First Love is the debut studio album by Dominican-American R&B singer Karina Pasian.[1] It was released by Def Jam on August 19, 2008 in the United States.[2][3] The album debuted and peaked at number 57 on the US Billboard 200 and produced the singles "16 @ War" and "Can't Find the Words."[1] First Love sold 9,000 copies in its first week. On December 3, 2008, it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album but lost to Mary J. Blige's Growing Pains (2007).
| First Love | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 19, 2008 | |||
| Length | 40:49 | |||
| Label | Def Jam | |||
| Producer |
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| Karina chronology | ||||
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| Singles from First Love | ||||
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Background
editIn 2006, after a bidding war between Bad Boy Records, Interscope and Def Jam, Pasian signed with the latter.[4] The singer recorded over 70 songs for the album,[4] including a collaboration with John Legend called "Promise" that didn't make the album.[4]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [5] |
| DJBooth.net | [6] |
AllMusic editor Andy Kellman found that material on First Love was "age-appropriate, a rare thing from a teenaged major-label artist in 2008 [...] Still, the album is as needed as Keke Palmer's So Uncool and Tiffany Evans – proud and smart, real and relatable, packed with substance."[5] DJBooth.net felt that Pasian's "musical maturity" was stopping First Love "from becoming a great album. It’s as if she spent so much time proving to the world that she’s not just a teenage girl at times forgets how to be a teenage girl [...] It’s no surprise then the best song on the album comes when Karina embraces her age, but does so with in a deeply moving way."[6]
Commercial performance
editFirst Love debuted and peaked at number 57 on the US Billboard 200 in the week of September 6, 2008, with first week sales of 9,000 physical copies.[7] It also reached number 11 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[8] By December 2008, the album had sold a total of 28,408 copies.[citation needed]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "90's Baby" |
| Oak | 3:20 |
| 2. | "Baby Baby" (featuring Lil Mama) | 3:50 | ||
| 3. | "Can't Find the Words" |
| 3:58 | |
| 4. | "16 @ War" |
|
| 3:23 |
| 5. | "Winner" |
|
| 4:11 |
| 6. | "The Love We Got" |
|
| 3:34 |
| 7. | "Can You Handle It" | 4:40 | ||
| 8. | "They Ain't Gotta Love You" |
|
| 3:42 |
| 9. | "Slow Motion" |
|
| 3:54 |
| 10. | "Can't Bring Me Down" |
|
| 3:14 |
| 11. | "First Love" |
|
| 3:46 |
| 12. | "Go Back" |
| 3:16 | |
| Total length: | 40:49 | |||
Charts
edit| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[7] | 57 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] | 11 |
References
edit- ^ a b Ivey, Nile (2008-05-06). "Karina Pasian: Ready For War". BET. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
- ^ First Love: Karina. Accessed May 22, 2008.
- ^ "Karina Pasian Debut Album First Love, In Stores August 19th!". So Hood Magazine. 2008-05-14. Archived from the original on 2008-05-19. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
- ^ a b c Conepcion, Mariel (April 14, 2008). "Breaking & Entering: Karina Pasia". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Allmusic review
- ^ a b "DJBooth.net review". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
- ^ a b "Billboard 200 (2008-09-06)". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (2008-09-06)". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 4, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2024.