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For the Aquarium Rescue Unit album, see In a Perfect World.
Untitled

In a Perfect World… is the debut album of American R&B and pop singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, released March 24, 2009 on Zone 4. Originally planned for a 2007 release, it was pushed back numerous times into 2009, amid her label's budget issues and minor single releases. Production for the album was handled primarily by Timbaland, Polow da Don, and Danja.

The album debuted at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 94,000 copies in its first week. On October 22, 2009, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, following shipments in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States. Upon its release, In a Perfect World… received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics. The album earned Hilson Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2010.

Background

In an interview following the confirmation of the album Hilson was asked to explain the title. She said

It’s my way of saying nothing in the world is perfect and no person in it is, either. None of us are exempt from certain hardships and heartbreaks. It was really important for me to write songs that women can relate to from real situations. I didn’t want to do an album that painted myself as perfect because no matter how things look, no one is.[1] I called it that with the ellipses - dot dot dot - because it's an incomplete statement. I wanted to talk about how nobody's exempted from the realities of life and all those things.[2]

Production

Recording

Much of the album was recorded under the watchful eyes of the projects executives Timbaland and/or Polow da Don[1] although much of the writing had begun before this. Hilson has extensive writing credits on the album having contributed to all of songs except for "Make Love", "Change Me", "Energy" and bonus track "Hurts Me". On some of the tracks she has worked with her writing collective The Clutch who were responsible for her previous guest appearances on hit singles with mentor Timbaland ("The Way I Are" and "Scream"). Other songs were submitted by production trio 'The Runaways' (unknown at the time) who wrote and produced the lead single "Energy" whilst Hannon Lane, Timbaland, Esther Dean and Polow da Don also providing further tracks for recording.

Lil Wayne, Keyshia Cole, Trina, Timbaland, Kanye West, Ne-Yo, Akon and Nicole Scherzinger are all featured vocalists on the album's track listing (though it does vary by territory). Notable credits can also be attached to Justin Timberlake who co-wrote the 90's themed "Slow Dance" and Jim Beanz who worked on R&B anthem "How Does it Feel" and R&B ballad "Hurts Me" which is featured as a bonus track. Speaking about the album in the weeks running up to the album's release Hilson pointed out that it had always been a dream of hers to work with Ne-Yo and Kanye West but it was a complete coincidence that their vocals appeared on the same song. Kanye was given the opportunity to add his vocals at the last possible moment before the album was mastered and chose the song "Knock You Down" which went on to become Hilson's biggest hit as a solo artist.[3] Of the collaboration between Ne-Yo and West, Hilson told Pete Lewis of "Blues & Soul" "While Ne-Yo is so used to playing up the gentleman side to him, at the same time Kanye is used to playing the villain who makes mistakes and talks about it! So to have both of them feature on that one song I felt was just ideal".[4]

In March 2009 in a push to promote the album Hilson filmed the video for her hit single "Knock You Down". During the video shoot it was decided that a short promo video should be filmed to help promote the album. "Make Love" was given a video several minutes long that also featured Kanye West as Hilson's love interest in the apartment which is later seen in the video for "Knock You Down". Keri Hilson's official YouTube channel released the promo as well as a daily countdown video blog to the album release.

Song selection

A small number of tracks were leaked before the album's release and have therefore been cited as contributing to the delays in the album's release. "Mic Check" (featuring Akon) and "Love Ya" were two songs produced by Timbaland and Danja respectively that were not included in the final track listing despite being mentioned early on by Hilson on her website and during interviews.[5] At one stage the album was due to feature a collaboration with Snoop Dogg called "Henny and Apple Juice" that would have been released as the lead single - it was confirmed during early interviews and during a blog with Concrete Loop in 2007. "Ready to Fall" was another collaboration with singer-songwriter Ne-Yo described as having 'classic heavy synth-vibes' was released instead as part of "The Future of RnB" mixtape series by Tapemasters inc. "Get It Girl" with Timbaland was released as a promotional single in partnership with Verizon Wireless exclusively for the US but not included in the album.[5] Other songs written and produced by Justin Timberlake also didn't make the album.[2] Although in July 2009 in London, UK Hilson gave an interview in which she stated that a re-release of the album was in the pipeline for the end of the year and could feature some of the leftover songs such "Love Ya" as well as some new recordings with Timbaland and Polow da Don.[6]

