Calling All Lovers is the third studio album by American R&B singer Tamar Braxton.[1] It was released on October 2, 2015, by Epic Records and Streamline Records. The album was preceded by the release of two singles — "Let Me Know" and "If I Don't Have You".

Calling All Lovers
Deluxe edition cover. Standard edition uses the same cover but in a slightly different color and is no longer available for retail.
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 2, 2015
Recorded2014–15
StudioOasis Mastering (Burbank, California)
GenreR&B
Length48:37
Label
Producer
Tamar Braxton chronology
Winter Loversland
(2013)
Calling All Lovers
(2015)
Bluebird of Happiness
(2017)
Singles from Calling All Lovers
  1. "Let Me Know"
    Released: October 7, 2014
  2. "If I Don't Have You"
    Released: May 27, 2015

The album debuted at number five in the United States, debuting with 43,000 units (38,000 in album sales) in the United States.[2] The album's second single, "If I Don't Have You" was released on May 27, 2015, and was nominated for Best R&B Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, becoming Braxton's fourth nomination.[3]

Background and release

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On October 7, 2014, Braxton's single, "Let Me Know" featuring Future, was released. The song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard's Trending 140 Chart, less than an hour, after its premiere on Braxton's official SoundCloud account and it eventually reached at number one by 12:00 AM.[4] Billboard.com gave the song 4 out of 5 stars in its review of "The Best and Worst Singles of the Week" for the second week of October 2014.[5] Braxton performed "If I Don't Have You" at the BET's 15th Annual Awards 2015 on June 28, 2015 and at Mega Fest 2015 on August 21, 2015.[6][7]

On September 6, 2015, Target confirmed that Calling All Lovers would miss its scheduled release date of September 11, 2015 due to a "street date change".[8] On September 11, 2015, the deluxe version of the album became available for pre-order on iTunes with a track listing of 16 items and a new release date of October 2, 2015.[9] Braxton performed "King" on the daytime show, The Real on September 14, 2015.[10] Braxton performed "Circles" on The Wendy Williams Show on October 1, 2015.[11]

Singles

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"Let Me Know" was released on October 7, 2014 as the album's lead single. The song samples late R&B singer Aaliyah 1994 hit single "At Your Best (You Are Love)". The song appeared on five Billboard charts. On October 25, 2014, the song debuted at number 20 on the Heatseekers Songs chart spending only one week in the chart.[12] On December 6, 2014, the song peaked at number 12 on the Hot R&B Songs chart in its 20th week on the chart.[13] The song also appeared on the Adult R&B Songs, R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts at numbers 5,[14] 8[15] and 31.[16]

"If I Don't Have You" was released as the album's second single on May 27, 2015, .[17] The music video for "If I Don't Have You" was released on VEVO on July 9, 2015.[18] The song peaked at number eighteen on the Hot R&B Songs chart on August 1, 2015[19] and number six on the Adult R&B Songs chart on August 15, 2015.[20] It received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.[21]

Other singles

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"Catfish" was released as the first promotional single on September 12, 2015.[22] "Angels & Demons", was released as the second promotional single on September 18, 2015.[23][24] The music video for "Angels & Demons" was released on VEVO on September 17, 2015.[25] "Circles" was released as the final promotional single from Calling All Lovers on September 25, 2015.[26] On November 24, 2018 three years after the album release, a music video of "Love It" was released.

Commercial performance

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The album debuted at number 5 on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 43,000 units (38,000 in album sales) in the United States.[2] The album also peaked at number 2 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[27] and number 16 on the UK R&B Albums charts.[28]

Critical response

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic      [29]

Calling All Lovers was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave the album three and a half out of five stars, saying, "The album starts in scattered fashion with some neo-reggae, a retro-modern midtempo groove that evokes breakbeat-driven early-'90s productions, and a church-ified ballad. After those three songs, the album stabilizes, sliding between a number of plush ballads and sophisticated but bumping slow jams. Heartache prevails during the first half and crests with 'Never,' an authoritative and elegantly paced kiss-off of an inappreciative lover. The latter half is mostly about devotion and awe, while the back-to-back 'Love It' (all booming bass, tapping keyboards, and rattling percussion) and 'Must Be Good to You' (light and springy disco-funk) turn it up several degrees with Braxton offering firm declarations of her sexual power."[29]

