Tamia (album)

Tamia is the debut studio album by Canadian recording artist Tamia. It was released on April 14, 1998, on Quincy Jones's Qwest Records, while distribution was handled through Warner Bros. Recorded after the release of her Grammy Award-nominated collaborations with Jones and the single "Missing You", her contribution to the soundtrack of the 1996 motion picture Set It Off, Tamia worked with a plethora of producers on her debut, including Jermaine Dupri, Tim & Bob, Mario Winans, J-Dub, Keith Crouch, and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, many of which would become frequent producers on subsequent projects.

Upon its release, Tamia received a mixed to positive reception by critics, who complimented Tamia's vocal performance and the progression from her earlier recordings but found the material uneven. It debuted and peaked at number sixty-seven on the Billboard 200 chart and entered the top twenty of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Five singles were released from the album. "Imagination" was chosen as the album's lead single, reaching the top 20 in Canada and top forty in both the United States and New Zealand. The album's second single produced by Tim & Bob called "So into You" was well-received and charted even higher. A remake of "Careless Whisper" was released as the album's fourth single in Japan. A critical success, Tamia garnered the singer two Juno Award nominations for Best New Solo Artist and R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the 1999 award ceremony.

Background
After dominating local talent competitions through her teenage years, in 1994, Windsor native Tamia performed at a multiple sclerosis benefit in Aspen, Colorado, when she met music manager, Lionel Richie's ex-wife Brenda Richie, who was cosponsoring the event and introduced herself to Tamia after the show. A few months later, Tamia, who was being courted by Warner Bros. Records at the time, called Richie to say that she was coming to Los Angeles for a photo session, resulting in her lasting stay and a management deal with Richie. Weeks later, Richie arranged for her to perform at a star-studded party that she held for singer Luther Vandross. Her performance reportedly impressed all in attendance, including veteran producer Quincy Jones, who later offered her the chance to appear on his album Q's Jook Joint (1995).

Overwhelmed by his offer, Tamia recorded vocals for "You Put a Move on My Heart", which Jones later selected as the album's first single. A moderate commercial success, the collaboration earned acclaim from critics; it was later nominated for a Grammy Award along with their second collaboration "Slow Jams" and "Missing You", a song she recorded with Brandy, Gladys Knight, and Chaka Khan for the soundtrack of the 1996 motion picture Set It Off. All three track reached the top twenty on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart and gained Tamia additional recognition with nominations from the Soul Train Music Awards and the NAACP Image Awards. Following this, Jones signed her his label Qwest Records, a joint venture with Warner Bros., and enlisted the services of several producers to work on her debut self-titled album. Recording was reportedly intermitted when Tamia filmed the role of Sheri Silver in Speed 2: Cruise Control, playing the part of a featured vocalist at the dinner theatre aboard the luxury cruise ship.

Release and reception
Tamia earned mixed to positive reviews from critics. Leo Stanley of AllMusic remarked that the album "is an appealingly stylish collection of contemporary urban soul", while also stating that "it suffers from some uneven material". He rated the album three out of five stars. Cherie Saunders from Vibe found that "the disc is a deliberate attempt – and successful one – to free Tamia from the steely adult-contemporary cage". Impressed with the up-tempo songs on the album, she however found that Tamia's "strength clearly lies with ballads", concluding that "despite some inconsistency, Tamia's shining vocal skills prove that she won't get pushed around by anyone on today's music playground". In his review for Billboard, Paul Verna wrote that Tamia "excels at ballad and midtempo tracks such as "So into You", "Falling for You", and "Rain on Me". He was less impressed with lead single "Imagination", which he criticized for Jermaine Dupri's unsuitable guest rap and a lack of "vocal punch".

Upon its release, Tamia debuted and peaked at sixty-seven on the US Billboard 200 and reached the eighteenth spot on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In total, the album sold 416,000 copies in the United States, and finished sixty-second on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums year-end chart in 1998. In Japan, Tamia was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in June 1998 for more than 100,000 copies shipped to stores. Five singles were released from the album, including "Imagination" and "So into You" both of which reached the top forty of the US Billboard Hot 100. A critical success, Tamia garnered the singer two Juno Award nominations for Best New Solo Artist and R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the 1999 award ceremony.

