Still Standing (Monica Album)
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''Still Standing'' is the sixth studio album by American R&B singer Monica. It was released on March 19, 2010, by
J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG's record labels in late 2008 at the end of their merger. It was distribut ...
. Recording for the album began in 2007, in which the singer intended to take a more traditional approach to the genre and take away any "gimmicks". As executive producer of the album, Monica enlisted a variety of producers including involvement by
Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...
,
Bryan-Michael Cox Bryan-Michael Paul Cox (born December 1, 1977) is an American record producer and songwriter, known for his work with artists such as Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Toni Braxton. His most notable productions are " Be Without You" fo ...
,
Stargate ''Stargate'' is a military science fiction media franchise owned by Amazon MGM Studios. It is based on Stargate (film), the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin; production company StudioCanal owns the ...
, The Runners and
Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...
. Production on ''Still Standing'' was chronicled by Monica's BET reality series of the same name which aired between October 2009 and January 2010. The album received mostly positive reviews, based on an aggregate score of 71/100 from
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, with critics perceiving its sound as "a return to the mid-'90s heyday" of
contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music Music genre, genre, originating from African Americans, African-American musicians in the 1980s that combines rhythm and blues with elements of Pop music, pop, Soul music, soul, funk, Hip-hop, ...
. It was a commercial success, debuting at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 184,000 in its first week, and reaching the top of the
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, ...
chart, becoming Monica's second album to do so. ''Still Standing'' was certified
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 the
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(RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 copies. To date, the album has sold 474,000 copies in the United States according to ''Billboard''. The lead single, " Everything to Me", peaked at number forty-four on the US ''
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''
Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...
and number-one on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 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 ...
chart, becoming her first chart-topper in over seven years. The track was nominated 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 Award ...
at the
53rd Annual Grammy Awards The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights p ...
. The second single, " Love All Over Me", was released in May 2010 and reached number two on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart. The album was nominated for a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for
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 Contemporary R&B, R&B mus ...
, presented at the
53rd Grammy Awards The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights pri ...
in 2011.


Background

In 2006, Monica's fifth studio album '' The Makings of Me'' was released. For the production of the album, the singer had re-teamed with most of her regular contributors and although the final track listing comprised an outweighing slower set of mid-tempo recording and ballads,
J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG's record labels in late 2008 at the end of their merger. It was distribut ...
settled on " Everytime tha Beat Drop", a heavily
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-influenced up-tempo record which had initially been recorded for a
So So Def So So Def Recordings is an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, founded by producer Jermaine Dupri in 1993. Specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B, and bass music, the label has signed musical acts such as Bow Wow, Kris Kross, Xsca ...
mixtape, to lead the album — against the grain of the singer, who felt that the song did not speak to her core audience and was a poor representation of the album. Upon its release, ''The Makings of Me'' failed to reprise the multi-million sales success of previous albums, only selling 328,000, copies in the United States, and while it produced four single releases, none of them managed to chart or sell noticeably, garnering Monica her least commercially successful project yet. Still during the promotion of the album, the singer acknowledged that she had to follow a more honest approach on her next project: " he success of ''The Makings of Me''just made me realize that people want authentic Monica," she stated. "They don't want me to keep up with all the different gimmicks and trends that are taking place." In late 2007, Monica started work on her follow-up album. Intending to create a record that lived up to the sound her previous hits, particularly those from the 1990s, she expressed that she wanted to appeal to her existing fans although her label was concerned with making the project sound up to date: "I am going back to where I started. The next album I would like people to get more songs like " Why I Love You So Much," "
Angel of Mine "Angel of Mine" is a song by British R&B girl group Eternal from their first compilation album, ''Greatest Hits'' (1997). It was written by Rhett Lawrence and Travon Potts, produced by Lawrence, and released on 29 September 1997. The song beca ...
," or the things they really, really love from me .." Originally titled ''Lessons Learned''—a reference to the mistakes Monica felt she made with ''The Makings of Me'' – the singer decided to change the project after recording the album's title track in 2008 as she felt that ''Still Standing'' was more appropriate for the body of work that she and Bryan-Michael Cox pulled off.


