Another Level (Blackstreet album)
1996 studio album by Blackstreet
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Another Level is the second studio album by American R&B group Blackstreet. Released on September 10, 1996, it was the first album with new members Eric Williams and Mark Middleton.[8] They joined the group after replacing departed members Dave Hollister and Levi Little.[9][8] Another Level was also the first Blackstreet album released under Interscope Records' new distribution deal with MCA Music Entertainment, Inc. after the company was dropped by Time Warner several months before the release of the album.[10]
ReleasedSeptember 10, 1996
Recorded1996
StudioFuture Recording Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
| Another Level | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 10, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | 1996 | |||
| Studio | Future Recording Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 70:22 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Blackstreet chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Another Level | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [3] |
| Muzik | [4] |
| Robert Christgau |  [5] |
| Rolling Stone | (average)[6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
| The Source | (favorable)[4] |
| Vibe | (positive)[4] |
Another Level was Blackstreet's most commercially successful album, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart for five weeks and selling over 4 million copies.[11] It contains the group's biggest hit to date, the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single "No Diggity".
Despite Another Level being their most successful recording and the huge success of the single "No Diggity", member/producer Teddy Riley stated in a 2013 interview with BBC Radio 1Xtra host Ronnie Herel that the album did not have a signature song.[12]
In 2023, the album track "Never Gonna Let You Go" appeared in the Sam Esmail film, Leave the World Behind.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Black & Street Intro" | Teddy Riley | 1:14 | |
| 2. | "This Is How We Roll" |
|
| 3:31 |
| 3. | "No Diggity" (featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen) |
|
| 5:03 |
| 4. | "Fix" |
|
| 4:04 |
| 5. | "Good Lovin'" |
|
| 4:31 |
| 6. | "Let's Stay in Love" |
|
| 4:15 |
| 7. | "We Gonna Take U Back (Lude)/Don't Leave Me" |
|
| 5:17 |
| 8. | "Never Gonna Let You Go" |
|
| 5:00 |
| 9. | "I Wanna Be Your Man" |
|
| 4:05 |
| 10. | "Taja's Lude (Interlude)" | Taja Riley | Teddy Riley | 0:27 |
| 11. | "My Paradise (Interlude)" |
| Teddy Riley | 2:11 |
| 12. | "Deja's Poem" |
| Teddy Riley | 0:24 |
| 13. | "(Money Can't) Buy Me Love" |
| 3:38 | |
| 14. | "Blackstreet (On the Radio)" (Radio interview with Morris Baxter and Blackstreet) | 3:18 | ||
| 15. | "I Can't Get You (Out of My Mind)" |
|
| 4:50 |
| 16. | "I'll Give It to You" |
|
| 4:16 |
| 17. | "Happy Song (Tonite)" |
|
| 5:38 |
| 18. | "Motherlude" |
| Teddy Riley | 4:35 |
| 19. | "The Lord Is Real (Time Will Reveal)" |
| Teddy Riley | 4:13 |
Sample credits
- "No Diggity" contains portions of "Grandma's Hands", written and performed by Bill Withers.
- "Fix" contains a portion of "The Message", written by Edward Fletcher, Melvin Glover, and Clifton Chase.
- "Good Lovin'" contains portions of "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud", written by James Brown and Alfred Ellis, and performed by James Brown.
- "Don't Leave Me" contains a sample from "A Dream" written by Bunny DeBarge, and performed by DeBarge.
- "I Wanna Be Your Man" contains portions of "Float On", written by James Mitchell, Arnold Ingram, and Marvin Willis.
- "Can't Get You (Out of My Mind)" contains a sample from "Maracas Beach", written by James Simmons, and performed by Grover Washington Jr.
- "The Lord Is Real (Time Will Reveal)" contains elements from "Time Will Reveal", written by Bunny DeBarge and El DeBarge.
Personnel
Blackstreet
- Teddy Riley – vocals; arrangements, programming, and instruments (1–9, 11, 13, 15–17); mixing, executive producer
- Chauncey "Black" Hannibal – vocals, arrangements (1, 4–6, 8, 13), executive producer
- Mark L. Middleton – vocals
- Eric "E" Williams – vocals; arrangements, programming, and instruments (15)
Additional personnel
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Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[31] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[32] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[33] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[34] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[35] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
