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The Art of Love & War

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The Art of Love & War
Studio album by
Angie Stone
ReleasedOctober 15, 2007 (2007-10-15)
Studio
Length56:47
LabelStax
Producer
  • Angie Stone (also exec.)
  • Colin Stanback (exec.)
  • 5 Star
  • Co-T
  • The Designated Hitters
  • Dris
  • Victor Flores
  • Elijah "Vato" Harris
  • Chris Hutch
  • MJ McClain
  • Jon Nettlesbey
  • Ervin "EP" Pope
  • Jonathan Richmond
Angie Stone chronology
Stone Hits: The Very Best of Angie Stone
(2005) 		The Art of Love & War
(2007) 		Unexpected
(2009)
Singles from The Art of Love & War
  1. "Baby"
    Released: August 28, 2007
  2. "Sometimes"
    Released: January 28, 2008
  3. "Pop Pop"
    Released: August 25, 2008

The Art of Love & War is the fourth studio album by American singer Angie Stone. It was released on October 15, 2007, by Stax Records. Her debut release with the then re-launched label, following her split with J Records in 2005, it saw Stone working with a group of less well-known musicians, including The Designated Hitters, Elijah "Vato" Harris, Ervin Pope and Jonathan Richmond, the latter of which went on to produce most material on the album. English actor and DJ Idris Elba contributed "My People," a duet with singer James Ingram. Stone co-wrote and produced or co-produced most songs on the album.

Upon release, The Art of Love & War earned generally mixed reviews from critics, some of whom complimented the well-crafted production and Stone's delivery, while others criticized the album for its number of downtempo songs, finding it too conservative. While less successful internationally, the album debuted and peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, becoming Stone's highest-charting album to date. Lead single "Baby" featuring Betty Wright reached the top of the Adult R&B Songs chart and was nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.

Background

[edit]

In June 2004, Stone released Stone Love, her second studio album with J Records. While it debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard 200 and entered the top twenty in Belgium, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands,[1] the album was commercially less successful than its predecessors Black Diamond (1999) and Mahogany Soul (2001) both of whom had become gold-sellers in the United Kingdom and the United States.[2] The following year, Stone began recording what as expected to become her fifth regular album, but to save costs J Records asked her to transfer her new material, including the previously unreleased single "I Wasn't Kidding",[3] to a compilation album halfway through the recording process. Speaking volumes to her what her future with the company would be, Stone subsequently asked for and received an unconditional release from the label. Her third full-length release, the compilation Stone Hits: The Very Best of Angie Stone, released in June 2005, marked her final release with the company.[4] The following year, Stone was approached by the reworked Stax Records and signed with the label.[4]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic60/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
The Guardian[7]
Now[8]
PopMatters6/10[2]
Prefix8/10[9]

The Art of Love & War received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 60, based on 11 reviews.[5] AllMusic rated the album three and a half stars out of five and complimented the track listing for its "nods to classic styles, blending funk, soul, balladry, and R&B in one tasty package", adding: "Yet The Art of Love & War is contemporary through and through. Shimmering with a modern, digital production sheen, the album is clearly steeped in urban contemporary R&B, more lush and languid than stripped down and raw. Stone is no mere puppet of the past: her voice, delivery, and feel are all her own, whether on butter-smooth love songs or hard-swinging groovers."[6] Billboard wrote that the album "emphasizes gratitude above anything else [...] Stone remains impressive as a vocalist, an old-school soul with an understated delivery that's more hushed than histrionic."[10]

Prefix called the album "one of the best neo-soul albums to come out in years" and wrote: "About ten of the album's tracks are produced in a similar style, channeling the musical complexity of the '70s over a simple funky track. The formula works well, so when the album moves away from this style [...] it's a bit of a jolt [...] The strength of the album rests not on one aspect. From the dense lyrics spanning a wealth of topics to the perfect production, The Art of Love & War proves that Stone isn't going anywhere.[9] Jon Pareles, writer for The New York Times noted that "love decisively outnumbers war as the subject of songs on The Art of Love and War, as Angie Stone luxuriates in the ways her voice can warm and soothe a melody." He felt that the album "is filled with lush, suavely undulating ballads that have Ms. Stone cooing quietly and intimately."[11]

