Big (album)
Big is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Macy Gray. It was released on March 21, 2007, by Geffen Records. It is Gray's first studio album in four years. The album debuted at number 39 on the US Billboard 200, selling 23,000 copies in its first week.[2]
Big | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 21, 2007 | |||
Recorded | 2006 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 43:47 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Macy Gray chronology | ||||
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Singles from Big | ||||
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Three singles were released from the album: "Finally Made Me Happy" (a collaboration with Natalie Cole), "Shoo Be Doo", and "What I Gotta Do". The latter was included on the Shrek the Third soundtrack. Music from this album was also featured in the I Love New York season one reunion. The album's cover art was widely illustrated on iPhone ads and featured on the first boxes of the iPod Touch.
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 62/100[3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Blender | [5] |
Digital Spy | [6] |
Entertainment Weekly | B−[7] |
The Guardian | [8] |
Los Angeles Times | [9] |
PopMatters | 5/10[10] |
Rolling Stone | [11] |
Slant Magazine | [12] |
Yahoo! Music | [13] |
Big received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 62, based on 17 reviews.[3]
Dan Gennoe of Yahoo! Music called Gray's Big "the worthy follow-up to her On How Life Is debut," praising the contributions from the guest artists and the restraint of her signature musical persona. He added that the lack of radio hits on the record may prevent Gray's career from rebounding, but said that "Whatever the commercial outcome though, no one can say that this is anything other than a supreme return to form."[13] John Bush of AllMusic noted how the quiet storm production from will.i.am made Big "the slickest album of Gray's career," but said that it brings into better focus the vocal quirks of her personality throughout the track listing, concluding that "It'll be interesting to see if past Macy Gray fans are willing to follow her into adult contemporary territory, while those who might like the new direction will be able to alter their perceptions of her."[4] Jon Dolan, writing for Blender, said that Gray's "confessional blues-rasp" is better utilized on more mature tracks like the Fergie collaboration "Glad You're Here", saying that "It’s ’licious, but in a classy way."[5]
Rob Brunner of Entertainment Weekly highlighted "Shoo Be Doo", "What I Gotta Do" and "Okay" as great showcases for Gray's "fascinating cracks and warbles" but said that, "Much of Big is either boring or forced, as when Gray launches into ”You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)” for no discernible reason."[7] Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani felt that Gray's vocals were lacking compared to the featured artists surrounding the album, saying that "she struggles to reach and sustain notes that should be comfortably within her range."[12] Mike Joseph of PopMatters gave feint praise by calling it "a perfectly serviceable adult-soul album", saying that the upbeat tracks capture Macy's old personality better than the ballads. He added that, "While Big shows flashes of the irrepressible spirit that made Macy's first two albums fun to listen to, there are many more instances of uninspired, boring music designed to capture a middle-of-the-road audience."[10]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Finally Made Me Happy" (featuring Natalie Cole) |
| 4:02 | |
2. | "Shoo Be Doo" |
|
| 4:04 |
3. | "What I Gotta Do" |
|
| 3:08 |
4. | "Okay" |
|
| 4:09 |
5. | "Glad You're Here" (featuring Fergie) |
|
| 2:54 |
6. | "Ghetto Love" |
| will.i.am | 3:08 |
7. | "One for Me" |
|
| 4:09 |
8. | "Strange Behavior" |
|
| 3:35 |
9. | "Slowly" |
| Fair | 3:54 |
10. | "Get Out" (featuring Justin Timberlake) |
|
| 4:01 |
11. | "Treat Me Like Your Money" (featuring will.i.am) |
|
| 3:27 |
12. | "Everybody" |
| will.i.am | 3:16 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "AEIOU" |
| Damon Elliott | 3:15 |
14. | "Breakdown" (featuring Romika) (UK and Japan only) |
|
| 3:36 |
15. | "Me with You" (Japan only) |
| 4:01 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "So Much" | 3:23 |
Sample credits
- "Ghetto Love" contains a sample of "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" by James Brown.
- "One for Me" contains a sample of "Dream" by Frank Sinatra.
- "Get Out" contains an interpolation of "Get Out of My Life, Woman" written by Allen Toussaint.
- "Treat Me Like Your Money" contains a sample of "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" by Dead or Alive and "It's Like That" by Run–D.M.C.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Big.[19]
- Macy Gray – vocals (all tracks); production (tracks 1, 8); backing vocals (tracks 4, 10); executive production
- Jay Anderson – backing vocals (track 6)
- Davis Barnett – viola (track 4)
- Dawn Beckman – backing vocals (tracks 2, 6, 7, 11, 12)
- Giuliano Bekor – photography
- Printz Board – trumpet (tracks 1, 8); keyboards (tracks 2, 5, 11, 12); Rhodes (track 12)
- Jeff Chestek – string recording (track 4)
- Natalie Cole – additional vocals (track 1)
- "Angry" Mike Eleopoulos – recording engineering (tracks 1–3, 5, 9)
- Scott Elgin – engineering assistance (track 3)
- Ron Fair – production, string arrangements, string conducting (tracks 1–3, 5, 7, 9); Pro Tools, recording engineering (tracks 1–3, 5, 7, 9, 12); piano solo (track 2); additional piano, Wurlitzer (track 3); organ (tracks 3, 5); piano (track 5); harmonica (track 9); executive production
- Mike Farrell – keyboards (tracks 7, 8)
- Fergie – additional vocals (track 5)
- Ghislaine Fleischmann – violin (track 4)
- Paloma Ford – backing vocals (tracks 6, 8, 9)
- Nick Fournier – engineering assistance (tracks 1, 5, 11, 12)
- Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering
- Larry Gold – string arrangements (track 4)
- Jared Gosselin – production (tracks 2, 3); programming (track 3)
- Gravillis Inc. – art direction, design
- Jeremy Gregory – backing vocals, vocal arrangement (track 3)
- Bernie Grundman – mastering
- Keith Harris – percussion (track 2); drums (tracks 2, 4, 7, 12); Rhodes (track 5); keyboards (tracks 7, 11); piano (track 12)
- Tal Herzberg – recording engineering (tracks 1–3, 5, 9, 12); Pro Tools (tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 8–10, 12)
- Victor Indrizzo – drums (tracks 1, 3, 5, 11)
- Tim Izo – saxophone (tracks 1, 12); flute (track 5); clarinet (track 7)
- Eric Jackson – guitar (track 2)
- Jaycen Joshua – mixing engineeringassistance (track 2)
- Gloria Justen – violin (track 4)
- Ryan Kennedy – mixing engineering assistance (tracks 8, 10)
- Padraic Kerin – recording engineering (track 4)
- Sarah Killion – mixing engineering assistance (track 6)
- Emma Kummrow – violin (track 4)
- Mike Lett – backing vocals (track 3)
- Josh Lopez – guitar (track 3)
- Jennie Lorenzo – cello (track 4)
- Tony Maserati – mixing (tracks 8, 10)
- Glen McIntyre – backing vocals (track 6)
- Justin Meldal-Johnsen – bass (tracks 1, 2, 7, 9, 11)
- Peter Mokran – mixing (tracks 3, 5, 7, 9)
- Dean Nelson – mixing engineering assistance (track 1)
- Peter Nocella – viola (track 4)
- Noiztrip – production (track 11)
- Cassandra O'Neil – organ, piano (track 1); keyboards (track 3)
- George Pajon Jr. – guitar (tracks 5–7, 9, 11)
- Dave "Hard Drive" Pensado – mixing (track 2)
- Jack Joseph Puig – mixing (track 1)
- Montez Roberts – engineering assistance (track 4)
- Dan Rockett – guitar (track 10)
- Jeremy Ruzumna – keyboards (track 3)
- Rafael Serrano – mixing engineering assistance (tracks 4, 11, 12)
- Mike Shapiro – percussion (tracks 2, 9); drums (tracks 6, 8, 10)
- Caleb Speir – bass (tracks 3–5, 8, 10)
- Justin Timberlake – drums (track 4); backing vocals, keyboards, production (tracks 4, 10); guitar (track 10)
- Igor Szwec – violin (track 4)
- Doug Tyo – engineering assistance (tracks 2, 6, 8–10, 12)
- Jason Villaroman – recording engineering (tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 9, 10–12); programming (tracks 8, 10)
- Dave Way – mixing (tracks 4, 6, 11, 12)
- Eric Weaver – mixing engineeringassistance (tracks 3, 5, 7, 9)
- Khalfani White – backing vocals (track 12)
- Phillip White – percussion (track 2); backing vocals, production (tracks 2, 3)
- will.i.am – production (tracks 1, 4–8, 10–12); recording engineering (tracks 4, 6); programming (tracks 5, 6, 11, 12); keyboards (track 6); executive production
- Ethan Willoughby – recording engineering (track 4)
- Frank Wolf – recording engineering (tracks 1–3, 5, 9, 12)
Charts
Chart (2007) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)[20] | 15 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21] | 63 |
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[22] | 38 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] | 56 |
European Albums (Billboard)[24] | 99 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[25] | 28 |
French Albums (SNEP)[26] | 149 |
Italian Albums (FIMI)[27] | 33 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[28] | 54 |
Scottish Albums (OCC)[29] | 87 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] | 38 |
UK Albums (OCC)[31] | 62 |
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[32] | 11 |
US Billboard 200[33] | 39 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[34] | 14 |
Release history
Region | Date | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Japan | March 21, 2007 | Universal | [35] |
Netherlands | March 22, 2007 | [36] | |
Italy | March 23, 2007 | [37] | |
Australia | March 24, 2007 | [14] | |
France | March 26, 2007 | [38] | |
Germany | March 27, 2007 | [15] | |
United States | [39] | ||
United Kingdom | April 2, 2007 | Polydor | [16] |
References
- "Urban AC – Week Of: June 26, 2007". Radio & Records. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- Hasty, Katie (April 4, 2007). "McGraw Leads Seven Top 10 Debuts Onto Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
- "Reviews for Big by Macy Gray". Metacritic. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- Bush, John. "Big – Macy Gray". AllMusic. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- Dolan, Jon. "Macy Gray : Big Review". Blender. Archived from the original on January 12, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
- Zendle, Miriam (March 27, 2007). "Macy Gray: 'Big'". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on May 2, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2008.
- Brunner, Rob (March 30, 2007). "Big". Entertainment Weekly. No. 927. ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- Sullivan, Caroline (March 30, 2007). "Macy Gray, Big". The Guardian. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- Nichols, Natalie (March 25, 2007). "Odd charm works only so long for Macy Gray". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
- Joseph, Mike (April 13, 2007). "Macy Gray: Big". PopMatters. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- Christgau, Robert (March 30, 2007). "Macy Gray: Big". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 6, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2007.
- Cinquemani, Sal (March 18, 2007). "Macy Gray: Big". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- Gennoe, Dan (April 16, 2007). "Macy Gray – 'Big'". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
- "Macy Gray Store – Big". Getmusic. Archived from the original on April 23, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- "Macy Gray | Big" (in German). Universal Music Germany. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- "Big: Macy Gray". Amazon (UK). Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- "Big [Limited Low-priced Edition] Macy Gray CD Album". CDJapan. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- "Big by Macy Gray". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- Big (liner notes). Macy Gray. Geffen Records. 2007. B000857602.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "ARIA Urban Album Chart – Week Commencing 2nd April 2007" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association (891): 18. April 2, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2011 – via Pandora Archive.
- "Ultratop.be – Macy Gray – Big" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 200715 on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Macy Gray – Big" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 119 no. 16. April 21, 2007. ISSN 0006-2510.
- "Macy Gray: Big" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- "Lescharts.com – Macy Gray – Big". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- "Italiancharts.com – Macy Gray – Big". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- ビッグ | メイシー・グレイ [Big | Macy Gray] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- "Swisscharts.com – Macy Gray – Big". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- "Macy Gray Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- "Macy Gray Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- "Big" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- "Big, Macy Gray" (in Dutch). bol.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- "Macy Gray – Big" (in Italian). IBS.it. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- "Big: Macy Gray" (in French). Amazon (France). Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- "Big: Macy Gray". Amazon (US). Retrieved December 8, 2018.