Ready Now
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Alonzo Jackson
- Battlecat
- Truth Hurts
- Raphael Saadiq
- Brian Wilson
- Kelvin Wooten
| Ready Now | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1, 2004 | |||
| Length | 41:46 | |||
| Label | Pookie | |||
| Producer |
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| Truth Hurts chronology | ||||
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Ready Now is the second studio album by American singer Truth Hurts. It was released by Pookie Entertainment on June 1, 2004 in the United States.[1] Hurts worked with Raphael Saadiq on the majority of the album.[2]
Conceived after Hurts' departure from Aftermath Entertainment, she elaborated on the production of the album in 2011: "Ready Now was a new era in my career as an independent artist. I had the pleasure of working with Raphael Saadiq and put a lot of energy into this album. I truly learned a lot from past experiences in the industry dealing with my last album. Therefore, it was a new start, with a new identity, and new attitude."[3]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [4] |
| Slant Magazine | [5] |
| Vibe | [6] |
AllMusic editor Todd Kristel called Ready Now a "sultry sophomore album [that] is more concise than her hour-long debut. None of the songs seem like unnecessary filler, and even the seven-minute "U" doesn't overstay its welcome. She still relies on backup singers to complement the vocals, but her voice has gotten stronger; she displays greater emotional nuance (e.g., "Ready Now") and vocal nimbleness (e.g., "Can't Be Mad"), and the production of her voice has gotten less overblown [...] It's still a satisfying set of sexy, silky smooth music."[4]
Slant Magazine critic Sal Cinquemani described the album as "a decided departure from 2002's Truthfully Speaking and added: "Truth, Saadiq, and company have opted for neo-soul over high-tech hip-hop while retaining a forward-thinking sound." He felt that "Hurts oozes personality, and the racy, sexy, and mature Ready Now almost completely fills the promise of her debut."[5] Stefan Braidwood from PopMatters found that "although the album is not lacking in cohesion, its many points of reference form a whole that is both evocative of the (superior) originals, and less than the sum of its parts."[7]
Chart performance
Ready Now debuted and peaked at number 173 on the US Billboard 200.[8]
