So Amazin'

"So Amazin is the third studio album by American singer Christina Milian, released by Island Records on May 16, 2006 in the United States.cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?JSESSIONID=B661LkWY0XYpN1L5vKnMpGdj4JKnpsxGGTGLYNLVXB3Gt4YSX2S2!1178868157&pid=448971&aid=778028 |title=Billboard.com – Discography – Christina Milian – So Amazin' |accessdate=2008-06-27 |publisher="Billboard" ] Milian worked with hip hop producers Cool & Dre on the majority of the production of the album, with additional help from record producer and songwriter Rich Harrison, Def Jam Recordings CEO L.A. Reid, and rapper and former CEO of Def Jam Recordings Jay-Z. "So Amazin debuted and peaked at number eleven on the U.S. "Billboard" 200. Internationally, the album peaked at number sixty-seven on the UK Albums Chart, fifty-five on the Swiss Albums Chart, and 139 on the France Albums Chart.

The critical response to "So Amazin'" was mixed. Critics felt that while Milian claimed that she was displaying the various sides of her personality, the album could "only [scratch] the surface of who she really is". Milian felt that the production by Cool & Dre ensured for "a cohesive whole, with a clear, unmistakable identity". The album's first and only single, "Say I", featuring rapper Young Jeezy, saw peak positions of number four in the UK, and number twenty-one in the United States. Several weeks after the release of "So Amazin'", Milian was dropped from the Island Def Jam record label. Although the decision was said to be mutual, disappointing album sales were believed to be the main factor. [cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/29/AR2006062900846_pf.html |title=TheScene Shows to Catch |accessdate=2008-08-20 |author=Fields, Curt |date=2006-06-30 |publisher="The Washington Post"] Milian continued to promote the album on her own, [cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a36530/christina-milian-on-verge-of-bankruptcy.html |title=Christina Milian on Verge of Bankruptcy? |accessdate=2008-08-24 |author=Regan, Susanna |date=2006-09-01 |publisher=Digital Spy] and although she hoped to take "Gonna Tell Everybody", the proposed second single, to another label and shoot a music video, she was not able to.

Production

Milian would travel the world for previous albums, working with several producers and those who were "hot" at the time. Milian had a list of producers that she wanted to work with for "So Amazin", as she wanted her album to be more urban. L.A. Reid suggested to Milian that she should work with Cool & Dre, with whom she ended up working with as the first people to start off the album. Although Milian was originally supposed to work with several different music producers, she felt that the chemistry they had in the first week was so "instant and real" that she felt she could not get a better "vibe" with anybody else other than them. Together, they produced four songs in the first few days, which prompted Milian to ask her label if she could continue working with the duo. At the same time, Cool & Dre called their managers to ask if they could continue working with Milian. Milian felt that it was "just the perfect connection", and that working with them "just felt so original".cite web |url=http://www.musicremedy.com/c/Christina_Milian/album/So_Amazin-2530.html |title=Christina Milian "So Amazin"' Album |accessdate=2008-08-03 |publisher=Music Remedy] Milian ended up working with Cool & Dre on the majority of the production of the album,cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002425089 |title=Billboard Bits: Hot 97, Christina Milian, Modest Mouse|accessdate=2008-07-25 |publisher="Billboard" |date=2006-04-28] with additional help from Rich Harrison,cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1509188/20050908/milian_christina.jhtml |title=Christina Milian's Spring Lineup: Hot Single, Scary Movie |accessdate=2008-07-27 |author=Moss, Corey |date=2005-09-11 |publisher=MTV] and executive producers Jay-Z and L.A. Reid.cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1285/is_2_35/ai_n11839374 |title=Christina Milian: a Singer who Needs no Lessons in Cool Talks to Hip-Hop's Queen Bee |accessdate=2008-07-24 |author=Lil' Kim |date=March 2005 |publisher=FindArticles]

The album completed within a three month period, whereas Milian's previous albums would take six months to a year. Cool & Dre produced ten of the album's eleven tracks, [cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/16/AR2006051601727_2.html |title=Recording: Quick Spins |accessdate=2008-07-27 |author=Richards, Chris|date=2006-05-17 |publisher="The Washington Post"] which Milian said "made a more consistent, very real and personal album".cite web |url=http://www.mp3.com/features/stories/4636.html |title=Exclusive Interview with Christina Milian |accessdate=2008-03-18 |author=Rolls, Chris|date=2006-05-23 |publisher=MP3.com] When promoting her album, Milian said that it showed a "more personal, more mature side of me, definitely more consistent as far as the flow of the album". Compared to "It's About Time", where "you might be jumping around [and] get a little confused", "So Amazin'" was meant to paint a picture. She thought that for her previous album, one song was urban and sexy, and yet the next was pop, making it fun. However she also thought it was confusing, and wanted more consistency throughout the entire album. She attributed this change to the fact that the album featured only one team of producers, which made for a greater representation of a "more mature, settled" Milian. The purpose of the album was to record an album that had more realness, so that female fans could relate to what she was singing about. Milian felt that Cool & Dre brought their own style of beat to the album, giving it a "raw feel" and "street credibility".

