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Touch (Amerie album)

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Touch
Standard edition cover[a]
Studio album by
Amerie
ReleasedApril 26, 2005 (2005-04-26)
Recorded2004–2005
Studio
GenreR&B[1]
Length50:07
Label
Producer
Amerie chronology
All I Have
(2002) 		Touch
(2005) 		Because I Love It
(2007)
Singles from Touch
  1. "1 Thing"
    Released: January 5, 2005
  2. "Touch"
    Released: June 7, 2005
  3. "Talkin' About"
    Released: August 9, 2005

Touch is the second studio album by American singer Amerie, released on April 26, 2005, by Richcraft Records, Sony Urban Music, and Columbia Records. Following the release of her debut album, All I Have (2002), and her first acting role (in the 2004 film First Daughter), Amerie began work on her second studio album. As with All I Have, the album was co-written and produced by mentor Rich Harrison, with contributions from additional productions. Unlike her debut, Amerie co-wrote every track but one, and assumed more creative control over the visual imagery accompanying the album, such as music videos and artwork.

Touch is an R&B album with a diverse musical style, marking a transition from Amerie's neo-soul debut. Its songs feature pulses, funky percussion, pumping energy, go-go beats with an organic core built around horns and electric pianos. Upon release, Touch received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised Amerie's vocals and Harrison's production. The album received numerous accolades, including two Grammy Award nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards including Best Contemporary R&B Album.

Commercially, the album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 124,000 copies and was later certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having sold over 500,000 copies in the United States. The album also fared well elsewhere peaking within the top 40 of the UK Albums Chart. The album spawned three singles, including the lead single "1 Thing" which became Amerie's most commercially successful song to date, peaking at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was followed by the release of the less successful singles "Touch" and "Talkin' About".

Background

[edit]

Following Amerie's meeting with producer Rich Harrison and signing to a record deal with Harrison's Richcraft Records, in partnership with Columbia Records, she released her debut album.[2] Amerie's debut album, All I Have, was released in July 2002 to generally positive reviews.[3] It debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200, selling 89,000 copies in its first week of release;[4] the album has since been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and had sold 657,000 copies as of June 2008, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[5] In 2004, Amerie earned her first acting role, portraying the role of Mia Thompson, a college student who rooms with the president's daughter, in the film First Daughter, alongside actress Katie Holmes.[6] Shortly after her acting debut, Amerie began work on her second studio album.

Recording

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Amerie began work on the album in early 2004. As with All I Have, the album was co-written and produced by mentor Harrison, who contributed seven (new) tracks to the record; additional productions came from Lil Jon, Bryce Wilson, Red Spyda, and Dre & Vidal. Unlike on her first album, Amerie co-wrote every track but one, "Come with Me", which Harrison wrote. She also assumed more creative control over the visual imagery accompanying the album, such as videos and artwork—"I feel like when you do a record, you have a vision in your mind and you want to carry it across—and it doesn't end with the studio", she has said.[7]

In 2004, when working on her second album, Amerie enlisted the services of Harrison, who had helped produce and write her first album. In May 2004, Harrison heard "Oh, Calcutta!" for the first time and began working on the beat accompanying the ten-second back-and-forth breakdown between Meters drummer Ziggy Modeliste and guitarist Leo Nocentelli. Harrison said he loved the work of the Meters, especially Modeliste, commenting, "Ziggy, he's crazy."[8] He processed the way the breakdown could be "flipped", added a bongo drum, a cowbell, and a ride cymbal, and sent it to Amerie.[8] According to Harrison, they wrote and finished the song in two to three hours.[8]

Amerie's manager, Len Nicholson, felt the song was "the single" to release.[9] When executives at Amerie's label, Columbia/Sony Urban Music, heard "1 Thing", they felt that the song's choruses needed to be "bigger".[8] They recommended that more music be added to the percussion-focused beat, but Harrison and Amerie replied that adding more to the beat would overpower the song.[10] Harrison and Amerie returned to the studio several times to rework the track.[8] Each time they submitted a new version to the label, Columbia told them that the song sounded unfinished, but was unable to specify what should be changed.[8][10] The label continued to refuse to release "1 Thing"; in Amerie's words, "People just weren't getting it".[8]