Recording

Recording for the album took place during 2007 to 2010 at several recording studios, including Carrington House,
Doppler Studios Doppler Studios is a recording studio in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, established in 1969 as a one-room studio, and grew to host seven rooms. History Founded by original co-owners Pete Caldwell and Tom Wells to serve as their jingle company ...
, and Zone 4 Studios in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, and Studio at the Palms in
Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...
,
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
. Producers and songwriters having collaborated with Monica on the album include longtime collaborators
Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...
,
Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...
,
Bryan-Michael Cox Bryan-Michael Paul Cox (born December 1, 1977) is an American record producer and songwriter, known for his work with artists such as Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Toni Braxton. His most notable productions are " Be Without You" fo ...
, and his co-producer
WyldCard Kendrick Jevon Dean (also known as Wyldcard) is an American record producer, songwriter and entrepreneur. He has produced or written for 7 GRAMMY Nominated albums to date. Some of his hits include Chris Brown's "Say Goodbye" (Billboard #1), M ...
, as well as writers and producers that she had not worked with in the past, including
Jim Jonsin James Gregory Scheffer (born June 8, 1970), known professionally as Jim Jonsin, is an American record producer and songwriter from South Florida. He has produced for numerous musical artists, including Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, Usher, Lil Wayn ...
,
Bei Maejor Brandon Michael Green (born July 23, 1988), known professionally as Maejor (formerly Bei Maejor and later Maejor Ali), is an American record producer, songwriter, and singer. Green is known for having produced and written songs for prominent mu ...
, Andre Lindal, Los Da Mystro, singer
Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Regarded as a leading figure of Contemporary R&B#2000s, 2000s R&B music, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, includi ...
, songwriters
Ester Dean Esther Renay Dean (born April 15, 1982), known professionally as Ester Dean, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. She rose to prominence as a pop songwriter in the late 2000s and wrote numerous hit songs for singers including R ...
and Crystal Johnson, Norwegian production duo Stargte and her elder cousin
Polow da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977 or 1978), known professionally as Polow da Don, is an American record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He began his career as a recording artist in the late 1990s, leaving college to pursue a career with ...
. Over the course of several recording periods, Monica worked on "hundreds of songs" for the album, herself serving as its
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 ...
and
J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG's record labels in late 2008 at the end of their merger. It was distribut ...
A&R president Larry Jackson as co-executive. Finally, only ten tracks were selected to be placed on the regular edition of ''Still Standing'' while three additional tracks were chosen to be released as free
bonus track An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...
s through different retailers. Others songs from established hitmakers such as
Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, and film producer from Columbus, Georgia. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfir ...
,
Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...
,
Drumma Boy Christopher James Gholson (born August 11, 1983), better known by his stage name Drumma Boy (or Drummer Boy), is an American record producer and rapper. Early life Born in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Cordova, Tennessee, he was exposed to ...
, J Ferrari,
Sean Garrett Garrett Robin Hamler (born March 30, 1979), known professionally as Sean Garrett, is an American record producer and songwriter. He is known his songwriting work on a series of commercially successful R&B and hip-hop songs, beginning with Ush ...
,
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 ...
, and Soulshock & Karlin did not make the cut. Monica's team also was in negotiations with R. Kelly to contribute to ''Still Standing''. In an interview,
Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...
moreover stated that he was "about to do some work with Monica". Although the debut episode of the
reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of everything in existence; everything that is not imagination, imaginary. Different Culture, cultures and Academic discipline, academic disciplines conceptualize it in various ways. Philosophical questions abo ...
television show A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...
''Monica: The Single'' on Peachtree TV was filmed to promote the release of the album's leading single, J Records and the singer were not in agreement with " Still Standing" becoming the first single, and thus, Monica set up additional sessions with
Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...
in August 2009 to find new singles. In parallel, she resumed recording with Polow da Don, Dallas Austin and Sean Garrett. Whilst at Zone 4 Studios
Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythm ...
had some creative input into the project, voicing his opinion about " Everything to Me" being a good future single choice, but did not make any musical contribution to the project. As part of her reality TV series, Monica revealed that she was planning to record all of her own
backing 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 us ...
for the album. Several tracks from the album's recording sessions leaked early which sparked a response from Monica on the eighth episode of her reality TV show: "I think it's unfair when a song like "Let Me Know" leaks. The fans don't get to hear it properly as it's not finished. It might not be a true representation of the album if it is not included on the final tracklisting." As a result of the leak, a small internal investigation was launched at J Records to find the source of the leak.


