Music Speaks
Studio album by
Candice Glover
ReleasedFebruary 18, 2014
Recorded2013
Genre
Length44:32
Label
Producer
Singles from Music Speaks
  1. "Cried"
    Released: November 25, 2013

Music Speaks is the debut studio album by American recording artist and American Idol twelfth season winner Candice Glover, released on February 18, 2014, by Interscope Records.[1] It was preceded by the release of two digital singles, "I Am Beautiful" and "Cried". In the album, Glover combined the styling of contemporary R&B with 1960s-style lounge music.

Background

Immediately following the broadcast on May 16, 2013, Music Speaks was made available for pre-order on iTunes.[2] Originally scheduled for release on July 16, 2013, the album got pushed back twice, to October 8, 2013, and February 18, 2014.[3] "Cried" was released to promote the album before its release .

Promotion

Glover took part of the American Idols Live! Tour 2013, from July 19 to August 31, 2013, in which she performed Music Speaks tracks "In the Middle" and "Lovesong."

On January 5, 2014, she performed "Cried" at the Progressive Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular.[4] On January 19, 2014, the song "Damn" leaked online, however, Glover stated she was ok with it.

On February 3, 2014, Glover did an exclusive performance of Music Speaks' tracks "Lovesong", "In the Middle" and "Cried" for Yahoo! Music.[5] On February 10, 2014, she performed "Cried" at The View and on 106 & Park. On February 12, 2014, snippets of all songs were released by Yahoo! Music.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic62/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [7]
Idolator [8]
Los Angeles Times [9]
New York Daily News [10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Slant[12]

Music Speaks received generally favorable reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 62, based on six reviews.[13] Christopher R. Weingarten of Rolling Stone gave the album 2.5 stars out of 5, saying "American Idol's 12th victor deserves better than this much-delayed hodgepodge of styles and ideas. The voice that pushed Alicia Keys and U2 songs into unimagined octaves all season long – inspiring judge Nicki Minaj to say, "I want to skin you and wear you" – is on full display. But the songs reveal a serious identity crisis. An entire album of cosmopolitan Mark Ronson-esque pop soul like "Same Kinda Man" and the Shabba Ranks-interpolating "In the Middle" could have been revelatory. Instead, those highlights are jumbled between too many grooves that recall a vague, anonymous version of the decade between Jennifer Holliday and Mary J. Blige."[14]

Mikael Wood of The Los Angeles Times gave the album a positive review, saying "There are signs of individual life here: the palpable regret in "Damn," about falling in love "with someone else's man"; the old-fashioned sass suffusing "In the Middle"; the tension between desire and virtue in "Passenger," with a characteristically woozy beat by producer Mike Will Made It. And, reprised from the show, there is Glover's powerful rendition of the Cure's "Lovesong," which may go down as the final must-see "Idol" performance. TV's loss is music's gain."[15]

Jonathan Frahm of Yahoo! Voices lauded the album, saying "'Music Speaks' is a fantastic debut that is astoundingly exquisite in design, offering a homage to all eras of soul and, most importantly, Candice's prime talents." Continuing to praise Glover's musical ability, Frahm stated, "In knowing her musical journey is far from over and this is just the surprisingly refined beginning of her showcasing what she's able to do, whatever the more experienced artist in Candice Glover's future looks like, I'm sure I'm speaking for all R&B and Idol fans when I say it's going to be a tough wait for her based on the existing product's being so darn talented already."[16]

