October 20th invited fans to their first listen to a new Keyshia Cole album since 2014’s ‘Point of No Return.’
Fatefully titled, that project almost made fans believe Cole had indeed reached such point as it not only debuted to her worst first week sales to date (26,000 copies sold), it went on – with less than 100,000 units shifted as of time reported – to become her worst-selling effort ever.
The years that followed may have seen the Grammy-nominated songstress hitting headlines more for personal dramas than professional endeavors, but that all changed at the top of 2017 when she announced the release of ‘You’ (featuring Remy Ma and French Montana). The song and its accompanying visual – a critically well-received return to form for Cole – did not see that fanfare reflected commercially.
Said response undoubtedly planted seeds of worry in her faithful fans…
The time since ‘You’s peak of #8 on the Bubbling Under charts has seen the singer increase her social profile (see: ‘Love & Hip Hop’ casting, pursuit of movie roles, etc.) in an overall attempt to bring more awareness to her project, later christened ’11:11 Reset.’
Like ‘Point’ before it, ‘Reset’s title is quite apt as Cole’s latest opus comes as just that. On the business front, it’s her first album on Epic Records (after leaving longtime label home Interscope). Artistically, as she told us in an exclusive interview (click here to read that), the ballad-heavy album is a bid to go “back to R&B basics.” Its releases since ‘You’ – the slower tempo cuts ‘Incapable,’ ‘Best Friend,’ and ‘Vault’ – evidence this. To date, their respective receptions – critically and commercially – have been akin to their Remy Ma-assisted predecessor.
If their nonperformances on charts are indicative of how the album will fare has yet to be seen. But, what we know in the here and now is that ’11:11 Reset’ is on constant replay here at TGJ HQ. Now, after having the chance to stream the album (click here to do that), we ask you: