Brandy-Full Moon Full Album Zip
Vida Hubbert
Full Moon is the third studio album by American singer Brandy. It was released by Atlantic Records on March 5, 2002 in the United States. The album was recorded primarily during the summer and fall of 2001 at the Hit Factory Criteria in Miami, amid a three-year musical hiatus following the success of her multi-platinum previous studio album Never Say Never (1998) and the finale of her highly successful television sitcom Moesha in May 2001. As with Never Say Never, Brandy collaborated with producer Rodney Jerkins and his Darkchild production and songwriting team on the majority of the album's composition, while Mike City, Warryn Campbell, and Keith Crouch contributed additional production.
Brandy credited Whitney Houston, Kim Burrell and Enya for inspiring her to push the limits of her voice and vocal arrangements. Jerkins credited Michael Jackson, Brandy's voice, and his experiences at European nightclubs for influencing the sound of the album. Her prior relationship and then-private relationship with Darkchild in-house producer Big Bert inspired the lyrics and song concepts.[2] Musically, Full Moon is an R&B and pop album that incorporates various genres such as 2-step garage, electro, and soul; as well as ballads.
In June 1998, Norwood released her second album Never Say Never. Boosted by the success of its number-one lead single "The Boy Is Mine", a duet with singer Monica, it facilitated Norwood in becoming a viable recording artist with cross-media appeal.[3] In total, the album sold sixteen million copies worldwide and spawned seven singles, including Norwood's second number-one song, the Diane Warren-penned "Have You Ever?".[4] Also in 1998, Norwood made her big screen debut as Karla Wilson, a supporting role in the slasher sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.[4] which garnered her an MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Breakthrough Female Performance.[5] The following year, she co-starred with Diana Ross in the telefilm drama Double Platinum about an intense, strained relationship between a mother and daughter.[6] Both Norwood and Ross served as executive producers of the movie, which features original songs from Never Say Never and Ross's Every Day Is a New Day (1999).[6]
In November 1999 Norwood was hospitalized for hydration, it was later revealed that her condition was actually caused from a nervous breakdown that resulted from her then-hectic unhealthy lifestyle and a relationship in which she had experienced emotional abuse.[7][8] Frightened by the idea that a yet-to-be-made third album would not be able to live up to the success of her previous albums, Norwood went on a lengthy hiatus to reflect and introspect.[8] "I needed to rejuvenate, get my creative juices flowing, balance my life with some privacy, to find my confidence, find my love of music again," she told Jet magazine in 2002.[8] In mid-2000, she started refocusing herself on her musical career, contributing songs to albums such as Urban Renewal (2001) and the Osmosis Jones soundtrack (2001).[9][10] During this time her voice started to change, she had developed a scratchy, evocative edge to her voice and now having a deeper and warmer tone with a textured lower register and notably stronger head voice.[11][12]
In fall 2000, Norwood finally began conceiving ideas for a third studio album with the Atlantic label.[8] While Rodney Jerkins, the main producer of her previous album Never Say Never, and his Darkchild crew, including Fred Jerkins III and LaShawn Daniels, had been working on several new songs for the singer's upcoming project in hopes of recreating the winning chemistry of Never Say Never,[13] Norwood wanted to make sure she was gaining more creative control over the project and thus, arranged meetings with all her writers and musicians to discuss the lyrical topics and sounds she wanted for the album.[8] "I was involved from A to Z," she said. "Every song on the album was inspired by my life [...] I wanted to talk about how I feel on so many levels. I wanted to be in touch with all of my emotions and share them. I've taken three years off for myself and got a chance to find things I like to do, things I don't like and things I want to change about myself."[8]
While Jerkins maintained his status as the album's executive producer, contributing most to its track listing with his team that also consisted of regular songwriters Nora Payne and Kenisha Pratt, Norwood also worked with frequent collaborators Mike City and Keith Crouch, as well as Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell, Stuart Brawley, Jason Derlatka, and Jerkins' cousin Robert "Big Bert" Smith, with whom she became romantically involved during the project.[8] In addition, she also recorded with Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo from The Neptunes. With Norwood fearing that the pair's material would not fit the concept of the album and break her type of production unit, it was left unused.[14] Rapper Ja Rule, singer Babyface and production duo Soulshock & Karlin were reportedly also involved into the project but none of their songs eventually made the album's final track listing.[13][15][16]
