''Love Always'' is the debut album of American R&B duo

K-Ci & JoJo K-Ci & JoJo is an American R&B duo, consisting of brothers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey (born September 2, 1969) and Joel "JoJo" Hailey (born June 10, 1971). Natives of Charlotte, North Carolina, they are also the lead singers of the chart-topping R& ...

, released on June 17, 1997, by

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

. It was recorded at various studios in New York and the Los Angeles area in 1996 and 1997. It was produced by JoJo and several others, including

DeVante Swing Donald Earle DeGrate Jr. (born September 29, 1969), better known by his stage name DeVanté Swing, is an American record producer, singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known as the main songwriter and producer of the R&B group Jodeci, whic ...

Jon-John Robinson Jon-John Robinson (born April 22, 1970) is an American record producer and songwriter who specializes in R&B, pop and hip-hop music. Career Jon-John Robinson is a two-time Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum producer and a voting member of th ...

James Mtume James Forman (January 3, 1946 – January 9, 2022), known professionally as Mtume or James Mtume, was an American jazz and R&B musician, songwriter, record producer, activist, and radio personality. He came to prominence as a jazz musician, wo ...

, and

Jeff Redd Jeff Redd is an American singer and record producer who performed new jack swing-style R&B music in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Career A New York native, Redd began singing with the short-lived group, The Sophisticated Gents, at the age of ...

. The duo were originally a part of

Jodeci Jodeci ( ) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Dalvin DeGrate, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and K-Ci & JoJo, JoJo. Formed in 1988 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci began as a duo of DeVanté Swing and JoJo ...

before this album. The album peaked at number six on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and also appeared on international charts. The

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

" All My Life" charted number one in multiple countries, and all four of the album's singles peaked above the top 25 in the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and the New Zealand Top 40 Singles. ''Love Always'' was received favorably by critics, who praised the brothers' singing ability and the production. The album has been certified three times 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/o ...

(RIAA) and gold by

Music Canada Music Canada is a non-profit Industry trade group, trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 in Toronto to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It also offers benefits to s ...

and IFPI Sweden. It had sold more than 3 million copies in the United States.

Background

Previously, K-Ci & JoJo had been members of the group

, which consisted of them and another pair of brothers, DeVante Swing and Mr. Dalvin. Under

Uptown Records Uptown Records is an American record label, based in New York City, founded in 1986 by old school rapper ‘Dr Jekyll’ - Andre Harrell. From the late 1980s into the early 1990s, it was a leader in R&B and hip-hop. Beginnings and success In ...

, the group released three studio albums certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

by the

RIAA 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/o ...

: ''

Forever My Lady ''Forever My Lady'' is the debut studio album by American R&B quartet Jodeci, released May 28, 1991, by Uptown Records and MCA Records. Background The album's production and composition was largely attributed to DeVante Swing, who worked alon ...

'' (1991), ''

Diary of a Mad Band ''Diary of a Mad Band'' is the second studio album from American R&B group Jodeci, released December 21, 1993, on Uptown Records and distributed through MCA Records. The album also featured the first-ever album appearances from Timbaland & Mag ...

'' (1993), and ''

The Show, the After Party, the Hotel ''The Show, The After Party, The Hotel'' is the third studio album from American R&B group Jodeci, released July 18, 1995, on Uptown Records and distributed through MCA Records. The album was recorded at Dajhelon Studios in Rochester, New York.J ...

'' (1995). Jodeci has been inactive since 1996. K-Ci & JoJo, seeking to shed Jodeci's "bad boy image", began working on other projects. They appeared as featured artists in songs including

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

's "

How Do U Want It "How Do U Want It" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his fourth studio album, '' All Eyez on Me'' (1996). It was released on June 4, 1996 as a double A-sided single with "California Love" from the same album and was his final single to be r ...

", which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and

E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. Stevens is a founding member of the rap group The Click (band), The Click and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 27 stud ...

's Rapper's Ball, which peaked 29th on the Hot 100. They recorded their first songs as a duo, " If You Think You're Lonely Now" and " How Could You", for the

soundtrack albums A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...

Jason's Lyric ''Jason's Lyric'' is a 1994 American romance film, romantic psychological drama, psychological Drama (film and television), drama film, written by Bobby Smith Jr., directed by Doug McHenry, who co-produced the film with George Jackson (producer), ...

'' and ''

Bulletproof Bulletproofing is the process of making an object capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles (e.g. shrapnel). The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials provide complete protecti ...

'', respectively. Both singles reached the top 20 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs.

Production, writing, and recording

JoJo told ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also includes the persimmon tree. A few ''Diospyros'' species, such as macassar and mun ebony, are dense enough to sink in water. Ebony is fin ...

