''All Monsters Are Human'' (stylized in

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) is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter

K. Michelle Kimberly Michelle Pate (born March 4, 1982) is an American Country, Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, and television personality. She was a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series ''Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'' during its first two sea ...

, released on January 31, 2020. The album was originally scheduled for release on December 6, 2019, but was delayed. ''All Monsters Are Human'' was preceded by the release of two singles, "Supahood" and " The Rain". To promote the album, Michelle embarked on the O.S.D. Tour in 2019.

Background and writing

On June 26, 2018, Michelle said via

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that her next album would be titled "All Monsters Are Human". On October, Michelle announced that she would instead be calling her next project ''FAB'', an

acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

for "''Fuck All U Bitches''". On November 19, 2018, Michelle released the song "Save Me". It was later announced that she had signed a new record deal with

Entertainment One Music MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch"), formerly known as Koch Records and Entertainment One (eOne) Music/Records, is an American independent record label and music management company based in New York City. It was formed in 1987 as a music div ...

. In July 2019, Michelle then confirmed that her fifth album would be officially titled "All Monsters Are Human". During a radio interview with Morning Hustle, Michelle explained the meaning behind the title: "Everybody in here is a villain to somebody and in somebody's story, you're not an angel... So All Monsters Are Human, we all have been hurt and hurt so that's where the title comes from because we always say you are this and that but you're the same thing to someone else so if you see it in me it's in you for you to even notice it."

Critical reception

Writing for ''

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'', Rachel Aroesti said the album "centres on the slick, soulful, 80s-style R&B that has provided the foundation for K Michelle's career". Aroesti described Michelle's vocals on the album as "rich and glassy" and said that they are "coated in the kind of vocoder effect that makes them glitch and ripple nauseatingly". Chris Malone of ''

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'' said that the album registers as an "otherwise solid offering" from the singer and later added: "While the new material is a much-welcome glimpse into the mind of the singer, it also struggles in distinguishing itself from her previous albums". Brittany Burton of ''

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'' wrote that ''All Monsters Are Human'' is "by far K. Michelle's biggest release to date" and also said that the most notable element of the album is the "effortless production" put into it. Edward Bowser of ''Stereo In Soul'' gave the album a positive review and rated it 3 out of 5 stars, saying that "the strength of All Monsters are Human, and K. Michelle's music in general, is her willingness to be totally transparent." and later added that it is "far from perfect – things get much too uneven on the second half – but it's honest, emotional R&B." Antwaine Folk of ''Rated R&B'' said: "At 13 songs, K. Michelle took no interest in carrying the torch of new-wave R&B on her first independent release. Instead, she took a fresh and even nostalgic turn that finds her remaining very much her own artist." He later added: "It's easy to listen to All Monsters Are Human and love each record without skipping one. In fact, hitting the repeat button on a few cuts is likely to happen more than once. Each song is a moment, so they should be praised back-to-back for their separate glory." Elle Breezy of ''Singersroom'' reviewed the album, writing: "On 'All Monsters Are Human', K. Michelle seems to be in her comfort zone, delivering songs that are near and dear to her current life."

Singles

The lead single from the album, titled "Supahood", featuring American rappers City Girls and Kash Doll, was released on September 20, 2019. It is a R&B song with trap and

crunk Crunk is a subgenre of Southern hip-hop that emerged in the early 1990s and gained mainstream success during the early to mid 2000s. Crunk is often up-tempo and one of Southern hip hop's more nightclub-oriented subgenres. Distinguishing itself w ...

influences, described by critics as a "fierce ladies night anthem" and as a "street anthem". " The Rain", produced by

Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...

, was released as the second single on October 25, 2019. The song debuted at number 28 on the US

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chart.

Commercial performance

''All Monsters Are Human'' was released on January 31, 2020. Following the album's release, it debuted at number 51 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with first week sales of 8,200 copies.

Track listing

Charts

References

{{Authority control Album chart usages for BillboardRandBHipHop Album chart usages for Billboard200 Album chart usages for BillboardIndependent K. Michelle albums 2020 albums MNRK Music Group albums Albums produced by Keyz (producer) Albums produced by Jazze Pha Albums produced by Lee Major Albums produced by Lil' Ronnie Albums produced by Drumma Boy