Track listing

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Calling All Lovers tracklisting
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Angels & Demons"
Mel & Mus3:06
2."Catfish"Polow da Don3:35
3."Simple Things"
4:20
4."Broken Record"
  • Braxton
  • Daniels
  • Jones
  • Steven Easley
  • Kristal " Brave Jaxon" Murphy
  • Polow da Don
  • Afro Steve
4:09
5."Never"Morgan3:09
6."Circles"
  • Braxton
  • Anthony D'Andre Bennett
  • McKenzie Brooke Lawson
  • Mack
Cedric "DaBenchWarma" Smith3:25
7."If I Don't Have You"Da Internz4:14
8."Raise the Bar"Camper3:43
9."I Love You"
2:22
10."Makin' Love"
  • Braxton
  • Timothy Paul Hinshaw
  • Mack
3:45
11."Love It"
  • Braxton
  • Keon Young
  • Isaac White
  • Vurdell "VScript" Muller
  • Denisia Keys
  • Mack
  • Blair Taylor
2:30
12."Must Be Good to You"
  • Alessandro Calemme
  • White
3:12
13."Free Fallin'"
  • Braxton
  • Muhammed Ayers
B.A.M.3:37
14."King"
  • Braxton
  • Fred
  • Fred
  • Braxton
  • Gerald Haddon[a]
3:30
Total length:48:37
Calling All Lovers – Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)[30]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."S.O.N."
  • S1
  • Epikh Pro
3:04
16."Coming Home"The Underdogs4:41
Total length:56:24
Calling All LoversWalmart deluxe edition (bonus tracks)[31]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."S.O.N."
  • S1
  • Epikh Pro
3:04
16."Coming Home"The Underdogs4:41
17."A.S.A.P."
  • Braxton
  • Riddick-Woods
  • Daniels
  • Clark
  • Palacios
  • Mykal Snoddy
  • Da Internz
  • Snoddy
3:51
18."Let Me Know" (featuring Future)
3:59
Total length:64:14
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies a vocal producer
Sample credits

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from AllMusic.[32]

Performers and musicians
  • Tamar Braxton – Vocals, Background
  • Tiyon "TC" Mack – Vocals, Background
Technical personnel
  • Tamar Braxton – Composer, Producer, Creative Director,
  • Antonio "L.A." Reid – Executive Producer
  • Vincent Herbert – A&R, Executive Producer
  • LaShawn Daniels – A&R, Composer
  • Ramahn "Jer-Z" Herbert – A&R
  • Ashley Fox – Creative Director
  • Anita Marisa Boriboon – Art Direction, Creative Director, Design
  • Theo "MasBeatz" Edmonds – Producer
  • The Underdogs – Composer, Producer
  • Rivelino Raoul Wouter – Producer
  • Blair Taylor – Producer
  • Afro Steve – Producer
  • Cedric "DaBenchWarma" Smith – Producer
  • Polow da Don – Producer
  • Brian Alexander Morgan – Bass, Composer, Drum Programming, Keyboards, Producer
  • Mel & Mus – Producer
  • Melvin Hough – Producer
  • Gerald Haddon – Producer
  • John Henry Gordon – Producer
  • Tiffany Fred – Composer, Producer
  • Leigh Elliott – Producer
  • Da Internz – Producer
  • Brandon Bell – Composer, Producer
  • Blac Elvis – Producer
  • Alessandro Calemme – Producer
  • Khari Cain – Composer, Producer
  • Darhyl "DJ" Camper Jr. – Composer, Producer
  • Tiyon Mack – Composer, Mixing, Vocal Engineer,
  • Keon Young – Composer
  • David James Wolinski – Composer
  • Dewain Whitmore, Jr. – Composer
  • Isaac White – Composer
  • Kristal "Brave Jaxon" Murphy
  • Atozzio Towns – Composer
  • Damon Thomas – Composer
  • Amber Streeter – Composer
  • Patrick "J Que" Smith – Composer
  • Edsel Alexander – Composer
  • Makeba Riddick – Composer
  • Tony Russell – Composer
  • Muhammad Ayers – Composer
  • Brenda Russell – Composer
  • Marcos Palacios – Composer
  • Vurdell Muller – Composer
  • McKenzie Brooke Lawson – Composer
  • Sherita Lowery – Composer
  • Kevin Randolph – Composer
  • Peggy Lipton Jones – Composer
  • Denisia Keys – Composer
  • Claude Kelly – Composer
  • Jamal Jones – Composer
  • Andrew Hey – Engineer, Guitar
  • Patricia Austin – Composer
  • Timothy Paul Hinshaw – Composer
  • Atia Boggs – Composer
  • Courtney Harrell – Composer
  • Anthony D. Bennett – Composer
  • Ernest Clark – Composer
  • Candice Boyd – Composer
  • Larry Griffin Jr. – Composer
  • Kameron Glasper – Composer
  • Gene Grimaldi – Mastering
  • Dave Boyd – Assistant
  • Brandon N. Caddell – Mixing
  • Zach Nicholls – Mixing
  • Harvey Mason, Jr. – Composer, Mixing
  • Dashawn "Happie" White – Composer, Producer
  • Robert Ector - Photography

