''The Breakthrough'' is the seventh studio album by American singer Mary J. Blige, released on December 20, 2005, by

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

. Blige recorded the album with a host of songwriters and record producers, including

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is a Rodney Jerkins Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most ...

Bryan-Michael Cox Bryan-Michael Paul Cox (born December 1, 1977) is an American record producer and songwriter who is notable for his work with artists such as Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Toni Braxton. Among his most notable productions are "Be Wit ...

J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League J.U.S.T.I.C.E. (Just Undeniably Some of The Illest Composers Ever) League is an American record production team composed of producers and instrumentalists from Tampa, Florida. The group is made up of members Erik "Rook" Ortiz, Kevin "Colione ...

Raphael Saadiq Raphael Saadiq (; born Charles Ray Wiggins; May 14, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! In addition to his solo and group ...

Chucky Thompson Carl Edward "Chucky" Thompson Jr. (July 12, 1968 – August 9, 2021) was an American hip hop and R&B record producer. Biography Thompson was born in Washington, D.C., in 1968. He was a member of Bad Boy Entertainment's " Hitmen" team of in-ho ...

Cool & Dre Cool & Dre are a record production and songwriting duo from North Miami, Florida, consisting of Marcello "Cool" Antonio Valenzano and Andre "Dre" Christopher Lyon. The duo are best known for their work with Terror Squad founder Fat Joe, first ...

Ron Fair Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several ar ...

, and will.i.am. ''The Breakthrough'' received positive reviews from most critics and debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200. It has been certified triple platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

(RIAA), and has sold 3,100,000 copies in the United States.

Release and promotion

Mary J. Blige embarked on several live performances and appearances to promote the release of ''The Breakthrough''. Blige performed with rapper The Game during his performance of " Hate It or Love It" at the BET Awards on June 28, 2005. Blige sung a medley of "You're All I Need to Get By" with

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half o ...

, "I'm Goin' Down", "Real Love", and "Can't Hide from Luv" on

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

's 25 Strong: The BET Silver Anniversary Special in October 2005. In November 2005, Blige was honored with the V LEGEND AWARD at 2005 Vibe Awards. On December 21, 2005, Blige was interviewed and performed on ''

The Tyra Banks Show ''The Tyra Banks Show'', also known as and shortened to ''Tyra'' or ''The Tyra Show'', was an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks that aired from 2005 to 2010. While Banks's show covered a variety of topics, there was a sensationalized focus ...

'', singing a rendition of "Can't Hide from Luv". Blige sung a medley of "Family Affair", "Can't Hide from Luv", and "Be Without You" on ''New Year's Eve with Carson Daly'' on December 31, 2005. On February 8, 2006, Blige performed "One" with U2 at the

48th Annual Grammy Awards The 48th Annual Grammy Awards took place on February 8, 2006, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning from October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005. Irish rock band U2 we ...

. Blige performed "Be Without You" and "Enough Cryin" on

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

in April 2006. Blige sung a medley of "Be Without You" and "Enough Cryin" at the 2006 BET Awards, where she won two awards for Best Female R&B Artist and Video of the Year on June 27, 2006. Blige embarked on The Breakthrough Experience Tour from July 14, 2006, to September 10, 2006.

Letoya Luckett LeToya Nicole Luckett (born March 11, 1981) is an American R&B singer and actress. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a founding member of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. As a me ...

and

Jaheim Jaheim H. Hoagland (born May 26, 1978), known mononymously as Jaheim, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer. He was signed by Naughty by Nature's Kaygee to Divine Mill Records in 2000, and released his debut album ''Ghetto Love (album), Ghe ...

were opening acts during the tour. On December 4, 2006, Blige performed "Enough Cryin" and "Take Me as I Am" at the

2006 Billboard Music Awards The 2006 ''Billboard'' Music Awards were held December 4, 2006 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from 2006. Performances Winners and nominees Winners are listed in b ...

, where she won nine awards. At the

49th Annual Grammy Awards The 49th Annual Grammy Awards was a ceremony honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2005 and ending September 30, 2006 in the United States. The awards were handed out on Sunday, February 11, 2007 at the Staples C ...

, on February 11, 2007, Blige performed "Be Without You". She won three awards during the ceremony.

Reception

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number one on both the US ''Billboard'' 200 and

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

. Selling 727,000 copies in its first week, it became the biggest first-week sales for an R&B solo female artist in

SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...

history, the fifth largest first-week sales for a female artist, and the fourth largest debut of 2005. It has been certified triple platinum by the

(RIAA). As of 2009, ''The Breakthrough'' has sold 3,100,000 copies in the United States.

