Moodring

Moodring is the third studio album by Mya. The album was released on July 22, 2003.

It was her last studio album for A&M and Interscope Records. Before Mya began working on the album, she participated in prior engagements (in "Lady Marmalade" and "Chicago").

The album was recorded after the blockbuster success of "Lady Marmalade" and Mya's supporting role in the Oscar winning box office hit film "Chicago."

Production on the album was primarily handled by an array of producers.

She enlisted the assistance of producers Ron Fair, Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Rockwilder, Damon Elliott, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and a handful of others.

With this album, Mya wrote “99.9%” of her own lyrics and co-produced many of the album’s tracks.

During the process of recording the album, Mya funded her own studio time and used several songs she recorded two years ago from her archive of music.

The album (in Mya's words) is an experimental, somewhat bi-polar album with contemporary R&B/pop-influenced fusing jazz, techno, reggae, and hip-hop substance.

The album spawned two singles; the worldwide Top 40 hit "My Love Is Like...Wo" and the elegant mid-tempo track and album’s final release "Fallen.

"My Love Is Like...Wo" peaked within the Top 40 in five countries, but "Fallen" failed to reprise the same success and only reached the bottom half of Billboard’s Hot 100 peaking at number fifty-one.

"Moodring" debuted at number three on Billboard 200 album chart on August 9, 2003 with first week sales of 113,000 copies.

This marked Mya's highest debut and first week sales, a feat that she has yet to reciprocate.

Upon the album's initial release, it received generally positive reviews from music critics with AllMusic praising Mya for coming up with her best and most varied set of songs yet.

Two months after the album's release, it earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 25, 2003 and has sold roughly 589,000 copies to date.

In August 2005, after five years with Interscope Records, Mya decided to leave the company and her management.

"Moodring" was her last studio album in the United States following her departure from Interscope.

Since then, Mya's seventh album "K.I.S.S. (Keep It Sexy & Simple)" entered Billbord's Top R&B\Hip-Hop Albums chart ending her nine-year gap in the United States.

Album Background
Since Mya's 2000 album "[Fear of Flying]]," she has earned a Grammy for her contribution to "Lady Marmalade" from the "Moulin Rouge!" soundtrack and appeared in the Oscar-winning film "Chicago."

She also served as a pitch woman for Coca-Cola.

Mya spoke with Billboard magazine candidly about the gap between albums and her transition from one label to another label:

"This has been the biggest gap between projects. Not knowing when my album would come, working with someone like A&M Records president Ron Fair and the transition from moving from an independent label to Interscope sort of left us in limbo."

However though, it also presented opportunities like Mya's role in "Chicago" which she says, "took a little bit of time away from the album."

The album was due on July 22, 2003 and it was Mya's debut on A&M Records. Her two previous albums were released on the then-Interscope Records distributed imprint label University Music.

Album Production
Unlike "Fear of Flying," (which addressed somewhat superficial relationship issues), the new material on the album is real and personal largely because Mya wrote her own lyrics.

According to Missy Elliott:

"It's like when Pink stepped out with her second recor. She got to express herself a little more than she did on her first album. Mýa's grown up, and the things she's talking about deal more with real issues. It's not like someone coming in with a song that's already written, where the lyrics and music are from another person's perspective. We co-wrote the stuff that we did. So it's more from her."

Missy said Mya's lyrical development is not a shock tactic or an effort to keep up with her racy peers; it's more a sign of her own maturation and her interest in being honest and open.

Album Title
The original album title was called "Smoke & Mirrors." Mya later stated in an interview with A.J. Calloway & Free on BET's "106 & Park" that she thought about calling the album "Correction" because music critics & Mya's peers believed that she couldn't sing.

In the end, she decided to name the album "Moodring."

Musical Content
The opening track and the album's first single is "My Love Is Like...Wo" was written and produced by Missy Elliott.

The single reached the top twenty in the United States and the top forty elsewhere in countries like United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.

It took Mya a whole year before she decided to record the track because of its provocatie lyrics.

The second single from the album "Fallen" (an elegant mid-tempo track) was produced by One Up Entertainment.

The single was less successful than Mya's first single and was the album's final release.