Content

The production of opening track " Still Standing", one of the first songs written for the album, was tracked by the reality television show format ''Monica: The Single'' on Peachtree TV in 2008. A well-received anthem about empowerment, starting with "an icy club-busting backbeat and a gothic, low-octave choir," it features guest vocals by Monica's cousin
Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...
and was initially considered to be released as the album's first single, but J Records rejected to promote the song as ''Still Standing''′s lead. Nevertheless, the track managed to debut within the top eighty on the US ''Billboard''
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 ...
chart and was used as the theme song of '' Monica: Still Standing'' the following year. Second track, Los Da Mystro-crafted "One In a Lifetime", was among a number of songs that leaked a year prior to the album's official release. Announced as the album's leading single at a time, the "lush, piano-laced" song deals with finding true love.
Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Regarded as a leading figure of Contemporary R&B#2000s, 2000s R&B music, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, includi ...
-penned third track titled "Stay or Go", one out of several tracks the songwriter and Monica worked on over a course of a week, deals with a "if you’re not going to treat me right, then here’s the option"–nature, according to Monica. "He wanted to do a record that spoke to who I am," she said, "and he reached back into my history on how I’ve delivered records in a sassy yet vocal way." " Everything to Me", the album's fourth track and official first single, reunited Monica with producer
Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...
and saw the pair basically reprising the formula of previous successes such as " So Gone" (2003) and " A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me)" (2006). A musical ode to all things good in life, written by singer
Jazmine Sullivan Jazmine Marie Sullivan (born April 9, 1987) is an American R&B singer and songwriter. She has won two Grammy Awards, a ''Billboard'' Women in Music Award, and two BET Awards over the course of her career. In 2022, ''Time'' placed her on their ...
, the retro ballad contains a prominent sample of the
Deniece Williams June Deniece Williams (née Chandler; born June 3, 1950) is an American singer. She has been described as "one of the great Soul music, soul voices" by the BBC. She is best known for the songs "Free (Deniece Williams song), Free", "Silly (song ...
' 1981 recording "Silly". Released to rave reviews among critics, who noted it the album's "standout track — as solid as a brick house; great singing, great lyrics, great production, just a great all-around song," "Everything to Me" became the singer's most-successful release in years. Elliott also contributed "If You Were My Man", one of the few up tempo songs on ''Still Standing'', which Monica described as the song, who was most out of her character. Originally titled "Betcha", the track samples
Evelyn "Champagne" King Evelyn "Champagne" King (born July 1, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her first hit was disco single "Shame", which was released in 1977 during the height of disco's popularity. King had other hits from the early t ...
's 1982 record "Betcha She Don't Love You", featuring heavy elements of 1980's music, and garnered a mixed response by critics, whose reviews of the song alternated between "blemish", "brainless", and "funky". "Mirror", the sixth track produced by
Jim Jonsin James Gregory Scheffer (born June 8, 1970), known professionally as Jim Jonsin, is an American record producer and songwriter from South Florida. He has produced for numerous musical artists, including Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, Usher, Lil Wayn ...
, was recorded late into the production of the album. A song about self-acceptance, Monica noted the composition one of her personal standouts on the album: "Its basically about being able to look at yourself in the mirror and be completely happy with the person that you are," she said. "Having no shame or feeling pain again, and I am at that place in my life." Seventh track " Here I Am" was penned by
Ester Dean Esther Renay Dean (born April 15, 1982), known professionally as Ester Dean, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. She rose to prominence as a pop songwriter in the late 2000s and wrote numerous hit songs for singers including R ...
and produced by Monica's elder cousin
Polow da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977 or 1978), known professionally as Polow da Don, is an American record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He began his career as a recording artist in the late 1990s, leaving college to pursue a career with ...
, marking their first collaboration. Led by a "bluesy guitar riff", the song deals with unrequited love, and has been announced as an official single from the album on numerous occasions, only to be replaced at the last minute each time. In April 2010, Monica confirmed on
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that she had re-recorded the song as a duet with
Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. Known for his work in both the screen and music industries, his accolades include an Academy Award, a Grammy Award ...
, although he was later replaced by fellow R&B singer
Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and songwriter. After being discovered by record producer Troy Taylor (record producer), Troy Taylor in 2003, Songz ...
. "Superman", another production by Bryan Michael Cox, is an
acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
-dominated ballad with syncopated drum pattern, in which she idolizes her man as a hero, comparing him with the same-titled DC Comics superhero. The track received a positive response among critics, who called it one of the finest moments on ''Still Standing'': "Monica shows her range ..and gives it some muscle." The album's ninth song and second single, Cristyle-penned " Love All Over Me", is producer
Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...
's only contribution to the record. Monica described the song as "about being strictly in love where everything feels right." Ending track "Believing in Me", an acoustic ode to moving beyond heartbreak, was contributed by
Stargate ''Stargate'' is a military science fiction media franchise owned by Amazon MGM Studios. It is based on Stargate (film), the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin; production company StudioCanal owns the ...
.


