No Holding Back Explained

No Holding Back
Type:Album
Artist:Wayne Wonder
Cover:NoHoldingBack.jpg
Released:March 4, 2003
Recorded:2001–2002
Label:VP
Producer:Steven Marsden, Joel Chin, Von Wayne Charles, Donovan "Vendetta" Bennett, Collin "Bulbie" York, Lynford "Fatta" Marshall, Tony "CD" Kelly, Craig "Leftside" Parks, Matthew "Esco" Thompson, O. McNaught & O. Rennalls, Troyton Rami & Roger Mackenzie, Dwayne "Deenucka" Johnson, Donovan Germain
Prev Title:Schizophrenic
Prev Year:2001
Next Title:Foreva
Next Year:2007

No Holding Back is the eleventh studio album by Jamaican reggae fusion singer Wayne Wonder. It was released on March 4, 2003 via VP Records; and it remains Wonder’s only album to date to have charted on the Billboard 200, peaking at #29.[1] The title of the album comes from the chorus of the single "No Letting Go", which helped make it Wonder's most successful album.

Critical reception

In a positive review, Vibe magazine's Rob Kenner gave No Holding Back a four-out-of-five disc rating and called it "the right record at the right time" because of its mixture of innovative dancehall and decent R&B-pop songs.[2] William Ruhlmann of AllMusic gave it four out of five stars and said that the reggae-inflected R&B album is generally in the same vein as "No Letting Go", which shows that "the only thing on Wonder's mind is love, and if he has nothing new to say about it, he nevertheless keeps things moving along nicely."[3] In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic and graded the album as a "dud",[4] indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought."[5]

Track listing

Track listing
TitleSongwriter(s)PerformersSamples
"Intro"V. W. CharlesWayne Wonder
"No Letting Go"V. W. Charles
S. Marsden
Wayne WonderDiwali Riddim by Steven "Lenky" Marsden
"Bounce Along"V. W. Charles
S. Marsden
P. Edmund
Wayne Wonder
Dwayne "Deenucka" Johnson (chorus)
"Friend Like Me"V. W. Charles
P. Edmund
Wanye Wonder
"Nobody But Me"V. W. Charles
P. Edmund
Wayne Wonder
"Glad You Came My Way"V. W. Charles
S. Marsden
Wayne Wonder
"Crazy Feeling"V. W. Charles
D. Bennett
O. Brian
Wayne Wonder (chorus and bridge)
Elephant Man (1st and 2nd verse)
"Definitely"V. W. Charles
P. Yubah
C. York
Wayne Wonder
"Just Another Day"V. W. Charles
A. Kelly
S. Marsden
Wayne Wonder
"Close Your Eyes"V. W. Charles
D. Bennett
Daseka
Wayne Wonder
"My Kinda Lady"V. W. Charles
M. Gregory
A. Kelly
Wayne Wonder
"The Mood Is Right"V. W. Charles
C. Parks
Wayne Wonder
"Slowly But Surely"V. W. Charles
O. Renalls
Wayne Wonder
"Perfect Proposal"V. W. Charles
A. Kelly
S. Marsden
Wayne Wonder
"Enemies"V. W. Charles
D. Thompson
T. Rami
Wayne Wonder
Supriz (chorus)
"Metal And Steel"V. W. Charles
D. Johnson
Wayne Wonder
Demo Delgado
Showki Ru
"Saddest Day"V. W. Charles
C. Browne
W. Johnson
Wayne Wonder

Personnel

Contributors
Producers
ProducersSteven Marsden, Joel Chin, Von Wayne Charles, Donovan "Vendetta" Bennett, Collin "Bulby" York, Lynford "Fatta" Marshall, Tony "CD" Kelly, Craig "Lef Side" Parks, Mathew "Esco" Thompson, O. McNaught & O. Rennalls, Troyton Rami & Roger Mackenzie, Dwayne "Deenucka" Johnso, Donovan Germain
Executive ProducersChristopher Chin, Joel Chin
Performers
Lead vocals and rappingWayne Wonder, Elephant Man, Supriz, Demo Delgado, Showki Ru
Background vocalsDwayne "Deenucka" Johnson
GuitarDalton Browne
PercussionPaul "Teetimus" Edmund (drums)
SynthesizerSteven "Lenky" Marsden (keyboard)
Technicians
EngineersJoel Chin, Fitzroy "Wizard" Blake, Tony Kelly, Michael MacDonald, A. "Rookie" Tyrell, Collin "Bulbie" York
Assistant EngineersBackra, Dwayne "Deenucka" Johnson, Michael MacDonald, Richard "12" Brown, Denise "Bandit" Shields, Kevin Evil, Baddable
MasteringJoel Chin, Chris Scott
MixingJoel Chin, Tony Kelly, Michael MacDonald, Troyton Rami, Claude "Weakhand" Reynolds, A. "Rookie" Tyrell, Collin "Bulbie" York
Mixing AssistantClaude "Weakhand" Reynolds
Art Direction, DesignKiku Yamaguchi
PhotographyWilliam Richards

Charts

Year-end charts

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Music Future CD Releases. https://archive.today/20140531184848/http://rapids.canoe.ca/cgi-bin/jmr/mon_release/1049173200/last. usurped. May 31, 2014. May 31, 2014. Jam!.
  2. Kenner. Rob. April 2003. Revolutions. Vibe. New York. 174. May 31, 2014.
  3. Web site: Ruhlmann. William. No Holding Back - Wayne Wonder. AllMusic. May 31, 2014.
  4. News: Christgau. Robert. Robert Christgau. April 27, 2004. Consumer Guide: We Got a Lot. The Village Voice. New York. May 31, 2014.
  5. Web site: Christgau. Robert. 2000. Key to Icons. Robert Christgau. May 31, 2014.
  6. Web site: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2003. Billboard. September 4, 2020.