Released to mixed reviews by music critics, the album reached number 14 on the Japanese Albums Chart. Its preceding two singles, "All Eyez on Me" and "Too Hood", achieved moderate commercial success on the charts however. Expected to be released on November 12, 2002, in the United States, the album was eventually put on hold after it had experienced heavy bootlegging following its Japanese release and became widely available through Internet file-sharing services. The album was then partially re-recorded and retooled as After the Storm in 2003 with original album cut, "U Should've Known Better", released as its fourth single in 2004.
In June 2000, in an interview with MTV News, Monica revealed that she was planning to start working on a follow-up to her 1998 album, The Boy Is Mine, throughout the summer season, with a first single to be released by October of the same year.[1] Expressing her interest in reteaming with the core musicians she had worked with on her second album – including frequent collaborators Dallas Austin, Rodney Jerkins, David Foster, Daryl Simmons, and Jermaine Dupri – the singer expected the album to be released in the first quarter of 2001 following her involvement with Oscar Mayer's Jingle Jam Talent Search contest and the filming of her first major motion picture, Love Song (2001).[1] The following month, personal tribulations put a temporary halt on the album's production when her former boyfriend Jarvis "Knot" Weems committed suicide.[2] In July 2000, Monica and Weems were together at the graveside of Weems's brother, who had died in an automobile accident at age 25 in 1998, when Weems, without warning, put a gun to his head and shot himself to death.[2] Knot left behind a daughter from a previous relationship, who Monica took into care after going into hiatus.[3] "Jarvis' death had everything to do with me not working," she said in 2001. "I was not able [...] I was working all these hours after it happened, [but] I realized in the midst of everything, I couldn't handle it. I'm not ashamed to say that I decided to step back and get the help I needed to really come from within."[3]
Recording and production
In the first quarter of 2001, Monica's single "Just Another Girl," taken from the soundtrack of the 2001 motion picture Down to Earth, was released.[3] An uptempo R&B track dealing with relationship issues, Monica noted that the song did not "pertain to the stage in my life I'm in, so I'm really waiting and looking for material that will take you to some of the depths in my soul. It was very difficult to juggle all of those things and then try to be a family for his kids at the same time. I'm hoping to be an inspiration to a lot of young women."[3] She eventually decided to return to the recording studio to prepare the release of her third album in fall 2001. Over the course of the sessions, Clive Davis – who had taken the singer with him from his former label, Arista Records, to his latest venture, J Records – emerged as Monica's new mentor. Davis replaced producer Dallas Austin, while longtime contributor Jermaine Dupri served as the album's executive producer.[4] Throughout the process, Monica primarily focused on working with her usual stable of producers, which also included Austin, production duo Soulshock & Karlin, Bryan Michael Cox, and Rodney Jerkins and his Darkchild crew. Though she "had never thought about writing much" by then, her producers encouraged the singer to intensify her work on the album and to write and contribute own lyrics and ideas to the songs. "I didn't have one concept in mind: I just thought about the situations and that they might be worth sharing." In the end Monica came up with nine songs for her third album, which she declared as "quite serious" because of its more-adult subject-matter and moreover called it her " 'coming of age' record" with the view to "establish the kind of fans who will be with me for the next ten years and more".[4] Although the album was tentatively titled I'm Back and Monica at one time or another, it was eventually named after the album's lead single, "All Eyez on Me."[4]