Critical response

''The Breakthrough'' was met with generally positive reviews. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...

score of 76, based on 20 reviews.The Breakthrough Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic
.

. Retrieved on April 16, 2011. Andy Gill of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' deemed it perhaps "her best, the most vivid realisation of her gripping, confessional style".Gill, Andy (December 9, 2005).
Album: Mary J Blige - Reviews, Music - The Independent
. ''

''. Retrieved on April 16, 2011. David Browne believed ''The Breakthrough'' marked a return for Blige to her dramatic strengths, writing in ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...

'' that the music's "messy sprawl of conflicted emotions feels true to her fierce, prickly personality (not to mention life itself)". Browne, David (December 23, 2005).
The Breakthrough Review
. ''

''. Retrieved on April 16, 2011. In ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'',

Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''. Pareles, Jon (December 19, 2005).
Listen Up, All My Troubled Sistahs - New York Times
. ''

''. Retrieved on April 16, 2011. ''

Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...

''s Thomas Inskeep viewed it as a "return to form" for Blige, calling it her "finest full-length since '99's ''

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

''",Inskeep, Thomas (January 17, 2006).
Mary J. Blige - The Breakthrough - Review - Stylus Magazine
". ''

''. Retrieved on April 16, 2011. while ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' journalist Barry Walters said that unlike with her previous albums, ''The Breakthrough''s ballads genuinely stand out.Walters, Barry (January 12, 2006).
The Breakthrough
. ''

''. Retrieved on April 16, 2011. Andy Kellman from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

said each song proved Blige had been given her "best round of productions" since the mid 1990s.Kellman, Andy (December 20, 2005). " AllMusic: Review.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

. Retrieved on April 16, 2011. ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' critic Natalie Nichols credited the producers for "adeptly weaving beats and live instruments, vocals and rapping, melody and rhythm in configurations alternately stark and lush".Nichols, Natalie (December 11, 2005).
For Blige, time to give back - Los Angeles Times
. ''

''. Retrieved on April 16, 2011. Jason King was less impressed in ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

'', feeling that ''The Breakthrough'' had improved on Blige's 2003 album '' Love & Life'' but still lacked the creativity of 1999's ''

''. Blige's penchant for "hermetic, clinically slick production values doesn't complement her soul-baring aura", King wrote.King, Jason (January 17, 2006).
The Royal She - Page 1 - Music - New York - Village Voice
. ''

''. Retrieved on April 16, 2011. ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...

'' journalist Tom Breihan felt the production's "awkwardly programmed drums and cluttered synthetic arrangements" generally failed to give her a conducive space for an effective performance and left "the songs' chin-up aphorisms ringing false". ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...

''s Sal Cinquemani was more critical of the lyrics, finding them distastefully sentimental, unsubtle, and "the epitome of formulaic, giving you the feeling that you've heard this all before".Cinquemani, Sal (December 22, 2005).
Mary J. Blige: The Breakthrough
.

. Retrieved on April 16, 2011.

Accolades

*At the 2006 American Music Awards, Blige won two awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Artist. *Blige won Best R&B Video for "Be Without You" at the MTV Video Music Awards. *Blige won two awards at the BET Awards for Best Female R&B Artist and Video of the Year. *Blige won nine Billboard Music Awards, including R&B/Hip-Hop Album of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Song of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Artist of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Artist of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year and Female Artist of the Year. *In 2007, Blige received eight nominations at the

, the most of any artist for that ceremony. "Be Without You" was nominated for both

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

and Song of the Year categories; it won for

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

and Best R&B Song, while ''The Breakthrough'' won in the category of

Best R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre. Honors ...

. *At the 2007 NAACP Image Awards, Blige won 2 awards, Outstanding Music Video for "Be Without You" and Outstanding Female Artist.

Track listing

Notes

* signifies a vocal producer * signifies an additional producer * signifies an additional vocal producer * signifies a co-producer

Sample credits

* "No One Will Do" contains excerpts from "I Swear I Love No One but You", written by

Bunny Sigler Walter "Bunny" Sigler (March 27, 1941 – October 6, 2017) was an American R&B singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer who did extensive work with the team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and was instrumental in creating ...

and performed by

the O'Jays The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor ...

. * "About You" contains samples from "

Feeling Good "Feeling Good" (also known as "Feelin' Good") is a song written by English composers Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the musical ''The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd''. It was first performed on stage in 1964 by Cy Gr ...

", written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse and performed by

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...

. * "Gonna Breakthrough" contains samples from " The Champ", written by Harry Palmer and performed by

the Mohawks William Alan Hawkshaw (27 March 1937 – 16 October 2021) was a British composer and performer, particularly of library music used as themes for movies and television programs. Hawkshaw worked extensively for the KPM production music company ...

