Michel'le (album)

Michel'le
Studio album by Michel'le
Released	October 23, 1989
Recorded	1989
Genre	New jack swing[1]
Length	45:28
Label	Ruthless Atco Atlantic
Producer	Dr. Dre Andre "L.A. Dre" Bolton
Michel'le chronology
Michel'le (1989) Hung Jury (1998)
Singles from Michel'le
"No More Lies" Released: October 13, 1989[2] "Nicety" Released: 1990 "Keep Watchin'" Released: 1990 "Something in My Heart" Released: October 18, 1990 "If?" Released: 1991

Michel'le is the debut studio album by American singer Michel'le. It was released on October 23, 1989, on Ruthless Records, Atco Records and Atlantic Records. The album was co produced by Dr. Dre of N.W.A and André “LA Dre” Bolton. The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America five weeks after its release.^[3]

Commercial performance

Following its release, the record reached number 35 on the Billboard 200 and number five on the Top R&B Albums chart. Five singles were released, "No More Lies", "Nicety", "If?", "Something in My Heart" and "Keep Watchin'". The most successful of these was "No More Lies", which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.^[4]

New York rapper Tim Dog sampled the song "No More Lies" in his track "Fuck Compton", a diss song towards West Coast hip hop, from his 1991 album Penicillin on Wax. In 2004, P-Dub sampled "Something in My Heart" in his song "4 Walls the After Effect". Song "If?" was sampled in Kehlani's 2014 song "As I Am".

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Chicago Tribune	[5]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[7]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	8/10[8]
The Village Voice	B+[9]

The Record noted that "the young singer makes her mark [on] the slow-paced songs, which allow Michel'le to stretch, emote, and show the full range of her voice, at times reminiscent of Anita Baker's."^[10]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"No More Lies"	M. Toussaint L. Goodman A. Young	3:49
2.	"Nicety"	M. Toussaint A. Young	3:26
3.	"If?" (Duet With Michael Holmes)	L. Goodman A. Bolton	5:23
4.	"Keep Watchin'"	M. Toussaint A. Young L. Goodman T. Curry	4:24
5.	"Something in My Heart"	M. Toussaint A. Young	5:40
6.	"100% Woman"	A. Young	3:50
7.	"Silly Love Song"	E. Johnson M. Stokes	5:29
8.	"Never Been in Love"	M. Toussaint A. Young	3:41
9.	"Close to Me"	M. Toussaint L. Goodman A. Young	5:39
10.	"Special Thanks"	M. Toussaint A. Young L. Goodman	2:33
11.	"If?" (Reprise)	M. Toussaint A. Young	1:34

Notes

• "Silly Love Song" is a cover of "Silly Love Song" by Enchantment (1977)

Samples

• "No More Lies" sampled "Funky Drummer" by James Brown (1970)
• "Nicety" sampled "Funky President (People It's Bad)" by James Brown (1974) and "Action" by Orange Krush (1982)
• "Keep Watchin'" sampled "Think (About It)" by Lyn Collins (1972)
• "100% Woman" sampled "Blow Your Head" by Fred Wesley & the J.B.'s (1974)

Personnel

• Michel'le Toussaint - lead vocals, backing vocals (tracks 1, 8)
• LaShana Dendy (X's3 / Times 3) - backing vocals (tracks 4, 5)
• Michael Holmes - backing vocals (tracks 3, 11)
• Denise West - backing vocals (track 7)
• Karen Foster - backing vocals (track 7)
• Vivien Jackson - backing vocals (track 7)
• Andre "L.A. Dre" Bolton - keyboards, co-producer
• Andre Young - keyboards (track 1), producer, mixing
• Donald Tavie - keyboards (track 7)
• Bruce "Mal" Malament - piano (tracks 3, 7, 11)
• Stan Jones - bass & guitar (track 7)
• Dennis Belfield - bass (tracks 3, 11)
• Mike Sims - guitar, recording
• Ron Krasinski - drums (tracks 3, 11)
• Brian Kilgore - percussion
• Michael Acosta - saxophone
• William Zimmerman - saxophone
• Brian Gardner - mastering
• Antoine Carraby - mixing
• Donovan "The Dirtbiker" Sound - recording
• Eric Wright - executive producer
• Elizabeth Barrett - design
• David Roth - photography

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1989–90) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 143 US Billboard 200[12] 35 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] 5

Year-end charts Chart (1990) Position US Billboard 200[14] 87 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] 16 Chart (1991) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] 97

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[17]	Gold	500,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Promis, Jose F.. Michel'le review at AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
2. "No More Lies". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
3. "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. April 25, 1990.
4. Michel'le - Chart Singles history. Billboard
5. O'Connor Creevy, Caitlin (January 25, 1990). "Home Entertainment: Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 9A. ProQuest 282678935.
6. Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). "Michel'le". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5 (4th ed.). MUZE. p. 738. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
7. Considine, J.D. (1992). "Michel'le". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 472. ISBN 0-679-73729-4.
8. Aaron, Charles (1995). "Dr. Dre". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 116–117. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
9. Christgau, Robert (March 13, 1990). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2024-03-17 – via robertchristgau.com.
10. Jaeger, Barbara (March 8, 1990). "Michel'le's Soulful Voice Shines Through". The Record. p. C7.
11. "Michel'le ARIA Chart History complete to 2024". ARIA. Retrieved July 26, 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
12. "Michel'le Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
13. "Michel'le Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
14. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
15. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
16. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
17. "American album certifications – Michel'le – Michel'le". Recording Industry Association of America.