Anytime (album)

Anytime is the third studio album by American singer Brian McKnight. It was released by Mercury Records on September 23, 1997 in the United States. Following his moderately successful second album I Remember You (1995), McKnight consulted a wider range of collaborators to work with him on the album, including producers Sean Combs, Keith Thomas, Poke & Tone and songwriters Diane Warren, and Peter Black. While McKnight would provide most of the material by himself, Anytime deviated from the contemporary sound of his older work, with the former acts taking his music further into the hip hop soul genre.

Anytime
Studio album by
Brian McKnight
ReleasedSeptember 23, 1997
GenreR&B[1]
Length54:14
LabelMercury
Producer
Brian McKnight chronology
I Remember You
(1995)		 Anytime
(1997)		 Bethlehem
(1998)
Singles from Anytime
  1. "You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)"
    Released: August 19, 1997
  2. "Anytime"
    Released: November 16, 1997
  3. "The Only One For Me"
    Released: April 7, 1998
  4. "Hold Me (Remix)"
    Released: November 10, 1998

Upon its release, the album garnered generally mixed reviews from music critics and broke into the top 20 on the US Billboard 200, while becoming McKnight's first album to top the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A steady seller, it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), indicating sales in excess of 2.0 units, and spawned several singles, including the top 20 hit "You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)". Anytime marked McKnight's last record with Mercury Records before moving to Motown Records. In fact, Anytime would be re-released on Motown after he signed with the label.

Background

Anytime marked McKnight's third studio album with Mercury Records. While his previous album I Remember You (1995) was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), it only sold half as much as its predecessor Brian McKnight (1992).[2] Feeling initially pressured after what he called "the pseudo-failure of the I Remember You album,”[2] McKnight, who was used to writing and producing most of his music by himself, decided to work with a wider range of musicians on the Anytime, including Sean "Puffy" Combs, Keith Thomas, Poke & Tone, Diane Warren, and Peter Black.[2] With Anytime exposing McKnight to a wider audience, McKnight elaborated in a 2012 interview: "If Anytime was the spark, then Back at One became the fire. I was doing things then that I had never done before, that an audience had never heard or seen."[2]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Robert Christgau[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]
Vibemixed[5]

Anytime garnered generally mixed reviews from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic felt that McKnight "continues with the mellow, romantic urban R&B that has become his trademark, but there's a new twist [...] McKnight hasn't exhausted its possibilities yet – Anytime is as strong as its predecessor – but "You Should Be Mine" and "Hold Me" suggest that he may be better off pursuing a new, hip-hop-influenced direction."[1] In a contemporary review, The Rolling Stone Album Guide wrote that Anytime "signaled the start of a new phase in McKnight's career."[4] In his review for Vibe, Darren McNeill called Anytime a "collection of mostly tired joints [...] McKnight's solo effort pales in comparison to work by emerging-soul craftsmen like Eric Benét and Rahsaan Patterson."[5] In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, critic Robert Christgau gave Anytime a "cut" rating,[3] indicating "an album that isn't worth your time or money – sometimes a Neither, more often a Dud."[3]

Chart performance

In the United States, Anytime became McKnight's highest-charting album yet, peaking at number 13 on the Billboard 200.[6] McKnight's first album to do so, it also reached the top on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, spending three weeks at number one.[7] According to Soundscan, I Remember You had sold 1.7 million copies by January 1999.[8] It was eventually certified double pltianum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), indicating sales in excess of 2.0 million copies.[9] Billboard ranked the album fourth on its 1998 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums year-end chart.[10]

Singles

The lead single "You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)" became McKnight's biggest hit in four years, peaking at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It featured rapper Mase, whose own career was at its peak during 1997.[8] The title track was an even bigger hit, reaching number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart in May 1998. Since it was not released as a physical single, it was ineligible to chart on the Hot 100, but was still one of the most played songs on the radio during 1998.[8] Anytime's third single "The Only One for Me" hit number 14 on the Rhythmic Top 40, as again no physical single was released for it.[8] The fourth and final single was "Hold Me" hit number 35 on the Hot 100 and number 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[8]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Anytime"
McKnight4:33
2."Could"
  • McKnight
  • Barnes
McKnight4:26
3."You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)" (featuring Mase)
Sean "Puffy" Combs4:49
4."Show Me the Way Back to Your Heart"Diane WarrenKeith Thomas3:55
5."Every Time We Say Goodbye"
  • McKnight
  • Anthony Nance
McKnight4:05
6."You Got the Bomb"
  • McKnight
  • Barnes
McKnight4:41
7."Hold Me" (featuring Willie Max)
Poke & Tone3:49
8."The Only One for Me"McKnightMcKnight5:12
9."Til I Get Over You"McKnightMcKnight4:57
10."I Belong to You"Peter BlackBlack4:45
11."Jam Knock"
  • McKnight
  • John R. Smith
McKnight4:33
12."When the Chariot Comes"
  • McKnight
  • Barnes
McKnight4:31
13."Home"McKnightMcKnight4:22

Samples

  • "Anytime"contains a sample of "Outside Your Door" by Meshell Ndegeocello
  • "You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)" contains samples from "I Got Ants in My Pants" by James Brown.
  • "Hold Me" contains samples "I Get Around" by 2Pac, "Computer Love" by Zapp, "Step in the Arena" by Gang Starr and "Impeach the President" by The Honey Drippers.
  • "Jam Knock" contains samples from "I Can't Wait" by Nu Shooz.

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[9] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

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References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Anytime at AllMusic
  2. "The Real Brian McKnight Pt. 2". irockjazz.com. June 10, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  3. Christgau, Robert (1997). "Robert Christgau: CG: Brian McKnight". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  4. "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide". The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  5. McNeill, Darren M. "Review". Vibe. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  6. "Brian McKnight Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  7. "Brian McKnight Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  8. Samuels, Anita M. (December 26, 1998). "Comebacks, Rap Smashes Spark R&B". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  9. "American album certifications – Brian McKnight – Anytime". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 8, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  10. "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Best of 1998". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
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