Miss Thang is the debut studio album by American R&B recording artist Monica. She was 14 when the album was released. It was released by Rowdy and Arista Records on July 18, 1995 in the United States, featuring main production by mentor Dallas Austin protégés from his DARP production camp such as Tim & Bob, Daryl Simmons, Colin Wolfe and Soulshock & Karlin.
The album went to number thirty-six on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number seven on Billboard's Top R&B Albums, and reached the top ten of the New Zealand Albums Chart.[5] In the United States, Miss Thang sold more than 1.5 million copies.[6] and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for more than three million store-shipped copies.[7] In Canada, it was certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association in 1995.[8]
Writing and development
After signing a recording contract with Rowdy Records, at the age of 12, Arnold released her 1995's debut album Miss Thang; under the Arista record label.[9] Guided by Rowdy head Dallas Austin and developed by his protégés Tim & Bob, much of the album was recorded during the years of 1993 and 1995, a period that the singer described as hard work. "It was more from the stress I put on myself than it was pressure from others," she said. "There were so many young artists releasing records, and I wanted to stand out. I was a regular female growing up in the inner city, and I wanted to be who I was."[10] Throughout the recording process, Arnold ensured the album's music and lyrical content reflected her persona. As a result, she vetoed some of the songs selected for the album. "I was very assertive in making sure the album was really me," she said in an interview with Billboard. "How can you show your feeling in a song when it's about something you don't know about?"[11]
The album debuted at number 36 on the US Billboard 200 selling 31,500 copies during its first week [12] and at number 7 on the Billboard's Top R&B Albums charts.[5] In the United States, it scored a domestic sales total of about 1.5 million copies.[6] The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for more than 3 million copies shipped to music stores in the United States.[7] In Canada, the album peaked at number 58 only, but had a long run at these charts, resulting in a gold certification by the Canadian Recording Industry Association in 1995.[8]
The album was supported by four singles—"Don't Take It Personal", a double-A-side "Before You Walk Out of My Life" / "Like This and Like That" (which both of these singles on topped on the Billboard's Hot R&B Songs, making this singer to become the youngest recording artist to have two consecutive number-one hits to charted on this particular chart, at the age of 14),[13] and "Why I Love You So Much" (which it became another top 10 entry in the year of 1996).[5]
Track listing
|
| 1. | "Miss Thang" | Dallas Austin | Austin | 3:52 |
| 2. | "Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)" | Austin, Monica Arnold, Derrick Simmons, Willie James Baker, James Todd Smith, Quincy Jones III, Abrim Tilmon, Hank Shocklee, Eric Sadler, Carlton Ridenhour, James Brown, George Clinton | Austin | 4:18 |
| 3. | "Like This and Like That" (featuring Mr. Malik) | Dallas Austin, Colin Wolfe, Gabriel Jackson | Austin, Wolfe | 4:41 |
| 4. | "Get Down" | Tim Kelley, Bob Robinson | Tim & Bob | 4:22 |
| 5. | "With You" | Kelley, Robinson | Tim & Bob | 4:50 |
| 6. | "Skate" | Austin, Wolfe, Albert Hudson, Jonathan Meadows, Dave Roberson, Glenda Hudson, Gregory Greene, Terry Morgan, Theodore Dudley | Wolfe | 4:26 |
| 7. | "Angel" | Arnold Hennings | Hennings | 4:44 |
| 8. | "Woman in Me (Interlude)" | Kelley, Robinson | Tim & Bob | 1:36 |
| 9. | "Tell Me If You Still Care" | James Harris III, Terry Lewis | Tim & Bob, Austin (co.) | 4:45 |
| 10. | "Let's Straighten It Out" (featuring Usher) | Austin, Benny Latimore | Austin | 4:25 |
| 11. | "Before You Walk Out of My Life" | Kenneth Karlin, Andrea Martin, Carsten Schack | Soulshock & Karlin | 4:53 |
| 12. | "Now I'm Gone" | Kelley, Robinson | Tim & Bob | 4:39 |
| 13. | "Why I Love You So Much" | Daryl Simmons | Simmons | 4:30 |
| 14. | "Never Can Say Goodbye" | Hennings | Hennings | 5:02 |
| 15. | "Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days) (Remix)" | Austin, Arnold, Simmons, Willie James Baker, David Townsend, David Conley, Derrick Culler | Austin | 3:50 |
| 16. | "Forever Always" | Hennings | Hennings | 4:40 |
|
|
|
| 17. | "Time" | Kelley, Robinson | Tim & Bob | 4:35 |
- Samples credits
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Certifications
|
Credits and personnel
Credits for the liner notes adapted from Miss Thang.[20]
Musicians
- Colin Wolfe – bass
- Kenneth Crouch – piano
- Derrick Edmondson – flute, saxophone, horn
- Tommy Martin – guitar
- Derek Organ – drums
- Sandy Lawrence – art direction
- Tim Kelley – producer, arranger, drum programming, keyboards,
- Bob Robinson – keyboard, product
- Dallas Austin, Ron Gresham, Ron Gresham, Michael Patterson, Darin Prindle – mixing
Production
- Vocal assistance: Debra Killings, Monica, Lysette Titi, Usher
- Creative Director: Naim Ali, Dallas Austin, Caron Veazey
- Programming: Arvel McClinton III
References
- ↑ http://articles.dailypress.com/1995-10-20/features/9510200234_1_rowdy-records-richmond-r-b-brown-sugar
- ↑ Lytle, Craig. Miss Thang – Monica at AllMusic. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- ↑ Lewis, Angela (September 30, 1995). "Review: Monica – Miss Thang". NME. IPC Media: 53. ISSN 0028-4955.
- ↑ Hoard, Christian. "The Rolling Stone Album Guide". Rolling Stone: 553. November 2, 2004.
- 1 2 3 "Artist Chart History – Monica – Singles". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
- 1 2 "Monica Has a Fresh Start on RCA With 'New Life'". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
- 1 2 Basham, David (March 14, 2002). "Got Charts? The Long Road To #1 — And Those Who Rocked It". MTV News. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
- 1 2 "Canadian album certifications – Monica – Miss Thang". Music Canada.
- ↑ Samuels, Anita (June 20, 1998). Sharing A Hit Duet, Arista's Monica Finds Her Own Voice On Boy. Billboard. Google Books. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ↑ Ewey, Melissa (September 1, 1998). Miss Thang Grows Up. Ebony. Google Books. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ↑ Reynolds, J.R. (March 25, 1995). Rowdy/Arista Debuts The Confident Voice Of 14-Year-Old Rapper Monica. Billboard. Google Books. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=8wkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA26&dq=MONICA+miss+thang+billboard&hl=de&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj4svydwbbKAhUByGMKHSAHAcYQ6AEIKDAC#v=onepage&q=MONICA%20miss%20thang%20billboard&f=false
- ↑ Christian, Margena A. (July 28, 2003). "Monica: Shares Life's Lessons On New CD After The Storm". Jet. FindArticles.com. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
- ↑ "Oricon: Monica" (in Japanese). Media Control GfK International. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
- ↑ "Monica – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Monica. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
- ↑ "Monica – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Monica. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
- 1 2 "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-06-15.
- ↑ "Gold and Platinum – Monica". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Monica – Miss Thang". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- ↑ Miss Thang (liner notes). Monica. Rowdy. 1995. 75444-37006-2.
External links
|
|---|
|
|
|
| Studio albums | |
|---|
|
| Extended plays | |
|---|
|
| Tours | |
|---|
|
| Filmography | |
|---|
|
| Related articles | |
|---|
|
 Book:Monica|Book
|
