Jordan Knight is the debut album by New Kids on the Block frontman Jordan Knight, released on May 25, 1999, by Interscope Records. Knight co-produced eight of the eleven tracks on the album with help from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and a then unknown Robin Thicke. The album sold over 500,000 copies in the US alone and reached number 29 on the Billboard 200.
| Jordan Knight | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 25, 1999 | |||
| Studio | Flyte Tyme (Minneapolis, Minnesota) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:16 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Producer | Jordan Knight, Stevie Bensusen, Claudio Cueni, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Pro J, Robin Thicke, Donnie Wahlberg | |||
| Jordan Knight chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Jordan Knight | ||||
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Release
editThe album was released in 1999 at the height of MTV pop culture. The first single, "Give It to You" received heavy radio airplay and rotation on MTV, as well as BET and VH1. The album was certified Gold months after its release.
In Asia, Knight and boy-band 98 Degrees headlined a tour in support of their albums.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+[2] |
| Los Angeles Times | [3] |
AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised Knight for updating his "smooth urban soul stylings" with various "contemporary sources to create a stylized, fresh sound." He concluded that: "Jordan Knight is not a perfect album -- there's a little bit of filler that weighs down the second half of the record -- but the best moments are surprisingly strong, innovative, and assured: the kind of mainstream music that would be impressive regardless of the source, but it's all the more remarkable considering Knight's teen pop heritage."[1] Marc Weingarten of the Los Angeles Times praised Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis for adding "sonic sparkle into even the most workmanlike tracks" throughout the album. He concluded that: "Too many ballads spoil the momentum, but this kid has clearly grown into his own man."[3] David Browne, writing for Entertainment Weekly, criticized the record for Knight's "well-bred but bland" vocal performance, the overreliance of samples and remakes throughout the track listing, and the "buttery production" removing any semblance of soul.[2]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Give It to You" | James Harris III, Terry Lewis, Jordan Knight, Robin Thicke | Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis | 4:49 |
| 2. | "A Different Party" | Harris III, Lewis, Knight, Thicke | Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis | 4:47 |
| 3. | "Change My Ways" | Thicke, Bobby B. Keyes | Thicke, Knight (co.), Pro J (co.) | 4:43 |
| 4. | "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" | Prince | Thicke, Knight | 4:05 |
| 5. | "Finally Finding Out" | Knight, Thicke, Keyes, Armand Sabalecco | Thicke, Knight | 4:04 |
| 6. | "Broken by You" | Harris III, Lewis | Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis | 4:22 |
| 7. | "Don't Run" | Knight, Thicke | Thicke, Knight, Donnie Wahlberg | 4:46 |
| 8. | "Separate Ways" | Thicke, Knight, Alan Thicke, Brennan Thicke | Thicke, Knight (co.) | 4:29 |
| 9. | "Close My Eyes" | Harris III, Lewis, Knight, Thicke | Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis | 4:14 |
| 10. | "When You're Lonely" | Knight, Stevie Bensusen | Claudio Cueni, Bensusen, Knight (co.) | 4:45 |
| 11. | "Give It to You" (95 South remix) | Harris III, Lewis, Knight, Thicke | Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Cueni (add.), Knight (add.), Artice Bartley (remix), Carlos Spencer (remix) | 5:12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Can I Come Over Tonight" | Thicke | Thicke, Knight (co.) | 4:25 |
- Notes
- Credits adapted from liner notes and AllMusic.[4][5]
- "A Different Party" contains a sample of "Green-Eyed Lady", as performed by Sugarloaf[5]
- "Don't Run" contains a sample of "Shook Ones (Part II)", as performed by Mobb Deep[4]
- "Close My Eyes" contains a sample of "Dust in the Wind", as performed by Kansas[5]
Personnel
editCredits adapted from the liner notes[4]
- Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – keyboards, synthesizers, drum programming
- Robin Thicke - keyboards, synthesizers, drum programming
- Pro-Jay – keyboards, synthesizers, drum programming
- Claudio Cueni – keyboards, synthesizers, drum programming
- Alex Richbourg – drum programming
- Stokley Williams – percussion
- Armand Sabalecco – bass
- Scott Kennedy – bass
- Big Jim Wright – piano
- Mike Scott – guitar
- Bobby B. Keyes – guitar
- Brion James – guitar
- Tyrone Chase – guitar
- Steve Hodge – engineer, mixing
- Bill Malina – engineer
- Miguel Pessoa – engineer
- Lior Goldenberg – engineer
- Claudio Cueni – engineer
- Will Pyon – engineer
- Mike Tucker – engineer
- Bray Merritt – engineer
- Evan Py – engineer
- Xavier Smith – mixing
- Claudio Cueni – mixing
- Joe Smith – mixing
- Jordan Knight – executive producer
- Miguel Melendez – executive producer
- Facet NY/LA – art direction
Charts
edit| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[6] | 29 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[7] | Gold | 500,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Jordan Knight - Jordan Knight". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
- ^ a b Browne, David (May 28, 1999). "Jordan Knight". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
- ^ a b Weingarten, Marc (May 24, 1999). "Jordan Knight, "Jordan Knight," Interscope". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c Jordan Knight – Jordan Knight. (CD liner notes). Interscope Records INTD-90322
- ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Jordan Knight – Jordan Knight". studio album. allmusic.com.
- ^ "Jordan Knight Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ "American album certifications – Jordan Knight – Jordan Knight". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 26, 2023.