. * "Good Woman Down" contains excerpts from "Heart Breaking Decision", written by Robert Aries,

Freddie Jackson Frederick Anthony Jackson (born October 2, 1956) is an American singer. Originally from New York, Jackson began his professional music career in the late 1970s with the California funk band Mystic Merlin. Among his well–known R&B/soul hits are " ...

and

Meli'sa Morgan Joyce Melissa Morgan (usually spelled Meli'sa; born December 6, 1964) is an American R&B/Soul singer–songwriter. Morgan had a string of urban contemporary hits from the mid–1980s to the mid–1990s. Most notable include her cover version of ...

and performed by Morgan. * "Take Me as I Am" contains samples from "A Garden of Peace", written and performed by

Lonnie Liston Smith Lonnie Liston Smith Jr. (born December 28, 1940) is an American jazz, soul, and funk musician who played with such jazz artists as Pharoah Sanders and Miles Davis before forming Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes, recording a number of ...

. * "Can't Hide from Luv" contains excerpts and a sample of "

I Wanna Be Where You Are "I Wanna Be Where You Are" is a song written by Arthur "T-Boy" Ross and Leon Ware for Michael Jackson, who took the song to number 7 in ''Cash Box'' and number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop chart. It also reached number 2 on the ''Billboard ...

", written by Arthur Ross and

Leon Ware Leon Ware (February 16, 1940 – February 23, 2017) was an American songwriter, producer, composer, and singer. Besides a solo career as a performer, Ware was best known for producing hits for other artists including Michael Jackson, Quincy ...

and performed by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

. * "MJB da MVP" contains excerpts from "Rubberband", written by Ron Baker, Allen Felder and Norman Harris and performed by the Tramps. It also contains resung lyrics from "All Night Long", written by James Johnson, "Remind Me", written by

Patrice Rushen Patrice Louise Rushen (born September 30, 1954) is an American jazz pianist and R&B singer. She is also a composer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and music director. Her 1982 single "Forget Me Nots" received a Grammy Awar ...

and Karen Evans, and "Everybody Loves the Sunshine", written by

Roy Ayers Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at ...

Personnel

Credits for ''The Breakthrough'' adapted from

.The Breakthrough - Mary J. Blige , AllMusic: Credits
Allmusic. Retrieved on April 16, 2011. *

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

– Vocals * Chalmers Alford – Guitar * Johnta Austin – Vocal Producer * Bobby Ross Avila – Guitar, Keyboards, Producer, Strings * Issiah "IZ" Avila – Bass, Drums, Percussion, Producer * Robert Bacon – Guitar * Charlie Bisharat – String Instrument * Mary J. Blige – Producer, Vocal Arrangement, Vocal Producer, Vocals * Bono – Guitar, Vocals * Jacqueline Brand – String Instrument, Violin * Craig Brockman – Piano * Charles "Biscuits" Brungardt – Vocal Producer * Roberto Cani – String Instrument, Violin * Lily Chen – String Instrument, Violin * Danny Cheung "Stems" – Engineer * Candice Childress – Production Coordination * Adam Clayton – Guitar (Bass) * Larry Corbett – Cello, String Instrument * Bryan-Michael Cox – Instrumentation, Producer, String Arrangements * Vidal Davis – Instrumentation, Producer * Loren Dawson – Piano * Mario Diaz de Leon – String Instrument, Violin * Brian Dembow – String Instrument, Viola * Joel Deroin – String Instrument * Patrick Dillett – Engineer, Vocal Producer * Reginald Dozier – Engineer * Andrew Duckles – String Instrument, Viola * Bruce Dukov – Violin * The Edge – Guitar * Michael Eleopoulos – Assistant Engineer, Engineer * Stephen Erdody – Cello, String Instrument * Anthony "Devyne" Evans – Engineer * Anthony Lavon Evans – Engineer * Ron Fair – Conductor, Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboards, Orchestra Bells, Organ, Piano, Producer, String Arrangements, Vocal Arrangement, Vocal Producer * Jan Fairchild – Engineer * AMarlow Fisher – String Instrument, Viola * Drew FitzGerald – Art Direction * Paul Foley – Engineer * Samuel Formicola – String Instrument, Viola * Matt Funes – String Instrument * Sean Garrett – Vocal Producer * Endre Genet – String Instrument * Julie Gigante – String Instrument, Violin * Carl Glanville – Original Recordings * Larry Gold – String Arrangements * John Goux – Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) * Alicia Graham – A&R * Endre Granat – Violin *

Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...

– Mastering * Alan Grunfeld – String Instrument * Rexsell Hardy, Jr. – Drums * Andre Harris – Instrumentation, Producer * Keith Harris – Keyboards, Organ, Piano, Synthesizer Bass * Clayton Haslop – String Instrument, Violin * Tal Herzberg – Digital Editing, Engineer, Producer * Keri Hilson – Vocal Arrangement * Paula Hochhalter – Cello, String Instrument, Strings * Infinity – Producer * Kendu Isaacs – Management, Mixing * Jun Ishizeki – Assistant Engineer * Jake & the Phatman – Producer * Jimmy Jam – Producer * Jaycen Joshua – Assistant Engineer, Engineer, Mixing * Rodney Jerkins – Mixing, Producer * Jahaun Johnson – A&R * Justice League – Producer * Suzie Katayama – Cello, String Instrument * Bernard Kenny – Bass * Kimberly Kimble – Hair Stylist * Markus Klinko &

Indrani Indrani (Sanskrit: इन्द्राणी, IAST: ''Indrāṇī, lit.'' Indra's queen), also known as Shachi (Sanskrit: शची, IAST: ''Śacī''), is the queen of the devas in Hinduism. Described as tantalisingly beautiful, proud and ...

– Photography * Armen Ksadjikian – Cello, String Instrument * Songa Lee – String Instrument, Violin * Natalie Leggett – String Instrument, Violin * Phillipe Levy – String Instrument, Violin * Terry Lewis – Producer * Andrea Liberman – Stylist * David Low – String Instrument * David Lowery – String Instrument * Rene Mandel – Violin * Matt Marrin – Engineer *

Tony Maserati Tony Maserati is an American record producer and audio engineer specializing in mixing. He was involved in the development of the New York R&B and hip-hop scene in the 1990s, working with Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, and Queen ...

– Mixing * Harvey Mason, Sr. – Glockenspiel, Tympani impani* Darrin McCann – String Instrument, Viola * Davel "Bo" McKenzie – Producer * Cornelius Mims – Bass * Vicki Miskolczy – Viola *

Peter Mokran Peter Mokran is an American mixer, producer, engineer and musician. Early life Mokran was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Growing up, he studied classical guitar, while also learning engineering and programming as a teen.Paul Tingen“Secr ...

– Mixing * Wesley Morrow – Production Coordination * Larry Mullen, Jr. – Drums, Percussion * Dean Nelson – Assistant, Mixing * 9th Wonder – Producer * Robin Olson – Violin * Robert Ozuna – Drums, Percussion, Scratching * Sid Page – String Instrument, Violin * Alyssa Park – String Instrument, Violin *

Dave Pensado Dave Pensado is a Grammy Award-winning mix engineer. His career began in Atlanta in the 1970s and 1980s doing live and studio sound engineering. He has lived in Los Angeles since 1990. He mixes between 200 and 250 songs a year at Larrabee Studios ...

– Mixing *

Katia Popov Katia Popov ( bg, Катя Попов; 3 March 1965 – 18 May 2018), born in Bulgaria and later living in California, was a violinist, playing as soloist, in chamber music and in orchestras; she was concertmaster of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra ...

– Violin *

Jack Joseph Puig Jack Joseph Puig is an American audio engineer, A&R executive, and record producer. He has worked with Tonic, Hole, Jellyfish, The Black Crowes, John Mayer, Weezer, Fiona Apple, Roger Hodgson, Taxiride, Green Day, Counting Crows, No Doubt, Kla ...

– Mixing *

Frank Romano Frank Romano is an American born guitarist, songwriter and record producer, influenced by a number of musical styles and backgrounds. Career Currently based in Nashville, Tennessee, Romano grew up in a musical family in the suburbs of Cle ...

– Guitar * Mark Robertson – Violin * Mally Roncal – Make-Up * Anatoly Rosinsky – Violin * Raphael Saadiq – Bass, Guitar, Producer * Allen Sides – Engineer * The South Central Chamber Orchestra – Strings * South Central Orchestra – Strings * Tereza Stanislav – String Instrument * Supa Engineer "Dura" – Mixing * John Tanksley – Assistant Engineer, Engineer * Troy Taylor – Vocal Producer * Cecilia Tsan – Cello * Charles Vail – Strings * Josephina Vergara – String Instrument, Violin * will.i.am – Engineer, Keyboards * Kelvin Wooten – Keyboards *

Benjamin Wright Benjamin Wright (October 10, 1770 – August 24, 1842) was an American civil engineer who was chief engineer of the Erie Canal and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. In 1969, the American Society of Civil Engineers declared him the "Father of America ...

– String Arrangements, String Conductor, String Writing * James "Big Jim" Wright – Keyboards, Producer * Dave Young – Performer * Dave Young Orchestra – Vocal Producer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links