Brand New (Salt-n-Pepa album)

Brand New is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa, released on October 21, 1997, by London Records. The group's international label at the time, Red Ant Entertainment, filed for bankruptcy before the album was officially released. Salt-N-Pepa toured in support of the album, but the album had little other promotion. Brand New spawned two singles: "R U Ready" and "Gitty Up". The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 25, 1997.

Brand New
Studio album by
Salt-N-Pepa
ReleasedOctober 21, 1997 (1997-10-21)
Studio
Length57:27
LabelLondon
Producer
Salt-N-Pepa chronology
Very Necessary
(1993)		 Brand New
(1997)		 The Best of Salt-N-Pepa
(1999)
Singles from Brand New
  1. "R U Ready"
    Released: August 29, 1997
  2. "Gitty Up"
    Released: December 7, 1997

Production

Brand New was the first Salt-N-Pepa album released after the group parted ways with longtime producer, writer, and manager Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor.[1] Salt largely wrote, co-wrote, produced and co-produced the album.[2]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Robert Christgau(choice cut)[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[6]
Music Week[7]
Rolling Stone[8]

Natasha Stovall of Rolling Stone praised the "richer piano-, guitar- and vocal-filled sound, emphasizing gritty soul and sweet, unadulterated funk."[8] Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote that the group "still juxtapose catchy come-ons ... and determinedly positive messages."[9] Connie Johnson of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "while it's commendable that they're stretching out in a more uplifting, spiritually motivated arena, the group's forte is still worldly, raunchy, of-the-flesh fare."[10]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."R U Ready"
3:58
2."Good Life"
  • C. James
  • Maurice Scott
  • Richard Evans
  • Bernard Grobman
  • Gavin Wray
  • C. James
  • Elliott[a]
3:54
3."Do Me Right"
  • C. James
  • David Blake
  • Robert Bacon
  • George Archie
  • Wilbert Milow
  • D.J. Walker
  • C. James
  • Josef Powell
4:36
4."Friends" (featuring Queen Latifah and Mad Lion)
  • Powell
  • Sandra "Pepa" Denton
4:42
5."Say Ooh"
  • Elliott
  • C. James[b]
4:09
6."Imagine" (featuring Sheryl Crow)
  • C. James
  • Powell
  • C. James
  • Powell[a]
5:26
7."Knock Knock"
  • Denton
  • Powell
  • Earnest Hairston Jr.
  • David Wynn
  • Powell
  • Denton
  • David "D.J." Wynn
4:32
8."Gitty Up"
  • Elliott
  • West
4:00
9."Boy Toy"
  • Elliott
  • West
  • Denton[b]
4:24
10."Brand New"
  • C. James
  • Sean "The Mystro" Mather
  • Esmail
  • Powell[a]
4:05
11."Silly of You"
  • C. James
  • Keef James
C. James3:52
12."The Clock Is Tickin'"C. JamesC. James4:51
13."Hold On" (featuring Kirk Franklin and Sounds of Blackness)
  • C. James
  • Powell
  • C. James
  • Powell[a]
5:06

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

Samples

Personnel
  • Prince Charles Alexander – Mixing
  • Eddie Anzueto, Jr. – Percussion
  • Steven Augustine – Bass
  • Kent Belden – Creative Director
  • Blue Denim – Background vocals
  • Mike Campbell – Guitar
  • Melvin Chandler – Keyboards
  • Lewis Christian – Percussion
  • Day Ta Day – Background vocals
  • Andre Debourg – Engineer, Mixing
  • James Denton – Photography
  • Sandy "Pepa" Denton – Producer
  • DJ Flexx – Background vocals
  • Chad "Dr. Seuss" Elliott – Programming, Producer, Engineer, Mixing
  • Glenn Ellis – Bass
  • Esmail – Producer
  • Alan Forney – Photo Imaging
  • Kirk Franklin – Performer
  • Wayne Garrick – Keyboards
  • Khari Green – Guitar
  • Bernard Grobman – Guitar
  • Andrew Hellier – Guitar, Background vocals
  • Cheryl "Salt" James – Producer
  • Jon Jones – Guitar
  • Gerhard Joost – Mixing
  • Carol Kirkendall – Executive Producer
  • LaTrece – Background vocals
  • Michael Lockwood – Guitar
  • Al (Taz) Machera – Mixing
  • Sean "Mystro" Mather – Producer
  • Gary Montoute – Synthesizer
  • Michael Moore – Photography
  • Rufus Moore – Background vocals, Performer
  • Joseph Powell – Programming, Background vocals, Producer, Engineer, Mixing
  • Wayne Rickard – Guitar
  • Alicia Rushing – Background vocals
  • Ken Schubert – Engineer, Mixing
  • Dawne Shivers – Background vocals
  • Peggy Sirota – Photography
  • Sounds of Blackness – Performer
  • Spinderella – Performer
  • Kevin Thomas – Engineer
  • Al West – Producer
  • Jimmy White – Bass
  • David Wynn – Producer
  • George Belton - Bass

Charts
Chart performance for Brand New
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 186
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] 64
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 23
US Billboard 200[14] 37
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] 16

Certifications
Certifications for Brand New
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[16] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes
  1. Tracks 1, 4, 10 and 11
  2. Track 1
  3. Tracks 1, 5 and 8
  4. Tracks 2, 11 and 13
  5. Tracks 2, 3, 5–7 and 10–13
  6. Tracks 3, 4, 6 and 7
  7. Track 4
  8. Track 6
  9. Tracks 6 and 12
  10. Track 9
  11. Tracks 10 and 12
  12. Track 13

References
  1. Horn, Mark C. (June 18, 2015). "Salt-N-Pepa Discuss Their Career and Legacy as Hip-Hop's Matriarchs". Phoenix New Times. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015.
  2. Harrington, Richard (October 29, 1997). "Salt-N-Pepa's 'Brand New': Inspirational". The Washington Post.
  3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Brand New – Salt-N-Pepa". AllMusic. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  4. Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Salt-N-Pepa". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  5. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. Muze. p. 232.
  6. "Album Review: 'Brand New'". Entertainment Weekly.
  7. "Reviews: Albums" (PDF). Music Week. November 15, 1997. p. 10. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  8. Stovall, Natasha (October 1997). "Salt-N-Pepa, Brand New, 3 Stars". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 24, 2001.
  9. Pareles, Jon (October 26, 1997). "RECORDINGS VIEW; Rapping As Good Business". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015.
  10. Johnson, Connie (October 19, 1997). "Album Review". Los Angeles Times.
  11. "Salt-N-Pepa ARIA chart history, received from ARIA on June 15, 2021". Retrieved June 19, 2021 – via Imgur. Note: The "High Point" number in the "NAT" column indicates the release's peak position on the national chart.
  12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Salt 'N' Pepa – Brand New" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  13. "Swisscharts.com – Salt 'N' Pepa – Brand New". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  14. "Salt-N-Pepa Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  15. "Salt-N-Pepa Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  16. "American album certifications – Salt 'N Pepa – Brand New". Recording Industry Association of America. November 25, 1997.
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