Full Moon opens with "B Rocka Intro", a shortened and rearranged version of "What About Us?" that starts with a robot voice.[21] The title of the intro references producer Rodney Jerkins's nickname for Brandy.[22] The first full song on the album is title track "Full Moon", producer Mike City's only contribution to Full Moon. A piano-dominated up-tempo song with a "lulling drumbeat and heavy bass,"[22] Norwood characterized it as urban contemporary, explaining that "Full Moon" is "pop and R&B at the same time [but] has a lot of elements to it."[23] Lyrically, the song deals with a love at first sight during a full moon night.[23] "I Thought", a Jerkins-crafted adamant break-up song about female empowerment,[22] features electro bass lines and crunchy drums.[24] Jerkins described it as an "anthem [and] a flip off" of Brandy's previous single "The Boy Is Mine."[13] "When You Touch Me" is a ballad that revolves around the planning of a rendezvous.[19] Initially conceived by Big Bert, it was significantly polished by Jerkins.[25] Singer-producer Teddy Riley with whom Jerkins worked on Michael Jackson's Invincible (2001) during the creation of Full Moon appears on the talk box segment of the song.[25]
"Come a Little Closer" is a soft pop ballad that was originally written for NSYNC's Celebrity (2001) but eventually recorded by Canadian boy band I.D. Titled "Make It Last Forever," it appeared on their debut album Identically Different (2001).[28] "It's Not Worth It" finds Brandy trying to hold her relationship together after it has deteriorated to shambles.[19] Initially penned in 1999, Jerkins built the song around Michael Jackson's ad-libbed vocals, resulting from a joint recording session for Jackson's 2001 studio album.[29] "He Is", the next song, is a jazzy love song with "a classy piano and sparse drum track," produced by Warryn Campbell.[30] Speaking about God in third person, Brandy was unaware the song was conceptualized as a gospel song by its writers.[31] "Love Wouldn't Count Me Out" is a "sweeping" hymn that has the singer seeking understanding in the midst of romantic trial,[1] while album closer "Wow" is an upbeat ballad that has Brandy singing about the joy of finally finding the perfect lover over a "sun kissed groove."[27][32] International editions of Full Moon contain the cover versions "Another Day in Paradise" and "Die Without You", both being duets with her younger brother Ray J, as well as the beat-heavy, hand-clapping song "I Wanna Fall in Love."[32]
The album's cover artwork was photographed by Marc Baptiste. It features Norwood up to just beyond the shoulders, sporting long, "lustrous" straight hair, in addition to "heavy" makeup credited to Rea Ann Silva. Additional photos for the album artwork were taken by Jonathan Mannion and Matthew Rolston.[37]
Full Moon was originally set to be released on November 20, 2001,[38] but was delayed for March 5, 2002.[39] The album's promotional tour started in the United Kingdom with live performances of "What About Us?" on CD:UK on February 21[40] and on Top of the Pops the following day.[41] The promotion continued in Germany with an interview which aired on VIVA Plus in March.[42] Afterwards, the album's release party was held on March 4 in New York City and was attended by celebrities such as Jay-Z, Ananda Lewis, Al Sharpton, Zab Judah, Kid Capri and Bill Duke.[18] Norwood promoted the album in the United States by performing on BET's 106 & Park on March 4,[43] Total Request Live and The Early Show on March 5,[44][45] Late Night with Conan O'Brien on March 8,[46] Live with Regis and Kelly on March 12,[47] The Oprah Winfrey Show on March 18,[48] and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on March 28.[49] On April 19, Norwood performed the album's title track on Dick Clark's American Bandstand's 50th Anniversary Celebration, which aired on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on May 3.[50] Furthermore, she appeared on the covers of Vibe and Honey's April 2002 issues.[51][52] However, the promotion was halted as Norwood gave birth to her and Big Bert's daughter Sy'rai Iman Smith on June 16, 2002. The end of her pregnancy and the birth were documented via the four-episode reality television series Brandy: Special Delivery, which aired on MTV from June 18, the series also chronicled events related to the promotion of Full Moon, including the release of its third and final single "He Is".[53][54]
"What About Us?" was released as the album's lead single on January 2, 2002,[a] receiving mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Debuting at number 42 on the US Billboard Hot 100, it went on to peak at number seven, as well as peaking at number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[56][57][58] Internationally, the song reached the top ten in Australia, Denmark, New Zealand, Scotland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, while peaking atop the UK R&B Chart.[59][60][61][62] The song's highly animated, futuristic accompanying music video, directed by Dave Meyers, introduced a sexier image of Brandy, portraying her as a male-ruling character in an alternate universe.[63] "What About Us?" has been certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 35,000 copies.[64] At the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, the song's accompanying music video was nominated for Viewer's Choice.[65]
a71949beef