"Why You Gotta Look So Good?" (the album's third track) was written and produced by Rockwilder and Mýa and features G-Unit member and then-labelmate Lloyd Banks.

The song itself tells the story of a woman struggling to leave a bad relationship.

The Timbaland-produced "Step" is the album's fourth track and was written by Elliot, Timbaland and Mya.

"Sophisticated Lady" (the album's fifth track) was produced by Mýa, Don Vito, and Tricky Stewart. It incorporates elements of Rick James's 1983 song "Cold Blooded."

The piano-powered "No Sleep Tonight" is the album's sixth track and was produced by Tricky Stewart and Mya. The song itself tells the story of Mya making a 3 a.m. booty call to her man.

The seventh track "Anatomy 1on 1" was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It is one of Mýa's favorite tracks on the album and is consider bubble bath music.

"Hurry Up" is the album's eighth and was produced by DJ Clue and features Mya's artist Gunz.

The Jerome "Knobody" Foster-produced "Things Come & Go" is the album's ninth track and features reggae-dancehall musician Sean Paul. It incorporates elements of Shuggie Otis's "Aht Uh Mi Hed."

"You" (the album's first ballad and tenth track) was produced by One Up Entertainment. The song was considered as a single at one point by Mýa's record label Interscope.

"After the Rain" (the album's eleventh track) was produced by Jerome "Knobody" Foster. The song is a tribute to Aaliyah and Lisa Lopes.

"Late" (another Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-produced track) is the twelfth song on the album. The song tells the story of a woman who has not come on her period yet.

"Whatever Bitch" is a drag queen anthem and the album's thirteenth track. Written and produced by Damon Elliott and Mya. The song incorporates elements of techno music.

"Taste This," the album's fourteenth track, was written by Mya and produced by Jerome "Knobody" Foster.

The song tells the story of a woman who is fed up with her lover half-stepping in their relationship and incorporates elements of quiet storm music.

The fifteenth track "Take a Picture" was produced by Damon Elliott and written by pop rock singer Pink.

The song was originally supposed to be featured on Pink's 2001 album "Missundaztood," but it later was recorded by Mya.

"Free Fallin'" is a remake of the Tom Petty song from his 1989 album "Full Moon Fever."

"Real Compared to What" is the album's final track. It features her then-labelmate Common and was featured in Mýa's 2002 Coca-Cola commercial.

Tracklisting

 * 1) My Love Is Like...Wo (3:29) (written by Charles Bereal, Kenneth Bereal & Melissa Elliott; produced by Missy Elliott & CKB)
 * 2) Fallen (3:34) (written by Rich Shelton, Kevin Veney, Loren Hill, Leonard Huggins, Luiz Bonfa & Maria Toledo; produced by Rich Shelton, Loren Hill & Kevin Veney)
 * 3) Why You Gotta Look So Good? (feat. Lloyd Banks) (4:39) (written by Christopher Lloyd, Dana Stinson, Teron Beal & Mya Harrison; produced by Rockwilder & Mya)
 * 4) Step (3:15) (written by Missy Elliott, Mya Harrison & Timothy Mosley; produced by Missy Elliott & Timbaland)
 * 5) Sophisticated Lady (3:51) (written by Mya Harrison, Rudy Currence & James Johnson; produced by Don Vito, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Mya and Ron Fair)
 * 6) No Sleep Tonight (4:12) (written by Mark Sparks, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Rudy Currence; produced by Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Mya and Ron Fair)
 * 7) Anatomy 1 on 1 (4:35) (written by Mya Harrison, James Harris III, Terry Lewis, Bobby Ross Avila and Issiah J. Avila; produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Bobby Ross Avila and Issiah J. Avila)
 * 8) Hurry Up (feat. Gunz) (4:29) (written by Kenneth Ifill, Mya Harrison, Derek Cooper & Ernesto Shaw; produced by Mya and Clue & Duro)
 * 9) Things Come & Go (feat. Sean Paul) (3:57) (written by Mya Harrison, Sean Paul Henriques & Shuggy Otis; produced by Knobody, Mya and Ron Fair)
 * 10) You (4:08) (written by Rich Shelton, Kevin Veney, Loren Hill & Marthea Jackson; produced by Rich Shelton, Loren Hill, Kevin Veney, Ron Fair & Mya)
 * 11) After the Rain (3:57) (written by Lamont Dozier, McKinley Jackson, Beal, Mya Harrison and Thealodius Reddick; produced by Rich Shelton, Kevin Veney, Loren Hill & Mya)
 * 12) Late (4:44) (written by Mya Harrison, James Harris III, Terry Lewis, Bobby Ross Avila, Issiah J. Avila & Eddie Cole; produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Bobby Ross Avila and Issiah J. Avila)
 * 13) Whatever Bitch (4:20) (written and produced by Mya Harrison & Damon Elliott)
 * 14) Taste This (4:36) (written by Sydney Brown, Kris Ricat, James Czenier and Mya Harrison; produced by Oman & Mya)
 * 15) Take a Picture (3:29) (written by D. Elliott & Alecia Moore; produced by D. Elliott and Ron Fair)
 * 16) Free Fallin' (3:54) (written by Jeff Lynne & Tom Petty; produced by D. Elliott, Ron Fair & Mya)

