Kiss the Sky (Tatyana Ali album)
| Kiss the Sky | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Studio album by Tatyana Ali | ||
| Released | August 25, 1998 | |
| Recorded | 1997 - 1998 | |
| Genre | R&B, soul, hip hop | |
| Length | 50:30 | |
| Label |
MJJ/The WORK Group OK 68656 (North America) 491651 (international) | |
| Producer | Shawn Stockman, Rodney Jerkins, Narada Michael Walden, Fred Jerkins III, StoneBridge, Vincent Herbert & Rob Fusari, Keith Pelzer & Darren Henson, Marti Sharron & Danny Sembello, James "Jiff" Hinger, Joe "P" Cantrall, Alex "Cat" Cantrall, Shawn Stockman | |
| Singles from Kiss The Sky | ||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [4] |
Kiss the Sky is the debut album by American singer and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air actress Tatyana Ali. The album was released in August 1998, peaking at #106 on the Billboard 200 and #47 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album produced the top ten Billboard Hot 100 hit "Daydreamin', as well as the smash hit UK single "Boy You Knock Me Out", and the ballad "Everytime". The album was certified Gold in early 1999, however, did not sell as well as expected, and as such, Ali was dropped from the label in late 1999. The album was made with the help of her Fresh Prince co-star and rapper Will Smith.
Critical reception
Allmusic gave the album two and a half stars out of five, claiming: "History has often taught us that when an actor or actress decides to record an album, consumers had best be on their guard and proceed with caution. But in some cases, actors are also worthwhile singers. A case in point is Tatyana Ali, who is best known for playing Ashley on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. After establishing herself as an actress, Ali entered the urban contemporary field with Kiss the Sky, for which Will "The Fresh Prince" Smith is an executive producer. Although not fantastic and not very risk-taking, the collection of hip-hop-ish R&B/pop demonstrated that Ali was a decent singer along the lines of Janet Jackson. This isn't to say that the album is as interesting as a Jackson album—in fact, most of the material is pretty routine. But Kiss the Sky does contain a few memorable selections, including the sexy 'He Loves Me,' the remorseful 'Through Life Alone,' and the caressing title song. Ali has the potential to make a consistently strong album, but she'll need the right input, guidance, and direction."[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | Shawn Stockman | 0:30 |
| 2. | "Boy You Knock Me Out" | Robert Bell; Ronald Bell; George Brown; Bobby Caldwell; Raymond Calhoun; Alfons Kettner; Robert Mickens; Kelly Price; Claydes Smith; Will Smith; Alton Taylor; Dennis Thomas; Richard Westfield | 4:10 |
| 3. | "If You Only Knew" | Mary Brown; Rob Fusari; Tatyana Ali; Vincent Herbert | 3:44 |
| 4. | "Everytime" | Alex Cantrall; Joe Priolo | 5:15 |
| 5. | "Daydreamin'" | Donald Fagen; Fred Jenkins III; LaShawn Daniels; Peter Pankey; Rodney Jerkins; Sean Hamilton; Walter Becker | 5:00 |
| 6. | "Love the Way You Love Me" | Narada Michael Walden; Sally Jo Dakota | 5:02 |
| 7. | "Interlude" | Shawn Stockman | 1:13 |
| 8. | "He Loves Me" | Darren "Limitless" Henson; Keith Pelzer; Tia Mintze | 4:45 |
| 9. | "Kiss the Sky" (featuring Marion) | Shawn Stockman | 5:04 |
| 10. | "If I Ever Love Again" | Danny Sembello; Marti Sharron | 4:44 |
| 11. | "Yesterday" (featuring Chico DeBarge) | Fred Jerkins III; Kelly Price | 5:06 |
| 12. | "Through Life Alone" | Shawn Stockman | 5:52 |
| 13. | "Boy You Knock Me Out" (featuring Will Smith) | Robert Bell; Ronald Bell; George Brown; Bobby Caldwell; Raymond Calhoun; Alfons Kettner; Robert Mickens; Kelly Price; Claydes Smith; Will Smith; Alton Taylor; Dennis Thomas; Richard Westfield | 4:20 |
Total length: |
50:30 | ||
| Japanese Edition Bonus Track | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 14. | "Never Leave You Lonely" | Rob Fusari, Vincent Herbert | 4:23 |
Total length: |
4:23 | ||
Production and personnel
- Track 2 Arranged and produced by StoneBridge (for StoneBridge Productions & Big Management Ltd.) & Kelly Price (for Priceless Music). Recorded by StoneBridge & Michael Blum. Mixed by Rob Chiarelli for Final Mix. All Programming by Rob Chiarelli.
- Track 3 Produced by Vincent Herbert, Rob Fusari & Mary Brown. Recorded by Commissioner Gordon; assisted by Tim Lauber & Jan Fairchild. Mixed by Tony Maserati. Eric Jackson: Guitars
- Track 4 Produced by Joe Priolo & A. Cantrall for Signature Productions. Recorded by John "Sticky Fingers" Smeltz. Mixed by Rob Chiarelli. Randy Bowland: Guitars. All other instruments and programming by Joe Priolo. Strings by The Larry Gold Players; arranged & conducted by Larry Gold.
- Track 5 Arranged, produced and recorded by Rodney Jerkins & LaShawn Daniels. Mixed by Dexter Simmons. All Music Performed by Rodney Jerkins.
- Track 6 Arranged and produced by Narada Michael Walden. Engineered by Marc Reyburn, Jimi Fischer & David Frazer. Mixed by David Frazer. Jimi Fischer, Rob Chiarelli: All Keyboards & Programming. Angela Bofill, Tina Gibson, Nikita Germaine & Sandy Griffith: Vocal Backing
- Track 8 Arranged by Tia Minze & Keith Pelzer. Produced by Keith Pelzer. Recorded by Keith Pelzer & Serban Ghenea. Mixed by Dexter Simmons.
- Tracks 9 & 12 Arranged, produced and performed by Shawn Stockman. Recorded by James Hinger & Rob Chiarelli. Mixed by Shawn Stockman & James Hinger.
- Track 10 Arranged and produced by Marti Sharron & Danny Sembello. Recorded by Jon Ingoldsby, Thom Russo & Martin Horenburg. Mixed by Dave Way. Jubu: Guitars. Sheree Ford-Payne: Vocal Backing
- Track 11 Arranged and produced By Kelly Price & Fred Jerkins III. Recorded by John Smeltz & Ben Garrison. Mixed by Fred Jerkins III & Dexter Simmons. Strings (The Darkchild Orchestra) arranged by Larry Gold & Fred Jerkins III. Chico DeBarge: Co-lead vocal. Kelly Price: Vocal Backing.
Chart performance
| Year | Song | U.S. | UK Singles Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Daydreamin'" | 6 | 6 |
| "Boy You Knock Me Out" (Featuring Will Smith) | - | 3 | |
| "Everytime" | 118 | 20 |
References
- ↑ "Daydreamin: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
- ↑ "Boy You Knock Me Out: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
- ↑ "Everytime: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
- ↑ Henderson, Alex. Kiss the Sky at AllMusic
- ↑ Alex Henderson (1998-08-25). "Kiss the Sky - Tatyana Ali | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-01.