'' that he and K-Ci "wrote 75 percent" of ''Love Always''. The brothers said they wanted to make an album that everyone, including their Christian mother, would be able to listen to. K-Ci told ''Ebony'', "We want to write songs that women can listen to. ..You can listen to this in the car, riding with the folks." Contrasting the album with the brothers' work with Jodeci, K-Ci told ''Billboard'', "With Jodeci, we might sing '

Freek'n You "Freek'n You" is a song by American R&B group Jodeci recorded for their third album, '' The Show, the After Party, the Hotel'' (1995). It was released as the album's first single in June 1995 by Uptown and MCA Records. The song was both writt ...

', and with K-Ci & JoJo, we don't use the word 'sex. ''Love Always'' was the first album K-Ci & JoJo produced. Referring to DeVante Swing, who produced many of Jodeci's songs, K-Ci told ''Billboard'', "We couldn't just say, 'Oh, DeVante's gonna make sure it's mixed right.' We had to do it." Other contributors to the album included Rory Bennett,

, Jorge Corante, Mike Smoov, Fred Rosser, Jeff Redd, Joey Wlias, Laney Stewart, Gerald Baillergeau, DeVante Swing, Derrick Garrett, Craig Brockman, Victor Merrit,

, Andrew Braxton, and Bradley Spalter. Mike Smoov, Jimi Randolph, Derrick Garrett, Thom Cadley, and Mikael Ifverson engineered the album. Recording took place in 1996 and 1997 at

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for Sound recording and reproduction, recording and Audio mixing, mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home proje ...

s in New York and the Los Angeles area: ;New York * ACME Recording Studio in

Mamaroneck Mamaroneck ( ), is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Villag ...

* Battery Studios in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

* Hit City Studio in

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

* Sony Music Studios in New York City * Sony Recording Studio in New York City * Sound Track Studio in New York City * Startrak in New York City ;Southern California * Audio Achievements in Torrance * Boulevard Recording Studio in Carson * Classroom Studio in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

* Tracken Place in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

* Tickle Box Studios in Los Angeles * Westlake Studio in Los Angeles

Content

''Love Always'' is written and performed in the R&B and

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

styles. It consists of slow jams and love songs. The album's opening track, "HBI", is a short introduction and is followed by "Last Night's Letter", a slow jam about broken hearts. The next song, "Baby Come Back", was written by K-Ci about his past relationship with singer

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Qu ...

. "Love Ballad" is a cover of the L.T.D. song.

Release and promotion

''Love Always'' was released in the United States and Germany on June 17, 1997, in Canada on June 24, 1997, and in the United Kingdom on March 20, 1999. It was released in Australia in August 1998 packaged with six bonus remixes of "How Could You", "Last Night's Letter", "All My Life", and "You Bring Me Up". The album was released on CD, cassette and LP, except in Australia, where it was only released on CD.

Singles

Four songs on ''Love Always'' became singles. All four appeared in the top 25 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and the New Zealand Singles Chart. The first single, " You Bring Me Up", was released on May 27, 1997. It peaked at 26th on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, 15th on R&B/Hip Hop Songs, 15th on the New Zealand Singles Chart, and 21st on the UK Singles Chart. A remix was made featuring

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

. The second single, " Last Night's Letter", was released on September 16, 1997. It peaked at 46th on the Hot 100, 15th on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and 16th on the New Zealand Singles Chart. The third single, " All My Life", was released on March 17, 1998. JoJo wrote the song about his daughter but originally intended it for another artist. In an interview with

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

, he said, "The song was originally supposed to be used for… another artist, a female artist on

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

. But we listened to it after we got out of the studio and it was like, 'I'm keeping this, this is too hot. "All My Life" peaked at number one on the Hot 100 and R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, tying a record set by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

by jumping from 15th to first on the U.S. charts. It was also a number-one song in Australia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. It peaked at second on the

Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista is the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from Norwegian and international artists. It is presented weekly in the newspaper '' VG''. The data is collected by Nielsen Soundscan International and based on the sale ...

, third on the Flanders Belgium Singles Chart, fourth on the

Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan (, lit. "the Sweden top list") is the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from IFPI Sverige. It was formerly known as Topplistan (1975–1997) and Hitlistan (1998–2007) and has been known by its current name s ...

and the

Swiss Singles Chart The Swiss Hitparade () is Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland. The Swiss charts include: * Singles Top 75 (released since 1968) * Singles T ...

, eighth on the UK Singles Chart, 11th on the Wallonia Belgium Singles Chart, 12th on the

Austrian Singles Chart Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

, and 43rd on the

French Singles Chart SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...

. It was certified platinum by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...

and

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

by IFPI Sweden. "All My Life" was nominated for Best R&B Video at the

1999 MTV Video Music Awards The 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, which took place on September 9, 1999 (informally known as the 9/9/99 MTV Video Music Awards), honored the best music videos released between June 13, 1998, and June 11, 1999. The ceremony was hosted by Chris Roc ...