Critically acclaimed is the song "Alienated", a song that was never intended for Hilson's own album. In an interview with Digital Spy it was revealed that the song was written for Nicole Scherzinger's solo album but when her commitments to the Pussycat Dolls forced the album to be shelved Hilson was able to reclaim the song.[7] Reviews have described Hilson's version as having an "out of this world production from Cory Bold that could be a future single"[8] with "electro-blips and whispery raps that are alluring."[9]

Singles

As previously stated several different singles were initially short-listed to be released as the lead single. "Henny and Apple Juice" was dropped after a lack-lustre reception during early performances. "Return the Favor" was performed at Verizon/People Pre-Grammy party dedicated to Timbaland, in preparation for its release as the first single.[10] However this was succeeded by "Energy" was marketed as the lead single, and "Return the Favor" was released as the second single instead. Due to the success of "Knock You Down" - it is Hilson's highest charting worldwide release as a lead singer and also her longest charting single, a decisions about the fifth single were not made until June 2009. Previously Hilson had said during promotional performances that "Get Your Money Up" would be the next single but this was never confirmed by retailers nor her record label. The song "Change Me", featuring Akon, was sent to US urban radio on October 13, 2009[11][failed verification]

  • "Energy" was released as the first single (except Europe) and was available as a digital download on May 27, 2008. The video premiered on July 14, 2008. It charted at number 78 on the Billboard Top 100, number 21 and 72 on R&B 100 and Pop 100 respectively. The single performed best in New Zealand where it charted at number 2 but failed to significantly chart elsewhere. Hilson announced in July 2009 that the single would be re-promoted as the next international single following the success of "Knock You Down".[6] It is set for release in the UK as a download on September 13, 2009[12] and a CD single on September 14.[13] Blender magazine ranked it number 61 on its list of the "The Top 144 Songs of 2008".[14]
  • "Return the Favor" was released officially as the second worldwide single on October 7, 2008 and the video, premiered on October 23, 2008. It failed to chart in the US. It was subsequently released in the UK, Europe and Australia as the lead single. The video was released to UK music channels on March 16, 2009 and received good airplay on UK radio. The song charted at number 83 after 2 days before peaking at 19.
  • "Turnin' Me On" (featuring Lil Wayne) was released as the third single (not released in Australia or Europe) on November 25, 2008.[15] The single became Hilson's most successful solo offering at the time as it peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 2 and 28 on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Pop 100 respectively. It was also the first single to chart in Canada although it did only reach number 80. Vibe magazine named it the sixty-seventh best song of 2008.[16]
  • "Knock You Down" (featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo) is the fourth single from the album (first for Latin America, second for Australia and Europe) confirmed by Hilson on her YouTube video blog. The video was premiered on March 23, 2009 on Ne-Yo's official YouTube channel. The single is Hilson's best solo release to date reaching number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 1 on the U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop chart. It has already been released as the second single in Europe and so reached number 5 on the UK Top 40 and number 2 on the UK R&B Chart.
  • "Slow Dance" is the fifth single from the album. Two videos were shot, one in July 2009 with director Paul Hunter, and one in August 2009 with director Chris Robinson. The original music video has since been released.[17] Since July 13, 2009 the single has been serviced to both Rhythmic and Urban radio stations in the US, but has yet to make any impact on the charts.[18]
  • "I Like" is a song recorded in 2009 and added to the German re-release of the album, In a Perfect World.. I Like Edition. It was released as the third single in Europe (sixth overall), and appears on the soundtrack to the German film Zweiohrküken. It was released in the UK on March 29, 2010.[19]

Reception

Commercial performance

In a Perfect World… debuted at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 and at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 94,000 copies in its first week.[20][21] It has been certified gold for shipping 500,000 copies in the U.S.[22]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[23]
Blender[24]
Entertainment Weekly(B+)[25]
Los Angeles Times[26]
The New York Times(mixed)[27]
PopMatters(5/10)[28]
Rolling Stone[29]
Slant Magazine[30]
USA Today[31]
Vibe(mixed)[32]