Upon its limited release, All Eyez on Me received generally mixed reviews from music critics. Michael Endelman wrote in his early review for The Boston Globe that "like recent releases from Christina Aguilera and Brandy, the new album from Monica finds the 21-year-old R&B singer trying to escape her teen-pop past. Thankfully, the result is more successful than Aguilera's recent foray into brazen sexuality and strained grunge rock. Her first album in four years, All Eyez on Me continues the pleasant, light-hearted soul that Monica is known for, while expanding into more mature subject matter."[7]Blender magazine's Dorian Lynskey, on the other hand, rated the album two out of five stars only. He sumed All Eyez on Me as "standard-issue R&B, competently rendered" and called it "a briskly efficient affair. Hired hands [...] earn their paychecks with a fistful of potential hits [...] but Monica has neither the vocal presence nor the charisma to convince us that someone else couldn’t do an equally good job with the same bland, assembly-line material."[5]
In a retrospective review of Monica's album discography, Soul in Stereo's Edward Bowser rated the album three and a half stars out of five and ranked it seventh ouf of her eight albums that were released until 2018. He wrote: "The album itself is pretty solid, filled with lots of familiar samples and loaded with promise." He cited "Too Hood," "All Eyez on Me," and "I'm Back" his favorite tracks on All Eyez on Me.[6]
Release and performance
Though originally expected to be released worldwide, All Eyez on Me received a wide release on September 11, 2002, in Japan only.[8] The set was initially scheduled for a US release in July 2002 and then pushed back to August and September before a November 12 release date was set.[4][9][10] By the time it was being scheduled for domestic release however, All Eyez on Me had been heavily bootlegged in Japan and become widely available through Internet file-sharing services.[2] In addition, the first single released from the project, "All Eyez on Me" had experienced moderate success on the charts, while follow-up "Too Hood" also got a lukewarm response.[2] As a result, the album was pulled from stores days after the release and Monica's label J Records asked her to substantially reconstruct the record with a host of new producers, including musician Missy Elliott who would emerge as the new version's executive producer.[2]
Though Rodney Jerkins-produced "Ain't Gonna Cry No More" was considered to be released as a single at times, All Eyez on Me yielded just two singles.[2] Its lead single, "All Eyez on Me", entered the top 40 in Australia and New Zealand but barely made it to the top 70 of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at number 24 on the component Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The second single, "Too Hood", featuring Jermaine Dupri, received a limited vinyl release only since J Records denied to produce a music video for the song. It, however, was included on a limited edition bonus CD with re-worked After the Storm in 2003.[11]
Track listing
Some songs appear with different titles than the re-tooled release, After the Storm.[12]
^ ab. MTV News. MTV.com. 1 June 2000. Archived from the original on 2013-12-13. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
^ abcdefMumbi Moody, Nekesa (2003-06-27). "Monica Triumphs Over Tragedy After the Storm". Enquirer. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
^ abcd. MTV News. MTV.com. 18 April 2001. Archived from the original on 2013-12-13. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
^ abcd"Superstar Monica Selects Self-Titled Album". Business Wire. 27 June 2002. Retrieved 25 November 2007.
^ ab. Blender. Alpha Media Group. Archived from the original on 2007-11-07. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
^ abBowser, Edward (July 31, 2018). "Ranking the Best Monica Albums". soulinstereo.com. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
^Endelman, Michael (17 January 2003). . The Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. ISSN 0743-1791. Archived from the original on 2016-03-26. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
^Casanova, Tara. "Music Sheet: Inspired by Tragedy: Enter Monica". Blackflix.com. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
^Salomon, Yves Erwin (5 September 2002). "Monica's 'All Eyez On Me' Due In November". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on 2013-01-05. Retrieved 25 November 2007.
^"Is About To Begin..." Billboard. June 22, 2002. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
^"Monica– Too Hood". Discogs. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
^"Monica – All Eyez On Me CD – Import". CDUniverse.com. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
^ ab (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
^"Swisscharts.com – Monica – All Eyez on Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
^"Monica: All Eyez On Me". cdjapan.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved March 21, 2022.