The Daily News' Jim Farber also praised Glover's artistry, saying "It helps that her smooth voice sits so comfortably on the songs, content to illuminate their fine tunes rather than over-embellish them with flash."[17]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at No. fourteen on the Billboard 200 chart with sales of 19,000 for the week, at the time, the lowest first week sales of any American Idol winner.[18] By its second week, the album had sold 27,000 copies.[19]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Cried"Jazmine Sullivan, Anthony TaylorThe Underdogs, Taylor[a]3:20
2."Die Without You"Timothy Thomas, Theron Thomas, Stanley Green, Theodore ThomasRock City, The Co-Captains4:04
3."Same Kinda Man"Richard Velonskis, Nikki Leonti, Norman FeelsRob Kleiner, Harvey Mason, Jr.[b]3:58
4."Damn"Timothy Thomas, Theron Thomas, Hill, Theodore ThomasRock City, The Co-Captains3:43
5."Passenger"Timothy Thomas, Theron Thomas, Michael Williams, Pierre Ramon SlaughterMike Will Made-It, P-Nasty[a], Hill[b], Rock City[b]4:36
6."Forever That Man"Candice Glover, Carlos Battey, Steven Battey, Timothy "Christian Minor" Zimnoch, Jay Dmuchowski, Charles "Chizzy" Stephens IIIThe Jackie Boyz, Apex4:12
7."Kiss Me"Timothy Thomas, Theron Thomas, Hill, Theodore ThomasRock City, The Co-Captains4:36
8."In the Middle"Kleiner, Fantasia Barrino, Redd Stylez, Rexton Gordon, Wycliffe Johnson, Cleveland Constantine Browne, Greville GordonKleiner, Mason, Jr.[b]3:51
9."Coulda Been Me"Ester Dean, Marcos Palacios, Ernest Clark, Aaron Michael CoxDarkchild, Hot Sauce, Da Internz[a]3:32
10."Thank You"Anesha Birchett, Antea Shelton, Dernst "D'Mile" Emile IID'Mile, Mason, Jr.[b]3:57
11."Love Song"Simon Gallup, Roger O'Donnell, Robert Smith, Paul Thompson, Laurence TolhurstThe Jackie Boyz, Apex4:43
Total length:44:32
ZinePak / iTunes Store bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."I Am Beautiful" (Acoustic Version)Jaden Michaels, Joleen BelleThe Jackie Boyz, Macs & Vans3:11
Total length:47:43
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies a vocal producer
Sampling credit
  • "In the Middle" contains interpolations of "Ting-A-Ling", written by Rexton Gordon, Wycliffe Johnson, Cleveland Constantine Browne, and Greville Gordon.

Charts

References

  1. ↑ "iTunes – Music – Music Speaks by Candice Glover". iTunes. May 16, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  2. ↑ Kennedy, Gerrick (May 17, 2013). "'American Idol' winner Candice Glover to issue debut 'Music Speaks' July 16". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  3. ↑ Oberle, Laura (October 8, 2013). "Candice Glover album 'Music Speaks' accidentally released Oct. 8". islandpacket.com. The Island Packet. Archived from the original on August 7, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Candice Glover at Progressive Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular". facebook.com. November 19, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  5. ↑ Parker, Lyndsey (February 3, 2014). "Exclusive! Idol Candice Glover's Music Speaks at Yahoo". yahoo.com. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Music Speaks by Candice Glover". Metacritic. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  7. ↑ Kellman, Andy. AllMusic Speaks - Candice Glover https://www.allmusic.com/album/music-speaks-mw0002546891titleMusic Speaks - Candice Glover. Retrieved May 25, 2022. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ Lee, Christina (February 18, 2014). "Candice Glover's 'Music Speaks' Album Review". Idolator. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  9. ↑ Wood, Mikael (February 18, 2014). "Album review: Candice Glover's powerful debut 'Music Speaks'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  10. ↑ Farber, Jim (February 18, 2014). "Candice Glover, 'Music Speaks'; Various artists, 'Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration: Deluxe Edition': Album reviews". Daily News (New York). Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  11. ↑ Weingarten, Christopher R. (February 18, 2014). "Music Speaks". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  12. ↑ Chan, Andrew (January 29, 2014). "Review: Candice Glover, Music Speaks". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Gold/Platinum". Music Canada. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  14. ↑ Weingarten, Christopher R. (February 17, 2014). "Music Speaks". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  15. ↑ Wood, Mikael (February 17, 2014). "Album review: Candice Glover's powerful debut 'Music Speaks'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  16. ↑ Frahm, Jonathan (March 4, 2014). "Album Review: 'Music Speaks' by Candice Glover". Yahoo! Voices. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  17. ↑ Farber, Jim (February 18, 2014). "Candice Glover, 'Music Speaks'; Various artists, 'Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration: Deluxe Edition': Album reviews". Daily News (New York). Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  18. ↑ Gil Kaufman. "Pharrell Glides Into Oscar Sunday Holding Down #1 Singles Spot". MTV.
  19. ↑ Adam, Graham (March 6, 2014). "SoundScanner: Beck And Kid Cudi Crash The Charts". VH1 Music. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Candice Glover Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Candice Glover Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  22. ↑ ""Candice Glover Chart History (Top R&B Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
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