Truthfully Speaking Explained

Truthfully Speaking
Type:	Album
Artist:	Truth Hurts
Cover:	TruthHurts.jpg
Released:	June 25, 2002
Recorded:	2000–2002
Length:	60:48
Next Title:	Ready Now
Next Year:	2004

Truthfully Speaking is the debut studio album by American singer Truth Hurts. It was released on June 25, 2002, through Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Dr. Dre served as the album's executive producer.^[1]

Critical reception

Truthfully Speaking earned generally mixed reviews from music critics. BBC Music critic Emmy Perry called the album a "quality debut performance with solid production and Truth's considerable talents as a songwriter making up for the fact that few tracks match up to the originality of the first single. There is however no questioning the calibre and tone of her operatic voice, which appears to convey the harsh sound of the streets whilst keeping the church firmly in mind."^[2] Sal Cinquemani, writing for Slant Magazine, called Truthfully Speaking a "slow burner that draws on more traditional hip-hop and R&B sound structures and displays Truth’s versatile, often coquettish, vocal (think a less socially-conscious Jill Scott)."

PopMatters described Truthfully Speaking as a "a simple album filled with plenty of vocal potential but misses the mark with its overall simplicity."^[3] AllMusic editor John Bush found that despite a "star-studded credit list, Truthfully Speaking is a bland record; Truth Hurts' vocals, while evocative and rangy, aren't incredibly strong (especially when she's stretching a note), and she usually needs a backup chorus to keep the songs sounding good [...] A few of the productions make for good tracks, though most of the time Truth Hurts struggles to keep up with the best in the contemporary R&B field."

Commercial performance

The album debuted at five on the US Billboard 200, selling 89,000 copies.^[4] By October 2003, Truthfully Speaking had sold 338,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.^[5]

Track listing

Notes

• denotes co-producer

Sample credits

• "Push Play" contains a portion of "I'm Still #1" as performed by KRS-One.
• "Addictive" contains a sample from "Do It (Til You're Satisfied)" as written by Billy Nichols.

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2002)! scope="col"

Position
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[6]	118
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[7]	86

References

1. https://web.archive.org/web/20021115013912/http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1457672/09192002/truth_hurts.jhtml VH1.com : Truth Hurts : Dr. Dre, Interscope Stung With $500 Million Lawsuit Over 'Addictive' - Rhapsody Music Downloads
2. Web site: Emmy. Perry. Truth Hurts, Truthfully Speaking Review . BBC Music. February 21, 2023.
3. Web site: Truth Hurts: Truthfully Speaking. PopMatters. August 5, 2002 . February 21, 2023.
4. 'Nellyville' Boots Eminem Out Of No. 1. Ellis. Michael. Martens, Todd. July 4, 2002. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. August 4, 2013.
5. Web site: Billboard Bits: Truth Hurts/Joi, Hendrix, 'Queer Eye'. February 2, 2023. Billboard.com. February 21, 2023.
6. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20040906184204/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/2002_r&b2.html. September 6, 2004. Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001. Jam!. March 25, 2022.
7. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2002. Billboard. August 14, 2020.