January 20, 2023
eyez, monica, album, eyez, third, studio, album, american, recording, artist, monica, named, after, same, titled, lead, single, marked, singer, first, record, under, clive, davis, records, roster, first, released, september, 2002, japan, tracks, album, mixture. All Eyez on Me is the third studio album by American recording artist Monica Named after its same titled lead single it marked the singer s first record under Clive Davis J Records roster and was first released on September 11 2002 in Japan The tracks on the album are a mixture of uptempo songs and ballads and it was crafted by producers such as Dallas Austin Bryan Michael Cox Jermaine Dupri Rodney Darkchild Jerkins and Soulshock amp Karlin All Eyez on MeStudio album by MonicaReleasedSeptember 11 2002 2002 09 11 Japan Recorded2000 2002Length47 24LabelJProducerDallas Austin Peter Biker Bryan Michael Cox Jermaine Dupri David Foster Fred Jerkins III Rodney Darkchild Jerkins Soulshock amp Karlin Ric WakeMonica chronologyThe Boy Is Mine 1998 All Eyez on Me 2002 After the Storm 2003 Singles from All Eyez on Me All Eyez on Me Released June 17 2002 Too Hood Released September 23 2002Released to mixed reviews by music critics the album reached number 14 on the Japanese Albums Chart Its preceding two singles All Eyez on Me and Too Hood achieved moderate commercial success on the charts however Expected to be released on November 12 2002 in the United States the album was eventually put on hold after it had experienced heavy bootlegging following its Japanese release and became widely available through Internet file sharing services The album was then partially re recorded and retooled as After the Storm in 2003 with original album cut U Should ve Known Better released as its fourth single in 2004 Contents 1 Background 2 Recording and production 3 Critical reception 4 Release and performance 5 Track listing 6 Credits and personnel 7 Charts 8 Release history 9 ReferencesBackground EditIn June 2000 in an interview with MTV News Monica revealed that she was planning to start working on a follow up to her 1998 album The Boy Is Mine throughout the summer season with a first single to be released by October of the same year 1 Expressing her interest in reteaming with the core musicians she had worked with on her second album including frequent collaborators Dallas Austin Rodney Jerkins David Foster Daryl Simmons and Jermaine Dupri the singer expected the album to be released in the first quarter of 2001 following her involvement with Oscar Mayer s Jingle Jam Talent Search contest and the filming of her first major motion picture Love Song 2001 1 The following month personal tribulations put a temporary halt on the album s production when her former boyfriend Jarvis Knot Weems committed suicide 2 In July 2000 Monica and Weems were together at the graveside of Weems s brother who had died in an automobile accident at age 25 in 1998 when Weems without warning put a gun to his head and shot himself to death 2 Knot left behind a daughter from a previous relationship who Monica took into care after going into hiatus 3 Jarvis death had everything to do with me not working she said in 2001 I was not able I was working all these hours after it happened but I realized in the midst of everything I couldn t handle it I m not ashamed to say that I decided to step back and get the help I needed to really come from within 3 Recording and production EditIn the first quarter of 2001 Monica s single Just Another Girl taken from the soundtrack of the 2001 motion picture Down to Earth was released 3 An uptempo R amp B track dealing with relationship issues Monica noted that the song did not pertain to the stage in my life I m in so I m really waiting and looking for material that will take you to some of the depths in my soul It was very difficult to juggle all of those things and then try to be a family for his kids at the same time I m hoping to be an inspiration to a lot of young women 3 She eventually decided to return to the recording studio to prepare the release of her third album in fall 2001 Over the course of the sessions Clive Davis who had taken the singer with him from his former label Arista Records to his latest venture J Records emerged as Monica s new mentor Davis replaced producer Dallas Austin while longtime contributor Jermaine Dupri served as the album s executive producer 4 Throughout the process Monica primarily focused