Sean Kingston (album)
| Sean Kingston | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 31, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:50 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | J.R. Rotem, DJ Felli Fel | |||
| Sean Kingston chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Sean Kingston | ||||
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Sean Kingston is the debut studio album by Jamaican-American singer Sean Kingston, released on July 31, 2007. The album was produced by J. R. Rotem. Sean Kingston, with help from Evan Bogart, wrote the songs which range from the self-deprecating-schoolboy tale of lost love in the album's most successful single "Beautiful Girls" to the much deeper "Dry Your Eyes", in which he visits the hardship of watching his mother and sister being sent to prison at the age of 15.[2]
The album has been certified gold by the RIAA as of February 2008 with an excess of 500,000 copies.[3]
The album entered the U.S. Billboard 200 chart at #6 and fell to #13 the following week.[4] The album reached #2 on RIANZ in its second week.
Background
[edit]Record executive E. Kidd Bogart talked about the making of the album in a 2024 interview: “A rapper named ‘Franchise’ wrote this chorus called "Beautiful Girls", it was actually called "Suicidal" at the time (...) and overnight they decided to change the entire Franchise rap album into a singing album, because this dude sang and they didn't realize he could sing. They changed Franchise name to Sean Kingston. (...) We went in and we started re-writing the entire Sean Kingston album”.[5] In an interview with HitQuarters, producer J. R. Rotem described this process with regard to Kingston: “Sean Kingston was a rapper when we found him and it was a development process to get him more melodic. At Beluga we essentially refine the talent so that it's more of a marketable product.”[6]
Singles
[edit]Sean Kingston was firstly anticipated by the promotional single "Colors 2007".[7][8]
The album's lead single, "Beautiful Girls", was released on May 26, 2007. It became a major hit internationally, topping the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and several other charts, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom. In the latter country, the song spent four weeks at the summit of the UK Singles Chart.[9]
The second single "Me Love" was released on July 31, 2007, and entered in the top twenty of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
The third single "Take You There" was released on October 23, 2007. In the week of November 17, 2007, the single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 81, and later peaked at number 7.[10]
"There's Nothin" was released as the album's final single on March 13, 2008.
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [11] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[12] |
| USA Today | [13] |
| Yahoo! Music |   [14] |
| DJBooth.net | [15] |
AllMusic gave the album a slightly positive review, commenting that it “loads up on enough gimmicks, high-profile samples, hooks, and ridiculous lyrics that it's the textbook definition of love it or hate it and shouldn't be approached by anyone who considers themselves "hardcore."”[16] Entertainment Weekly expressed a mixed opinion: “At its best, Kingston’s debut CD, Sean Kingston, keeps turning familiar riffs into dancehall cotton candy. (...) Unfortunately, a few unconvincingly tough hip-hop tracks seem like vestiges of a plot to present Kingston as a pudgy thug, before ”Girls” made him a star softie”.[17] BBC Music argued that “JR Rotem’s production is clean and shiny, while Sean’s voice sounds a bit like Collie Buddz - although that may be because they’ve both been processed into oblivion.”[18] The New York Times gave Sean Kingston a negative review “this is a surprisingly awkward album, with too many underbaked love songs and unmenacing threats”.[19]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | Kisean Anderson, J.R. Rotem | 0:34 |
| 2. | "Kingston" | Kisean Anderson, J.R. Rotem | 3:28 |
| 3. | "Take You There" | Kisean Anderson, J.R. Rotem, E. Kidd Bogart, Timothy Thomas, Theron Thomas | 3:57 |
| 4. | "Me Love" | Kisean Anderson, J.R. Rotem, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant | 3:24 |
| 5. | "Beautiful Girls" | Kisean Anderson, J.R. Rotem, Sly "Pyper" Jordan, Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller | 4:02 |
| 6. | "Dry Your Eyes" | Kisean Anderson, J.R. Rotem, Sly "Pyper" Jordan, E. Kidd Bogart | 3:32 |
| 7. | "Got No Shorty" | Kisean Anderson, J.R. Rotem, Sly "Pyper" Jordan, Roger A. Graham and Spencer Williams | 3:22 |
| 8. | "There's Nothin" (featuring Paula DeAnda) | Kisean Anderson, J.R. Rotem, E. Kidd Bogart | 3:58 |
| 9. | "I Can Feel It" | Kisean Anderson, J.R. Rotem, Phil Collins | 3:27 |
| 10. | "Drummer Boy" | Kisean Anderson, J.R. Rotem | 3:37 |
| 11. | "Your Sister" | Kisean Anderson, J.R. Rotem, E. Kidd Bogart | 3:30 |
| 12. | "That Ain't Right" | Kisean Anderson, J.R. Rotem | 3:41 |
| 13. | "Change" | Kisean Anderson, J.R. Rotem | 3:38 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 8. | "There's Nothin'" (featuring Élan and Juelz Santana) | 3:45 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Colors (Reggae Remix)" (featuring Vybz Kartel and Kardinal Offishall) | Kisean Anderson, J.R. Rotem, Adidja Palmer, Tracy Morrow, Charles Glenn | 4:35 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Personal (Big Girls Remix)" (featuring Fergie) | 3:56 |
| 16. | "Beautiful Girls" (Music video) | 4:17 |
| 17. | "Me Love" (Music video) | 3:24 |
| 18. | "Take You There" (Music video) | 4:01 |
| 19. | "There's Nothin" (featuring Élan and Juelz Santana) (Music video) | 3:45 |
- Sample credits
- "Me Love" - derived from the song, "D'yer Mak'er", written by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham; performed by Led Zeppelin.
