Four official singles were released from The Way It Is; all reached the top 40 of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Cole's official debut single and the album's lead single "I Changed My Mind" peaked at number twenty-three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number seventy-one on the Billboard Hot 100. "(I Just Want It) To Be Over" was released as the album's second single and peaked at number thirty on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The third single "I Should Have Cheated" became Cole's first single to reach the top five on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The fourth single "Love" was the album's best-performing song on the Hot 100, spending 19 weeks on the chart and becoming Cole's first top 20 hit. It also became Cole's second single to reach the top five on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Cole promoted the album by performing as the supporting act, for the tours by artists such as Nelly and Kanye West.
The Way It Is received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised Cole's vocals and musical themes. The album enjoyed commercial success and launched Cole's career in R&B music, selling 89,000 units in its first week.[1]
In the United States, it topped the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for 84 weeks, and was certified gold by the RIAA within 17 weeks, and then platinum only eight weeks later. The Way It Is was Cole's highest-selling and longest-charting album on the Billboard 200, remaining on the chart for 64 weeks in total and staying on the chart for over a year, eventually selling over 1.6 million copies.
Background
Cole grew up in foster care in Oakland, California after being adopted by Yvonne Cole. "I went through a lot as a young girl," she told Sonia Murray of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "That's why I'm so serious and determined to make it in this business. So I can help young ladies in general; but especially those in foster care, who I know need help finding jobs, and just getting their goals in line."[2] Cole managed to convince rapper MC Hammer into giving her a backup vocal slot and a chance to record with him.[3][4]
Eventually, Cole managed to gain recognition into the Bay Area's hip hop and R&B scenes. She appeared on recordings by rapper Messy Marv ("Nubian Queen") and Tony! Toni! Toné! member D'wayne Wiggins (the soundtrack for the film Me and Mrs. Jones).[5][6] After she caught her then boyfriend cheating on her with another woman, within “minutes” she got in her car and drove for nine hours to Los Angeles, California to further pursue her music career according to her biography page on her website.[7]
After getting an interview with him, Cole was signed to A&M Records by its president, Ron Fair and he later began mentoring her in 2004.[8] While explaining her life struggles and career beginnings, Cole said, "I was 21, He signed me after he heard half a song, Ron took me to Jimmy Iovine that next week, and then 'I Changed My Mind' came out."[5]
Upon its release, The Way It is garnered generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a rated mean out of 100 from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 77.[9] Andy Kellman of Allmusic rated the album four out of five stars. He felt that "from the opener, the album seems to be set up like a linear narrative about a crumbling relationship, but it doesn't quite play out that way, with the scenes shuffled out of order. None of it's all that profound, but Cole sells it all extremely well. [Her] voice is sweet and ringing, like a wiser version of Lil' Mo who has had to weather a tremendous amount of drama. She could be around for a while."[10] Janet Tzou, writing for Entertainment Weekly found that "Cole certainly nails all the basics on The Way It Is: big-name guest talent and husky ballads lamenting those tricky matters of the heart. But Cole's native Oakland, California upbringing gives her vocals depth and her songs a genuine, lived-in feel."[11]
"Love, I Thought You Had My Back" contains elements from "Love Jones", written by Randolph Murph, Ralph Eskridge, and Clarence Johnson from Brighter Side of Darkness.
"You've Changed" contains elements from "Sounds Like a Love Song", performed by Bobby Glenn.