Milian received writing credit for nine songs on the album,cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?pid=448971&aid=778028 |title=Discography – Christina Milian – "So Amazin'" |accessdate=2008-10-03 |publisher="Billboard"] which she wrote like a diary. Whenever she would experience something that she thought would be important, she would write it down for future reference. She felt that by writing down true experiences, her songs were like "captured emotion". For previous albums, Milian wrote about things that had happened in the past, whereas for "So Amazin"', she focused on the present. Milian said that her biggest obstacle recording her new album was writing in a different way. Previously, she would write songs that followed rules, where she would have a hook, a verse, and another verse with similar sound and melody. For her new album, Milian wrote songs with a "no rules theory". When writing songs, Milian said that the amount of time it took to write varied. It would depend on what she was writing about, what was going on in her life, and if it pertained to that exact moment. Sometimes the process was quick, but other times it could take an hour to write an entire song.

Genre and lyrics

Milian wanted "So Amazin'" to be more urban and R&B than her previous albums, which she felt were more pop. She said that in most cases, even when she had R&B producers, most songs would end up being pop instead of R&B. Milian described Cool & Dre as "beat makers", rather than just hip-hop producers. She saw them as "extremely talented", and felt that she was really able to express herself lyrically through their music. For "So Amazin"', Milian knew that she needed to record material that had a "realness". She wanted to make dance tracks, but also wanted to express more of herself at the same time. For "Say I", she wanted to make a record that would be an inspiration to both her and her fans. Milian found the album to be "so much more real and urban and street" than her previous albums. Milian wrote "Gonna Tell Everybody" and "Who's Gonna Ride" about ex-boyfriend Nick Cannon, who cheated on her while she was filming "Pulse" in Romania.cite web |url=http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur27890.cfm |title=Christina's Romanian Nightmare: Milian Deals with Racism and Nick Cannon's Cheating in Eastern European Country |accessdate=2008-03-18|publisher=EURweb] The songs gave her the opportunity to express herself, as she knew it was going to be something she needed to get off her chest. When writing the lyrics, Milian was a little unsure, and removed some lines that she felt were a little too harsh. Milian described writing the songs as "therapeutic", and that they allowed her to get throught the breakup much easier and faster. The music produced by Cool & Dre, and what they "brought to the table" was said by Milian to inspire her to write what she did. By being comfortable and open around them, Milian felt that she could write songs much more easily.cite web |url=http://au.askmen.com/celebs/interview_200/207.html |title=Interview: Christina Milian |accessdate=2008-08-21|work=IGN|publisher=AskMen.com] Milian wrote "Gonna Tell Everybody" because when talking with Cool & Dre, her relationship with Cannon was something that kept coming up. The song was about thinking that she had something good, what happened when it was over, and going forward with her life. "Who's Gonna Ride" was the hardest song for Milian to write because she felt it was taking a step out of her familiar zone, and that it was different for her to be "real and actually state my true feelings". She said that although it was probably the most difficult to write, it ended up being a "really hot record".

Release and reception

"So Amazin"' debuted and peaked at number eleven on the "Billboard" 200,cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=448971&model.vnuAlbumId=778028 |title=Billboard.com – Artist Chart History – Christina Milian |accessdate=2008-06-09 |publisher="Billboard" |date= ] selling 50,000 copies in its first week and 163,000 copies in total.cite web |url=http://au.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=023dc1bb-8438-4c51-85f6-7a2ac119aa1d&entry=index |title=Charts: Chili Peppers Cap Cam'ron |accessdate=2008-07-26 |author=Jenison, David|publisher=E!] cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003852976 |title=Exclusive: Milian Signs With MySpace Records|accessdate=2008-09-20 |author=Concepcion, Mariel |date=September 19, 2008 |publisher="Billboard"] Internationally, the album peaked at number sixty-seven on the UK Albums Chart, fifty-five on the Swiss Albums Chart, and 139 on the France Albums Chart. The albums first single, "Say I", featured rapper Young Jeezy and had a music video, directed by Ray Kay.cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002034296 |title=Milian Prepares "Amazin" New Disc|accessdate=2008-07-26 |publisher="Billboard" |date=2006-02-16] The single peaked at number four in the UK,cite web |url = http://acharts.us/song/8234 |title = Christina Milian and Young Jeezy – Say I |accessdate = 2008-08-20 |publisher = aCharts.us ] and number twenty-one in the United States. After being dropped from Def Jam, Milian said that she was hoping to take "Gonna Tell Everybody", the proposed second single, to another label and shoot a video, but was not able to.cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1537803/20060803/milian_christina.jhtml|title=Christina Milian Looking For Fresh Start |date=2006-08-03|accessdate=2008-07-23 |publisher =MTV]

