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Unexpected (Angie Stone album)

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Unexpected
Studio album by
Angie Stone
ReleasedNovember 23, 2009
Genre
Length39:26
LabelStax
Producer
  • Angie Stone (also exec.)
  • John McClain (exec.)
  • John Burk (exec.)
  • Saleem Asad
  • Cozmo
  • Terrance Freeman
  • Jazze Pha
  • Karrim King
  • Melvin Lowery, Jr.
  • One Drop Scott
  • Fitzroy Reid
  • Jonathan Richmond
  • Willie Shivers
  • Steven White
  • Sly Williams
Angie Stone chronology
The Art of Love & War
(2007) 		Unexpected
(2009) 		Rich Girl
(2012)
Singles from Unexpected
  1. "I Ain't Hearin' U"
    Released: October 12, 2009
  2. "Free"
    Released: March 14, 2010

Unexpected is the fifth studio album by American singer Angie Stone. It was released on November 23, 2009, by Stax Records. The lead single, "I Ain't Hearin' U", premiered on Stone's website on October 5, 2009.[1] A remixed version of "Free", featuring Young Nate, was released as the second and final single from the album.[2]

Upon the album's UK release in February 2010, Stone told Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul: "Being as I've delivered four decent albums already, I felt it was safe to switch up and do something different this time. And musically overall I just wanted to have FUN! I wanted to do something that embodies a jam kinda feel, so that we could have some fun in concert and show people everything doesn't always have to be so serious."[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
BBC MusicFavorable[5]
Clash8/10[6]
Entertainment WeeklyB-[7]
The Independent[8]
PopMatters8/10[9]

Unexpected received a weighted score of 67 out of 100 from review aggregate website Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on nine reviews from music critics.[10] In his review for Clash, Kevin Angel declared the album Stone's "strongest to date, as she delivers an LP that effortlessly combines the finest elements of neo soul with old-skool R&B. The album sees Stone lay down some of her most honest tunes to date." However, he criticized the inclusion of the song "Tell Me", a "song built on a techno groove feels out of place, and the use of auto-tune seems like a desperate attempt to give the album a more commercial appeal."[6] Chris Roberts from BBC Music called the album "a likeable blend of soul and funk with judicious little dashes of rap," adding: "It’s a neo-soul record. A very good one, because that’s what she does, her passionate voice bringing abundant personality [...] The album’s unsurprising, and often unconscionably fine."[5]

Allmusic editor Thom Jurek, giving the album three-and-a-half-out-of-five-star rating, found that with Unexpected Stone "delves deeper into funk and hip-hop than on her previous outings [...] These dozen tracks continue to reveal her versatility as a vocalist and recording artist; she can sing whatever it is she wants to with equal verve, authenticity, and flair. Despite the slicker and more diverse sounds on Unexpected, the soul quotient is high, even if this isn’t strictly a neo-soul album [...] Unexpected simply feels like a leap more than a step."[4] Tyler Lewis from PopMatters noted that "it’s another great Angie Stone record that gives you plenty to savor [...] She is singular in her ability to be among the most stylistically diverse contemporary artists of our time, without being flashy about it. By now, Stone should know that we know this and love her for it. That she doesn’t, is perhaps, what’s really unexpected."[9]

The Boston Globe journalist Siddhartha Mitter wrote that Unexpected offers "more musical variety than previous discs," adding that "Stone needn’t fret about keeping up with the Beyoncés; her church-infused, middle-class songs carry a proud legacy, and when she decries her 'haters', it rings false." Mitter felt that Stone shines most on the ballads, which she called "classic slow jams of the old school, a sadly fading form of which Stone is one of the great current purveyors."[11] Critical with its misleading title, Simon Vozick-Levinson from Entertainment Weekly noted that "for the most part, Unexpected is one tasteful midtempo jam after another, with Stone’s honey-sweet harmonies unfolding over easygoing throwback vibes. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – the neo-soul approach has always suited Stone. But this is precisely what her old fans expect by now, and it’s unlikely to reel in many new ones."[12]

Commercial performance

Unexpected debuted at number 133 on the US Billboard 200 and number 17 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[13] A major drop from her previous effort The Art of Love & War, which had opened at number 11 on the Billboard 200, the album marked her lowest-charting entry yet.[13] It was however ranked 93rd on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums year-end chart.[14]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Unexpected"
Stone1:28
2."I Ain't Hearin' U"
  • Steven "Supe" White
  • Juanita Wynn
  • Willie Lester
  • Rodney Brown
White3:27
3."Free" (featuring Ricco Barrino)
3:57
4."Maybe"
  • Jonathan Richmond
  • Wynn
Richmond4:40
5."Hey Mr. DJ"
Williams2:37
6."Kiss All Over Your Body"
  • Stone
  • Williams
Williams4:45
7."I Don't Care" (featuring Diamond Stone and Juanita Wynn)
  • Stone
  • Wynn
  • Willie "Chuck" Shivers
  • Diamond Stone
  • Scott Roberts
  • Cozmo Hickox
  • Saleem Asad
Shivers3:12
8."Why Is It"
  • Stone
  • Wynn
  • Williams
Williams3:43
9."Tell Me" (featuring Dose)
  • Stone
  • Wynn
  • Karrim "Ikon" King
  • Fitzroy Reid
  • Michael Thomas
  • King
  • Reid
3:16
10."Think Sometimes"
  • Stone
  • Shivers
Shivers3:34
11."I Found a Keeper"
  • Stone
  • Williams
  • Dalton P. Smith
Williams3:20
12."Unexpected (Reprise)"
  • Stone
  • Stewart
  • Wynn
Stone1:25

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer

Sample credits

Charts

References

  1. ^ I Ain't Hearin' U Songfacts
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ Angie Stone interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' February 2010
  4. ^ a b Roberts, Chris. "AllMusic Review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Roberts, Chris. "BBC Review". BBC Music. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Angel, Kevin. "Strongest album to date". Clash. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  7. ^ EW review
  8. ^ Gill, Andy. "Album: Album: Angie Stone, Unexpected (Stax)". The Independent. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Lewis, Tyler. "Angie Stone: Unexpected". Popmatters. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  10. ^ "Critic Reviews for Unexpected". Metacritic. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  11. ^ Lewis, Tyler. "Angie Stone, 'Unexpected'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  12. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon. "Unexpected". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  13. ^ a b c "Angie Stone Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  14. ^ a b "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  15. ^ "Angie Stone Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
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