Recorded 2014–16 Length 48:37 | Genre R&Bsoulpop Label RCA19 | |
Released July 28, 2016 (2016-07-28) Producer Ron Fair (exec.)R. KellyBrian KennedyNeff-UJerome "J-Roc" HarmonGRADESPriscilla ReneaDylan WigginsDreshan SmithTye TribbettDavid Outing | ||
The Definition Of... is the fifth studio album by American recording artist Fantasia. It was released by RCA Records and 19 Recordings on July 29, 2016 in the United States and for online streaming worldwide on Apple Music a day earlier. Fantasia worked with producers Ron Fair, Brian Kennedy, Neff-U, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon and GRADES on the album. The album featured two top ten singles on the US Billboard Adult R&B Songs airplay chart: "No Time for It", which peaked at number six, and "Sleeping with the One I Love" which peaked at number nine. In order to further promote the album, Fantasia embarked on a tour with Anthony Hamilton called Fantasia & Anthony Hamilton: Live in Concert. The Definition Of... received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. The album peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200. The album also topped that week's Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, and peaked at number two on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album was also promoted with an US twelve-show tour titled The Definition Of... Tour, which started on November 16, 2016 and ended on December 4, 2016. The third single "When I Met You" was released on January 17, 2017.
Contents
Background and development
Following her performance in the Broadway musical After Midnight, Fantasia began working on her fifth studio album with producer Harmony Samuels. She previously collaborated with Samuels on her fourth album Side Effects of You, referring to him as her Quincy Jones since they would work "from scratch with him going to the keyboard and just playing things." Fantasia sought to make music that combined her soulful childhood singing in church with "a certain side of [her] that wants to tap into that whole rock world." On November 20, 2014, she posted a short clip of her and R. Kelly in the studio.
Fantasia worked with producers Ron Fair, Brian Kennedy, Neff-U, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, and GRADES and collaborated with Tye Tribbett and Stacy Barthe. In an interview with Essence magazine, Fantasia discussed her intentions to incorporate live music and real musical instruments into the album. She expressed a desire to avoid following the trends of contemporary radio. She added "I wanted music that would touch people's hearts; that would bless people and move people because, you know, music makes the world go round". Fantasia also sought to have full control over the album's production and release, saying she regretted "not taking control of her destiny sooner." She was influenced by Aerosmith, Tina Turner, Prince, James Brown, and Michael Jackson.
Title and artwork
The title and cover of The Definition Of... were revealed on April 21, 2016. According to Fantasia, the title represents how she is every woman: "I'm the definition of strength, the definition of love, the definition of a fighter, the list goes on." The cover features one of mixed media artist Kip Omolade's Diovadiova Chrome paintings, which took five months to complete. Omolade described feeling a connection with Fantasia, saying "we both share a commitment to skillful artistry and soulful expression".
Release and promotion
The album was originally scheduled to be released on June 10, but it was pushed back to July 29. It was made available for streaming a day early through Apple Music. The album spawned two singles, and two promotional singles. "No Time for It" was released as the lead single from the album on January 7, 2016. It peaked at number six on the United States' Adult R&B Songs Billboard chart. "Ugly" was released on April 7 as a promotional single; Fantasia performed it on the series finale of American Idol on the same day. The songs "So Blue" and "Sleeping with the One I Love" were released on April 21 and May 26 respectively. Photographer Derek Blanks shot the accompanying music video for "Sleeping with the One I Love", which features Fantasia "portray[ing] multiple characters in a compelling plot twist". "When I Met You" was released as the third single from the album on January 17, 2017.
To further promote the album, Fantasia embarked on the Fantasia & Anthony Hamilton: Live in Concert with Anthony Hamilton. The tour started on April 21, 2016 and ended on June 19. They had twenty-eight shows in North America. Fantasia embarked on her solo tour The Definition Of... Tour in the United States only between November 16 and December 4, 2016.
Critical reception
The Definition Of... received a positive review from pop music website PopCrush. They said: "Across 11 tracks, Fantasia shifts gears as frequently as she did on American Idol, when following up a Barry Manilow single with "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" didn't seem strange. Somehow, though, it works — it's more intentional heterogeneity than frantic mess, and will likely have you questioning why more albums aren't taking as many left turns." Entertainment Weekly gave album the grade of B-. While praising album's tracks "Sleeping with the One I Love", "I Made It" and "Lonely Legend", they criticized her tracks "Roller Coaster" and "Wait for You". They described "Sleeping with the One I Love" as "a jazzy torch song penned by R. Kelly" while describing "I Made It" as "a spiritual turn-up that shows Fantasia should make a gospel album". Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave album mixed review, giving it 2.5 out of five stars saying: "The album starts with a cluttered, uptempo rock-R&B hybrid and never really stabilizes after that, abruptly moving into one of a few ballads suited more for a pop-oriented R&B artist, later involving a contemporary country number seemingly written by an algorithm, and a triumphant Tye Tribbett-driven gospel belter, among other approaches. Even in this highly variable setting, the Aloe Blacc collaboration "Roller Coasters" is utterly bizarre, like something from Janelle Monáe's Wondaland camp if they sought inspiration from folk-rockers America. One mark of consistency here is that Barrino often sounds like she's fulfilling roles, however effectively, rather than baring her soul. The most favorable pairing is with R. Kelly, who grants "Sleeping with the One I Love," a spacious, retro-styled ballad where Barrino is at her best, expressing anguish and conflicted emotions.", giving similar review as EW.com. Thisisrnb.com gave positive review, saying "Never one to be what others want her to be, Fantasia defines herself with no apologies on The Definition Of... Her ability to transition from one genre to the next is a unique dynamic of her artistry. Her confident vocals reflect the strength she has discovered despite her weaknesses" Soul in Stereo gave mixed review, giving 3.5 out of five stars. They described both album singles and track "So Blue" as the best tracks. They stated that The Definition Of... is "Fantasia at her most confident. From the uplifting optimism of "Stay Up" to the affirmation of beauty preached in "Ugly", Fantasia is unapologetically raw and refreshingly real. Inconsistent pacing and a lack of standout tracks make the collection far from flawless, but hey, neither is Fantasia."
Accolades
The album was ranked at number fourteen on Rolling Stone's 20 Best Albums of 2016 year-end list on December 14, 2016.
At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2017, the album's second single "Sleeping with the One I Love" was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance.
Commercial performance
The Definition Of... debuted in the top ten of the US Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number six with the sales of 32,000 during its first week of release. It became her third consecutive and fourth non-consecutive US top ten album. However, in its second week, the album fell to number sixty-six, and it left the top hundred in its third week. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums and number two on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.