United States Bonus Album Track

 * 1) Real Compared to What (feat. Common) (3:58) (written by Eugene McDaniels; produced by Ron Fair, Pino Palladino, James Poyser & Ahmir Thompson)

International Bonus Album Track

 * 1) Moodring (3:31) (written by Mya Harrison, D. Elliott & Melissa Wright; produced by D. Elliott)

United Kingdom Bonus Album Tracks

 * 1) Moodring (3:31)
 * 2) Extacy (4:13) (written & produced by Mya & D. Elliott)
 * 3) Real Compared to What (feat. Common) (4:58)

Japanese Bonus Album Tracks

 * 1) Moodring (3:31)
 * 2) Extacy (4:13)
 * 3) Little Too Much, Little Too Late (3:24) (written by Diane Warren)
 * 4) Real Compared to What (feat. Common)

Commercial Performance
"Moodring" debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 album chart and Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart at number two with first-week sales of 113,000 units sold.

It was certified gold by the RIAA on September 25, 2003 and remained on the Billboard 200 album chart for 18 non-consecutive weeks.

The album has sold 589,000 copies in the United States alone, according Nielsen Soundscan.

The album was the 157th best-selling album of 2003 in the United States.

Outside the United States, the album debuted or peaked at number #197 in the United Kingdom, #25 in Canada, and #74 in Australia.

Internationally, the album was not as successful as her second album "Fear of Flying."

The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 album chart with first-week sales of 113,000 copies.

In its second, the album dropped 6 spots to number 9, selling 59,700 copies.

In its third week, the album dropped 4 spots to number 13, selling 39,690 copies.

In its fourth week, the album dropped 10 spots to number 23, selling 34,638.

In its fifth week, the album dropped to 17 spots to number 40, selling 25,891 copies.

In its sixth week, the album dropped to 2 spots to number 42, selling 20,041.

In its seventh week, the album moved up 3 spots to number 39, selling 22,197 copies.

In its eighth week, the album dropped to number 64 and fell out of Billboard's Top 50.

After ten weeks of its release, the album sat at number 85 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 copies to retailers on September 25, 2003.

On the Billboard 200 album chart, the album spent a total of 18 non-consecutive weeks.

Internationally, the album reached four countries.

It debuted and peaked at number 74 on the Australian Albums Chart. It failed to move up on United Kingdom's Top 75 album chart, spending one week below the chart; peaking at number 197.

It debuted and peaked at number 25 on the Canadian Albums Chart. It debuted and peaked at number 53 on the Japan Oricon Albums Chart.

Critical Reception
"Moodring" received generally positive reviews from music critics.

At Metacritic (which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics), the album received an average score of 63, based on 9 reviews which indicates "generally favorable reviews."

Allmusic’s Andy Kellman gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and wrote:

"Mya comes up with her best and most varied set of songs yet. The album's biggest highlights are almost completely different from one another, demonstrated right from the beginning; the opener, the strutting, boastful, Missy Elliott-produced 'My Love Is Like...Wo' is immediately followed by the yearning, elegant 'Falling.' Although the constant changes of direction can be a little jarring on the first couple plays, they eventually become one of the album's charms.''"