In a Perfect World… received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics.[33] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 65, based on 13 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[33] Allmusic writer Andy Kellman gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, writing that it "reflects the versatility Hilson demonstrated prior to its release. It's a songwriting showcase as much as it is a coming out for a full-blown artist, yet more about what Hilson can do than who Hilson is".[23] Rolling Stone critic Jody Rosen gave In a Perfect World… 3½ out of 5 stars and wrote "the album's 14 songs [...] are uniformly excellent. Hilson's halfway there — she just needs a lil' more personality".[29] Quentin B. Huff of PopMatters shared a similar sentiment, perceiving Hilson's songwriting as impersonal, and wrote "As a whole, the album suffers from an overriding sense of sameness, of mood as well as in relation to the current R&B landscape. [...] it’s a bit melodramatic in places and maybe a touch too hip for its own good".[28]

In a mixed review, Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani gave it 2½ out of 5 stars and called it "merely passable".[30] Sophie Bruce from BBC Music also praised her voice: "There's no denying Hilson has a great voice, but it lacks the feisty edge of Scherzinger, Blige or Knowles." and referring to the album she said: "[And] though the collaborator list reads like a Who's Who of R&B, it all feels a little bit repetitive." concluding with: "If she continues in this groove, Keri Hilson is destined always to be the bridesmaid."[34] Entertainment Weekly's Margeaux Watson gave the album a B+ rating and called it "a seductive debut CD full of slick, radio-friendly cuts".[25] Vibe gave the album a generally mixed review, stating that: "Ms. Hilson delivers a satisfactory debut, flaws and all [...]" adding that: "Ultimately, Hilson’s debut is simply okay, not quite the sum of its parts. She has the right juice. Now it’s just a matter of how to keep it flowing."[32] The album earned Hilson two Grammy Award nominations, a Grammy Award for Best New Artist and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for its single "Knock You Down".[35]

