Grammy-winning R&B gem Fantasia has always shone as an anomaly (in many ways) for the genre.
A fiery performer whose career-long stage shows boast one of the most consistent deliveries of any of her contemporaries (and beyond), Fannie’s commitment to her craft seemed to be only matched by the commitment of her fan base. Indeed, much like the failing music industry around her, each of her album’s numbers may have taken hits over time, but without fail, the figures associated with each of the songbird’s first week sales easily soared above the others in her lane (a testament to fan loyalty if you ask us).
Well, that was until 2016’s ‘The Definition Of…‘ – the latest addition to the soulstress’s self-coined ‘Rock-Soul’ movement.
Released July 2016, ‘Definition’ – Fannie’s fifth album – was executive produced by veteran record producer/songwriter/engineer Ron Fair and featured contributions from the likes of R&B royal R. Kelly, Brian Kennedy, Stacy Barthe, Neff-U, and more. Yet, while the production credits was lined with proven winners, their efforts seemed lost upon music lovers who generally ignored the set’s two official singles – ‘No Time (For It)’ and the Kelly-penned ‘Sleeping With the One I Love.’
Their failure on the singles chart and streaming front seemed to signal the worst for their parent album:
And, the worst is exactly what happened.
After receiving mixed reviews from critics and fans alike for its departure from the Urban soul songs that rose the songbird to fame, the album debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 to the tune of 32,000 sales equivalent shifted – a career low for Fannie.
Now, we come to you to ask: where was the ball dropped? Was the content that filled ‘Definition’ simply too far left for fans to get jiggy with? Or, did her lack of full on promo for the album hinder any chance of success it would’ve had?
In other words, please tell us: