Bobby is the third studio album by American singer Bobby Brown, released in 1992 by MCA Records. The album continued the R&B/new jack swing sound of its predecessor, Don't Be Cruel. Babyface, L.A. Reid, and Daryl Simmons returned as producers and songwriters, however, Brown also worked with other producers, most notably Teddy Riley, who was considered a pioneer of the new jack swing genre. Riley also co-wrote and produced the majority of the album. Brown had more creative input and control of the album, becoming an executive producer and co-writing seven of the album's thirteen songs. The album received mixed reviews from music critics.
Bobby | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 25, 1992 | |||
Recorded | 1991–1992 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 71:27 | |||
Label | MCA | |||
Producer |
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Bobby Brown chronology | ||||
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Singles from Bobby | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Calgary Herald | C[2] |
Orlando Sentinel | [3] |
Rolling Stone | [4] |
Bobby peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 Album Chart and spawned three major US Billboard Hot 100 singles; "Humpin' Around" (US #3), "Good Enough" (US #7), and " Get Away" (US #14). The album also reached number one on the Billboard R&B Albums chart, and reached the top 10 in Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden. The album also included a duet, "Something in Common", with Brown's wife, singer Whitney Houston, that became a hit in several international markets.
Brown received his second Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 35th Grammy Awards for the single "Humpin' Around", however, he did not win. The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 19, 1993.[5]
Track listing
editNo. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Humpin' Around (Prelude)" | 0:10 | ||
2. | "Humpin' Around" | Antonio Reid, Kenneth Edmonds, Daryl Simmons, Bobby Brown, Thomas Keyes, Jan C. "Stylz" Styles[6] | Antonio "L.A." Reid, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Daryl Simmons | 6:18 |
3. | "Two Can Play That Game" | Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, David "Redhead" Guppy, Bobby Brown | Teddy Riley | 4:59 |
4. | "Get Away" | Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Tony Haynes, Bobby Brown, Louil Silas, Jr. | Teddy Riley | 5:10 |
5. | "Til the End of Time" | Teddy Riley, Demetrius Shipp, William "Rakim" Griffin | Teddy Riley, Demetrius Shipp (co.) | 5:20 |
6. | "Good Enough" | Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Antonio "L.A." Reid, Daryl Simmons | Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Antonio "L.A." Reid, Daryl Simmons | 5:01 |
7. | "Pretty Little Girl" | Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Antonio "L.A." Reid, Daryl Simmons | Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Antonio "L.A." Reid, Daryl Simmons | 5:09 |
8. | "Lovin' You Down" | Teddy Riley, Thomas R. Taliaferro, Jr. | Teddy Riley, Thomas R. Taliaferro, Jr. (co.) | 5:50 |
9. | "One More Night" | Teddy Riley, Herb Middleton, Bernard Belle | Teddy Riley | 6:28 |
10. | "Something in Common" (duet with Whitney Houston) | Teddy Riley, Bobby Brown, Bernard Belle, Whitney Houston | Teddy Riley | 4:59 |
11. | "That's the Way Love Is" | Teddy Riley, Demetrius Shipp, Aquil Davidson, Bobby Brown | Teddy Riley, Demetrius Shipp (co.) | 4:50 |
12. | "College Girl" | Bobby Brown, Derek "DOA" Allen | Bobby Brown, Derek "DOA" Allen | 6:05 |
13. | "Storm Away" | Bobby Brown, Dennis Austin, Kelvin Bowers | Bobby Brown, Dennis Austin | 6:05 |
14. | "I'm Your Friend" (duet with Debra Winans) | BeBe Winans | BeBe Winans | 5:03 |
Total length: | 71:27 |
Sample credits
- "Humpin' Around" contains a chorus sample of "Dancing Days", written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, and performed by Led Zeppelin; a sample riff of "Rock Steady", written and performed by Aretha Franklin; a sample riff of "Bang Zoom (Let's Go-Go)", written by Full Force, Howard Thompson, Adelaida Martinez and U.T.F.O., and performed by The Real Roxanne featuring Howie Tee; and a bass sample of "The Grunt"; written and performed by The J.B.'s.
