1st Born Second

1st Born Second
Studio album by Bilal
Released July 17, 2001
Genre Neo soul, soul, R&B, funk
Length 75:55
Label Interscope
Producer Bilal, Mike City, Aaron Comess, Dahoud Darien, Megahertz, Dr. Dre, Dre & Vidal, J Dilla, Andres Levin, Mel-Man, James Poyser, Questlove, Raphael Saadiq, Soulquarians
Bilal chronology
1st Born Second
(2001)		 Airtight's Revenge
(2010)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blender[2]
Chicago Sun-Times[3]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
NME8/10[6]
Q[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
Spin7/10[9]
USA Today[10]

1st Born Second is the debut album of American neo soul musician Bilal, released July 17, 2001 on Interscope Records. Production for the album was handled primarily by Bilal and Aaron Comess.[11] Bilal's stage name also serves as an acronym for "Beloved, Intelligent, Lustful and Livin' It".[12] Bilal was trained in jazz and classical music before recording and joining the Soulquarians collective, which contributed in producing the album.[13] 1st Born Second features an eclectic sound incorporates musical elements of jazz, hip hop, scat, reggae, and rock music.[14][15][16]

The album attained moderate sales, but received acclaim from music critics upon its release. The album is now out of print.

Background

Bilal began to familiarize himself with the music scene in New York City, meeting big talents such as Common, The Roots, and Erykah Badu. Eventually, he was discovered by Aaron Comess from the Spin Doctors during an after-school jam session. It was with him that Bilal recorded his demo that landed him a record deal with Interscope.[17]

Reception

The album peaked at number 31 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, and it has sold 319,000 copies.[18] 1st Born Second received universal acclaim from music critics; it holds a score of 82 out of 100 at Metacritic.[19] The album earned rave reviews from publications, including The Village Voice, Chicago Sun-Times, and USA Today,[3][10][20] and it also received comparisons to the music of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Sly & the Family Stone, Prince, and Curtis Mayfield.[19][21][22][23] Music writer Mark Anthony Neal of PopMatters cited the album as "one of the most significant debuts in black pop during the past 25 years".[24] Vibe's Tamika Andeson called it "one of the best R&B albums of the year".[25]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Intro"  Dubble, Richie RichBilal 1:47
2. "For You"  Bilal OliverMegahertz 3:47
3. "Fast Lane"  Oliver, Damu Mtume, Fa Mtume, Michael FlowersDr. Dre 4:37
4. "Reminisce" (feat. Mos Def & Common)Oliver, Dante Smith, James Yancey, Lonnie LynnJ Dilla 4:35
5. "All That I Am (Somethin' for the People)"  Oliver, Dahoud Darien, LynnDahoud Darien 3:56
6. "Sally"  Oliver, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Richard SerrellDr. Dre 3:41
7. "Sometimes"  Ahmir Khalib Thompson, Oliver, James PoyserJames Poyser 7:12
8. "Love It"  Mike CityMike City 3:48
9. "C'mere (Skit)"   Andres Levin 2:12
10. "Soul Sista"  Oliver, James MtumeRaphael Saadiq 5:21
11. "When Will You Call"  OliverAaron Comess 4:47
12. "Queen of Sanity"  OliverAaron Comess 5:21
13. "Love Poems"  Oliver, Keisha WhatleyAaron Comess 5:25
14. "You Are"  Marsha Ambrosius, Natalie StewartDre & Vidal 4:17
15. "Home"  OliverBilal 5:23
16. "Slyde"  Oliver, DarienDahoud Darien 4:07
17. "Second Child"  OliverBilal 6:49

Charts

Charts (2001) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[26] 31
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[27] 10

Personnel

Credits for 1st Born Second adapted from Allmusic.[28]

