Deborah Cox is the self-titled debut album by Canadian singer Deborah Cox. It was released by Arista Records on September 12, 1995, in the United States by Arista Records and was executive produced by Clive Davis. Deborah Cox is a blend of dance-pop, hip hop soul and R&B and features productions from producers such as Tim & Bob, Babyface, Daryl Simmons and Dallas Austin. A commercial and critical success, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for sales of over 500,000 units, and earned Cox a Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording at the 1996 Juno Awards.

Deborah Cox
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 12, 1995
Genre
Length57:23
LabelArista
Producer
Deborah Cox chronology
Deborah Cox
(1995)
One Wish
(1998)
Singles from Deborah Cox
  1. "Sentimental"
    Released: September 21, 1995
  2. "Who Do U Love"
    Released: January 15, 1996
  3. "Where Do We Go from Here"
    Released: June 17, 1996
  4. "Just Be Good to Me"
    Released: June 17, 1996
  5. "The Sound of My Tears"
    Released: November 25, 1996
  6. "It Could've Been You"
    Released: November 25, 1996

"Sentimental" was released as the lead single from the album, and peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The second single "Who Do U Love" fared better on the singles chart, peaking at number 17 on the Hot 100, while reaching the top of Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs, selling 500,000 copies domestically.[3] It also attained worldwide success, peaking at number two on the New Zealand Singles Chart and reaching the Top 20 on other international charts.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Cash Box(favorable)[2]

AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that Cox "is a confident and stylish singer, but her self-titled debut is helped considerably by the powerhouse producers work behind the scenes [...] The record is filled with immaculately crafted dance-pop and ballads. Not all of the songs are up to the production standards, however. Like many singers in her genre, Deborah Cox is only as good as her material, and the songs on their debut are uneven [...] Nevertheless, the best songs on the album suggests that Cox has the potential to develop into a star."[1]

Track listing

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Deborah Cox – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Sentimental"
Dallas Austin4:29
2."Who Do U Love"
  • Larry "Rock" Campbell
  • Vassal Benford
  • Campbell
  • Benford (co.)
4:23
3."I'm Your Natural Woman"Daryl SimmonsDaryl Simmons5:18
4."The Sound of My Tears"
Crouch4:52
5."Call Me"
  • Cox
  • Benford
  • Lascelles Stephens
  • Benford
  • Vincent Herbert
  • Stephens (co.)
4:48
6."My Radio"AustinAustin4:15
7."Never Gonna Break My Heart Again"Diane WarrenKeith Thomas4:11
8."It Could've Been You"
  • Cox
  • Stephens
Tim & Bob4:56
9."My First Night with You"
5:30
10."Just Be Good to Me"
  • Austin
  • Tim & Bob
5:50
11."Who Do U Love" (Morales Mix)
  • Campbell
  • Benford
David Morales4:47
12."Where Do We Go from Here"
  • Campbell
  • Stephens
Vincent Herbert4:17
Total length:57:23
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Sentimental" (Uptempo Mix)
  • Austin
  • Cox
  • Wolfe
  • Austin
  • John Robinson (add.)
4:21
UK edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Sentimental" (Smooth Mix)
  • Austin
  • Cox
  • Wolfe
  • Austin
  • Francis Buckley (add.)
4:32

2012 re-release

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In 2012, the album was remastered and re-released in the UK by New Skool Sounds as a 2CD deluxe edition with 16 additional tracks. The first 12 tracks of disc one are the same as on the standard edition.

Disc 1
No.TitleLength
13."Sentimental" (Smooth Mix)4:32
14."Who Do U Love" (Driza Bone Extended Mix)5:10
15."Sentimental" (Groove Mix)4:10
16."Who Do U Love" (Gass Mix)4:26
Disc 2
No.TitleLength
1."Who Do U Love" (David Morales Down Low Dub)6:11
2."It Could've Been You" (David Morales Club Mix)11:06
3."Who Do U Love" (David Morales Boss Drums Dub)5:00
4."Sentimental" (Uno Clio Dub)8:08
5."Who Do U Love" (Driza Bone Remix)4:08
6."Just Be Good to Me" (V-Men Vocal Dub)8:03
7."Sentimental" (E-Smoove House Dub)5:32
8."Who Do U Love" (David Morales Classic Club Mix)8:42
9."Just Be Good to Me" (Div-A-Pella)6:34
10."It Could've Been You" (Mass Avenue Hip Hop Remix)4:16
11."Sentimental" (Bounce Mix)4:05
12."Who Do U Love" (Chucky Thompson's Hip Hop Mix)3:48

Charts

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Chart performance for Deborah Cox
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[4] 66
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[5] 49
US Billboard 200[6] 102
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[7] 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] 25

Certifications

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Certifications for Deborah Cox
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[9] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[10] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c AllMusic review
  2. ^ a b Robertson IV, Gil L. (October 28, 1995). "Urban" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 11. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  3. ^ "Best-Selling Records of 1996". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 3. BPI Communications Inc. January 18, 1997. p. 61. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  4. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 68.
  5. ^ "Charts.nz – Deborah Cox – Deborah Cox". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  6. ^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  7. ^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  8. ^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  9. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Deborah Cox – Deborah Cox". Music Canada. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  10. ^ "American album certifications – Deborah Cox – Deborah Cox". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 16, 2018.