Calling All Hearts is the fourth studio album by American singer Keyshia Cole, released on December 21, 2010 in the United States by Geffen Records.[2] Appearances on the album include Nicki Minaj, Tank, Faith Evans, Timbaland and Yvonne Cole.

Calling All Hearts
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 21, 2010
Recorded2009–2010
GenreR&B[1]
Length43:09
Label
Producer
Keyshia Cole chronology
A Different Me
(2008)
Calling All Hearts
(2010)
Woman to Woman
(2012)
Singles from Calling All Hearts
  1. "I Ain't Thru"
    Released: December 7, 2010
  2. "Take Me Away"
    Released: February 1, 2011

Background

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Calling All Hearts is made of songs composed before and after Cole met her fiancé, Daniel Gibson. Cole wrote the second verse to "Last Hangover".[3] Shortly after revealing that she was pregnant with her first child, Cole went into a short hiatus. She made her first appearance since the birth of her son at the 2010 BET Awards, performing "Airplanes" with B.o.B. In October 2010, Cole leaked an unmastered version of her single, "I Ain't Thru" to her Twitter followers in celebration of her birthday. The single was digitally mastered and then officially released. During this time, Cole shot the video for the single as well as for the promo single "Long Way Down". Cole favorited "Tired of Doing Me".[4]

Release and promotion

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Two editions of the album were composed and released on December 21, 2010—a standard and deluxe edition. The standard edition was revealed to preview on Cole's Myspace Music page on December 16, 2010.[5] The artwork cover shows Cole wearing blue lipstick and a red heart on her upper lip.[6][7]

To promote the album, Cole made appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Mo'Nique Show, and The Wendy Williams Show. She also made an appearance on 106 and Park on December 20 in which she did a 30-minute special performance.[8] Cole also opened for music act R. Kelly for the second time on his 2011 summer Love Letter Tour. "So Impossible" received airplay on the urban adult contemporary radio around January 2011.[9] Keyshia performed "Better Me" at the Revlon 'Run/Walk for Women' event.[10]

Singles

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  • "I Ain't Thru" is the lead single from the album. An unmastered version of the single was released on October 15, 2010.[11] After mastering, the official single was released for digital download and US radio on December 7, 2010. It peaked on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at #54.[12] The music video premiered on November 23, 2010 on 106 and Park.
  • "Long Way Down" was a promo single from the album. The video was shot in New York City and premiered alongside "I Ain't Thru". Although never officially sent to radio, "Long Way Down" peaked at #91 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[13]
  • "Take Me Away" is the second single for the album. After being chosen as the next single from fans on Twitter, Cole sent the song to US radio on February 1, 2011.[14] She also performed the song on Conan on January 19, 2011.[15] The song peaked on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at #27.[16] The music video premiered on April 18, 2011 on 106 and Park.[17]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic66/100[18]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic     [1]
The New York Times(mixed)[19]
Rolling Stone     [20]
USA Today    [21]

Calling All Hearts received mixed to positive reviews from most critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 66, based on 4 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[18] Allmusic editor Andy Kellman gave it a gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and commented that the album "drags in spots, due in part to an absence of a "Let It Go"-type track to break up all the introspection and pain," but it is the kind of album "for those who want to hear a moody, emotional outpouring."[1]

Jon Pareles of The New York Times viewed that the album had a standard mix of featured artists and producers, but "after an initial bit of competitive posturing [...] the songs slip into the background. Ms. Cole sings elegantly complex vocal harmonies, but the central melody lines are shapeless. Most tempos are determinedly slow."[19] Rolling Stone's Jonah Weiner gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and wrote that "Cole is a heroine who thrives off tales of conflict, betrayal and survival. Her voice is as grit-flecked as ever, chewing through blaring beats and going pound-for-pound for ferocity [...] It's not all fisticuffs [...] but Cole is at her best when she's slugging."[20] Steve Jones of USA Today gave the album three out of four stars and commented that "Her passionate vocals still pack a wallop, even though they are no longer fueled by angst".[21]

Commercial performance

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The album debuted at number 9 on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 128,000 copies.[22] It also entered at number five on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number fourteen on the Digital Albums chart.[23][24] In its second week, the album dropped to number ten on the Billboard 200 selling 36,600 copies.[25]