Music and lyrics

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Touch is an R&B album, which musically differs from Amerie's neo-soul debut. Touch is built over "pulses with funky percussion, pumping sexy energy" and incorporates elements of go-go beats.[1] Janet Tzou from Entertainment Weekly described the album's musical style as being "revitalizing R&B" that differs from other contemporary R&B artists, such as Beyoncé and Alicia Keys.[1] The album's production is characterised as having an "organic core" and "loose-limbed swagger", which relies heavily on sampled horn screams and weeping electric pianos with all the songs having a "glossy, processed sheen."[11]

The album's title track was produced by Lil Jon and is a dance and crunk&B track that experiments with Latin freestyle.[11]

Singles

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Six months after recording "1 Thing", Amerie and Harrison leaked it to American radio stations in an attempt to get it released officially.[8][12] The response from DJs and listeners was positive, and it consequently received airplay across the country. Columbia Records attempted to suppress the song because it was an unofficial release, and because Amerie's labelmate Jennifer Lopez had expressed interest in recording the song for her own album, Rebirth.[12] Radio stations refused to retract the song from their playlists, and Columbia eventually began promoting "1 Thing" as a single, making it a last-minute addition to the soundtrack to the film Hitch.[8] The song became Amerie's best-performing single to date. In the United States, it peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[13][14] The RIAA awarded a gold certification for digital sales in October 2005, and another gold certification for ringtone sales in June 2006.[15] Internationally, the single peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart and attained top-10 and top-20 positions across continental Europe.[16][17]

The album's title track "Touch" was released as the album's second single and peaked at number 95 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the United States,[14] while reaching number 19 on the UK chart.[17] "Talkin' About" was released as the album's third and final single. According to Amerie, it is one of her "really personal" songs and one of her favorite tracks on the album.[7][18] Released as a promotional single, "Talkin' About" peaked at number two on Billboard's Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.[19] A remix was made featuring rapper Jadakiss. It was the third single from the album and Amerie told MTV News in August 2005 that she would be co-directing the music video with Chris Robinson, with whom she collaborated on the videos for the two previous singles.[18] The video, however, was not filmed.

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[20]
Blender[21]
Entertainment WeeklyB[1]
Pitchfork7.6/10[11]
Rolling Stone[22]
Slant Magazine[23]
Stylus MagazineB[12]
Uncut[24]
USA Today[25]
Vibe[26]

Touch received generally positive 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 70, based on 12 reviews.[27] AllMusic's Andy Kellman said that Touch is an improvement over All I Have because of better written songs and consistent production, which is accessible to listeners of different ages.[20] Tom Breihan of Pitchfork felt that Harrison makes the most out of Amerie's "thin, reedy" voice, which he found more sophisticated than singers such as Nivea or Ashanti.[11] Ben Sisario of Blender magazine wrote that "Amerie's heat is irresistible, in large part because it's subtle."[21] Vibe magazine's Angie Romero complimented her emotional singing, but was most impressed by her songs with Harrison: "Their exquisite blend of the delicate and the demonstrative proves that, whether it's hard or soft, love is love."[26] Bill Werde of Rolling Stone observed some ordinary R&B songs on what is otherwise a more mature album by Amerie.[22]

In a less enthusiastic review, Stylus Magazine's Al Shipley was disappointed that Harrison did not produce the rest of Touch, which he felt would have made it more consistent.[12] Both Uncut magazine and Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times said that none of the album's other songs are as impressive as "1 Thing";[24] Sanneh called it one of the year's best singles.[28] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice singled out "1 Thing" and the title track as "choice cuts",[29] which indicates good songs on an otherwise bad album.[30] He referred to "1 Thing" as "a machine-gun one-shot on an album with its safety engaged" in his accompanying essay for the Pazz & Jop critics poll,[31] in which the song had been voted the third best single of 2005.[32]

Commercial performance

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Touch debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200, selling 124,000 copies in its first week of release.[4] The album was certified gold by the RIAA in August 2005,[33] and by June 2009, it had sold 406,000 copies in the United States.[34] The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number 32 before peaking at number 28; it spent a total of six weeks on the chart.[17] Elsewhere, Touch reached number 57 in Australia, number 59 in France, number 70 the Netherlands, number 83 in Switzerland, number 91 in Germany and number 93 in Belgium.[35][36]

Track listing

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Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."1 Thing"
Harrison4:01
2."All I Need"
Harrison3:09
3."Touch"
  • Jonathan "Lil Jon" Smith
  • Rogers[a]
3:38
4."Not the Only One"
3:46
5."Like It Used to Be"
  • Rogers
  • Harrison
Harrison3:39
6."Talkin' About"
  • Rogers
  • Harrison
Harrison4:19
7."Come with Me"HarrisonHarrison3:34
8."Rolling Down My Face"
Harrison3:34
9."Can We Go" (featuring Carl Thomas)
3:29
10."Just Like Me"
3:46
11."Falling"
4:58
12."1 Thing" (featuring Eve)
Harrison4:18
13."Why Don't We Fall in Love" (Richcraft remix)HarrisonHarrison3:36
Total length:50:07
European edition bonus track[37]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Man Up" (featuring Nas)
The Buchanans3:41
Total length:53:48
Japanese edition bonus track[38]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."I'm Coming Out"
3:31
Total length:53:38

Notes

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  • ^[a] signifies a vocal producer
  • ^[b] signifies a co-producer

Sample credits

[edit]

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Touch.[39]

Musicians

[edit]
  • Amerie – vocals (all tracks); flute (track 10)
  • Craig Love – guitars (track 3)
  • LaMarquis Jefferson – bass (track 3)
  • LRoc – keys (track 3)
  • Carl Thomas – vocals (track 9)
  • Vidal Davis – all other instruments (track 10)
  • Andre Harris – all other instruments (track 10)
  • Eve – vocals (track 12)
  • Rich Harrison – all instruments (track 13)

Technical

[edit]
  • Rich Harrison – production (tracks 1, 2, 5–8, 12)
  • Scotty Beats – recording (tracks 1, 2, 5–8, 12)
  • Bram Tobey – recording assistance (tracks 1, 2, 5–8, 12)
  • Tony Maserati – mixing (tracks 1, 2, 4–8, 12, 13)
  • Jonathan "Lil Jon" Smith – production (track 3)
  • Jim Caruana – recording (tracks 3, 4, 9)
  • John Frye – mixing (track 3)
  • Amerie – vocal production (tracks 3, 4, 9–11); executive production
  • Gary Fly – vocal production assistance (track 3)
  • Delvida Flaherty – production coordination (track 3)
  • Bryce Wilson – production (track 4)
  • The Buchanans – co-production (track 4)
  • Bink! – production (track 9)
  • Rich Keller – mixing (tracks 9, 11)
  • Andre Harris – production (track 10)
  • Vidal Davis – production (track 10)
  • Vincent Dilorenzo – recording, mixing (track 10)
  • Ryan Toby – vocal production (track 10)
  • Red Spyda – production (track 11)
  • Dupri – recording (track 11)
  • Gary Noble – mixing (track 11)
  • Dave Ashton – recording (Eve's vocals) (track 12)
  • Alan Masor – recording assistance (Eve's vocals) (track 12)
  • José Sánchez – recording, Pro Tools (track 13)
  • Flip Osman – mixing assistance (track 13)
  • Lenny Nicholson – executive production
  • Dorsey James – associate executive production
  • Tom Coyne – mastering

Artwork

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  • Ellen To – art direction
  • Susanne Cerha – associate design direction
  • Michael Biondo – photography

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for Touch
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[55] Gold 100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[33] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release dates and formats for Touch
Region Date Format Label(s) Ref.
United States April 26, 2005 CD
[56]
Japan April 27, 2005 Sony BMG [38]
United Kingdom May 2, 2005 Columbia [57]
Australia July 1, 2005 Sony BMG [58]
United States July 19, 2005 DualDisc
  • Richcraft
  • Sony Urban
  • Columbia
  • CMV
 [59]
Germany August 22, 2005 CD Sony BMG [37]

Notes

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  1. ^ On certain pressings of the album, Amerie's image is flipped horizontally.
  2. ^ Tracks 1–9
  3. ^ Track 1
  4. ^ Track 10
  5. ^ Track 11
  6. ^ Eve's vocals on track 12
  7. ^ Track 13

