Stronger is the sixth studio album by American R&B recording artist Tank. The album was released on August 12, 2014, by Atlantic Records. The album was supported by the single "You're My Star". The album debuted at number 13 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 16,621 copies in its first week of release.
| Stronger | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 12, 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 2013–2014 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 52:35 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Tank, Don City, Derrick D. Beck, Jerry "Wonder" Duplessis, Shama "Sak Pase" Joseph, James "J-Doe" Smith, Eric "Bluetooth" Griggs, Young Fyre, Infinity, Da Internz | |||
| Tank chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Stronger | ||||
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Background
editIn June 2014, in an interview with Ebony, Tank explained the album title, saying: "Musically, it leans to my strengths as a musician; as a singer; as a songwriter; as the entertainer I’ve always wanted to be. This album is freedom to me. I’m not compromising being talented, [and] I’m not apologizing for the gifts God has given me. On the flip side, from a spiritual and mental standpoint I’ve had to go through a lot in the last few years to get to a space where I am this happy or this excited about my life and where it’s going."[1]
He also spoke about the song "Hope This Makes You Love Me", saying: "I have a record on this album that’s extremely special. It’s called “I Hope This Makes You Love Me.” This record just speaks to the idea of how we try to barter for love. How we, in a sense, try to pay for it—like to love a person and to not get [love] in return, or the same love in return and how far we’re willing to go to have that love reciprocated the way we want it to be. It's like we do anything for it, and at the end of the day, it's just in hope of being loved in return. This song is an experience."[1]
In August 2014, in an interview with Vibe, he spoke about what he did differently on the album, saying: "I added a lot more of the original retro sound of R&B to this album, all the way through and through. I really wanted to pay homage to that sound and what I do as a musician, as a true vocalist, as a songwriter and really let people experience that side of me 100 percent. Coming off the TGT album, I saw that there was still a need for real R&B music, and nobody’s really throwing that out there. This album is leaning towards my strengths and what I do well."[2] He also spoke about why the album doesn't have any features, saying: "I’m not really a feature-heavy guy anyway. When I have a vision, I like to see it all the way through, you know? Sometimes I feel like if a feature is going to interrupt that vision and it's not going to really speak to the song the way I need it to, then I’d rather just be without it. I don’t do features just to do features that put hot people on one song. That’s a way of doing things, but it's not my way."[2]
Singles
editOn March 11, 2014, the album's first single, "You're My Star" was released.[3] On June 10, 2014, the music video was released for "You're My Star".[4] He spoke about the song, saying: "The song wasn’t written for anybody in particular, it was just [written] for all women period. I get so irritated with women being called b*tches and hoes on songs, and those songs climbing to number one—you know, those songs just being the barometer by which all records are measured. [It’s] disappointing that my record doesn’t have this disrespectful shock value that [makes] you [not] want to play it on your big station. You need something degrading and defiling to gain listeners. We gotta change that. For all the records that are calling [women] out of [their] name, this record is going to mention who you really are: you’re a star, [and] you’re appreciated."[1]
Critical response
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
Andy Kellman of AllMusic said, "Durrell Babbs was rolling as smoothly as ever in 2014. This Is How I Feel, his fifth album, had gone Top Ten, while the product of his collaboration with Tyrese and Ginuwine, as TGT, debuted at number three and was Grammy-nominated for Best R&B Album. Though his adequate and sometimes brow-raising sixth album might seem fittingly titled, it's more descriptive of his career than of the content. "Stronger" itself, one of his best ballads, regards perseverance and devotion, yet Last Ditch Attempts would be a more descriptive title for an album with desperate expressions like "I'll come to his house and help you pack your bags" and "'Cause I'm praying now/I give to the homeless now."[5]
Commercial performance
editThe album debuted at number 13 on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 16,621 copies in the United States.[6] In its second week, the album sold 6,151 more copies bringing its total album sales to 22,772.[7]
Controversy
editDue to the album's low sales, Atlantic stopped all promotion for the album- including the release of what would have been the second single "Stronger". As a result, Tank went to Instagram in December 2014 to rant about his displeasure of the album's failure by blaming it on the fans.[8] His rant included the statement “Maybe I should have been born white then all my music would go straight to mainstream" - referencing Sam Smith and Adele's success on urban radio.[9] Tank also criticized the music industry, the lack of musicianship and whether he should continue doing rhythm and blues.[10] He later concluded his rant by ending with the following statement:
What I do know is that i will not continue to be faithful to something or someone that is not being faithful to me. I love you but I have a family. I have a mom and dad just like you. I have goals and dreams just like you. I refuse to work hard for nothing. I look better, sing better, produce better, write better, and perform better than dam near everybody and this is the thanks I get?.. Again I’m not angry I’m just tired.. Please enjoy my last real R&B album “Stronger” cause you’ll never get another one![11]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You're My Star" |
| Tank | 5:04 |
| 2. | "Nobody Better" |
|
| 4:20 |
| 3. | "Dance With Me" |
| Duplessis | 6:20 |
| 4. | "I Gotta Have It" |
| Duplessis | 3:06 |
| 5. | "Missing You" |
| Duplessis | 5:30 |
| 6. | "Same Way" |
|
| 5:16 |
| 7. | "Hope This Makes You Love Me" |
| Young Fyre | 5:41 |
| 8. | "Stronger" |
| Infinity | 5:31 |
| 9. | "Thanking You" |
|
| 6:11 |
| 10. | "If That's What It Takes" |
| Da Internz | 5:37 |
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
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References
edit- ^ a b c "Tank Premieres New Song 'Stronger' [INTERVIEW]". EBONY. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Interview: Tank Talks 'Stronger,' Going Retro And Why You Might Need Tinder - Vibe". 21 August 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
- ^ "iTunes - Music - You're My Star - Single by Tank". iTunes. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
- ^ "Rap-Up.com -- Tank Reveals 'Stronger' Album Cover, Release Date". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Stronger - Tank - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
- ^ Tardio, Andres. "Hip Hop Album Sales: FKA Twigs, Tank, Twista, Watsky, Dilated Peoples". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
- ^ Tardio, Andres. "Hip Hop Album Sales: Wiz Khalifa, Iggy Azalea, Beyonce, Statik Selektah, Slaine". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
- ^ "Weigh In: R&B Crooner Tank Slams Fans/Music Industry For Not Supporting R&B In Fiery Instagram Rant". thatgrapejuice.net. That Grape Juice. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
- ^ Robertson, Iyana. "Tank Vents About 'Stronger' Album Sales: 'Maybe I Should Have Been Born White'". Vibe Magazine. SpinMedia. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
- ^ "Tank has a meltdown on Instagram: 'I should've been born white'". thegrio.com. D2M2. LLC. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
- ^ Victorian, Brande. ""MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BORN WHITE:" TANKS QUITS MUSIC INDUSTRY OVER POOR ALBUM SUPPORT". Madame Noire. Moguldom Media Group. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
- ^ Tank - Stronger. Atlantic Records. 543603-2
- ^ "Tank Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ "Tank Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 2014". Retrieved 2016-07-31.