Charts

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Release history

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Region Date Format Label Ref
Australia October 2, 2015 Digital download [37]
New Zealand [9]
United Kingdom [38]
United States [30]
CD [39]

References

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  1. ^ "Tamar Braxton Talks New Album Calling All Lovers - VH1". VH1 News. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Cantor, Brian (2015-10-09). "Janet Jackson's "Unbreakable" Wins Album Sales Race With 109K (Updated)". Headline Planet. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  3. ^ "54th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominees and Winners | GRAMMY.com". Archived from the original on 2012-05-03. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  4. ^ "Billboard + Twitter Realtime Chart - Trending 140". Realtime.billboard.com. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  5. ^ "Music Singles Review Dierks Bentley Tamar Braxton David Guetta". Billboard.com. 2014-10-10. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  6. ^ "Performers-BET Awards". BET Awards 2015. BET Networks. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  7. ^ "Tamar Braxton & Fred Hammond sing If I Don't Have You & No Weapon PT1". YouTube. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  8. ^ "Weekly Deals in Stores Now : Target Weekly Ad". Archived from the original on 2015-08-19. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  9. ^ a b "Calling All Lovers (Deluxe) by Tamar "mjym,Braxton on iTunes". NZ iTunes Store. (Apple). October 2, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  10. ^ "Tamar Hits the Stage with 'King' Performance". YouTube. September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  11. ^ "Tamar Braxton Circles Live on Wendy Williams". YouTube. October 14, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  12. ^ "Tamar Braxton - Let Me Know - Heatseekers Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  13. ^ "Tamar Braxton - Let Me Know - Hot R&B Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  14. ^ "Tamar Braxton - Let Me Know - Adult R&B Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  15. ^ "Tamar Braxton - Let Me Know - R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  16. ^ "Tamar Braxton - Let Me Know - Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  17. ^ "iTunes - Music - If I Don't Have You - Single by Tamar Braxton". iTunes.
  18. ^ "Tamar Braxton - If I Don't Have You". YouTube. July 9, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  19. ^ "Tamar Braxton If I Don't Have You - Hot R&B Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  20. ^ "Tamar Braxton If I Don't Have You - Adult R&B Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  21. ^ "Grammy Award Results for Tamar Braxton". Grammy Award. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017.
  22. ^ "Catfish:Tamar Braxton: From the Album Calling All Lovers (Deluxe): MP3 Downloads". Amazon. September 11, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  23. ^ "Angels & Demons (2015) Tamar Braxton". nz.7digital.com. September 18, 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-02-20. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  24. ^ Cummings, Moriba (September 19, 2015). "Tamar Braxton Shows Some Island Flare in 'Angels & Demons'". BET.com.
  25. ^ "Tamar Braxton - Angels & Demons". YouTube. September 17, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  26. ^ "Circles (2015) Tamar Braxton". YouTube. September 25, 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-02-20. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  27. ^ a b "Tamar Braxton Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  28. ^ a b "Official R&B Albums Chart". UK Albums Chart. 9 October 2015.
  29. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Calling All Lovers - Tamar Braxton | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic.
  30. ^ a b "Calling All Lovers (Deluxe) by Tamar Braxton on iTunes". US iTunes Store. (Apple). October 2, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  31. ^ "Calling All Lovers (Walmart Exclusive)".
  32. ^ "Calling All Lovers [Deluxe Edition] - Tamar Braxton - Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  33. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart on 9/10/2015". Official Charts.
  34. ^ "Tamar Braxton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  35. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  36. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  37. ^ "Calling All Lovers (Deluxe) by Tamar Braxton on iTunes". AUS iTunes Store. (Apple). October 2, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  38. ^ "Calling All Lovers (Deluxe) by Tamar Braxton on iTunes". UK iTunes Store. (Apple). October 2, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  39. ^ "Calling All Lovers Tamar Braxton". Amazon. October 2, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.