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Tzou, Janet (April 25, 2005). "Touch". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  2. ^ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002DSM8TS Amazon Bio
  3. ^ "All I Have by Amerie". iTunes Store. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Whitmire, Margo (May 4, 2005). "'The Boss' Bows 'Devils' At No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  5. ^ Concepcion, Mariel (June 13, 2008). "Amerie Finds New Home At Def Jam". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  6. ^ Ameriie – IMDb
  7. ^ a b Reid, Shaheem (March 9, 2006). "Amerie: Hands-On Personal Touch". MTV. Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Weiner, Jonah (June 2005). "Miss Thing". Blender. New York. ISSN 1534-0554.
  9. ^ Hall, Rashaun (February 3, 2005). "Amerie Growing Up But Keeping Her Clothes On, Thank You". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 6, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Ratcliffe, Fahiym (May 12, 2005). "Amerie: The Interview". Sun-Reporter. Vol. 62, no. 19. p. 4.
  11. ^ a b c d Breihan, Tom (May 16, 2005). "Amerie: Touch". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  12. ^ a b c d Shipley, Al (May 13, 2005). "Amerie – Touch". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  13. ^ "Amerie Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Amerie Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  15. ^ "American certifications – Amerie – 1 Thing". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  16. ^ "Amerie – 1 Thing" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  17. ^ a b c "Amerie". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  18. ^ a b Tecson, Brandee J.; Richard, Yasmine (August 4, 2005). "Amerie Goes With Her Favorite For Next Single". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 6, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  19. ^ "Amerie Chart History (Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2020.[dead link‍]
  20. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Touch – Amerie". AllMusic. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  21. ^ a b Sisario, Ben (June 2005). "Amerie: Touch". Blender. New York. p. 108. ISSN 1534-0554.
  22. ^ a b Werde, Bill (May 19, 2005). "Touch : Amerie". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 15, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  23. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (April 20, 2005). "Review: Amerie, Touch". Slant Magazine. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  24. ^ a b "Amerie: Touch". Uncut. London. August 2005. p. 92. ISSN 1368-0722.
  25. ^ Gardner, Elysa (April 25, 2005). "Folds falters; Jewell shines". USA Today. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  26. ^ a b Romero, Angie (June 2005). "Amerie: Touch". Vibe. Vol. 13, no. 7. p. 161. ISSN 1070-4701. Archived from the original on July 30, 2020 – via Google Books.
  27. ^ "Reviews for Touch by Amerie". Metacritic. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  28. ^ Sanneh, Kelefa (April 25, 2005). "Critic's Choice: New CD's". The New York Times. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  29. ^ Christgau, Robert (February 14, 2006). "Consumer Guide: Forever Young". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved August 3, 2014 – via RobertChristgau.com.
  30. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  31. ^ Christgau, Robert (February 7, 2006). "Pazz & Jop 2005: Listening in Real Time". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved August 3, 2014 – via RobertChristgau.com.
  32. ^ "The 2005 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. New York. February 7, 2006. Retrieved August 3, 2014 – via RobertChristgau.com.
  33. ^ a b "American album certifications – Amerie – Touch". Recording Industry Association of America. August 4, 2005.
  34. ^ Concepcion, Mariel (June 2, 2009). "Amerie's Def Jam Debut Due In August". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
  35. ^ a b "Chartifacts!" (PDF). The ARIA Report. No. 802. July 11, 2005. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2005. Retrieved January 4, 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  36. ^ a b "Ultratop.be – Amerie – Touch" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  37. ^ a b "Touch: Amerie". Amazon (in German). Germany. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  38. ^ a b "Touch" (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  39. ^ Touch (liner notes). Amerie. Columbia Records. 2005. CK 90763.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  40. ^ "ARIA Urban Chart – Week Commencing 10th October 2005" (PDF). The ARIA Report. No. 815. October 10, 2005. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  41. ^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. May 5, 2005. Archived from the original on May 10, 2005. Retrieved April 11, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  42. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Amerie – Touch" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  43. ^ "Amerie Album & Song Chart History – European Albums". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  44. ^ "Lescharts.com – Amerie – Touch". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  45. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Amerie – Touch" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  46. ^ タッチ/エイメリー [Touch / Oricon] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  47. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  48. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Amerie – Touch". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  49. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  50. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  51. ^ "Amerie Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  52. ^ "Amerie Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  53. ^ "2005 Year End Charts – The Billboard 200 Titles". Billboard.biz. November 26, 2005. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  54. ^ "2005 Year End Charts – Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard.biz. November 26, 2005. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  55. ^ "British album certifications – Amerie – Touch". British Phonographic Industry. December 23, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  56. ^ "Touch: Amerie". Amazon. United States. Archived from the original on May 18, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  57. ^ "Touch: Amerie". Amazon. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  58. ^ "Amerie – Touch". Sony BMG Australia. Archived from the original on September 8, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  59. ^ "Touch (DualDisc): Amerie". Amazon. United States. Archived from the original on May 29, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
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