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Afrodisiac (Brandy album)

Afrodisiac is the fourth studio album by American singer Brandy. It was released on June 25, 2004, by Atlantic Records. The album was recorded primarily in Los Angeles between spring 2003 and early 2004, following several major changes in Brandy's personal and professional life. After giving birth to her daughter and the demise of her relationship with Big Bert, Brandy's team was given an overhaul, including changes in production, management, and A&R. The album marked a departure from her previous work, with Brandy collaborating with producer Timbaland and songwriter Candice Nelson on the majority of the album's composition.

Afrodisiac

June 29, 2004 (2004-06-29)

2002–2004

61:19

Atlantic

With many of their new relationships being the result of broken ones, Brandy and Timbaland were inspired to experiment with a number of sounds and influences to create a unique, individualized sound that was distinct from other R&B music. The result was an organic, mellow contemporary R&B album that experimented with the New York-based illbient style, which infuses eccentric hip-hop breakbeats, ambient soundscapes, and the unorthodox sampling of indie rock and various film scores. Brandy also continued to experiment with her singing, opting to use more technical applications of counterpoint and multi-track recording toward her vocal arrangements. An autobiographical album, the songs feature intimate lyrics which discuss the singer's personal struggles with codependency, monogamy, misplaced loyalty, and professional anxiety.


Upon release, Afrodisiac was critically acclaimed for its mature lyrics, Brandy's vocalizing, and its overall experimental sound.[3] The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200, selling 131,700 copies in its first week;[4] it was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[5] Afrodisiac was nominated for several awards, including the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album.[6] The album spawned three singles, including "Talk About Our Love" featuring Kanye West, which reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100; along with "Who Is She 2 U" and "Afrodisiac". Since its release, the album has been retrospectively called a predecessor to alternative R&B, having been cited as an influence by artists such as Rihanna and Solange.

Background[edit]

In February 2002, Brandy released her third studio album Full Moon, which was preceded by the lead single "What About Us?", a worldwide top-ten hit. However, the album's title track failed to chart or sell noticeably outside the United States and the United Kingdom, where it managed to enter the top twenty.[7][8] During the production of Full Moon, Norwood became involved romantically with producer Robert "Big Bert" Smith. The couple began a relationship during the summer of 2001, but their relationship did not become known until February 2002, the same month Norwood revealed that she was expecting her first child. However, a year after the birth of their daughter Sy'rai Iman Smith on June 16, 2002, Norwood and Smith officially announced their separation.[9] It was not until 2004 that Smith revealed that the pair had never been legally wed, but that they had only portrayed the notion of nuptials to preserve Norwood's public image.[10] By the following year, Norwood had begun a relationship with NBA guard Quentin Richardson. The couple soon became engaged in July 2004 but Norwood eventually ended their 15-month engagement in October 2005.[11]

Singles[edit]

Excluding the buzz track "Turn It Up" released in November 2003, Afrodisiac produced three official singles.[42] "Talk About Our Love" was released as the album's lead single on March 28, 2004.[51] While the song was critically appreciated, it achieved mediocre commercial success worldwide—peaking only at number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100—but managed to reach the top ten on the UK Singles Chart and the US Hot Singles Sales.[52]


In North America, "Who Is She 2 U" was released as the album's second and final single. Suffering from low airplay, the song never made it out of the lower half of the Billboard Hot 100 and emerged as one of Norwood's lowest-charting singles, peaking at number 85.[53] In March 2005, the song also received a limited release in Europe to promote the release of Norwood's first greatest hits album The Best of Brandy (2005), but failed to chart or sell noticeably, reaching only number 50 on the UK Singles Chart.[53]


Outside the United States, the title track served as the album's second single. Released to greater success than "Talk About Our Love" in almost all the countries it was released in, the song reached number eleven in the United Kingdom and made it to top thirty in France and Ireland.[54] Plans for a fourth single, including contender "I Tried", failed to materialize.[55]

Commercial performance[edit]

Afrodisiac debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200—behind Lloyd Banks' The Hunger for More and Usher's Confessions—and at number four on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling 131,700 copies in its first week.[4] Though sales soon declined and the album fell short off the upper half of the Billboard 200 in its eighth week, it was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 copies, including actual sales of 417,000 copies.[77]


Internationally, Afrodisiac failed to reach the top thirty on all of the charts it appeared on except for Japan and Switzerland, where it managed to debut at numbers ten and 26, respectively.[78] In the United Kingdom, the album was awarded a silver certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on September 24, 2004, for selling 60,000 copies.[79]

Impact and legacy[edit]

Despite its critical success, the album was largely seen as a commercial disappointment compared to Norwood's previous studio albums, due to the less-than-expected performance of its singles and the album itself.[80] Both Brandy and Timbaland later expressed frustration with the album, citing label interference with the creative process, politics, and mismanagement for the album's performance. After failing to properly secure a joint-headlining tour with Usher, Brandy asked for and received an unconditional release from Atlantic Records in October 2004, citing her wish "to move on" as the main reason for her decision.[5][81] Completing her contract with the label, a greatest hits album titled The Best of Brandy was released in March 2005. Released without any new material, it reached the top thirty in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, where the collection was appreciated by contemporary critics who noted the creativity of Norwood's back catalog.[82] Andy Kellman of AllMusic expressed: "This set, unlike so many other anthologies from her contemporaries, hardly confirms dwindling creativity or popularity."[83] Thereupon, she reportedly began shopping a new record deal under the auspices of Knockout Entertainment, her brother Ray J's vanity label.[84]


Although not initially receiving public and commercial praise until years after its release, the album is widely revered by critics, musicians, audiences. Serving as an inspiration for other artists, Afrodisiac has been credited as one of a precursors to the PBR&B subgenre. In a 2014 music and fashion conversation with NPR, singer and model Solange discussed the album, saying "Brandy is really the foundation of a lot of this very innovative, progressive, experimental R&B. Brandy really influenced a lot of that. Frank Ocean will say it. Miguel will say it."[85] Barbadian singer Rihanna revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad (2007) was primarily influenced by Afrodisiac, stating: "Brandy's album really helped to inspire, because that album I listen to all day, all night when I was in the studio [...] I really admired that every song was a great song."[86] Rock musician John Frusciante, guitarist of the rock group Red Hot Chili Peppers, mentioned that Norwood and the album were the "main inspiration" behind the guitar work on the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Grammy Award-winning album Stadium Arcadium (2006).[87] In 2008, singer Beyoncé chose the album cut "Focus" for her personal music playlist on iTunes, citing her love for the lyrics, as well as Brandy's voice and vocal arrangements.[88] Hip hop producer Hit-Boy has often lauded the album as an influence on his work via his social media outlets.[89] Singer Nivea interpolated the song "I Tried" on her song "Love Hurts" (2010).[90]

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Notes


Sample credits

Album era

Alternative R&B

(November 17, 2015). The Emperor of Sound: A Memoir. Amistad. p. 123. ISBN 978-0061936968.

Mosley, Timothy