on working with her usual stable of producers which also included Austin production duo Soulshock amp Karlin Bryan Michael Cox and Rodney Jerkins and his Darkchild crew Though she had never thought about writing much by then her producers encouraged the singer to intensify her work on the album and to write and contribute own lyrics and ideas to the songs I didn t have one concept in mind I just thought about the situations and that they might be worth sharing In the end Monica came up with nine songs for her third album which she declared as quite serious because of its more adult subject matter and moreover called it her coming of age record with the view to establish the kind of fans who will be with me for the next ten years and more 4 Although the album was tentatively titled I m Back and Monica at one time or another it was eventually named after the album s lead single All Eyez on Me 4 Critical reception EditProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingBlender 5 Soul in Stereo 6 Upon its limited release All Eyez on Me received generally mixed reviews from music critics Michael Endelman wrote in his early review for The Boston Globe that like recent releases from Christina Aguilera and Brandy the new album from Monica finds the 21 year old R amp B singer trying to escape her teen pop past Thankfully the result is more successful than Aguilera s recent foray into brazen sexuality and strained grunge rock Her first album in four years All Eyez on Me continues the pleasant light hearted soul that Monica is known for while expanding into more mature subject matter 7 Blender magazine s Dorian Lynskey on the other hand rated the album two out of five stars only He sumed All Eyez on Me as standard issue R amp B competently rendered and called it a briskly efficient affair Hired hands earn their paychecks with a fistful of potential hits but Monica has neither the vocal presence nor the charisma to convince us that someone else couldn t do an equally good job with the same bland assembly line material 5 In a retrospective review of Monica s album discography Soul in Stereo s Edward Bowser rated the album three and a half stars out of five and ranked it seventh ouf of her eight albums that were released until 2018 He wrote The album itself is pretty solid filled with lots of familiar samples and loaded with promise He cited Too Hood All Eyez on Me and I m Back his favorite tracks on All Eyez on Me 6 Release and performance EditThough originally expected to be released worldwide All Eyez on Me received a wide release on September 11 2002 in Japan only 8 The set was initially scheduled for a US release in July 2002 and then pushed back to August and September before a November 12 release date was set 4 9 10 By the time it was being scheduled for domestic release however All Eyez on Me had been heavily bootlegged in Japan and become widely available through Internet file sharing services 2 In addition the first single released from the project All Eyez on Me had experienced moderate success on the charts while follow up Too Hood also got a lukewarm response 2 As a result the album was pulled from stores days after the release and Monica s label J Records asked her to substantially reconstruct the record with a host of new producers including musician Missy Elliott who would emerge as the new version s executive producer 2 Though Rodney Jerkins produced Ain t Gonna Cry No More was considered to be released as a single at times All Eyez on Me yielded just two singles 2 Its lead single All Eyez on Me entered the top 40 in Australia and New Zealand but barely made it to the top 70 of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at number 24 on the component Hot R amp B Hip Hop Singles amp Tracks chart The second single Too Hood featuring Jermaine Dupri received a limited vinyl release only since J Records denied to produce a music video for the song It however was included on a limited edition bonus CD with re worked After the Storm in 2003 11 Track listing EditSome songs appear with different titles than the re tooled release After the Storm 12 No TitleWriter s Producer s Length1 I m Back Monica ArnoldBryan Michael CoxHarold LillyAndy ArmerRandy AlpertCoxJermaine Dupri B Lilly D 3 352 All Eyez on Me ArnoldLaShawn DanielsJames IngramQuincy JonesRodney Darkchild JerkinsDaniels D 4 003 U Should ve Known A ArnoldCoxDupriLillyDupriCox C 4 184 Too Hood featuring Jermaine Dupri