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Another Level (Blackstreet album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Another Level
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 10, 1996
Recorded1996
StudioFuture Recording Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
Genre
Length70:22
LabelInterscope
Producer
Blackstreet chronology
Blackstreet
(1994)
Another Level
(1996)
Finally
(1999)
Singles from Another Level
  1. "No Diggity"
    Released: July 29, 1996
  2. "Don't Leave Me"
    Released: January 25, 1997
  3. "Fix"
    Released: July 22, 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Chicago Tribune[3]
Muzik[4]
Robert Christgau(neither)[5]
Rolling Stone(average)[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]
The Source(favorable)[4]
Vibe(positive)[4]

Another Level is the second studio album by American R&B group Blackstreet. Released in September 10, 1996, it was the first album with new members Eric Williams and Mark Middleton.[8] They joined the group after replacing departed members Dave Hollister and Levi Little.[9][8] Another Level was also the first Blackstreet album released under Interscope Records' new distribution deal with MCA Music Entertainment, Inc. after the company was dropped by Time Warner several months before the release of the album.[10]

Another Level was Blackstreet's most commercially successful album, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart for five weeks and selling over 4 million copies.[11] It contained the group's biggest hit to date, the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single "No Diggity".

Despite Another Level being their most successful recording and the huge success of the single "No Diggity", member/producer Teddy Riley stated in a 2013 interview with BBC Radio 1Xtra host Ronnie Herel that the album did not have a signature song.[12]

In 2023, the album track "Never Gonna Let You Go" appeared in the Sam Esmail film, Leave the World Behind.

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleProducer(s), *Co-producerLength
1."Black & Street Intro"Teddy Riley1:14
2."This Is How We Roll"Teddy Riley, Frank "Nitty" Pimentel3:31
3."No Diggity" (featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen)Teddy Riley, William "Skylz" Stewart5:03
4."Fix" (contains a portion of "The Message")Teddy Riley, Chauncey Hannibal*4:04
5."Good Lovin'" (contains portions of "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud" performed by James Brown)Teddy Riley, Chauncey Hannibal*4:31
6."Let's Stay in Love"Teddy Riley, Chauncey Hannibal*4:15
7."We Gonna Take U Back (Lude)/Don't Leave Me" ("Don't Leave Me" contains a sample from "A Dream" performed by DeBarge)Teddy Riley, Roosevelt "Bink" Harrell*5:17
8."Never Gonna Let You Go"Teddy Riley, Chauncey Hannibal*5:00
9."I Wanna Be Your Man" (contains portions of "Float On")Teddy Riley, Sprague Williams*4:05
10."Taja's Lude (Interlude)"Teddy Riley0:27
11."My Paradise (Interlude)"Teddy Riley2:11
12."Deja's Poem"Teddy Riley0:24
13."(Money Can't) Buy Me Love"Teddy Riley, Chauncey Hannibal3:38
14."Blackstreet (On the Radio)" (Radio interview with Morris Baxter and Blackstreet) 3:18
15."I Can't Get You (Out of My Mind)"Teddy Riley, Eric Williams, Wesley Hoggs4:50
16."I'll Give It to You"Teddy Riley, Xavier Hargrove*4:16
17."Happy Song (Tonite)"Teddy Riley, Tommy Sims*5:38
18."Motherlude"Teddy Riley4:35
19."Lord Is Real (Time Will Reveal)" (a cover version of "Time Will Reveal" by DeBarge)Teddy Riley4:13

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[31] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[32] Gold 100,000*
Netherlands (NVPI)[33] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[35] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Credits

[edit]
  • Dr. Dre
  • Queen Pen
  • Beverly Crowder
  • Karen Anderson
  • Shaquanna Elam
  • Darryl Adams
  • ELAN
  • Lamenga Ford (Kafi)
  • Shannon Cooper
  • Deja
  • Taja (vocals)
  • William Stewart
  • Sprague Williams
  • Serban Ghenea
  • George Mayers
  • John Haynes
  • Eric Williams
  • Wesley Hoggs
  • Tommy Sims (various instruments)
  • Frank "Nitty" Pimental
  • Roosevelt Harrell (programming)
  • Madeline Nelson (A&R and Manager)

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Another Level - Blackstreet - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Allmusic review
  3. ^ Johnson, Martin. "BlackstreetAnother Level (Interscope) (star) (star) 1/2Although Teddy..." chicagotribune.com.
  4. ^ a b c "Blackstreet - Another Level CD Album". www.cduniverse.com.
  5. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: blackstreet". www.robertchristgau.com.
  6. ^ "Rolling Stone : Blackstreet: Another Level : Music Reviews". May 12, 2006. Archived from the original on 12 May 2006.
  7. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 80. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone blackstreet album guide.
  8. ^ a b Neal, Mark Anthony. "Blackstreet Level II (review)". popmatters.com. PopMatters Media, Inc. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  9. ^ Ivory. "SoulBounce's Class Of 1994: Blackstreet 'Blackstreet'". soulbounce.com. Soul Bounce. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
  10. ^ Phillips, Chuck. "MCA Offers $200 Million to Acquire a 50% Stake in Interscope Records". article. latimes.com. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  11. ^ "Rock On The Net: Blackstreet". www.rockonthenet.com.
  12. ^ "Teddy Riley Interview - Part 3 - Blackstreet". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19.
  13. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Blackstreet – Another Level". Hung Medien.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Blackstreet – Another Level" (in French). Hung Medien.
  15. ^ "Blackstreet Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Blackstreet – Another Level" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  17. ^ "Lescharts.com – Blackstreet – Another Level". Hung Medien.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Blackstreet – Another Level" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Charts.nz – Blackstreet – Another Level". Hung Medien.
  20. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Blackstreet – Another Level". Hung Medien.
  21. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Blackstreet – Another Level". Hung Medien.
  22. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  23. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  24. ^ "Blackstreet Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  25. ^ "Blackstreet Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  26. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  27. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  28. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1997". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  29. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  30. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  31. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Blackstreet – Another Level". Music Canada. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  32. ^ "French album certifications – Blackstreet – Another Level" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  33. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Blackstreet – Another Level" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved August 3, 2021. Enter Another Level in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1997 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  34. ^ "British album certifications – Blackstreet – Another Level". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  35. ^ "American album certifications – Blackstreet – Another Level". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 27, 2021.