From the Bottom Up

From the Bottom Up is the debut studio album by American girl group Brownstone.[1] It was released by Epic Records[2] and Michael Jackson's MJJ Music[3] on January 10, 1995, in the United States.[4] Brownstone worked with a wide range of producers and songwriters on the album, including Jorge Corante, Dave "Jam" Hall, Soulshock & Karlin, and Gordon Chambers.[5] From the Bottom Up spawned four singles, including the top 10 R&B hits "If You Love Me" and "Grapevyne," and a cover of The Eagles' "I Can't Tell You Why". In addition, "Sometimes Dancin'" was featured in the Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home soundtrack.

From the Bottom Up
An image of three women sitting on chairs, singing to microphones above them with their eyes closed.
Studio album by
Brownstone
ReleasedJanuary 10, 1995
Length57:25
Label
Producer
Brownstone chronology
From the Bottom Up
(1995)		 Still Climbing
(1997)
Singles from From the Bottom Up
  1. "Pass the Lovin'"
    Released: August 23, 1994
  2. "If You Love Me"
    Released: October 24, 1994
  3. "Grapevyne"
    Released: April 11, 1995
  4. "I Can't Tell You Why"
    Released: July 25, 1995

The album debuted at number 48 on the US Billboard 200 and peaked at number 29 on March 11, 1995. It spent 37 consecutive weeks on the chart and earned a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on August 16, 1995.[6] From the Bottom Up received critical acclaim and garnered several accolades, including a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "If You Love Me," and five Billboard Music Award nominations, winning one for Top Hot R&B Single Airplay for "If You Love Me."

Promotion

To promote the album, Brownstone embarked on a concert tour throughout the United States during the summer of 1995, performing at various venues such as the House of Blues [7] in North Hollywood, California, and participating in festivals like Jam 4 Peace in Milwaukee, Budweiser Superfest in Chicago, KUBE Summer Jam in Quincy, Washington, and the Cincinnati Jazz Festival[8].

The trio also made appearances on several local and international television programs such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,Video Soul, Top of the Pop, and Hey Hey Its Saturday.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Entertainment WeeklyB–[10]
Knoxville News Sentinel[11]
Los Angeles Times[12]
The Washington Post(favorable)[13]
Mademoiselle[14]

Upon its release the album received positive reviews from critics. William Cooper from AllMusic called From the Bottom Up a "solid debut." He found that the album "showcases the group's considerable vocal talents, but Brownstone is somewhat distinctive in that the group's members also had a hand in writing their own material. Predictably, the album's songs alternate between R&B funk workouts and slinky slow jams, but the vocals rise above the material, making the album a delightful listen [...] From the Bottom Up is somewhat undermined by an overabundance of producers. But this doesn't take away from the quality of the songs and the solid vocal performances."[9]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Party wit Me"
  • Nichole Gilbert
  • Jorge Corante
  • Corante
  • N. Gilbert
4:44
2."Grapevyne"
Hall5:39
3."If You Love Me"
Hall5:04
4."Sometimes Dancin'"
Soulshock & Karlin5:03
5."I Can't Tell You Why"
4:06
6."Don't Cry for Me"
  • Brownstone
  • Darin Whittington
Whittington5:21
7."Pass the Lovin'"
  • N. Gilbert
  • Whittington
  • Charmayne Maxwell
Ken Kessie3:51
8."Fruit of Life"
  • Corante
  • N. Gilbert
  • Monica Doby
  • Corante
  • N. Gilbert
5:15
9."True to Me"
  • N. Gilbert
  • Jonah
  • O'Brien
  • N. Gilbert
  • Jonah
  • O'Brien
3:51
10."Wipe It Up"
  • N. Gilbert
  • Gerald Baillergeau
  • Ron Marlin
  • Doby
  • Maxwell
Baillergeau3:25
11."Deeper Feelings (Ooh La La)"
  • N. Gilbert
  • Shawn Lilly
  • Dewey Browder
  • Maxwell
Dewey Browder5:30
12."Half of You" (featuring Gordon Chambers)
  • N. Gilbert
  • Chambers
Chambers5:42

Samples

  • "If You Love Me" embodies portions of the composition "Spellbound" as performed by K-Solo.
  • "Sometimes Dancin'" contains elements from "Kamazaki" as performed by Prince Jammy.

Personnel

Adapted credits from the liner notes of From the Bottom Up.[15]

  • Alan Yoshida – mastering (A&M Mastering Studios)
  • Jono Kohan – A&R (MJJ Music)
  • DAS Communications – management
  • Mary Mourer – art direction
  • Doug Erp – design
  • Warren Mantooth – photography
  • Cheri Grey – front cover/logo design

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[28] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. From the Bottom Up - Brownstone | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved April 4, 2021
  2. "Rock Bottom Entertainment - Presents From The Bottom Up MP3". MP3 archives free - lasoute.fr. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  3. "From The Bottom Up from MJJ Music on Beatport". www.beatport.com. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  4. "Happy 26th Anniversary to Brownstone's Debut Album 'From The Bottom Up' Originally Released January 10, 1995". Albumism. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  5. "Gordon Chambers | Berklee". www.berklee.edu. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  6. "RIAA - Gold & Platinum search results for Brownstone". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  7. Nielsen Business Media, Inc (1995-11-11). Billboard. unknown library. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  8. Cash Box. William and Mary Libraries Special Collections Research Center. Cash Box Pub. Co. 1995-08-05.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. AllMusic review
  10. Jackson, Devon (February 10, 1995). "From the Bottom Up". Entertainment Weekly.
  11. Campbell, Chuck (January 27, 1995). "Brownstone Effort Muddied By Producers". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  12. Johnson, Connie (February 12, 1995). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  13. Himes, Geoffrey (April 16, 1995). "Rock-Solid Debut for Brownstone". The Washington Post. p. G11.
  14. https://archive.org/details/mademoiselle101jannewy/page/n383/mode/2up?view=theater.
  15. From the Bottom Up (liner notes). Brownstone. Epic. MJJ Music. 1995. CEK 57827.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. "Australiancharts.com – Brownstone – From the Bottom Up". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  17. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 9161". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  18. "Dutchcharts.nl – Brownstone – From the Bottom Up" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  19. "Offiziellecharts.de – Brownstone – From the Bottom Up" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  20. "Charts.nz – Brownstone – From the Bottom Up". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  21. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  22. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  23. "Brownstone Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  24. "Brownstone Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  25. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  26. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  27. "British album certifications – Brownstone – From the Bottom Up". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  28. "American album certifications – Brownstone – From the Bottom Up". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
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