. The fourth and final single, " Don't Rush (Take Love Slowly)", was originally the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

to "All My Life"; it was released as a single in July 1998 after it achieved more airplay than "All My Life". It peaked at 24th on the US

Rhythmic Top 40 The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...

, 46th on

Hot R&B Airplay R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (previously known as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay) is a chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the top R&B and hip hop songs in the United States, based on audience impressions from a panel of radio stations monitored ...

, 16th on the UK Singles Chart, 25th on the Dutch Singles Charts, and 26th on the New Zealand Singles Chart.

Reception

Commercial performance

The album debuted at 24th on the US ''Billboard'' 200, and went on to peak at sixth. It peaked at second on the ''Billboard''

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 Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

. On July 9, 1998, ''Love Always'' was certified three times platinum by the RIAA, for shipments of three million copies in the United States. It spent 90 weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200 and 91 weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Type "K-Ci" into ''Artist'', "Love Always" into ''Title'' and click ''Submit''. As of June 1999, ''Love Always'' had sold 2.9 million copies in the US, according to

Nielsen SoundScan Luminate Data, LLC (formerly MRC Data and P-MRC Data) is a provider of music and entertainment data. Established as a joint-venture in 2020, it brought together Nielsen Music, Alpha Data (formerly BuzzAngle Music) and Variety Business Intellige ...

. ''Love Always'' charted internationally, as well. It peaked at 26th in Canada, and on June 30, 1998, it was certified platinum by

, for shipments of 100,000 copies in Canada. In Australia, the album debuted at 44th, before peaking the next week at 37th. In 1998, ''Love Always'' was certified gold by the

(ARIA), for shipments of 35,000 copies in Australia. It peaked at fifth in New Zealand, 19th in the Netherlands, 28th in Switzerland, 51st in the UK, and 56th in Sweden.

Critical response

''Love Always'' has received favorable reviews from music critics. Alex Henderson of

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 Mus ...

called "Love Ballad" the "best thing the Hailey brothers have ever done – inside or outside of Jodeci". Henderson called the album's ballads and slow jams "above average" and noted a lack of

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Te ...

and R-rated lyrics of the sort he had observed in Jodeci's music. He liked the songs "Now and Forever", "Still Waiting", and "Baby Come Back" and appreciated the 1970s soul music feel. ''

Vibe Vibe, alternatively '' vibes,'' is short for ''vibration''. A "vibe" is an emotional reaction to the aura or energy felt to belong to a person, place or thing. Vibe may also refer to: People * DJ Vibe (born 1968), Portuguese DJ * Lasse Vibe (b ...

'' magazine's Michael Gonzalez gave the album a favorable review, writing, "''Love Always'' is a marvelous musical testament to black love in the '90s." He enjoyed the production, especially from Rory Bennett, and compared the duo to

Frankie Lymon Franklin Joseph Lymon (September 30, 1942 – February 27, 1968) was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of the New York City-based early rock and roll doo-wop group the Te ...

. He noticed K-Ci's lyrics in "Baby Come Back" were about his relationship with

stating " -Ciwails like a man driven crazy by his missteps." Gonzalez also liked the songs "Don't Rush (Take Love Slowly)", and "You Bring Me Up".

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. Notes * signifies a co-producer * signifies an additional producer Sample credits * "Baby Come Back" contains a sample of "Whatever You Got I Want", written by Mel Larson, Jerry Marcellino, and Gene Marcellino, as performed by

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

Personnel

Credits for ''Love Always'' adapted from album’s liner notes. * Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey – lead and background vocals , vocal arrangement ,

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

* Joel "JoJo" Hailey – lead and background vocals , producer , co-producer , vocal arrangement , executive producer

Musicians

* Richard Adcock –

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

* Anas Allaf –

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

* Robert Becker –

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

* Rory Bennett – instrumentation *

Charlie Bisharat Charlie Bisharat (born March 15, 1963) is an American violinist known as a member of Shadowfax and for his work in film and with other new age jazz artists. Life and career He was born in Inglewood, California, in 1963 to Palestinian parents w ...

–

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

* Andrew Braxton – keyboards * Darius Campo – violin * Jorge "G. Man" Corante – keyboards and programming * Makeda Davis –

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

* Basil Fearrington –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

* Juliann French – violin *

Rob Fusari Rob Fusari is a Grammy winning American record producer and songwriter based in New York City. Lady Gaga In 2008, Fusari served as producer on Lady Gaga's debut album, ''The Fame ''The Fame'' is the debut studio album by American singer-so ...

– additional programming * Berj Garabedian – violin * Garth Gayle – guitar * Harris Goldman – violin *

Endre Granat Endre Granat (born in Hungary in August 3, 1937) is an American violinist. He is regarded as the most recorded violinist and concertmaster working in the studios today. Early life and education Granat studied at the Franz Liszt Academy in Buda ...

– violin * Mimi Granat – viola * Reggie Griffith – guitar * Alan Grubfeld – violin * Reggie Hamilton – bass * Paula Hochhalter – cello * Norman Hughes – violin * Peter Kent – violin * Razdan Kuyumjian – violin * Ennis Melchan – violin * Ed "Tree" Moore – guitar *

– keyboards * Jim Mussien –

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

* Derek Nakamoto – strings and arrangement *

Robbie Nevil Robert S. Nevil (born October 2, 1958) is an American pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and guitarist who had five ''Billboard'' top 40 hits including his songs " C'est la Vie" (#2, 1986), "Dominoes" (#14, 1987), and " Wot's It to Ya" (#1 ...

– guitar * Emanuel Officer – vocal arrangement , background vocals * Genard Parker – keyboards and drums * Dunn Pearson – keyboards * Kizi Pitfika – viola * Barbara Porter – violin * Steve Richards – cello * Jon-John Robinson – drums and piano * Anatoly Rosinsky – violin * Fred Rosser – drums * Bob Sanov – violin * Peter "Ski" Schwartz – strings * Sheila E. –

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

* Bradley Spalter – keyboards and programming *

Laney Stewart Laney Stewart (born January 10, 1966) is an American songwriter, music producer, musician, music publisher, music executive, manager and youth mentor. He has written, produced and published hits for some of the biggest names in R&B, hip hop and ...

– instrumentation * Raymond Tischer – viola *

Randy Waldman Randy Waldman (born September 8, 1955, Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor. He has frequently collaborated with Barbra Streisand, serving as her pianist and conductor since 1984. Waldman has ...

– strings arrangement and

conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or Choir, choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary d ...

* Ken Yerke – violin

Production

* Steve B. – assistant engineer * Gerald Baillergeau – producer,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

, and mixing * Rory Bennett – producer * Kyle Bess – assistant mix engineer * Allen Bishop – engineer * Stuart Brawley – assistant mix engineer * Andrew Braxton – additional production *

Craig Brockman Craig Xavier Brockman is a hip hop and R&B record producer, arranger, keyboardist, and instrumentalist. He mostly works with Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Terrace Martin, Warren G. He is also a member of The Soul Seekers. Production * Madonna - " ...

– co-producer * Thom Cadley – engineer * Bill Carr – assistant engineer * Cecil T. Chambers – production coordination *

Rob Chiarelli Rob Chiarelli (born January 13, 1963) is an American record producer, mix engineer, musician, published author and multiple Grammy Award winner. Widely recognized as a music producer for Will Smith and ''Men in Black II'' (2002), Chiarelli's work ...

– mixing * Jorge "G. Man" Corante – producer * Tom Coyne – mastering * Martin Czembor – assistant mix engineer * Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing * Joey Elias – co-producer * Derrick Garrett – producer and engineer * Jon Gass – mixing * Bryan Golder – assistant engineer * Chris Habeck –

Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...

transfer * Mikael Ifversen – engineer * Mauricio Iragorri – assistant mix engineer * Damon Jones – executive producer * Adam Kagen – engineer * Adam Kudzin – mixing * Ernie Lake – engineer * Tommy Lockheart – assistant Pro Tools transfer * Charity Lomax – assistant engineer *

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is a Guatemalan-American record mixing engineer. He has been credited on albums for high-profile pop, R&B, hip hop and rock acts. He has worked with artists including Rihanna, Kanye West, Katy Perry ...

– engineer * Victor Merrit – producer, engineer, and mixing *

– producer and engineer * Greg Mull – engineer * Rene Ochoa – project coordinator * Emanuel Officer – producer * Genard Parker – producer and mixing * Kelvin Parker – engineer * David Pelman – engineer * Dave "Hard Drive" Pensado – mixing * Jimi Randolph – engineer *

– producer , executive producer * Vince Reynolds – assistant engineer * Jon-John Robinson – producer * Fred Rosser – additional production * Mike Scielzi – engineer * Matt Silva – assistant mix engineer * Mike Smoov – producer and engineer * Bradley Spalter – producer *

– producer *

– producer and engineer * Tom Vercillo – mixing *

Brian Vibberts Brian Vibberts is an American audio engineer, a native of Portland, Connecticut, who has been active since 1991. He is a 7-time Grammy Award winner (6x Grammy, 1 Latin Grammy) and has participated in the making of numerous albums that have result ...

– assistant engineer * Eric White – assistant engineer * Jeffrey "Woody" Woodruff – engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1997 debut albums K-Ci & JoJo albums Albums produced by Craig Brockman Albums produced by Laney Stewart