Brand New (Salt-n-Pepa album)
1997 studio album by Salt-N-Pepa
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Brand New is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa, released on October 21, 1997, by London Records. The group's international label at the time, Red Ant Entertainment, filed for bankruptcy before the album was officially released; aside from a brief tour and some TV and print ads, almost no promotion was available to boost the record. Brand New spawned two singles: "R U Ready" and "Gitty Up". The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 25, 1997, a sharp decline from the group's previous efforts.
- Axis (New York City)[a]
- Quad (New York City)[b]
- Soundtrack (New York City)[c]
- The Music Palace (West Hempstead, New York)[d]
- The Basement, Inc. (Dix Hills, New York)[e]
- Tone X Recording (Washington, D.C.)[f]
- Record Plant (Los Angeles)[g]
- The Hit Factory (New York City)[h]
- Chung King (New York City)[i]
- AMG (New York City)[j]
- Horizon (Capitol Heights, Maryland)[k]
- Flyte Tyme (Edina, Minnesota)[l]
| Brand New | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 21, 1997 | |||
| Studios |
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| Length | 57:27 | |||
| Label | London | |||
| Producers |
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| Salt-N-Pepa chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Brand New | ||||
Production
Brand New was the first Salt-N-Pepa album released after the group parted ways with longtime producer, writer, and manager Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor.[1] Instead, Salt took the lead in co-writing and co-produced the album.[2]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Robert Christgau |  [4] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[6] |
| Music Week | [7] |
| Rolling Stone | [8] |
| The Source | [9] |
Natasha Stovall of Rolling Stone praised the "richer piano-, guitar- and vocal-filled sound, emphasizing gritty soul and sweet, unadulterated funk."[8] Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote that the group "still juxtapose catchy come-ons ... and determinedly positive messages."[10] Connie Johnson of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "while it's commendable that they're stretching out in a more uplifting, spiritually motivated arena, the group's forte is still worldly, raunchy, of-the-flesh fare."[11] In a review for The Source, Raquel Cepeda described the album as "[m]elodically heavy, but lacking in the lyrical department".[9]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "R U Ready" |
|
| 3:58 |
| 2. | "Good Life" |
|
| 3:54 |
| 3. | "Do Me Right" |
|
| 4:36 |
| 4. | "Friends" (featuring Queen Latifah and Mad Lion) |
|
| 4:42 |
| 5. | "Say Ooh" |
|
| 4:09 |
| 6. | "Imagine" (featuring Sheryl Crow) |
|
| 5:26 |
| 7. | "Knock Knock" |
|
| 4:32 |
| 8. | "Gitty Up" |
|
| 4:00 |
| 9. | "Boy Toy" |
|
| 4:24 |
| 10. | "Brand New" |
|
| 4:05 |
| 11. | "Silly of You" |
| C. James | 3:52 |
| 12. | "The Clock Is Tickin'" | C. James | C. James | 4:51 |
| 13. | "Hold On" (featuring Kirk Franklin and Sounds of Blackness) |
|
| 5:06 |
Notes
Samples
- "R U Ready" contains excerpts from "Watch Out" by Brass Construction.
- "Gitty Up" contains samples from "Give It To Me Baby" by Rick James
- "Say Ooh" contains a sample from "Turn Off the Lights" by Larry Young.
- "Brand New" contains an interpolation of "Love Is Alive" by Gary Wright.
Personnel
- Prince Charles Alexander – mixing
- Eddie Anzueto Jr. – percussion
- Steven Augustine – bass
- Kent Belden – creative director
- Blue Denim – background vocals
- Mike Campbell – guitar
- Melvin Chandler – keyboards
- Lewis Christian – percussion
- Day Ta Day – background vocals
- Andre Debourg – engineer, mixing
- James Denton – photography
- Sandy "Pepa" Denton – producer
- DJ Flexx – background vocals
- Chad "Dr. Ceuss" Elliott – programming, producer, engineer, mixing
- Glenn Ellis – bass
- Esmail – producer
- Alan Forney – photo imaging
- Kirk Franklin – performer
- Wayne Garrick – keyboards
- Khari Green – guitar
- Bernard Grobman – guitar
- Andrew Hellier – guitar, background vocals
- Cheryl "Salt" James – producer
- Jon Jones – guitar
- Gerhard Joost – mixing
- Carol Kirkendall – executive producer
- LaTrece – background vocals
- Michael Lockwood – guitar
- Al (Taz) Machera – mixing
- Sean "Mystro" Mather – producer
- Gary Montoute – synthesizer
- Michael Moore – photography
- Rufus Moore – background vocals, performer
- Joseph Powell – programming, background vocals, producer, engineer, mixing
- Wayne Rickard – guitar
- Alicia Rushing – background vocals
- Ken Schubert – engineer, mixing
- Dawne Shivers – background vocals
- Peggy Sirota – photography
- Sounds of Blackness – performer
- Spinderella – performer
- Kevin Thomas – engineer
- Al West – producer
- Jimmy White – bass
- David Wynn – producer
- George Belton - bass
Charts
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] | 186 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] | 64 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] | 23 |
| US Billboard 200[15] | 37 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] | 16 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[17] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||