The Way It Is (Keyshia Cole album)

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The Way It Is
Keyshia Cole - The Way It Is.jpg
Studio album by Keyshia Cole
Released June 21, 2005
Recorded 2004–05
Genre
Length 48:51
Label A&M
Producer
Keyshia Cole chronology
Team Invasion Presents: Keyshia Cole
(2005)String Module Error: Match not found2005
The Way It Is
(2005)
Just like You
(2007)Just like You2007
Singles from The Way It Is
  1. "I Changed My Mind"
    Released: November 9, 2004
  2. "(I Just Want It) To Be Over"
    Released: April 5, 2005
  3. "I Should Have Cheated"
    Released: August 3, 2005
  4. "Love"
    Released: January 6, 2006
  5. "You've Changed"
    Released: March 18, 2006

The Way It Is is the debut studio album by American R&B singer Keyshia Cole; it was released on June 21, 2005, by A&M Records. The album debuted at number 6 on the US Billboard 200 and it was supported by five singles, including "Never", "I Changed My Mind", "(I Just Want It) To Be Over", "I Should Have Cheated" and "Love". The album sold 89,000 units in its first week.[1]

The album was certified gold within 17 weeks, and then platinum, only eight weeks later. The album stayed on the charts for over a year, eventually selling over 1.6 million copies and it is Cole's second highest-selling album to date.

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 77/100[2]
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4/5 stars[3]
Robert Christgau (2-star Honorable Mention) 2005
Entertainment Weekly (B)[4]
Los Angeles Times 2.5/4 stars 2005
New York Times (favorable) 2005
Rhapsody (favorable) 2005
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars 2005
Stylus (B) 2005
Vibe 4/5 stars 2005
Village Voice (favorable) 2005

Upon its release, The Way It is garnered generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a rated mean out of 100 from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 77.[2] Andy Kellman of Allmusic rated the album four out of five stars. He felt that "from the opener, the album seems to be set up like a linear narrative about a crumbling relationship, but it doesn't quite play out that way, with the scenes shuffled out of order. None of it's all that profound, but Cole sells it all extremely well. [Her] voice is sweet and ringing, like a wiser version of Lil' Mo who has had to weather a tremendous amount of drama. She could be around for a while."[3] Janet Tzou, writing for Entertainment Weekly found that "Cole certainly nails all the basics on The Way It Is: big-name guest talent and husky ballads lamenting those tricky matters of the heart. But Cole's native Oakland, California upbringing gives her vocals depth and her songs a genuine, lived-in feel."[4]

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "(I Just Want It) To Be Over"  
4:03
2. "I Changed My Mind"  
3:19
3. "Love, I Thought You Had My Back"  
  • Cole
  • Randolph Murph
  • Ralph Eskridge
  • Clarence Johnson Jr
  • Frederick Taylor
  • Fair
  • Toxic
4:10
4. "I Should Have Cheated"  
  • Jones
  • Fair
5:31
5. "Guess What?" (featuring Jadakiss)
3:45
6. "Love"  
  • Cole
  • Gregory G. Curtis
4:15
7. "You've Changed"  
  • Cole
  • Fair
  • Leonard Huggins
  • Rich Shelton
  • Shelton
  • Kevin Veney
  • Loren Hill
  • Fair
4:17
8. "We Could Be"  
  • Cole
  • Errol McCalla Jr.
  • E-Poppi
  • Fair
3:11
9. "Situations" (featuring Chink Santana)
  • Santana
  • Fair[a]
4:46
10. "Down and Dirty"  
  • Cole
  • Curtis
  • Elliott
Curtis 3:52
11. "Superstar" (featuring Metro City)
  • Cole
  • G. Cole
3:48
12. "Never" (featuring Eve)
  • E-Poppi
  • Fair
4:03
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies a vocal producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer
Sampling credits

Personnel

  • Charlie Bisharatviolin
  • Jacqueline Brand – violin
  • Roberto Cani – violin
  • Nico Carmine Abondolo – bass
  • Mario de Leon – violin
  • Brian Dembow – viola
  • Joel Derouin – violin
  • Bruce Dukov – violin
  • Stephen Erdody – cello
  • Steve Erody – cello
  • Marlo Fisher – viola
  • Matt Funes – viola
  • Armen Garabedian – violin
  • Berj Garabedian – violin
  • Julie Gigante – violin
  • Endre Granat – violin
  • Alan Grunfield – violin
  • Clayton Haslop – violin
  • Dan Higgins – flute, horn
  • Josephina Vergara – violin
  • David F. Walther – viola
  • Jerry Hey – horn
  • Suzie Katayama – cello
  • Songa Lee – violin
  • Natalie Leggett – violin
  • Gayle Levant – harp
  • Phillipe Levy – violin
  • David Low – cello
  • Rene Mandel – violin
  • Darrin McCann – viola
  • Vicki Miskolczy – viola
  • Robin Olson – violin
  • Simon Oswell – viola
  • Sid Page – violin
  • Sara Parkins – violin
  • Joel Peskin – horn
  • Katia Popov – violin
  • Steve Rodriguez – bass guitar
  • Anatoly Rosinsky – violin
  • Sarah Thornblade – violin
  • Kenneth Yerks – violin
  • Raj Ertui – clarinet
  • Miri Ben-AriIsrael violin

Production

Charts

Release history

Region Date
Japan June 21, 2005
United States June 26, 2005
Canada
United Kingdom July 3, 2005
Spain March 6, 2006

References

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  5. Template:BillboardEncode/J/chart?f=305 "Joe – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Joe. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  6. "Template:BillboardEncode/J/chart?f=333 Joe – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Joe. Retrieved December 19, 2014.

External links