Track listing

  • Keri Hilson co-wrote most of the songs on the album; exceptions are marked with: (*); additional writers are listed below.
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"  1:30
2."Turnin Me On" (featuring Lil Wayne)Dwayne Carter, Jamal Jones, Zak WallacePolow da Don, Danja4:08
3."Get Your Money Up" (featuring Keyshia Cole & Trina)Jones, Eddie HayesPolow da Don, Danja3:16
4."Return the Favor" (featuring Timbaland)Tim Mosley, Walter Millsap III, The ClutchTimbaland, Walter Millsap III5:29
5."Knock You Down" (featuring Ne-Yo & Kanye West)Keri Hilson, Shaffer Smith, Kanye West, Marcella Araica, Nathaniel Hills, Kevin CossomDanja5:26
6."Slow Dance"Justin Timberlake, Jim Beanz, King Logan, Jerome Harmon, Johnkenum SpiveryKing Soloman Logan, Johnkenun Dean Spivery4:22
7."Make Love"Jason Perry, Jones, Ester DeanPolow da Don, Jason Perry5:22*
8."Intuition"MosleyTimbaland, Danja4:11
9."How Does It Feel"Mosley, BeanzTimbaland, Danja3:58
10."Alienated"Timothy Clayton, Cory BoldCory Bold, Danja4:34
11."Tell Him the Truth"Marcella Araica, HillsDanja4:48
12."Change Me" (featuring Akon)Perry, Jones, Dean, Matt GossPolow da Don4:54*
13."Energy"Sam Watters, Louis Biancaniello, Wayne Wilkins, Rico LoveThe Runaways3:30*
14."Where Did He Go"Mosley, HillsTimbaland, Danja4:57
US iTunes Bonus Track[36]
No.TitleProducers/WritersLength
15."Do It"Tank, Joseph A Bereal Jr., Luke Boyd, Roy "Royalty" Hamilton, Anthony M. Jones4:17
US Amazon MP3 Bonus Track[37]
No.TitleProducers/WritersLength
15."Quicksand"Keri Hilson, Danja3:03
US Wet Seal Bonus Track[38]
No.TitleProducers/WritersLength
15."Hurts Me"Timbaland, Hannon Lane, Jim Beanz, C. Nelson3:56
Japan Bonus Tracks[39]
No.TitleProducers/WritersLength
15."Quicksand"Keri Hilson, Danja3:03
16."Do It"Tank, Joseph A Bereal Jr., Luke Boyd, Roy Hamilton, Anthony M. Jones4:17
17."The Way I Are" (feat. Timbaland and D.O.E.)Timbaland, Danja, The Clutch, J. Maultsby2:59
Brazil/Australia Bonus Tracks[40][41]
No.TitleProducers/WritersLength
15."The Way I Are" (feat. Timbaland and D.O.E.)Timbaland, Danja, The Clutch, D.O.E.2:59
16."Scream" (feat. Timbaland and Nicole Scherzinger)Timbaland, Danja, Nicole Scherzinger, Keri Hilson5:29
UK Bonus Tracks[42]
No.TitleProducers/WritersLength
15."The Way I Are" (feat. Timbaland and D.O.E.)Timbaland, Danja, The Clutch, D.O.E.2:59
16."Scream" (feat. Timbaland and Nicole Scherzinger)Timbaland, Danja, Nicole Scherzinger, Keri Hilson5:29
17."Hurts Me"Timbaland, Hannon Lane, Jim Beanz, C. Nelson3:56
I Like Edition[43]
No.TitleProducers/WritersLength
15."The Way I Are"Timbaland, Danja, The Clutch, D.O.E.2:59
16."Scream" (feat. Timbaland and Nicole Scherzinger)Timbaland, Danja, Nicole Scherzinger, Keri Hilson5:29
17."Do It"Tank, Joseph A Bereal Jr., Luke Boyd, Roy "Royalty" Hamilton, Anthony M. Jones4:17
18."I Like" 3:36
I Like Edition - Digital Version[44]
No.TitleProducers/WritersLength
15."The Way I Are"Timbaland, Danja, The Clutch, D.O.E.2:59
16."Scream" (feat. Timbaland and Nicole Scherzinger)Timbaland, Danja, Nicole Scherzinger, Keri Hilson5:29
17."Do It"Tank, Joseph A Bereal Jr., Luke Boyd, Roy "Royalty" Hamilton, Anthony M. Jones4:17
18."I Like" 3:36
19."Hurts Me"Timbaland, Hannon Lane, Jim Beanz, C. Nelson3:56
20."I Like (Remix)"  

Personnel

Chart history

Charts (2009) Peak
position
Australian Urban Albums Chart[45] 23
Canadian Albums Chart[46] 13
German Albums Chart[47]
  • I Like Edition
 28
Irish Albums Chart[48] 35
New Zealand Albums Chart[49] 16
Swiss Albums Chart[50] 67
UK Albums Chart[51] 22
U.S. Billboard 200[52] 4
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[52] 1

Release history

Region Date Label
United States March 24, 2009 Interscope Records
Canada
Switzerland April 17, 2009 Universal Music
Czech Republic April 20, 2009
Poland[53] April 24, 2009
Australia[54] Interscope
United Kingdom May 4, 2009[55] Polydor Records
Brazil May 19, 2009[56] Universal Music
Germany July 12, 2009[57][58]
Philippines July 5, 2009
Japan July 8, 2009[59] Universal Japan
Germany January 8, 2010
  • I Like Edition
 Universal Music
Poland April 16, 2010
  • I Like Edition

References

  1. ^ a b Shaheem Reid (July 2, 2007). Timbaland Protege Keri Hilson: You Need to Know Me. MTV. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Music - Interview - Keri Hilson - Digital Spy". Digital Spy<!. 2009-04-24. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
  3. ^ http://www.rap-up.com/ Accessed March 24, 2009 In The Take-over Video Blog from Hilson
  4. ^ "Keri Hilson: Perrfect timing". Bluesandsoul.com. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  5. ^ a b "Keri Hilson : Biography". Kerihilsonmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
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