Faith (Faith Evans album)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2010) |
| Untitled | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
Faith is the debut album by American R&B singer Faith Evans, released by Bad Boy Records on August 29, 1995 in the United States. Featuring main production by The Hitmen members Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs and Chucky Thompson, as well as Mark Ledford, Herb Middleton, and Jean-Claude Olivier, among others.
The album, which spawned the gold-certified hits "You Used to Love Me" and "Soon As I Get Home", was certified Platinum by the RIAA in March 1996. Faith contains a cover of the Rose Royce's single "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" featuring Mary J. Blige.
Background
Newly contracted to Bad Boy Records, Evans was consulted by executive producer Combs to contribute backing vocals and writing skills to Mary J. Blige's My Life (1994) and Usher's self-titled debut album (1994) prior to starting work on her debut record album Faith.[4] Released on August 29, 1995 in North America, the album was a collaboration with Bad Boy's main producers "The Hitmen", including Chucky Thompson and Combs, but it resulted in recordings with Poke & Tone and Herb Middleton. Faith became a success based on the singles "You Used to Love Me" and "Soon as I Get Home". The album was certified Platinum with 1,500,000 copies sold, according to RIAA.[5]
On August 4, 1994, Evans married rapper and label mate The Notorious B.I.G., after having met him at a Bad Boy photoshoot.[6] The couple had one child together, Christopher Wallace, Jr. (born October 29, 1996), but the marriage was turbulent as Wallace reportedly had several affairs during their union, including relationships with fellow rappers Lil' Kim and Charli Baltimore.[7] Additionally, it led to Evans' involvement in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop feud, dominating the rap music news at the time, which ended with Wallace's murder in a yet-unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California in March 1997,[8] and made Evans "Rap's most famous widow".[6] During early 1997, after her separation from Wallace, but before his death, Evans was introduced to record company executive Todd Russaw. Faith began dating Russaw during her and Wallace's separation and eventually, after Wallace died, Evans became pregnant by Russaw. The couple had their first son Joshua on June 8, 1998.[6] During the summer of 1998, Evans and Russaw were married, and on March 22, 2007, they had their second son Ryder Evan Russaw.[6] After Biggie's murder during March 1997, Combs helped Evans produce her tribute song named "I'll Be Missing You", based on the melody of The Police's 1983 single "Every Breath You Take". The song, which featured Combs, Evans, and all-male group 112, became a worldwide number-one success and debuted at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart during 1997, scoring that for eleven weeks. It eventually won Puffy and Evans the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.[9] The next year, she received another two Grammy nominations for "Heartbreak Hotel", a collaboration with singers Whitney Houston and Kelly Price, that scored number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[10] Prior to Evans meeting and having a relationship with The Notorious B.I.G., she was involved in a relationship with Kiyamma Griffin. She and Griffin had a daughter named Chyna (born April 1, 1993).
Release and reception
Entertainment Weekly (8/11/95, p. 52) - "...packed with sensual, smoky R&B torch songs and titanium-hard hip-hop beats--Faith seems set to take her place at the top of the mountain of young soul divas..." - Rating: A-
Vibe (9/95, p. 192) - "...possesses a perfect voice. Folks have likened that voice to rain, and it's an appropriate metaphor....can sound as lilting as a summer shower or as electric as a thunderstorm. Her instrument's potential seems boundless....more Whitney than Mary, more classic than nouveau."
The Source (9/95, p. 104) - "...For those closet sentimentalists or those who like to get their slow drag on....when you're working with the man who perfected the remix, there's still a good chance that FAITH will not only be pumping on rainy nights in the crib but also on summer days in the Land Cruisers too..."
Track listing
| # | Title | Length | Featured Artists | Songwriters | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Faith (Interlude)" | 0:41 | Faith Evans | Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen | |
| 2 | "No Other Love" | 4:24 | Faith Evans | Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen & Poke for Trackmasters | |
| 3 | "Fallin' in Love" | 4:33 | Faith Evans, Mary J. Blige, Latonya Blige, Gordan Chambers | Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen & Poke for Trackmasters | |
| 4 | "Ain't Nobody" | 5:13 | Faith Evans | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen | |
| 5 | "You Are My Joy (Interlude)" | 1:08 | Faith Evans | Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen | |
| 6 | "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" | 4:15 | Mary J. Blige | Miles Gregory | Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen |
| 7 | "Come Over" | 5:35 | Faith Evans, Floyd Howard | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen | |
| 8 | "Soon As I Get Home" | 5:24 | Faith Evans, Sean "Puffy" Combs | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen | |
| 9 | "All This Love" | 6:02 | Faith Evans | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen | |
| 10 | "Thank You Lord (Interlude)" | 0:55 | Faith Evans | Faith Evans | |
| 11 | "You Used to Love Me" | 4:28 | Faith Evans | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen | |
| 12 | "Give It to Me" | 4:35 | Faith Evans | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen | |
| 13 | "You Don't Understand" | 5:01 | Faith Evans | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen | |
| 14 | "Don't Be Afraid" | 4:55 | Faith Evans, Latrice Shaw | Herb Middleton | |
| 15 | "Reasons" (Bonus Track) | 5:01 | Faith Evans | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen |
Samples
Fallin' in Love by "Remind Me" by Patrice Rushen
Give It to Me by "In the Mood" by Tyrone Davis
No Other Love by "Walk on By" by Isaac Hayes
Love Don't Live Here Anymore by Rose Royce
Credits
Charles "Prince Charles" Alexander Mixing, Producer
Victor Bailey
Bob Brockman Engineer
Regina Carter
Sean "Puffy" Combs- Producer, Executive Producer
Lane Craven Engineer
Akua Dixon
Faith Evans Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Caroline Greyshock Photography
Jeff Haynes
Judith Insell
Kevin Johnson
Daron Jones Keyboards, Vocals
Mark Ledford Producer
Paul Logus Engineer
Gerardo Lopez Engineer
Tony Maserati Engineer, Mixing
Darryl McClary Keyboards
Fred McFarlane
Herb Middleton Keyboards
Nasheim Myrick Engineer
Axel Niehaus Engineer, Mixing
Quinnes Parker Vocals (Background)
Paul Pesco
Harve Pierre A&R
Bruce Purse Trumpet
John Shrive Engineer, Second Engineer
Tony Smalios Engineer
Lisa Terry
Kevin Thomas Engineer
Chucky Thompson Producer
Richard Travali Engineer, Mixing
Klya Wright Hair Stylist
Charts
| Chart (1995) | Provider | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | Billboard | 22 |
| U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 2 |
References
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Entertainment Weekly review
- ^ Rolling Stone review
- ^ "Full Biography". Allmusic. MTV. 2006-11-16. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ Smaldino, Denise (2008-04-30). "Sean Combs earns platinum, gold". Variety. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
- ^ a b c d Chappell, Kevin (1999-04-01). "After Biggie: Evans Has A New Love, A NEW Baby, A New Career". Ebony. FindArticles.com. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
- ^ "Charlie Baltimore Says Lil Kim Is 'Delusional' For Believing She Was Biggie's Girlfriend". SixShot.com. 2009-12-01. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
- ^ Waldron, Clarence (1999-11-15). "Faith Evans Tells How She Balances Motherhood and Music". Jet Magazine. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
- ^ Wood, Gaby (2005-07-10). "Rap's first lady". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
- ^ Waldron, Clarence (1999-11-15). "Faith Evans Tells How She Balances Motherhood And Music". Jet. FindArticles.com. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
External links
- Faith Evans at MySpace
- Faith Evans discography at Discogs
- Faith Evans at AllMusic