Track listing
Notes and sample credits
 * "Imagination" contains a sample of "I Want You Back" performed by The Jackson 5.
 * "So Into You" contains a sample of "Say Yeah" performed by The Commodores.
 * "Falling For You" contains a sample of "Best of My Love" performed by The Emotions.
 * "Careless Whisper" is a cover of George Michael's "Careless Whisper".
 * "You Put a Move on My Heart" is a cover of Mica Paris's "You Put a Move on My Heart".

Personnel
Performance credits


 * Tamia Washington – vocals, background vocals
 * Siedah Garrett – background vocals
 * Marc Nelson – background vocals
 * Alex Brown – background vocals
 * Bridgette Bryant – background vocals
 * Gordon Chambers – background vocals
 * Jermaine Dupri – background vocals, rap


 * Manuel Seal Jr. – background vocals
 * Mario Winans – background vocals
 * Terrell Carter – background vocals
 * Liza Broome – background vocals
 * Pamela Cork – background vocals
 * Chelle Davis – background vocals
 * Tanya Smith – background vocals

Instruments


 * Gerald Albright – saxophone
 * Pete Christlieb – saxophone
 * Tom Scott – saxophone
 * Michael Thompson – guitar
 * Alex Al – bass
 * George Bohannon – trombone
 * Oscar Brashear – trumpet
 * Tim Kelley - keyboards, drum programming, bass
 * Ray Brown – trumpet
 * Jeff Clayton – saxophone
 * John Clayton – conductor
 * Keith Crouch – multi instruments
 * Ronnie Garrett – bass
 * Gary Grant – trumpet
 * Erik Hanson – synthesizer
 * Jerry Hey – trumpet
 * Paul Jackson Jr. – guitar


 * Charles Loper – trombone
 * Jack Nimitz – saxophone
 * Greg Phillinganes – keyboards
 * Bob Robinson – piano
 * John "J.R." Robinson – drums
 * Daryl Simmons – percussion, piano, keyboards
 * John Jubu Smith – guitar
 * Neil Stubenhaus – bass
 * Rod Temperton – keyboards
 * Snooky Young – trumpet
 * Ralph Stacy – bass
 * William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr. – trombone
 * Christopher "Tricky" Stewart – keyboards
 * Reggie C. Young – trombone
 * Steven Meeder – drums
 * Fred Jackson Jr. – saxophone

Technical and production


 * Quincy Jones – producer, executive producer
 * Marc Nelson – vocal arrangements
 * Bob Brown – engineer
 * Paul D. Allen – engineer
 * Francis Buckley – engineer
 * Gordon Chambers – vocal arrangements
 * John Clayton – arranger
 * Keith Crouch – arranger, producer, vocal arrangements
 * Jermaine Dupri – producer
 * Erik Hanson – drum programming
 * Tim Kelley – composer, all programming, arranger, vocal arrangements, producer
 * Thom "TK" Kidd – engineer
 * Herb Powers – mastering
 * Brenda Richie – executive producer
 * Bob Robinson – producer
 * Manuel Seal – producer
 * Jon-John Robinson – producer


 * Daryl Simmons – producer, drum programming
 * Tamia Washington – executive producer
 * Phil Tan – engineer
 * Rod Temperton – arranger
 * Mario Winans – programming, producer
 * Tim Shider – producer
 * Stevie J – producer
 * Mauricio Iragorri – engineer
 * Christopher "Tricky" Stewart – composer, programming, producer, engineer
 * Stephanie Gylden – engineer
 * Mark D. Persaud – associate executive producer
 * J-Dub – producer
 * Samuel J. Sapp – producer
 * Ian Alexander – executive producer
 * Tom Brown – engineer
 * Jay Brown – associate executive producer