[Behind The Record] Faith Evans

Seventeen years after the release of her self titled debut album, Faith speaks with MiddleChild Promotions about her experiences behind each album! Get a glimpse of the history and listen to Faith discuss each album in her own words!

Faith is the debut album by Faith Evans, released by Bad Boy Records on August 29, 1995. Featuring main production by The Hitmen members Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs and Chucky Thompson, as well as Mark Ledford, Herb Middleton, and Jean-Claude Olivier, among others. The album, which spawned the gold-certified hits “You Used to Love Me” and “Soon As I Get Home”, was certified Platinum by the RIAA in March 1996. Faith contains a cover of the Rose Royce’s single “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” featuring Mary J. Blige.

Two years in the making, Evans’ second solo effort, Keep the Faith, was released during October 1998. Almost entirely written and produced by her, the album garnered generally positive reviews by music critics. Also enjoying commercial success, it eventually went platinum and produced the top ten singles “Love Like This” and “All Night Long” (released March 30, 1999) prompting Evans to start an 18-city theater tour with Dru Hill and Total the following year.

Faithfully is the third studio album by Faith Evans, released by Bad Boy Records in the United States on November 6, 2001. Featuring production by Sean Combs, The Neptunes, Cory Rooney, Michael Angelo Saulsberry, Mario Winans, it peaked at number 14 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the RIAA. The single “I Love You” also peaked at number 14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. This was the last album of Faith Evans as Faithfully was recorded for Bad Boy Records before her split in 2003.

The First Lady, the fourth studio album Faith, was released by Capitol Records. It marked Evans’ debut on the EMI subsidiary, following her departure from Bad Boy Records in 2003. Despite this, the singer reunited with much of her frequent contributors to work on the album, including The Neptunes, Chucky Thompson, and Mario Winans. Duo Carvin & Ivan of Karma Productions wrote and produced the predominant part of all songs that were included in the final track listing.

Generally well received by critics, The First Lady debuted at two on the U.S. Billboard 200 with opening week sales of 157,000 units, giving Evans her highest-selling debut and best ever first-week sales. By the end of 2005, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In support of the album, Evans embarked on a concert tour, The First Lady Tour, in the United States and Europe in mid-2005. In 2006, it was nominated for Best Female R&B/Soul Album at the 20th Soul Train Music Awards.

Something About Faith is the fifth studio album by Faith Evans, released on Prolific Music Group on October 5, 2010 in the United States. Distributed by E1 Music, the album marks Evans’ first independent release, following her departure from Bad Boy Records in 2003 and her subsequent but short-lived engagement with Capitol Records in 2005.

The project involves production by Chucky Thompson, Mike City, and Salaam Remi, Starr Strukk among others and Evans collaborated with singer Keyshia Cole, and rappers Redman, Snoop Dogg and Raekwon for the album. The album’s first single, “Gone Already”, was released in August 2010 and peaked at number 26 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the 2011 Grammy Awards.