Big (album) explained

Big
Type:studio
Artist:Macy Gray
Cover:Macy Gray - Big.png
Border:yes
Recorded:2006
Genre:
Label:
Producer:
Prev Title:Live in Las Vegas
Prev Year:2005
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Big is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Macy Gray. It was released on March 21, 2007, by Geffen Records. It is Gray's first studio album in four years. The album debuted at number 39 on the US Billboard 200, selling 23,000 copies in its first week.[1]

Three singles were released from the album: "Finally Made Me Happy" (a collaboration with Natalie Cole), "Shoo Be Doo", and "What I Gotta Do". The latter was included on the Shrek the Third soundtrack. Music from this album was also featured in the I Love New York season one reunion. The album's cover art was widely illustrated on iPhone ads and featured on the first boxes of the iPod Touch.

Critical reception

Big received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 62, based on 17 reviews.

Dan Gennoe of Yahoo! Music called Gray's Big "the worthy follow-up to her On How Life Is debut," praising the contributions from the guest artists and the restraint of her signature musical persona. He added that the lack of radio hits on the record may prevent Gray's career from rebounding, but said that "Whatever the commercial outcome though, no one can say that this is anything other than a supreme return to form." John Bush of AllMusic noted how the quiet storm production from will.i.am made Big "the slickest album of Gray's career," but said that it brings into better focus the vocal quirks of her personality throughout the track listing, concluding that "It'll be interesting to see if past Macy Gray fans are willing to follow her into adult contemporary territory, while those who might like the new direction will be able to alter their perceptions of her." Jon Dolan, writing for Blender, said that Gray's "confessional blues-rasp" is better utilized on more mature tracks like the Fergie collaboration "Glad You're Here", saying that "It's 'licious, but in a classy way."

Rob Brunner of Entertainment Weekly highlighted "Shoo Be Doo", "What I Gotta Do" and "Okay" as great showcases for Gray's "fascinating cracks and warbles" but said that, "Much of Big is either boring or forced, as when Gray launches into "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" for no discernible reason." Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani felt that Gray's vocals were lacking compared to the featured artists surrounding the album, saying that "she struggles to reach and sustain notes that should be comfortably within her range." Mike Joseph of PopMatters gave feint praise by calling it "a perfectly serviceable adult-soul album", saying that the upbeat tracks capture Macy's old personality better than the ballads. He added that, "While Big shows flashes of the irrepressible spirit that made Macy's first two albums fun to listen to, there are many more instances of uninspired, boring music designed to capture a middle-of-the-road audience."

Track listing

Sample credits

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Big.[2]

Charts

Chart (2007)Peak
position
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)[3] 15
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[4] 57
European Albums (Billboard)[5] 99
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[6] 54
Taiwanese Albums (Five Music)[7] 11

Release history

RegionDateLabel
JapanMarch 21, 2007Universal[8]
NetherlandsMarch 22, 2007[9]
ItalyMarch 23, 2007[10]
AustraliaMarch 24, 2007[11]
FranceMarch 26, 2007[12]
GermanyMarch 27, 2007[13]
United States[14]
United KingdomApril 2, 2007Polydor[15]

Notes and References

  1. Hasty. Katie. McGraw Leads Seven Top 10 Debuts Onto Billboard 200. Billboard. April 4, 2007. March 24, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20230217220445/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/mcgraw-leads-seven-top-10-debuts-onto-billboard-200-1053163/. February 17, 2023. live.
  2. Big . liner notes . . . 2007 . B000857602.
  3. ARIA Urban Album Chart – Week Commencing 2nd April 2007. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070319130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20070320-0000/issue891.pdf. dead. March 19, 2007. Australian Recording Industry Association. 891. 18. April 2, 2007. October 4, 2011. Pandora Archive.
  4. Web site: Albums : Top 100. Jam!. April 1, 2007. April 11, 2023. usurped. https://archive.today/20070408153846/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Charts/ALBUMS.html. April 8, 2007.
  5. Hits of the World. Billboard. 119. 16. April 21, 2007. 0006-2510.
  6. Web site: https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/168263/products/693329/1/. ja:ビッグ メイシー・グレイ. Big Macy Gray. ja. Oricon. August 6, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150724055146/https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/168263/products/693329/1/. July 24, 2015.
  7. Web site: Western Weekly Top 20, Week 14, 2007 . Chinese . Five-Music . August 5, 2024 .
  8. Web site: Big. ja. Universal Music Japan. August 6, 2015.
  9. Web site: Big, Macy Gray. Dutch. bol.com. October 4, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110512020541/http://www.bol.com/nl/p/muziek/big/1000004004950616/index.html. May 12, 2011.
  10. Web site: Macy Gray – Big. it. IBS.it . December 8, 2018.
  11. Web site: Macy Gray Store – Big. Getmusic. October 4, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20120423063645/http://www.getmusic.com.au/macygray/store/detail?id=49697. April 23, 2012. dead.
  12. Web site: Big: Macy Gray. fr. Amazon (France). December 8, 2018.
  13. Web site: Macy Gray Big. de. Universal Music Germany. October 4, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20120515223806/http://www.universal-music.de/macy-gray/diskografie/detail/product:99299/big. May 15, 2012. dead.
  14. Web site: Big: Macy Gray. Amazon (US). December 8, 2018.
  15. Web site: Big: Macy Gray. Amazon (UK). December 8, 2018.

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