C.M.B. is the debut album by American recording act Color Me Badd, released July 23, 1991, on Giant Records. It was produced by several record producers, including Dr. Freeze, Nick Mundy, and Howie Tee.

C.M.B.
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 23, 1991
Recorded1990–1991
StudioUnique Recording Studios, New York City[1]
Length44:11
Label
Producer
Color Me Badd chronology
C.M.B.
(1991)
Time and Chance
(1993)
Singles from C.M.B.
  1. "I Wanna Sex You Up"
    Released: March 2, 1991
  2. "I Adore Mi Amor"
    Released: July 17, 1991
  3. "All 4 Love"
    Released: November 7, 1991
  4. "Color Me Badd"
    Released: 1991
  5. "Thinkin' Back"
    Released: 1992
  6. "Heartbreaker"
    Released: 1992
  7. "Slow Motion"
    Released: 1992
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
The Village Voice(1-star Honorable Mention)[6]

The album received mixed reviews from critics who found the production and lyrics generic despite some decent vocal work. C.M.B. peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard 200 and spawned seven singles: "I Wanna Sex You Up", "I Adore Mi Amor", "All 4 Love", "Color Me Badd", "Thinkin' Back", "Heartbreaker" and "Slow Motion". The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of three million copies in the country.

Commercial performance

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The album reached number three on the US Billboard 200, spending 77 weeks on the chart,[7] and shipped one million copies within its first two months of release in the United States.[8] It also charted at number three in the United Kingdom,[9] and it was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry on September 1, 1991, having shipped 100,000 copies in the UK.[10] It produced five US hit singles, "I Wanna Sex You Up" (US #2), "I Adore Mi Amor" (US #1), "All 4 Love" (US #1), "Thinkin' Back" (US #16), and "Slow Motion" (US #18). On July 15, 1992, C.M.B was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of three million copies in the US.[8]

Critical reception

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Arion Berger of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a "C+" and criticized its content: "However decent C.M.B.'s intentions of turning street-corner harmonies into dance-floor grooves, nothing on their debut — not their four fine voices, glossy production, or titillating youthful smut — sounds honest".[4] In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, critic Robert Christgau gave it a one-star honorable mention ( ),[6] indicating "a worthy effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well like".[11] In a retrospective review of the album, AllMusic editor Alex Henderson gave C.M.B. four out of five stars and said that "most of the songs are pedestrian and generic", but wrote that it "does have its moments, including the hit slow jams 'I Adore Mi Amor' and 'I Wanna Sex You Up' (which samples rapper Slick Rick in a rather clever fashion)".[12]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
1."I Wanna Sex You Up"Elliot StraiteDr. Freeze4:06
2."All 4 Love"
  • Color Me Badd
  • Howard Thompson
Howie Tee3:30
3."Heartbreaker"
  • Color Me Badd
  • Thompson
  • Tarik Bayyan
Tee3:58
4."I Adore Mi Amor"
  • Color Me Badd
  • Hamza Lee
  • Royal Bayyan
  • Hamza Lee
4:49
5."Groove My Mind"Royal BayyanRoyal Bayyan5:06
6."I Wanna Sex You Up (Reprise)"Straite 1:09
7."Roll the Dice"
Nick Mundy4:47
8."Slow Motion"
  • Color Me Badd
  • Thompson
Tee4:24
9."Thinkin' Back"
  • Color Me Badd
  • Troy Taylor
  • Lee
  • Royal Bayyan
  • Lee
5:21
10."I Adore Mi Amor (Interlude)"
  • Color Me Badd
  • Lee
 0:48
11."Color Me Badd"Straite
4:05
12."Your da One I Onena Love"
  • Color Me Badd
  • Thompson
Tee4:08
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer

Personnel

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Credits for C.M.B. adapted from AllMusic.[13]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[33] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[34] 2× Platinum 200,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[36] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "C.M.B. - Color Me Badd | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. ^ AllMusic review – C.M.B. (Color Me Badd album) AllMusic. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2000). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press.
  4. ^ a b Berger, Arion (August 9, 1991). Review: C.M.B.. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on January 26, 2011.
  5. ^ Hunt, Dennis (September 15, 1991). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (October 1, 1991). "Consumer Guide: C.M.B.". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on January 26, 2011.
  7. ^ Color Me Badd Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200. Billboard. Retrieved on January 27, 2011.
  8. ^ a b Gold & Platinum – Searchable Database: Color Me Badd. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on January 26, 2011.
  9. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 116. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  10. ^ Certified Awards Search Archived September 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved on 2011-01-27.
  11. ^ Christgau, Robert (1990–). CG 90s: Key to Icons. Robert Christgau. Retrieved on 2011-01-26.
  12. ^ Henderson, Alex (August 1, 2003). Review: C.M.B.. AllMusic. Retrieved on 2011-01-26.
  13. ^ Credits: C.M.B.. AllMusic. Retrieved on January 26, 2011.
  14. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Color Me Badd – C.M.B.". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  15. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Color Me Badd – C.M.B." (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  16. ^ "CAN Charts > Color Me Badd". RPM. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  17. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Color Me Badd – C.M.B." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  18. ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (12 October 1991). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved February 26, 2018 – via Internet Archive. {{cite magazine}}: |last= has generic name (help); Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  19. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Color Me Badd – C.M.B." (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  20. ^ "Charts.nz – Color Me Badd – C.M.B.". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  21. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Color Me Badd – C.M.B.". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  22. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Color Me Badd – C.M.B.". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  23. ^ "Color Me Badd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  24. ^ "Color Me Badd Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  25. ^ "Color Me Badd Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  26. ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  27. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". www.dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  28. ^ "Gallup Year End Charts 1992: Albums". Record Mirror. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 37. January 23, 1988.
  29. ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1991/the-billboard-200 Archived 2013-04-06 at the Wayback Machine?
  30. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  31. ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1992/the-billboard-200 Archived 2013-07-13 at the Wayback Machine?
  32. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  33. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 64.
  34. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Color Me Badd – C.M.B." Music Canada. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  35. ^ "British album certifications – Color Me Badd – C.M.B." British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  36. ^ "American album certifications – Color Me Badd – C.M.B." Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
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