- "Two Can Play That Game" contains a sample riff of "Sing a Simple Song", written by Sylvester Stewart, and performed by Sly & the Family Stone.
- "Get Away" contains a chorus sample of "(Not Just) Knee Deep", written by George Clinton, and performed by Funkadelic; a sample riff of "Kool is Back", written by Gene Redd, Jimmy Crosby, Ronald Bell, Claydes C. Smith, George Brown, Donald Boyce, Robert Mickens, Dennis Thomas, Robert "Kool" Bell and Richard Westfield, and performed by Funk, Inc.; and a sample riff of "Spend the Night", written by Teddy Riley, Gene Griffin and Aaron Hall, and performed by Guy.
- "One More Night" contains a sample riff of "School Boy Crush", written by Roger Ball, Malcolm Duncan, Steven Ferrone, Alan Gorrie, Owen McIntyre and Hamish Stuart, and performed by Average White Band.
- "Something in Common" contains a sample riff of "Want to Be With You", written by Gene Griffin and William Aquart, and performed by Zan.
- "That's the Way Love Is" contains a sample riff of "I Get Lifted", written by Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch, and performed by KC & the Sunshine Band.
Personnel
edit- Keyboards: Teddy Riley, L.A. Reid, Babyface, Big Dave Repace, Huston Singletary, Dennis Austin, Cedric Caldwell, Robbie Buchanan
- Drum programming: Teddy Riley, L.A. Reid, Babyface, Big Dave Repace, Huston Singletary, Dennis Austin, Donald Parks
- Drums: Derek "DOA" Allen, Ricky Lawson
- Percussion: Nate Hughes, Terry McMillan
- Saxophone: Daniel LeMelle
- Bass: Nathan East
- Guitar: Paul Jackson, Jr.
- Background vocals: Bobby Brown, Teddy Riley, Chauncey Hannibal, Levi Little, Joseph Stonestreet, Marsha McClurkin, Mary Brown, Bernard Belle, Omar Chandler, Babyface, Emanuel Officer, Debra Killings, Ricky Bell, Daryl Simmons, Chanté Moore, Derek "DOA" Allen, Big Dave Repace, Robert Gonzales, Trina Broussard, Dennis Austin, Sophia Bender, BeBe Winans, CeCe Winans, Angie Winans, Debra Winans
- Recording engineer: Jean-Marie Horvat, Barney Perkins, Jim Zumpano, John Rogers, Neal H. Pogue, George Pappas, Phil Tan, Billy Whittington, Jeff Balding, Ronnie Brookshire, Mike Poole, Mike McCarthy, Rick Will
- Mixing: Dave Way, Thom Russo, Teddy Riley, Jean-Marie Horvat, Barney Perkins, Dave Aron, Milton Chan, Keith "K.C." Cohen, Kimm James, Tony "TK" Kidd, Bobby Brown, Derek "DOA" Allen, Neal H. Pogue, Jeff Balding
- Mastering: Bernie Grundman
- Executive producer: Louil Silas, Jr., Bobby Brown, Tommy Brown
- Photography: Albert Watson, Todd Gray
- Art direction: Vartan
- Design: John Coulter
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
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Certifications
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[24] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada)[25] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[26] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Bobby at AllMusic
- ^ Muretich, James (September 6, 1992). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
- ^ Gettelman, Parry (September 4, 1992). "Bobby". Orlando Sentinel.
- ^ Rolling Stone review
- ^ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - March 15, 2021". RIAA. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ "Stylz Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Bobby Brown – Bobby". Hung Medien.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Bobby Brown – Bobby" (in German). Hung Medien.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1934". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bobby Brown – Bobby" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
- ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 39. September 26, 1992. p. 17. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Bobby Brown – Bobby" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
- ^ "Bobby" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Bobby Brown – Bobby". Hung Medien.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Bobby Brown – Bobby". Hung Medien.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Bobby Brown – Bobby". Hung Medien.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Bobby Brown Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "Bobby Brown Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1992 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Bobby Brown – Bobby". Music Canada.
- ^ "American album certifications – Bobby Brown – Bobby". Recording Industry Association of America.