Release and promotion

After numerous delays ''Still Standing'' was eventually released on March 23, 2010, in the United States.Product Search: ''Still Standing''
HMV HMV is an international music and entertainment retailer, founded in 1921. The brand is owned by Hilco Capital and operated by Sunrise Records, except in Japan, where it is owned and operated by Lawson. The inaugural shop was opened on Lo ...
. Retrieved on 2010-03-21.
First released in the Netherlands on March 19, it received a limited release through
RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
and
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
on most major music markets until the end of April 2010. The album's marked Monica's third album released under her contract with J Records, following the renewal of her joint venture with the label in October 2007. Prior to its release, Monica debuted her
reality series Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
'' Monica: Still Standing'' on the
BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...
network on October 27, 2009. She appeared on BET's ''
106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...
'' on February 22, 2010, to promote the album, and made further appearances as a guest or co-host on the show on March 22, 2010, and March 23, 2010.Staff
Monica Joins BET, Early Show For Still Standing Week
SingersRoom. Retrieved on 2010-03-21.
On March 23, she also performed on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
's ''
The Early Show ''The Early Show'' is an American morning television show that aired on CBS from November 1, 1999, to January 7, 2012, replacing the original incarnation of '' CBS This Morning'', and the ninth attempt at a morning news-talk program by the n ...
'' in promotion of the album. At the 2010
BET Awards The BET Awards are an American award show that was established in 2001 by the BET, Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate Black person, Black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which ...
, the singer performed "Everything to Me" alongside
Deniece Williams June Deniece Williams (née Chandler; born June 3, 1950) is an American singer. She has been described as "one of the great Soul music, soul voices" by the BBC. She is best known for the songs "Free (Deniece Williams song), Free", "Silly (song ...
who sang one of her signature songs "Silly". Monica also served as a co-header with
Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and songwriter. After being discovered by record producer Troy Taylor (record producer), Troy Taylor in 2003, Songz ...
on the 2010 Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour in the following summer.


Singles

" Still Standing", featuring
Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...
was released as a buzz single from the album in August 2008. Despite being only sent to radio, it peaked at number seventy-four on the
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 ...
chart. "One In a Lifetime" peaked on the
Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and Hanshin Contents Link since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thursday ...
charts at sixty-six due to airplay and digital sales. Chart history ''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2010-04-02. Confirmed as the first single from the album, " Everything to Me" was leaked onto internet in the first week of January 2010 and officially sent to
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and
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radio formats on February 9, 2010. Monica's highest peak since 2004 " So Gone", the song eventually became her sixth number one hit on the ''Billboard''
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 ...
chart and remained seven weeks atop, making it her longest-running solo number-one to date. In addition, its peak made Monica the first artist to score chart-toppers in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. A moderate success on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, it also peaked at number forty-four on the regular pop chart. The song also charted at number eight-five on the
Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and Hanshin Contents Link since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thursday ...
. The second single, " Love All Over Me" was sent to radio in May 2010. It peaked at number fifty-eight on the US ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' chart and reached number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming Monica's twelfth top ten hit on that chart. In September 2010, " Here I Am", featuring
Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and songwriter. After being discovered by record producer Troy Taylor (record producer), Troy Taylor in 2003, Songz ...
, was confirmed as the album's third single. The track features vocals by fellow singer
Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and songwriter. After being discovered by record producer Troy Taylor (record producer), Troy Taylor in 2003, Songz ...
. A remix of "Here I Am" was initially planned as a radio single but was only released as a digital download. The album version of the song had previously debuted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number eighty-three.


Critical reception

''Still Standing'' received generally positive reviews from
music critic '' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of m ...
s. At
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a
normalized Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Science * Normalization process theory, a sociological theory of the implementation of new technologies or innovations * Normalization model, used in ...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an
average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...
score of 71, based on six reviews.
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 ...
writer Andy Kellman commented that the album "benefits from quality control and a handful of particularly strong ballads".Kellman, Andy. " Still Standing – Monica.
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 ...
. Retrieved on January 24, 2025.
About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...
's Mark Edward Nero called it "one of the stronger albums of Monica's career so far". ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
''s Mikael Wood called the album "a low-key delight" and perceived its sound as reminiscent of 1990s-R&B, stating "the appealingly unflashy CD feels like a return to the mid-'90s heyday of acts such as
Deborah Cox Deborah Cox (born July 13, 1974) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Toronto, she began performing on television commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows in her teenage years before ...
and
Total Total may refer to: Mathematics * Total, the summation of a set of numbers * Total order, a partial order without incomparable pairs * Total relation, which may also mean ** connected relation (a binary relation in which any two elements are comp ...
." ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
''s
Edna Gundersen Edna Gundersen is an American journalist who was a longtime music writer and critic for ''USA Today''. Gundersen grew up in El Paso, Texas. She attained a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at El Paso and then wrote features and en ...
called it "a gimmick-free set of cool R&B tracks". Andrew Rennie of ''
Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Na ...
'' wrote that it is "rich with songs about self-validation, love lost and subsequent recovery, and doesn't let up on that thematic gas pedal until the last tune." However, ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
''s Ken Capobianco viewed its songs as "predictable" and wrote "Monica is a vivid singer with gorgeous tone, but she’s forced to breathe life into songs that don't live up to her capabilities." Luke Winkie of ''
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 Yor ...
'' described its music as "unembellished and bland", while calling the album "immediately forgettable, inhabiting the colorless world that has doomed the majority of mainstream R&B over the last decade." Despite writing that Monica "puts forth her richest vocal efforts", ''
Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American conservative daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarde ...
'' writer Lauren Carter called the album's songs "uninspiring", describing it as "the middle ground" and "r & b blandness". Mariel Concepcion of ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' wrote that ''Still Standing'' lacks "Monica's spunk and sass", but ultimately commended her lyrical maturity and called the album "fluid lyrically and musically". ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
''s Sarah Godfrey complimented its production and Monica's musical style, stating "The disc is a lean 10 tracks, and while the sound is more mature than her 1995 debut ''Miss Thang'', as it should be, her mellow style of R&B remains comfortingly intact."


Accolades

''Still Standing'' was nominated for two 2011
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
,
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 Contemporary R&B, R&B mus ...
and
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 Award ...
for "Everything to Me." It also received a Top R&B Album nomination at the 2011
Billboard Awards The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by ''Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...
.


Commercial performance

''Still Standing'' debuted and peaked at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart with first week sales of 184,000 copies; becoming Monica's second highest US chart-debut behind '' After the Storm'' (2003). On the ''Billboard''
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, ...
chart, the album reached number one; it also debuted at number two on the
Digital Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
chart.R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Week of April 10, 2010)
''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2010-04-01.
Digital Albums (Week of April 10, 2010)
''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2010-04-01.
One month after its release, the album was certified
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 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), for shipments of 500,000 copies on April 21, 2010. As of August 2010, ''Still Standing'' has sold 474,000 copies in the United States, according to ''Billboard''. In Japan the album peaked at number 129, while in the United Kingdom, it debuted and peaked at number twenty-five on the
UK R&B Albums Chart Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart (also known as The Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Charts, and previously the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Singles and the Top 40 Hip Hop and ...
.


Track listing

Notes * signifies a co- producer * signifies an additional producer Sample credits *"Everything to Me" contains a sample of
Deniece Williams June Deniece Williams (née Chandler; born June 3, 1950) is an American singer. She has been described as "one of the great Soul music, soul voices" by the BBC. She is best known for the songs "Free (Deniece Williams song), Free", "Silly (song ...
's "Silly" (1981). *"If You Were My Man" contains a sample of
Evelyn "Champagne" King Evelyn "Champagne" King (born July 1, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her first hit was disco single "Shame", which was released in 1977 during the height of disco's popularity. King had other hits from the early t ...
's "Betcha She Don't Love You" (1982).


Personnel

Credits for ''Still Standing'' adapted 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 Mus ...
. *
Adonis Shropshire Taurian Adonis Shropshire is an American songwriter and record producer. Beginning his career in 2001, Shropshire has written or produced numerous hit records for various artists, including Mariah Carey's " I Stay In Love", Usher's " My Boo", ...
– vocal producer, background vocals * Derek Blanks – photography * Monica – executive producer, producer, vocals, background vocals * Anita Marisa Boribbon – art direction, design * Candice Childress – production coordination *
Bryan-Michael Cox Bryan-Michael Paul Cox (born December 1, 1977) is an American record producer and songwriter, known for his work with artists such as Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Toni Braxton. His most notable productions are " Be Without You" fo ...
– bass guitar, drums,
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 ...
, instrumentation, keyboards, piano, producer,
programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...
* D-Boi – drums, programming * Carlos "Los Da Mystro" McKinney – conductor, instrumentation * Melinda Dancil – producer * Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing *
Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...
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 ...
, producer * Tony Duran – photography * Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott – engineer, producer * Mikkel S. Eriksen – instrumentation * Paul J. Falcone – engineer, mixing * Ira Folson – engineer * Andrew Frampton – keyboards, producer * Moses Gallart – assistant * Mark Gary – assistant *
Jazmine Sullivan Jazmine Marie Sullivan (born April 9, 1987) is an American R&B singer and songwriter. She has won two Grammy Awards, a ''Billboard'' Women in Music Award, and two BET Awards over the course of her career. In 2022, ''Time'' placed her on their ...
– background vocals * Chris Gehringer – mastering * Erwin Gorostiza – creative director * Mark Gray – assistant * Tor Erik Hermansen – instrumentation * Kevin Hicks – additional production, guitar, programming * Aaron Holton – engineer * John Horesco IV – engineer * Josh Houghkirk – mixing assistant * Larry Jackson – producer * Jim Jonsin – arranger, keyboards, producer, programming * Damien Lewis – assistant, engineer * Andre Lindal – composer, instrumentation, producer * Bei Maejor – producer, background vocals * Rob Marks – mixing * Mylah Morales – make up *
Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Regarded as a leading figure of Contemporary R&B#2000s, 2000s R&B music, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, includi ...
– producer * Taurian "TJ" Osbourne – keyboards * Carlos Oyanedel – engineer * Dave Pensado – mixing *
Polow da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977 or 1978), known professionally as Polow da Don, is an American record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He began his career as a recording artist in the late 1990s, leaving college to pursue a career with ...
– producer * Geno Regist – engineer * Adrian "Drop" Santalla – engineer *
Stargate ''Stargate'' is a military science fiction media franchise owned by Amazon MGM Studios. It is based on Stargate (film), the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin; production company StudioCanal owns the ...
– producer * Jay Stevenson – engineer * Noah Tafua – assistant * Phil Tan – mixing * Sam Thomas – engineer, mixing * Wouri Vice – stylist * Andrew Wuepper – assistant *
WyldCard Kendrick Jevon Dean (also known as Wyldcard) is an American record producer, songwriter and entrepreneur. He has produced or written for 7 GRAMMY Nominated albums to date. Some of his hits include Chris Brown's "Say Goodbye" (Billboard #1), M ...
– additional production, keyboards, organ, strings, vocal producer


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


References


External links


''Monica: Still Standing'' official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Still Standing (Monica Album) 2010 albums Albums produced by Bryan-Michael Cox Albums produced by Jermaine Dupri Albums produced by Jim Jonsin Albums produced by Missy Elliott Albums produced by Stargate Albums with cover art by Tony Duran J Records albums Monica (singer) albums Albums produced by Maejor