- "Beautiful Girls" - contains portions of and features samples from the recording, "Stand by Me", written by Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller; performed by Ben E. King.
- "Got No Shorty" - contains interpolations of the composition, "I Ain't Got Nobody", written by Roger A. Graham and Spencer Williams; performed by Bing Crosby.
- "I Can Feel It" - features samples of the recording, "In the Air Tonight", written and performed by Phil Collins.
- "Colors" - contains an interpolation of the track, "Colors", written by Tracy Morrow and Charles Glenn; performed by Ice-T.
- "Take You There" - features a sample of a vocal melody from "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado.
Notes
[edit]The original version of "Colors" is found on The Game's 2007 mixtape You Know What It Is Vol. 4 - Murda Game Chronicles and features Kingston and Rick Ross.[21][22][23][24]
Charts and certifications
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
Year-end charts[edit]
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Certifications[edit]
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References
[edit]- ^ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sean-kingston-mn0000922471#biography
- ^ "A BEAUUUTIFUL INTERVIEW WITH SEAN KINGSTON". www.bluesandsoul.com.
- ^ RIAA, "Searchable Database" Archived 2013-02-25 at the Wayback Machine, Recording Industry Association of America, February 12, 2009.
- ^ Katie Hasty, "Common Scores First No. 1 On Billboard 200", Billboard.com, August 8, 2007.
- ^ https://uk.news.yahoo.com/people-just-realising-rihannas-sos-090009155.html
- ^ "Interview With JR Rotem". HitQuarters. April 4, 2010. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
- ^ "Allmusic review".
- ^ "Sean Kingston". Entertainment Weekly. August 13, 2007. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ "UK Singles Chart". Official Charts. January 9, 2007. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
- ^ "Sean Kingston - Take You There global chart positions and trajectories". aCharts.us. Retrieved January 17, 2008.
- ^ "Allmusic review".
- ^ "Sean Kingston". Entertainment Weekly. August 13, 2007. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ "USA Today review".
- ^ "Yahoo! Music review".
- ^ "DJBooth.net review".
- ^ "Allmusic review".
- ^ "Sean Kingston". Entertainment Weekly. August 13, 2007. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/p3f9/
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/arts/music/30choi.html
- ^ "Sean Kingston (Deluxe Version) by Sean Kingston". iTunes US. Apple. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
- ^ "You Know What It Is Vol 4 - Murda Game Chronicles Mixtape by The Game Hosted by Nu Jersey Devil, Dj Skee". www.datpiff.com.
- ^ "You Know What It Is, Volume 4: Murda Game Chronicles, by The Game". The Game.
- ^ Beeb. "Sean Kingston ft. The Game & Rick Ross - Colors 2007". DJBooth.
- ^ "Sean Kingston - Sean Kingston - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Sean Kingston – Sean Kingston". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sean Kingston – Sean Kingston" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Sean Kingston – Sean Kingston". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Sean Kingston". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Sean Kingston – Sean Kingston". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Sean Kingston – Sean Kingston". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "Western Weekly Top 20, Week 39, 2007" (in Chinese). Five-Music. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
- ^ "Sean Kingston Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "Sean Kingston Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "UK Year-End Charts 2007" (PDF). Official Charts Company. ChartsPlus. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
- ^ "Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums - 2007". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "Year-End Charts: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - 2008". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 13, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Sean Kingston – Sean Kingston". Music Canada.
- ^ "The Irish Charts - 2007 Certification Awards - Gold". Irish Recorded Music Association.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Sean Kingston – Sean Kingston". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "British album certifications – Sean Kingston – Sean Kingston". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "American album certifications – Sean Kingston – Sean Kingston". Recording Industry Association of America.