Track listing

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Standard edition[26]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Ain't Thru" (featuring Nicki Minaj)
3:59
2."Long Way Down"
  • Cole
  • Erik Ortiz
  • Kevin Crowe
  • Sly Jordan
J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League3:59
3."Tired of Doing Me" (featuring Tank)
3:30
4."If I Fall in Love Again" (featuring Faith Evans)
  • Big Wy
  • Tweek Beats
3:29
5."So Impossible"Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis4:35
6."Sometimes"
  • Cole
  • Justin Graham
Graham3:47
7."Take Me Away"
3:47
8."What You Do to Me"
  • Cole
  • Santana
Santana4:19
9."Last Hangover" (featuring Timbaland)Timbaland4:18
10."Thank You" (featuring Dr. Yvonne Cole)
  • Cole
  • Edmund Clement
  • Kharon Clement
  • Eddie Hustle
  • KC Hustle
3:28
11."Better Me"Diane Warren
  • Song Dynasty
  • Fair
3:56
Deluxe edition[27]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Ain't Thru" (featuring Nicki Minaj)
  • Cole
  • Gonzalez
  • Maraj
  • The ARE
  • Fair
3:59
2."Long Way Down"
  • Cole
  • Ortiz
  • Crowe
  • Jordan
J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League3:59
3."Tired of Doing Me" (featuring Tank)
  • Cole
  • Qahhaar
  • Taylor
  • Babbs
  • Franklin
  • Newt
  • Valentine
  • Stephens
  • N8 Tha Maven
  • Toxic
  • Fair
  • Song Dynasty
3:30
4."If I Fall in Love Again" (featuring Faith Evans)
  • Cole
  • Dillon
  • Myers
  • Harvey
  • Wallace
  • Bacharach
  • David
  • Big Wy
  • Tweek Beats
3:29
5."So Impossible"
  • Cole
  • Harris
  • Lewis
  • Carter
  • Jam
  • Lewis
4:35
6."Confused in Love"Chuck Harmony4:25
7."Sometimes"
  • Cole
  • Justin Graham
Graham3:47
8."Take Me Away"
  • Cole
  • Santana
  • Gotti
  • Santana
  • Gotti[A]
3:47
9."What You Do to Me"
  • Cole
  • Santana
Santana4:19
10."Last Hangover" (featuring Timbaland)
  • Cole
  • Mosely
  • J. Harmon
  • Nelson
  • Clayton
  • Beanz
Timbaland4:18
11."Two Sides to Every Story"
  • Cole
  • Dontae Winslow
Winslow3:54
12."Where Would We"
  • Cole
  • Antwan Thompson
  • Jay Beckenstein
Thompson3:27
13."Thank You" (featuring Dr. Yvonne Cole)
  • Cole
  • E. Clement
  • K. Clement
  • E. Hustle
  • K. Hustle
3:28
14."Better Me"Warren
  • Song Dynasty
  • Fair
3:56
Notes and sample credits

Personnel

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Credits for Calling All Hearts adapted from Allmusic.[29]

Charts

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Release history

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List of release dates, showing region, formats, label, editions, catalog number and reference
Region Date Format(s) Label Edition(s)
United Kingdom December 21, 2010 Polydor
  • Standard
  • deluxe
United States

References

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  1. ^ a b c Kellman, Andy. "Calling All Hearts". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Review. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  2. ^ "Calling All Hearts in stores now!". Keyshiacole.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
  3. ^ Lol. Yes.RT @DavidEarlyMusic: @KeyshiaCole You wrote the 2nd verse to Last Hangover, right? Archived 2022-10-30 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ I love that 1 2RT @DDBreezyKnowles Archived 2022-10-30 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Calling All Hearts album premiere on Myspace!". Archived from the original on January 29, 2011. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  6. ^ "Nicki Minaj's "I Ain't Thru" Gal Pal Keyshia Cole Unveils 'Calling All Hearts' Cover". November 24, 2010.
  7. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ "Keyshia Cole on BET Monday December 20th!". Archived from the original on January 29, 2011. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  9. ^ "BDSRadio Charts". Archived from the original on January 4, 2011.
  10. ^ "Keyshia Cole Lends Voice to Revlon 'Run/Walk for Women'". May 2, 2011.
  11. ^ "New Music: Keyshia Cole f/ Nicki Minaj". Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  12. ^ Chart History: Calling All Hearts. Billboard. Retrieved on 2011-02-03.
  13. ^ "Keyshia Cole Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  14. ^ "Keyshia Cole – Take Me Away Lyrics and Video". Musicloversgroup.com. January 21, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  15. ^ "Conan Show Schedule: Upcoming Guests On "Conan" @". Teamcoco.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  16. ^ "Keyshia Cole Music News & Info". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  17. ^ "News : Don't miss the premiere of "Take Me Away" on 106 & Park Monday!". Keyshia Cole. April 17, 2011. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  18. ^ a b "Calling All Hearts: Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  19. ^ a b Pareles, Jon (December 20, 2010). "Critics' Choice: New CDs". The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  20. ^ a b Weiner, Jonah. Review: Calling All Hearts Archived 2016-05-05 at the Wayback Machine. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2010-12-21.
  21. ^ a b Jones, Steve (December 21, 2010). Review: Calling All Hearts Archived 2012-05-13 at the Wayback Machine. USA Today. Retrieved on 2010-12-22.
  22. ^ Caulfield, Keith (December 29, 2010). "Taylor Swift Gets Christmas Boost on Billboard 200, Foxx Earns Highest Debut". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  23. ^ R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Week of January 08, 2011 Archived 2022-10-30 at the Wayback Machine. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-12-30.
  24. ^ Digital Albums – Week of January 08, 2011 Archived 2015-01-10 at the Wayback Machine. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-12-30.
  25. ^ Langhorne, Cyrus. Eminem Gets A Swift Kick To No. 2, Nicki Minaj Reclaims Top 5, Drake & Kid Cudi Rage Back Onto The Chart Archived 2011-01-08 at the Wayback Machine. SOHH. Retrieved on 2011-01-05.
  26. ^ "Calling All Hearts: Keyshia Cole: Music". Amazon. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  27. ^ "Calling All Hearts [Deluxe Edition]: Keyshia Cole: Music". Amazon. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  28. ^ "CD Reviews | Spark missing on latest from Keyshia Cole | The Columbus Dispatch". Dispatch.com. December 21, 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  29. ^ Credits: Calling All Hearts. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-12-12.
  30. ^ a b "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week: January 9, 2011 to January 15, 2011)". Gaon Chart. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  31. ^ "Keyshia Cole Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  32. ^ "Keyshia Cole Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  33. ^ "Keyshia Cole Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  34. ^ "Billboard 200 – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  35. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.