The critical response to "So Amazin'" was mixed. Clover Hope of "Billboard" magazine wrote that Milian tried to transform from "peppy pop sweetheart" to "sweet urban soulstress", but the album could not "pinpoint her true identity" and could "only [scratch] the surface of who she really is." She praised lead single, "Say I", describing it as "instantly rousing".cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/reviews/album_review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002502046 |title="So Amazin'" |accessdate=2008-07-30 |author=Hope, Clover |publisher="Billboard"] Dan Gennoe of Yahoo! Music said that the production by Cool & Dre ensured for "a cohesive whole, with a clear, unmistakable identity". He praised single "Say I", saying it "shimmies to a feisty ghetto strut and Shaft-sized orchestrals", as well as "Twisted", "Hot Boy" and "Just A Little Bit". He described "So Amazin'" as "almost the perfect R&B album", only missing "a couple of killer singles".cite web |url=http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/060524/33/209cg.html |title=Christina Milian "So Amazin'" Album Review |accessdate=2008-07-30 |author=Gennoe, Dan |date=2006-05-22 |publisher=Yahoo! Music] David Peisner of "Maxim" magazine said that Milian's "talent is real", and commended her voice, describing it as "silky and sassy". He praised Cool & Dre's "badass" production, as well as "intoxicating" lead single "Say I".cite web |url=http://www.maximonline.com/entertainment/reviews.aspx?p_id=11883 |title=Christina Milian, Music Reviewed on Maxim |accessdate=2008-08-03 |author=Peisner, David |publisher="Maxim"] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine wrote that while Milian claimed that she was "proudly displaying the various sides of her multifaceted personality", he felt that "only personality displayed on "So Amazin'" is that of her contemporaries and predecessors". He felt that contrary to the album's title, "So Amazin'" proves to be anything but".cite web |url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=822 |title=Slant Magazine Music Review: Christina Milian: "So Amazin'"|accessdate=2008-07-30 |author=Cinquemani, Sal |publisher=Slant Magazine] Andy Kellman of Allmusic felt that "So Amazin"' was "Milian's strongest album yet, if only by a narrow margin". He said that the album was short on ideas, with Cool & Dre using beats from some of their recent hits. He felt that Milian's weakness was ballads, which were "more like placeholders that merely apply some forced variety to the album"; but described the club tracks as "perfectly functional and appealing". Spence Dookey of IGN said that "Milian glistens most brightly on the tracks that are the most stripped down, such as 'Gonna Tell Everybody'". He said given the nature of the style of music Milian was practicing, "there's a fair share of rump shaking club jams offsetting the more slow tempo fare". He described single "Say I" as "a poundingly theatrical ditty", "Foolin'" as one of the "few tracks that genuinely attempts to lift Milian up from the generic R&B/club stylings and instill her with a little of that good ole fonk", and said that "My Lovin' Goes" opts for a quasi doo-wop vocal burst that is almost hypnotic in its execution".cite web |url=http://au.music.ign.com/articles/709/709415p1.html |title=IGN: Christina Milian - "So Amazin'" |accessdate=2008-09-12 |author=Dookey, Spence |date=2006-05-19 |publisher=IGN]

Label dispute

In June 2006, Milian's representative confirmed that she had left Island Def Jam, just weeks after the release of "So Amazin'". Both parties said that they decided to end their relationship due to "creative differences", and that it was "a mutual decision". Despite this, "Daily News" reported that disappointing album sales were believed to be the main factor. Def Jam was also displeased when Milian refused to take direction from L.A. Reid and record "SOS", which ended up becoming a hit single for label mate Rihanna. Def Jam reportedly blamed Dre from Cool & Dre for Milian's lack of cooperation, who was Milian's boyfriend at the time.cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2006/06/12/2006-06-12_island_def_jam_axes_its_milian_dollar_ba.html |title=Island Def Jam Axes Its Milian Dollar Baby |accessdate=2008-08-03 |date=2006-06-12 |publisher="Daily News"] Although she was dropped from the label, Milian continued to promote the album through live appearances, performing on Power 106's Summer Splash. As for her future, she said that she was "moving on to better things and new things". She said that she had "gotten a lot of offers", and was pretty sure where she was going.cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1537803/20060803/milian_christina.jhtml|title=Christina Milian Looking For Fresh Start |date=2006-08-03|accessdate=2008-07-23 |publisher =MTV]

Track listing

# "Say I" (featuring Young Jeezy) – 3:31
# "Twisted" – 4:00
# "Gonna Tell Everybody" – 4:20
# "Who's Gonna Ride" (featuring Three 6 Mafia) – 4:10
# "So Amazing" (featuring Dre) – 3:20
# "Hot Boy" (featuring Dre) – 3:53
# "Foolin'" – 4:05
# "My Lovin' Goes" – 4:00
# "Just a Little Bit" – 3:05
# "Y'all Ain't Nothin'" – 4:17
# "Wind You Up" (Japanese bonus track) – 3:42
# "Tonight" (UK and Japanese bonus track) – 3:40
# "She Don't Know" – 4:31

Charts

References

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