  • Bilal – vocals, drums, clavier, producer
  • Dr. Dre – producer
  • Greg Burns – assistant engineer, mixing
  • Larry Chatman – project coordinator
  • Mike City – multi instruments, producer
  • Aaron Comess – bass, drums, producer, engineer, mixing engineer
  • Tom Coster, Jr. – keyboards
  • Jim Danis – assistant engineer, mixing
  • Dahoud Darien – producer
  • Vidal Davis – producer, engineer
  • Russell Elevado – mixing
  • Mike Elizondo – guitar, keyboards
  • Todd Farrell – assistant engineer
  • Drew FitzGerald – art direction
  • Serban Ghenea – guitar, mixing
  • Robert Glasper – keyboards, keyboard accordion
  • James Hurt – string arrangements
  • Jay Dee – producer
  • Gintas Janusonis - drums, percussion
  • Andres Levin – engineer, mixing
  • Steve Mandel – mixing
  • Artemio Villeda Martín – executive producer
  • Alan Mason – mixing
  • Sid McCoy – narrator
  • Mel-Man – keyboards, producer
  • Peter Mokran – mixing engineer
  • Mike Moreno – guitar
  • Mos Def – rap
  • Damu Mtume – executive producer
  • Neil Pogue – mixing engineer
  • James Poyser – organ, producer, Fender Rhodes
  • Raphael Saadiq – producer
  • Jon Smeltz – engineer
  • Soulquarians – producer
  • Mike Starr – guitar
  • Kendal Stubbs – engineer
  • John Tyree – assistant engineer, mixing

References

  1. ↑ Conaway, Matt. Review: 1st Born Second. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
  2. ↑ "Review". Blender. No. August/September 2001. p. 121.
  3. 1 2 Columnist. "Review: 1st Born Second". Chicago Sun-Times: August 12, 2001. Archived from the original on 2009-08-12. (Transcription of original review at talk page)
  4. ↑ Sinclair, Tom. Review: 1st Born Second. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
  5. ↑ Nichols, Natalie. Review: 1st Born Second. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
  6. ↑ Odell, Michael. "Review: 1st Born Second". NME: July 25, 2001. Archived from the original on 2010-08-22.
  7. ↑ "Review". Q. No. Summer 2001. p. 96.
  8. ↑ DeCurtis, Anthony. "Review: 1st Born Second". Rolling Stone: 64. August 2, 2001. Note: Rating archived
  9. ↑ Green, Tony. "Review: 1st Born Second". Spin: 158. September 2001.
  10. 1 2 Jones, Steve. "Review: 1st Born Second". USA Today: D.08. July 31, 2001.
  11. ↑ Track listing and credits as per liner notes for 1st Born Second album
  12. ↑ Needham, Alex. Review: 1st Born Second. NME. Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
  13. ↑ Columnist. "Review: 1st Born Second". The Washington Post: T.14. October 12, 2001.
  14. ↑ Kot, Greg. "Review: 1st Born Second". Chicago Tribune: 23. September 28, 2001.
  15. ↑ Farley, Christopher John. Review: 1st Born Second. Time. Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
  16. ↑ Phipps, Keith. Review: 1st Born Second. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2009-08-26. Archived 2009-09-04.
  17. ↑ "Bilal". Ontheroxentertainment.com. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  18. ↑ Herrera, Monica. Bilal To Release Electro-Jazz Rock Album In 2010. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-01-03.
  19. 1 2 1st Born Second (2001): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-08-12. Archived 2009-08-16.
  20. ↑ Cepeda, Raquel. Review: 1st Born Second. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
  21. ↑ Columnist. Review: 1st Born Second. The Independent. Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
  22. ↑ Product Page: 1st Born Second. Muze. Retrieved on 2009-08-26.
  23. ↑ Caramanica, Jon. Review: 1st Born Second. Blender. Retrieved on 2010-03-29.
  24. ↑ Neal, Mark Anthony. Review: 1st Born Second. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
  25. ↑ Anderson, Tamika. "Review: 1st Born Second". Vibe: 242. September 2001.
  26. ↑ 1st Born Second - Bilal Billboard.com, August 18, 2001
  27. ↑ Songs In A Minor, Alicia Keys Billboard.com
  28. ↑ Credits: 1st Born Second. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-03-28.

External links

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