Soul Classics division joining The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
as the two first acts on Antonio "L.A." Reid's new Def Jam imprint. LaBelle went to work on her new album in 2003 and by 2004, LaBelle and Def Jam released Timeless Journey.
Release
Fueled by the release of LaBelle's first hit single in seven years, "New Day", the album eventually topped the pop and R&B charts reaching number 18 on the former and number 5 on the latter. However, LaBelle and Def Jam fell into problems immediately after its release. Shortly after releasing 2005's Timeless Journey, LaBelle told reporters that she was "unceremoniously" kicked out of the label by Reid. After a public spat, Reid renegotiated a new contract with LaBelle in 2007 releasing a Christmas album. Though the album did not go gold, it did receive some popularity. Five years later, the ballad "2 Steps Away", co-written by LaBelle and friend Denise Rich, was featured on Dancing with the StarsDancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
. The success of the song eventually helped it reach Billboard's Digital Singles chart, her first charted single on that chart. "New Day" topped the Billboard Hot Dance Songs chart in 2004.
Tracklisting
- "More Than Material" (P. LaBelle, J. Moss)
- "It's Time" (D. Bingham, J. Kendrixx, P. LaBelle, C. McKendrick, S. Smith)
- "New Day" (P. LaBelle, P. Medor, D. Nesmith, T. Palmer, C. Ricketts, J. Rome)
- "Something More" (G. Chambers, E. Lewis, T. Taylor)
- "Sometimes Love" (K. Edmonds)
- "Hear My Cry" (M. AmbrosiusMarsha AmbrosiusMarsha Ambrosius or Marsha is an English singer/songwriter. A former member of the English Soul/R&B duo Floetry, she released her first solo album Late Nights & Early Mornings on March 1, 2011.-Early career with Floetry:...
, D. Henson, P. LaBelle, K. Pelzer, N. StewartNatalie StewartNatalie Stewart is a former member of the English Neo-soul duo, Floetry.-Early career with Floetry:Original members Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart met through their love of basketball and formed a friendship. Both attended the Brit School for Performing Arts & Technology, where Ambrosius...
) - "Good Lovin'" (T. Blacks, M. Davis, S. Irving, T. Neverson, T. Taylor)
- "MM, MM, MM" (M. Brown, S. Goode, P. LaBelle, S. McKinney, R. Franci)
- "Not Right But Real" (S. Goode, P. LaBelle, S. McKinney)
- "2 Steps Away" (J. Delise, D. Ivory, P. LaBelle)
- "Finally Got the Nerve"(M. Ben-AriMiri Ben-AriMiri Ben-Ari is an Israeli violinist, who currently resides in the United States.Ben-Ari grew up playing classical music; she started training at age 5 and at age 12, she was presented with a violin by Isaac Stern. During her mandatory Israeli military service, she was chosen to play for the...
, P. LaBelle, M. McCarrin, B. SiglerBunny SiglerWalter "Bunny" Sigler is a pop and R&B songwriter and record producer who has done extensive work with the team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and who was instrumental in creating the "Philly Sound" in the early 1970s. He is nicknamed "Mr...
) - "Unpredictable" (D. Bingham, N. FurtadoNelly FurtadoNelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
, J. Kendrixx, P. LaBelle, C. McKendrick, S. McKinney, S. Smith) - "When You Smile" (P. LaBelle, S. McKinney, K.C. Porter, A. Snook)
Charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... 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... |
18 |
| U.S. Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
5 |