Soul of a Woman (Kelly Price album)

Soul of a Woman is the debut studio album by American singer Kelly Price. It was released by Island Records on August 11, 1998, in the United States and debuted at number fifteen on the Billboard 200. The album's most popular single and Price's biggest hit was "Friend of Mine", which tells the story of a woman whose husband cheated on her with her best friend.

Soul of a Woman
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 11, 1998
GenreR&B, soul, pop
Length57:07
LabelIsland
Producer
Kelly Price chronology
Soul of a Woman
(1998)
Mirror Mirror
(2000)
Singles from Soul of a Woman
  1. "Friend of Mine"
    Released: May 5, 1998
  2. "Secret Love"
    Released: April 1999

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Robert Christgau [2]
Entertainment WeeklyB[3]
Los Angeles Times    [4]

Tiarra Mukherjee from Entertainment Weekly found that "one listen to her debut makes clear that Price's poignant vocals rise above her peers'. But without the sugar-pop hooks and samples that dominate the charts, Soul will move only the adult crowd, until the remixers come calling."[3] Billboard critic Paul Verna noted that with Soul of a Woman "Price has done an outstanding job on a project that has the potential to be extremely radio-friendly."[5] Connie Johnson, writing for the Los Angeles Times, called the album "a stirring debut" and compared Price to "Jennifer Holliday, Shirley Murdock and Martha Wash. All once showed brilliant promise, but none managed to sustain a thriving recording career. Connections with heavy-hitters such as Puff Daddy, R. Kelly and Ronald Isley, all of whom provided production touches to this debut album, may help Price avoid a similar fate."[4]

AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine called Price an "urban crooner, much like a streetwise Mariah Carey or a domesticated Mary J. Blige. She has a sweet, smooth voice that's a joy to listen to, but what makes her debut Soul of a Woman so impressive is that she's not just a singer, she's a talented songwriter as well. Soul of a Woman is filled with well-crafted contemporary R&B songs that are melodic, memorable and perfectly delivered. It's an audacious debut from a promising young talent."[1]

Chart performance

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Soul of a Woman debuted and peaked at number 15 on the US Billboard 200 in the week of August 29, 1998.[6] The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 27, 1999.[7] By 2003, it had sold 1.13 million copies.[8]

Track listing

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Soul of a Woman track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Don't Go Away (Interlude)"Kelly PricePrice1:16
2."Friend of Mine"
5:29
3."Secret Love"Jones4:20
4."Don't Say Goodbye"
  • Price
  • Joseph E. Kelley
  • Alvin West
  • Joe Wyman Rogers
Price4:28
5."Kiss Test"
  • Price
  • Alvin West
  • West
  • Price
4:06
6."Soul of a Woman"
Carlos & Dada4:32
7."You Complete Me"
  • Price
  • Parker
  • Jones
  • Scandrick
  • Keith
  • Sills
Jones4:23
8."Soul of a Woman (Interlude)"PricePrice3:18
9."Her"
Middleton4:49
10."Your Love"
  • Price
  • Shawn Smith[A]
4:04
11."Take Me to a Dream"PricePrice4:14
12."Lord of All"Marshall CarpenterPrice5:51
13."Friend of Mine (Remix)" (featuring R. Kelly & Ronald Isley)
6:17
14."Secret Love (So So Def Remix)" (featuring Jermaine Dupri & Da Brat)
4:02

Notes

  • ^[A] denotes co-producer
  • ^[B] denotes additional producer

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for Soul of a Woman
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[7] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Soul of a Woman at AllMusic. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Kelly Price". Robert Christgau. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Mukherjee, Tiarra (September 25, 1998). "Soul of a Woman". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Johnson, Connie (August 29, 1998). "'Soul' a Stirring Debut Album for Price". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Verna, Paul (August 22, 1998). "Reviews & Previews". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Kelly Price Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  7. ^ a b "American album certifications – Kelly Price – Soul of a Woman". Recording Industry Association of America.
  8. ^ "Best Of Next". Vibe. Vol. 11, no. 15. September 2003. p. 166. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  9. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kelly Price – Soul of a Woman" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  10. ^ "Kelly Price Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  11. ^ "1999 Year-End Chart – Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on January 2, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2018.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 1998". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  13. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2020.