Maddy Costa of The Guardian found that The Art of Love and War "radiates beatific, confident optimism [...] You can't blame [Stone] for indulging in a little self-adulation, not least when she does so with such musical grace [...] but that mood of indulgence also leads to a surfeit of mellifluous vocals, syrupy beats and billowing, sugary melodies that makes the album cloy."[7] Mike Joseph from PopMatters noted that "even though you wish Stone would broaden her sonic palette just a little bit, there's something to be said for knowing your lane and staying in it." He felt that with The Art of Love and War, "Stone provides the perfect midpoint between vets like Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan and the younger divas like Mary J. Blige and Keyshia Cole. It's old-school soul with just a pinch of contemporary flavor [...] Although she could occasionally use a co-lyricist, The Art of Love & War marks yet another solid entry into the musical canon of an under appreciated vocalist."[2]

Commercial performance

[edit]

The Art of Love & War debuted at number 11 on the US Billboard 200 with 45,000 copies sold in its first week, becoming Stone's highest-charting album to date.[12] It also debuted at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, Stone's first album to do so.[13]

Track listing

[edit]
The Art of Love & War track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Take Everything In"
  • Angie Stone
  • Juanita Wynn
  • Shamora Crawford
  • Jonathan Richmond
  • Richmond
  • Stone[a]
3:52
2."Baby" (featuring Betty Wright)
  • Co-T
  • 5 Star
  • Stone[a]
4:50
3."Here We Go Again"
  • Stone
  • Richmond
  • Richmond
  • Stone[a]
3:33
4."Make It Last"
Stone
  • Richmond
  • Stone[a]
3:46
5."Sometimes"
Stone
  • Richmond
  • Stone[a]
3:21
6."Go Back to Your Life"StoneStone1:22
7."Half a Chance" (featuring Chino)
  • Stone
  • Thomas Seabrooks
  • Richmond
Stone4:06
8."These Are the Reasons"
  • Crawford
  • Derek Allen
  • Saleem Asad
  • The Designated Hitters
  • Stone[a]
4:58
9."My People" (featuring James Ingram)
5:59
10."Sit Down"
  • Stone
  • Elijah Harris
  • Elijah "Vato" Harris
  • Stone[a]
4:32
11."Play wit It"
  • Stone
  • Victor Flores[b]
  • Chris Hutch[b]
2:50
12."Pop Pop"
  • Stone
  • Wynn
  • Ervin Pope
3:51
13."Wait for Me"
  • Richmond
  • Stone[a]
4:58
14."Happy Being Me" (featuring Pauletta Washington)
  • Stone
  • Allen
  • The Designated Hitters
  • Stone[a]
4:28

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer

Sample credits

Charts

[edit]

Release history

[edit]
Release dates for The Art of Love & War
Region Date Label
United Kingdom October 15, 2007 Concord
United States October 16, 2007 Stax
Japan October 17, 2007 Universal
Germany October 26, 2007
Canada October 30, 2007
Australia November 17, 2007

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Tracks 1–7, 9, 10 and 13; additional recording on tracks 8 and 14
  2. ^ Tracks 8 and 14
  3. ^ Tracks 11 and 12

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Whitmire, Margo (July 14, 2004). "Banks Secures Another Week At No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Joseph, Mike (October 15, 2007). "Angie Stone: The Art of Love & War". PopMatters. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  3. ^ Taylor, Chuck (December 10, 2005). "Reviews: Singles". Billboard. Vol. 117, no. 50. p. 50. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 13, 2020 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b "Angie Stone talks music, weight and reality TV". Today. October 26, 2007. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for The Art of Love & War". Metacritic. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  6. ^ a b The Art of Love & War at AllMusic
  7. ^ a b Costa, Maddy (October 12, 2007). "Angie Stone, The Art of Love and War". The Guardian. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  8. ^ "The Art of Love & War, Angie Stone". Now. November 15, 2007. Archived from the original on June 24, 2007. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Prefix review
  10. ^ Graff, Gary. "The Art of Love & War, Angie Stone". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 14, 2007. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  11. ^ Pareles, Jon (October 15, 2007). "New CDs". The New York Times. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  12. ^ Hasty, Katie (October 24, 2007). "Springsteen Returns To No. 1 In Slow Sales Week". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
  13. ^ a b "Angie Stone Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  14. ^ "Lescharts.com – Angie Stone – The Art of Love & War". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  15. ^ "Chart Log UK: DJ S – The System Of Life" (scroll down to heading Angie Stone). zobbel.de. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  16. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  17. ^ "Angie Stone Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  18. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
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