| Irresistible | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Studio album by Jessica Simpson | ||||
| Released | June 5, 2001 July 16, 2001 (UK) |
|||
| Recorded | October 2000 - April 2001 | |||
| Genre | Dance Pop, R&B | |||
| Length | 50:43 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Walter Afanasieff Louis Biancaniello Rodney Jerkins Rhett Lawrence Cory Rooney Sam Watters Ric Wake |
|||
| Professional reviews | ||||
|
||||
| Jessica Simpson chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Singles from Irresistible | ||||
|
||||
Irresistible is the second studio album by American pop singer Jessica Simpson, released by Columbia Records on June 5, 2001 in the United States. The album featured production from Cory Rooney, Rodney Jerkins, Walter Afanasieff, among others and featured a guest appearance from Marc Anthony. Irresistible spawned two singles, including the Top 20 hit "Irresistible" and its poorly received follow up "A Little Bit".
Contents |
About the sound of the album, Simpson said: "There are some pop sounds out there that people have heard a trillion times now. That's over. I'd like to be the first to take pop to its next level, with more edge and more attitude."
About the process of album's production, Simpson said: "We were all involved in this together" and "It's a blessing to have such powerful men on board. It just makes me want to be a better artist."
Will Botwin, GM of Columbia Records and executive VP for Columbia Records Group, affirms Simpson's priority status at the label. "Our goal with this record is to turn Jessica into a superstar," he says. "The first album established her as a star in the making. I think her personality comes across more on this record as a real singer's singer. That makes her different from the rest of the crowd.
Simpson also said: "With the last album, I attracted a certain number with power ballads and my uptempo pop songs, but on the new one, there are more R&B-oriented tracks, which I think have a nice edge to them. And there's attitude – something that no one has really seen in me before. Believe me, I'm a woman, so hey, I can have attitude
Billboard describes the first single from the album as "a sexy, uptempo romp about newfound love that proves Simpson's pop intuition."
Jessica cite as one of her favorite songs album is "Hot Like Fire" and describes it as: "a funky midtempo shuffler that she delivers with blazing vocal grit – it's certainly not kid stuff." Another of her favorite tracks on the album is "What's It Gonna Be" which Billboard says: "casts the singer in a posturing finger-pointer in which she slyly solicits, "I wanna know where we stand, are you gonna be a dog or a gentleman/Are you coming clean, keep it straight with me/Tell me boy, what's it gonna be?"
Other tracks on the album that are highlighted are "When You Told Me You Loved Me" and "There You Were", which Billboard said: "momentously luscious ballads".
About the process of production of "There You Were", Simpson said: "I'm pretty shy about being in the studio with other people," Simpson says. "Marc walked in, sat on the couch, and said, 'Let's tell each other a secret,' so we exchanged stupid, little private things. Then he said, 'For the next six hours, we are going to be completely in love, like we've known each other's lives and secrets for years."
The pair sang their duet the old-fashioned way, side by side in the studio. "We sang to each other the whole time," Simpson says. "So many artists sing duets where they're in different cities, different countries. Why even bother? I think you can hear our friendship coming through here. We really created it together, and I think it has such passion."
Two tracks on the set were co-written by her then boyfriend of two and-a-half years, Nick Lachey, singer of pop group 98 Degrees. "Forever in Your Eyes" is a hip-swinging song of love sealed with a guitar playing the sensuality, while "To Fall in Love Again" is another classic ballad Simpson showing her expressive vocal ability", Billboard appointment.
Finally Botwin says, "We're expecting Jessica to blossom into a major international presence this time," and Simpson agrees that it is for the task. "I'm really proud of where everything is heading," she says. "I'm ready for what my career and what life has to offer me."
According with Billboard.[1]
Initial critical response to Irresistible was generally mixed.
BBC gave a positive review, quoting "This is her second album and it covers all the bases - shiny, digitally rendered funk ("Irresistible", "I Never"), huge power ballads ("There You Were", "When You Told Me You Loved Me") and even a bit of gospel, namely "His Eye Is On The Sparrow". The standout cut is "Hot Like Fire" which sees Jessica get into Destiny's Child territory - she's been cheated on by her man and gets appropriately annoyed on what is easily the her best performance on the record. "To Fall in Love Again" morphs from heavy duty ballad into an R&B tinged slow jam, showing maybe that there are other opportunities for Ms Simpson other than those on show here."[2]
Allmusic gave the album 2.5 stars rating saying "There still are remnants of the middlebrow Simpson showcased on Sweet Kisses, notably in a fine duet with Marc Anthony called "There You Were," plus a misguided cover of the gospel standard "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" that concludes the record. Still, this takes up very little of the actual record, since these two cuts are surrounded by glossy teen pop that is designed to sound state-of-the-art, but winds up sounding curiously dated, as if it should have been released two years earlier than it was. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, at least on the surface, but apart from the opening double-punch of "Irresistible" and "A Little Bit," none of the songs register as songs — they're just stylish background music. So, it's a bit of the inverse of Sweet Kisses, which was too heavy on ballads, and, like that record, this is the work of pros, so it sounds fine as it plays."[3]
Slant Magazine gave 2 stars out of 5, saying "From the R&B-lite of the title track to the saccharine balladry of "For Your Love," there isn't an original note on the entire album. This year's designated duet partner is Marc Anthony with an answer to last year's "Where You Are:" "There You Were." The track is home to such nonsense as "You reached through the hurricane/When you, baby, you called my name." "What's It Gonna Be" sounds like an Oops!...I Did It Again outtake; it's disposable bubblegum pop that completely squanders Simpson's vocal talent. The singer's power-pipes are, however, on full display in the dramatic ballad "When You Told Me You Loved Me." Simpson's over-the-top vocal acrobatics recall the crystalline performances that helped Carey rise to fame a decade ago. The other redeemable track on Irresistible is "Hot Like Fire," a semi-camp high-energy ditty that begins with a faux phone call from a friend exposing Simpson's "player" boyfriend. Simpson goes on to give him a taste of his own medicine with an unexpected dose of teen angst."[4]
As Jessica's debut album had a bad start on the charts, Columbia Records her second album expected to exceed the previous one. "Columbia Records" at the see results, they were not happy, so the following year Jessica entered the studio to record her second album. The executives made pressure on her so that she can proyect a much more sexy image, in order to increase sales. With a sound more up-tempo, more radio-friendly songs and a new image (which can also be seen on the cover of the disc, where an image Jessica's sexy, showing her navel and with more makeup, very different from the cover of "Sweet Kisses"). Irresistible, her second album was released on June 5, 2001.
The album was moderately successful in the United States, debuting at number 6[5] on the Billboard 200 with 127,000[6] copies sold in its first week, a very high figure compared to what it sold in its debut her first album. The next week fell at the number 12. After 5 weeks the album was certified Gold[7] for sales more than 500,000 copies, and stayed on the chart for 16 weeks.[8] Irresistible is not considered a failure from Jessica. Although the album had a better graphics performance on the charts compared with her previous album, Sweet Kisses (which came to a maximum of # 25), sales of Irresistible is far from the Sweet Kisses. Mainly it was because the album only handled in the charts with one single, unlike the Sweet Kisses while it remained in the chart, was released 2 singles more ("Where You Are" and "I Think I'm In Love With You"), to increase sales. Columbia Records takes 5 months to launch second single "A Little Bit", that was released in September, while the first single, "Irresistible" was released in April. The album ranked the #80 in Billboard Year End Charts Albums 2001.[9]
Irresistible made the first Top 20 Albums of Jessica in Canada debuting at number 13[10] and was certified Gold by the CRIA for sales more than 50,000 copies.[11]
Thanks to the success of the first single, which helped introduce Jessica to the Latin American market, and took the album to # 10 in Venezuela and # 11 in Argentina. Although album sales have passed the gold sales, has not yet received any certification in 2 countries.
In Mexico debuted at number 14 which was certified Gold, and in Switzerland the album stayed for 10 weeks on the chart and peaked in the number 15.[12]
In Japan reached at number 24, was certified Gold for sales more than 100,000 copies.[13]
The album made the first appearance of Jessica in the "Germany Albums Charts", debuting in the #34 in the Chart.[14]
In Austria, Irresistible just reached #58.[15]
Irresistible has sold 825,000 copies in the United States and around 3,2 million Worldwide.
Jessica toured with Destiny Child, Nelly and Eve in TRL Tour in July. The tour consisted of 30 dates.[16][17]
In support of the album, Jessica toured in mid-August, which was called Dream Chaser Tour. The tour consisted of 25 dates, which were all North American cities. The tour starts on August 7 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Due to the attacks of September 11, Jessica was unable to complete the scheduled dates, reaching only 10 dates.[18][19]
| # | Song title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Irresistible" | Anders Bagge, Arnthor Birgisson, Pamela Sheyne | Anders Bagge, A. Birgisson | 3:13 |
| 2 | "A Little Bit" | Kara DioGuardi, Steve Morales, D. Siegel | Steve Morales, Ric Wake | 3:47 |
| 3 | "Forever in Your Eyes" | Nick Lachey, Rhett Lawrence | R. Lawrence | 3:38 |
| 4 | "There You Were" (duet with Marc Anthony)" | Louis Biancaniello, T. Lacy, Sam Watters | L. Biancaniello, S. Watters | 4:25 |
| 5 | "What's It Gonna Be" | Kandice Love, Troy Oliver | Cory Rooney, T. Oliver, Ric Wake | 4:41 |
| 6 | "When You Told Me You Loved Me" | Walter Afanasieff, Billy Mann | W. Afanasieff | 3:48 |
| 7 | "Hot Like Fire" | Cory Rooney | C. Rooney | 4:17 |
| 8 | "Imagination" | Rodney Jerkins, Mischke, L. Daniels, F. Jerkins | Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins | 4:25 |
| 9 | "To Fall in Love Again" | Nick Lachey, Walter Afanasieff | W. Afanasieff | 4:57 |
| 10 | "For Your Love" | Sam Watters, Louis Biancaniello | S. Watters, L. Biancaniello | 4:20 |
| 11 | "I Never" | Rodney Jerkins, L. Daniels, F. Jerkins, Mischke | R. "Darkchild" Jerkins | 4:34 |
| 12 | "His Eye is on the Sparrow" | C. Gabriel, L. Goss, C. Martin | Cory Rooney, Loren Dawson | 4:37 |
Japan Bonus Track:
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
Certification |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina Albums Chart | 11 | Gold |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 58 | - |
| Australian Albums Chart[20] | 81 | - |
| Canadian Albums Chart[10] | 13 | Gold[11] |
| German Albums Chart[14] | 34 | - |
| Japan Albums Chart | 24 | Gold[13] |
| Mexico Albums Chart | 14 | Gold |
| Swiss Albums Chart[12] | 15 | - |
| UK Albums Chart[21] | 102 | - |
| Venezuela Top 100 Albums | 10 | Gold |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 6 | Gold[22] |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
   | link - Jessica Simpson: Irresistible : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone |
| | link - Irresistible | Music Review | Entertainment Weekly |
|
|
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search
