I Missed Us
| I Missed Us | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 17, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2011–2012 | |||
| Studio | Audio Vision Studios (Miami, Florida) The Hampton Studio Wyatt Studio (New Jersey) Southside Studios The Black Room (Atlanta, Georgia) Freedom Studios (Virginia Beach, Virginia) | |||
| Genre | R&B[1] | |||
| Length | 48:58 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Producer |
| |||
| SWV chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from I Missed Us | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [2] |
| AllMusic | [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B+)[3] |
| Gawker | (Positive)[4] |
| New York Times | (Positive)[5] |
| Spin |   [6] |
| USA Today | [7] |
I Missed Us is the fifth studio album by American R&B group SWV released on April 17, 2012. This marks the group's first studio album since their disbandment in 1997. The album's lead single "Co-Sign" was released to radio stations December 15, 2011. The second single "Love Unconditionally" was released on May 8, 2012. The album's third single, "All About You" wasn't released until February 25, 2014,[8][9] after their reality show SWV Reunited aired. It also includes their remake of the Patti LaBelle classic, "If Only You Knew" which earned them a Grammy nomination (their second career nod) in Best Traditional R&B Performance.
Background
I Missed Us is SWV's first album release in over a decade, following 1997's A Special Christmas and their disbandment the following year "amid plenty of dissension, to pursue individual projects and focus on their families". Michael J. Feeney of NY Daily News wrote the "road to recording “I Missed Us” wasn’t easy". Whilst discussing the break-up, group member Leanne Lyons said; “there were times we weren’t speaking” because "we allowed people to tear us apart". In addition to this, she explained; "we tried to do our own thing individually, then we realized we’re much stronger together" and that they "had to go through a transition of maturity".[10]
After a failed reunion for a comeback album, the group reunited for a few performances, notably the 2008 BET Awards before commencing work on the album in 2011. Clemons said "it felt really good to be recording with my sisters again" and that "the title of the album, ‘I Missed Us’ says it all. We missed the fans, but we also really missed each other”. Lyons said, "we wanted to bring love back. We wanted to take people through the process of love,”. She described the album as having a “youthful feel, but very damn grown.”[10]
Commercial performance
I Missed Us debuted at number twenty-five on the US Billboard 200[11] and number six on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with first week sales of 14,000 units. As of 2013 it has sold 61,000 [12]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Co-Sign" |
| 3:43 |
| 2. | "All About You" |
| 3:41 |
| 3. | "Show Off" (featuring A.X.) |
| 3:45 |
| 4. | "Everything I Love" |
| 3:33 |
| 5. | "Do Ya" (featuring Brianna Perry) |
| 3:30 |
| 6. | "The Best Years" |
| 4:56 |
| 7. | "I Missed Us" |
| 3:34 |
| 8. | "Better Than I" |
| 3:36 |
| 9. | "Keep You Home" |
| 3:36 |
| 10. | "Time To Go" |
| 2:44 |
| 11. | "Use Me" |
| 3:07 |
| 12. | "Love Unconditionally" |
| 3:58 |
| 13. | "If Only You Knew" | 5:10 | |
| Total length: | 48:53 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "They'll Never Be" | 4:23 |
| 15. | "Free You" | 4:07 |
| 16. | "Co-Sign" (Remix) (featuring Lambo) | 4:29 |
| Total length: | 1:01:52 | |
Personnel
- Drums and programming: Cainon Lamb, Bryan-Michael Cox, Ivan "Orthodox" Barias, Michael "Big Mike" Clemons
- Keyboards: Cainon Lamb, Bryan-Michael Cox, Ivan "Orthodox" Barias, Raymond Gorden, Taurian "TJ" Osborn, Arthur "Buddy" Strong, Leonard Stephens, Anthony Randolph
- Bass: Tadarius McCombs, Taurian "TJ" Osborn, Nathan Clemons
- Guitar: Anthony Randolph, Kendall Gilder
- Background vocals: SWV, Kevin Ross, Jean Baylor, Allen Irvin
- Recording engineer: Andrew Thielk, Miguel Castro, Richard Reale, Sam Thomas, Bryan-Michael Cox, Carvin Haggins, Ivan Barias, Loren Barton
- Mixing: James Zaner, Marcus "DL" Siskind, Jason Goldstein, Ken Lewis, Sam Thomas, Bryan-Michael Cox, Loren Barton
- Mastering: Tony Dawsey
- Photography: Derek Blanks
- Art direction & design: Sean Marlowe
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
References
- ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "I Missed Us - SWV: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards: Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ Edward Nero, Mark. "SWV - I Missed Us". About.com. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ Wood, Mikael (Apr 13, 2012). "Albums: April 13, 2012". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ Juzwiak, Rich (Apr 17, 2012). "Michelle Williams: Heart to Yours". Gawker. Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ Caramnica, Jon (April 16, 2012). "Future, SWV and Kat Edmonson Release New Albums". New York Times. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ Walters, Barry (April 18, 2012). "SWV, 'I Missed Us' (eOne)". Spin. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ Jones, Steve (April 17, 2012). "Listen Up: Eric Hutchinson, SWV, Neon Trees, Jason Mraz". USA Today. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ [1] All About You - Single - SWV. Released: 25 Feb, 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-29
- ^ [2] All About You: SWV: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads. Original release date: 2014-02-25. Retrieved 2014-06-29
- ^ a b J. Feeney, Michael (April 16, 2012). "The '90s trio SWV aims to bring back the love and R&B with new album 'I Missed Us'". NY Daily News. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ "I Missed Us - SWV". Billboard.com. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (April 27, 2012). "Chart Juice: Future Is Here, SWV Returns". Billboard.com. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ https://www.discogs.com/SWV-I-Missed-Us/release/3953115
- ^ "SWV Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ "SWV Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ "SWV Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.