Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel includes: Brian McKnight (vocals, piano, keyboards, bass); Silo, Kirk Franklin, Carl Thomas, Joe, Tyrese, Tank (vocals); Nelly, Fabolous (rap vocals); Nunzio Signore (guitar); Bruce Flowers (keyboards); Chris Loftlin (bass); Alex Al (upright bass); Joel Parisoe, Prescott Ellison (drums); Bashiri Johnson (percussion). | | Producers: Brian McKnight, Kedar Massenburg, Silas White, Bruce Carbone. | | "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda" was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. | | Composer: Nikki Holliwood. | | Personnel: Brian McKnight (vocals, piano, keyboards); Kirk Franklin, Alvin Chea, Vanessa Marquez (vocals); Fabolous, Nelly (rap vocals); Nunzio Signore, Michael Hart Thompson (guitar); Tony Dixon , Kenneth Crouch, Bruce Flowers (keyboards); Alex Al (upright bass); Bashiri Johnson (percussion). | | Audio Mixers: Neil Pogue; Dave Pensado; Jean-Marie Horvat; Mick Guzauski; Richard Travali. | | Recording information: Backroom Studios, Glendale, CA; Bogart Recording Studios, North Miami Beach, FL; Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA; Koa Recording, West Hollywood, CA; Mirror Image Studios, New York, NY; Numedia Studios, New York, NY; The Underlab, Los Angeles, CA. | | Photographer: Andrew McPherson . | | Brian McKnight found a good pattern for his releases after 1997's Anytime, which featured the breakout hip-hop crossover "You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)." After that, he usually made concessions to changing trends in R&B (since a few changeups are good for any artist), but dedicated most of his records to the type of smooth jams he loves to sing and his fans love to hear. U Turn isn't the change of direction hinted at in the title; in fact, it's very close to format, with a pair of rap features (for Nelly and Fabolous) but plenty of space for McKnight's earnest, heartfelt crooning. Over half the album was not only written by McKnight but performed and produced by him as well, and although his writing is among the best in R&B, the backing tracks are bland meldings of piano, synthesized strings, and canned beats. No surprise then, that the best tracks here are the ones where he can focus on his voice, like the classic regret ballad "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda," the backing left in the capable hands of veterans Damon Thomas and Harvey Mason Jr. The rap crossovers are solid, more than just pairings with commercial successes; loved-up rappers like Nelly and Fabolous work well rhyming over McKnight, and the Rockwilder production on the title track is a good match with an R&B singer. ~ John Bush | | Brian McKnight may have made his name as a nice-guy balladeer unafraid of declaring Barry Manilow as a direct influence, but he still has a funkier side that's clearly evident on U TURN. Sporting a knit cap and shades on the cover that gives him an R.Kelly-meets-Maxwell kind of look, McKnight easily proves he can run with the big dogs by way of numerous celebrity collaborations. Nelly takes a break from the St. Lunatics to hop aboard the infectious "All Night Long," Fabolous and Six John throw down on the hard-edged title cut, and Kirk Franklin joins McKnight on the timely faith-during-wartime homily "One of The One's Who Did." | | McKnight does make sure to include his share of trademark ballads, such as the heartfelt "Someday, Someway, Somehow," lush "So Sorry," and Prince-like "If It Was Cool" with its abundant falsetto harmonies. Most impressive is the contemporary-R&B summit meeting "Good Enough," which finds McKnight joined by Joe, Carl Thomas, Tyrese, and Tank for the tale of a relationship gone asunder in which half the fun is guessing who's singing which part. U TURN ends up being one musical maneuver that Brian McKnight pulls off flawlessly. |
Engineer: Mike Koch; Nikki Holliwood; Yaron Fuchs; Javier Carrion |
Musical Guests | | Nelly | | Tyrese | | Tank | | Carl Thomas | | Joe | | Fabulous | | Six John | | Kirk Franklin |
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