ArnoldCoxDupriLillyDupriCox C 4 045 I Wrote This Song A ArnoldShamora CrawfordKenneth KarlinCarsten ShackDamon SharpeShuggie OtisSoulshock amp Karlin3 486 U Deserve featuring Hussein Fatal ArnoldLillyRufus CooperKatari CoxYaleu FulaJoseph PaquetteTupac ShakurBruce WashingtonTyrone WriceDallas Austin4 247 Breaks My Heart A ShackKarlinCrawfordSoulshock amp Karlin4 278 Ain t Gonna Cry No More A ArnoldJerkinsFred Jerkins IIIDanielsJerkinsDaniels D 4 109 If U Were the Girl ArnoldDupriCoxLillyCalvin BroadusAwood JohnsonCraig LawsonCorey MillerDupriCox C 3 5110 What Hurts the Most A ShackPeter BikerCrawfordSoulshock amp KarlinBiker4 4411 Searchin ArnoldLillyCox4 30 Bonus tracksNo TitleWriter s Producer s Length12 Just Another Girl Damon SharpeLindy RobbinsCarsten LindbergJoachim SvareRic WakeRichard Richie Jones B Great Dane B 3 2413 What My Heart Says Diane WarrenDavid Foster3 59 Notes A denotes later inclusion on After the Storm B denotes additional producer C denotes co producer D denotes vocal producerSample credits I m Back contains interpolations from Herb Alpert s 1979 composition Rise written by Andy Armer and Randy Alpert All Eyez on Me contains excerpts from Michael Jackson s 1982 song P Y T Pretty Young Thing written by Quincy Jones and James Ingram I Wrote This Song contains excerpts from the composition Aht Uh Mi Hed 1970 written and performed by Shuggie Otis U Deserve samples from Tupac s Hail Mary 1996 written by Rufus Cooper Katari Cox Yaleu Fula Joseph Paquette Tupac Shakur Bruce Washington and Tyrone Wrice If U Were the Girl sample from C Murder composition Down 4 My Niggas 2000 written by Calvin Broadus Awood Johnson Craig Lawson and Corey Miller Credits and personnel EditCredits are taken from the album s liner notes 13 Performers and musicians Montez Arnold keyboards Shamora Crawford backing vocals DJ Mars programming Eric Jackson guitar Marc Kelly bass guitar New Birth Praise Team backing vocals Tommy Martin guitar William Odum guitar Production A amp R Larry Jackson Keith Naftaly Album coordination Melinda Dancil Art direction Alexis Yraola Engineering Ralph Cacciurri Doug Harms Tim Lauber Carlton Lynn Bill Malina Mastering Tony Dawsey Mixing Kevin Davis R Jerkins Manny Marroquin Carsten Shack Dexter Simmons Phil Tan Mixing assistance John Horesco IV Photography Joshua Jordan Photo shoot production Chris LeBeau Vocal production LaShawn Daniels Harold Lilly Rodney JerkinsCharts EditChart 2002 03 PeakpositionJapanese Albums Oricon 14 14Swiss Albums Schweizer Hitparade 15 88Release history EditAll Eyez on Me release history Region Date Format Label Ref Japan September 11 2002 CD BMG Japan 16 14 References Edit a b Monica Jingle Jamming MTV News MTV com 1 June 2000 Archived from the original on 2013 12 13 Retrieved 24 July 2012 a b c d e f Mumbi Moody Nekesa 2003 06 27 Monica Triumphs Over Tragedy After the Storm Enquirer Retrieved 2007 06 01 a b c d Monica It s Different Now MTV News MTV com 18 April 2001 Archived from the original on 2013 12 13 Retrieved 24 July 2012 a b c d Superstar Monica Selects Self Titled Album Business Wire 27 June 2002 Retrieved 25 November 2007 a b Review Blender Alpha Media Group Archived from the original on 2007 11 07 Retrieved 7 October 2011 a b Bowser Edward July 31 2018 Ranking the Best Monica Albums soulinstereo com Retrieved March 21 2022 Endelman Michael 17 January 2003 Monica The Boston Globe The New York Times Company ISSN 0743 1791 Archived from the original on 2016 03 26 Retrieved 7 October 2011 Casanova Tara Music Sheet Inspired by Tragedy Enter Monica Blackflix com Retrieved 25 January 2012 Salomon Yves Erwin 5 September 2002 Monica s All Eyez On Me Due In November Yahoo Music Archived from the original on 2013 01 05 Retrieved 25 November 2007 Is About To Begin Billboard June 22 2002 Retrieved March 21 2022 Monica Too Hood Discogs Retrieved 25 January 2012 Monica All Eyez On Me CD Import CDUniverse com Retrieved 7 October 2011 All Eyez on Me CD liner Monica J Records 2002 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link a b モニカのリリース一覧 in Japanese Oricon Archived from the original on August 8 2014 Retrieved July 4 2018 Swisscharts com Monica All Eyez on Me Hung Medien Retrieved July 4 2018 Monica All Eyez On Me cdjapan co jp in Japanese Retrieved March 21 2022 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title All Eyez on Me Monica album amp oldid 1134358172, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
