Tracie (album)

Tracie
Studio album by
Tracie Spencer
ReleasedJune 29, 1999
Genre
Length51:05
LabelCapitol
Producer
Tracie Spencer chronology
The Best of Tracie Spencer
(1996) 		Tracie
(1999)
Singles from Traci Spencer
  1. "It's All About You (Not About Me)"
    Released: May 25, 1999
  2. "Still in My Heart"
    Released: October 15, 1999

Tracie is the third studio album by R&B singer Tracie Spencer released on June 29, 1999. Two singles were released from the album in 1999 with "It's All About You (Not About Me)" and "Still in My Heart", aided by music videos directed by Francis Lawrence and Kevin Bray, respectively. Tracie went to #114 on the Billboard 200 and #19 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart becoming her highest charting album on that chart.

Background and production

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Tracie was Spencer's first album in nine years on Capitol Records. The primary reason for the length of time between her studio albums was due to Capitol's constant changes. At the time, the label went through several CEO's and eventually shut down their urban music division from 1996-1999.[2] When the record label got a new president in former Arista Records executive Roy Lott, he revived Capitol's long-struggling urban music division. Spencer acknowledged the changes within Capitol in the liner notes of Tracie. She stated: "I have seen a lot of changes occur at the tower, but that's just the way life goes. I have nothing but love and respect for my record company. Change is good".[3]

In between albums she recorded a couple of songs for the soundtracks of two films from the late 1990s. She sang "I'll Be There For You" for the 1997 Nickelodeon film Good Burger[4] as well as the DJ Quik produced "The Rain" for the 1998 Maya Angelou directed film Down in the Delta.[5] She worked with the Danish R&B production team Soulshock & Karlin for all but one song on Tracie, with Dallas Austin protege Arnold Hennings providing his lone contribution "Love To You".[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Allmusic editor Jaime Sunao Ikeda called's the album "a grouping of average material sung by an above-average singer. Tracie Spencer's gift has always been her ability to outshine the other aspiring divas of the day with excellent pitch and phrasing. On Tracie, however, we find her wasting her talents [...] The first ten tracks are virtually indistinguishable from each other [...] This album could have also done with reverse sequencing of the tracks and varying the sound of the others. Despite the lack of notable material on this attempt, Spencer will always remain one of the shining stars of the late-'90s generation of singers."[1]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Interlude (All About Love)"
Soulshock & Karlin1:32
2."If U Wanna Get Down"
Soulshock & Karlin4:17
3."It's All About You (Not About Me)"
  • Schack
  • Karlin
  • Heavynn
Soulshock & Karlin4:14
4."Feelin' You" (featuring Sonja Blade)
  • Schack
  • Karlin
  • Savage
Soulshock & Karlin4:32
5."Still in My Heart"
Soulshock & Karlin4:16
6."No Matter"
Soulshock & Karlin4:20
7."Closer"
  • Schack
  • Karlin
  • Spencer
  • Hector
  • Tennant
Soulshock & Karlin4:32
8."Nothing Broken but My Heart"Diane WarrenSoulshock & Karlin4:46
9."Not Gonna Cry"
  • Schack
  • Karlin
  • Spencer
  • Deanna Brown
  • Deidra Brown
  • Yamma Brown
Soulshock & Karlin4:26
10."It's on Tonight"
Soulshock & Karlin4:20
11."Love to You"
  • Arnold Hennings
  • Sir Spence
Hennings4:36
12."Unbelievable"
  • Soulshock & Karlin
  • Biker
5:05
Japan bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."The Rain"
  • Schack
  • Karlin
  • Spencer
Soulshock & Karlin5:11

Sample credits

  • "No Matter" contains a sample of "Fun" by Brick.
  • "Not Gonna Cry" contains a sample of "Don't Tell It" by James Brown.
  • "It's On Tonight" contains a sample of "Get High Tonight" by Busta Rhymes.

Personnel

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  • Drum Programming and Keyboards: Soulshock & Karlin, Arnold Hennings
  • Guitar: Craig B on "Still in My Heart", "Closer", "Nothing Broken But My Heart" and "Not Gonna Cry"
  • Background Vocals: Tamara Savage, Heavynn, Shiro, Sherron Bennett, Jacqueline Boyd, David Daughtery, Keisha Ealy, Yvette Williams
  • Rap: Sonja Blade on "Feelin' You"
  • Mixing: Manny Marroquin and Soulshock on all songs, except on "Love To You" (Michael Patterson)
  • Mastering: Brian Gardner

Charts

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Chart (1999) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[7] 114
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] 19

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Tracie". Allmusic. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  2. ^ Phillips, Chuck (June 24, 1997). "Hip hop has really got the house jumpin'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  3. ^ Tracie Spencer - Tracie. (CD liner notes) Capitol Records 7243 8 34287 2 8
  4. ^ "Good Burger (1997) - Soundtracks - IMDb". tracklisting. imdb.com. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  5. ^ Sunao Ikeda, Jaime. "Down In The Delta - Original Soundtrack". soundtrack album. allmusic.com. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  6. ^ Spencer, Tracie. "Tracie". studio album. discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  7. ^ "Tracie Spencer Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  8. ^ "Tracie Spencer Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
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