Entertainment Weekly’s writer Neil Drumming gave the album a B-, saying:

"At best, Moodring exhibits some minor genre dabbling, but truthfully, Mya's source material hasn't broadened much. Besides 'jacking Black Rob's whole 'like...whoa!' thing from three years ago, Mya recycles an eight-year-old Pharcyde loop and pathetically plunders Jay-Z's round-the-clock motif from 'Do It Again' circa 1999."

In speaking of Mya's voice he said, "Without a commanding voice to override such outdated overtures, Mýa's efforts sound strikingly out of touch."

Although he did admit:

"Harrison is at her most convincing when her mood turns nasty, whether she's berating a potential baby-daddy on 'Late,' ejecting a lowlife lover on 'Why You Gotta Look So Good?' or exacting sweet revenge on the RZA-like 'Taste This.' 'How would you feel,' she sneers on the last, 'if, when we're makin' love, I don't go down no more?' Now, that's 'whoa."

PopMatters’ Terry Sawyer gave Moodring a score of four out of ten stars and wrote:

"''For the most part, Moodring sinks like a stone. Declaring, the album is mixed to her disadvantage. On previous outings, with tighter pop sensibility intact, I never noticed how thin Mýa’s voice sounds; commenting on her ballad “You” saying it drips like a snotty nose in fat cheesy slabs of lounge underreach, an R. Kelly jam for people with Barbie crotches. It’s supposed to be sexy and yearning, but it doesn’t rise to the sincerity of a soap opera. She continued by stating without the vocal acrobatics, the slower numbers serve only to highlight the squeaky fringe of her voice, the kind of hollow shower range that only Madonna can pull off by launching the red herrings of her extra-musical celebrity. Sawyer added when Harrison does kicks it up, there are plenty of glimpses to what sort of chart conqueror she could easily be. “Late” struts forward on a giant stride of a beat, with Mýa working her vocals in clipped, half-jazz cadence that conveys a sense of absolute control. What’s more, it has to be the only dance song ever about missing your period and thinking you’re pregnant. It’s flashy, strident and just the kind of originality that trumps her peers. Similarly, “Whatever Bitch” camps around on a breakneck club thunk that outpaces your body’s ability to follow. It’s destined to played at unspeakable volumes in your car stereo. Moodring single, “My Love Is Like...Wo” shifts through on a lazier beat, but with all the back up harmonies and the instantly unforgettable chorus, it works just as well as some of the more outright speaker thumpers. On tracks like this, her voice is more effectively encased, tripped through an almost reggae beat with the rhythm zagging “Wo” singers weaving in and out throughout.''"

Personnel
Musicians Production
 * Alex Al – bass
 * Romeo Antonio – guitar
 * Kyle Armbrust – viola
 * Ravi Best – trumpet
 * Sandra Billingslea – violin
 * Krystyana Chelminski – violin
 * Eddie Cole & His Gang – bass, guitar
 * Luis Conte – percussion
 * James Czeiner – violin, horn
 * Earl Flemming – keyboard
 * Steve Ferrone – drums
 * Eileen Folson – viola, cello
 * Clark Gayton – trombone
 * Gary Grant – horn
 * Darryl Harper – keyboard
 * O.J. Harper – keyboard
 * Jerry Hey – horn
 * Dan Higgins – horn
 * Cecelia Hobbs Gardner – violin
 * Jun Jensen – cello
 * Natalie Leggett – violin, viola
 * Jerry Ney – horn
 * Joel Peskin – horn
 * Bill Reichenbach Jr. – horn
 * Kris Ricat – guitar, horn
 * Maxine Roach – viola
 * Derek Scott – guitar
 * Carl "Butch" Small – percussion
 * Michael Valerio – bass
 * Vocal production: Ron Fair & Mark Harrison
 * Vocal assistance: Patrice Bowie, Sue Ann Carwell, Eric Dawkins, Laurie Evans & Katrina Willis
 * Engineers: Mike Anzel, Dylan Dresdow, Bruce Buechner, Randy Bugnitz, Ian Cross, Jimmy Douglass, David Guerrero, Tal Herzberg, Troy Hightower, Pete Karam, Brian Summerville, Brian "B Luv" Thomas, Ryan West, Doug Wilson & Frank Wolf
 * Assistant engineers: Matt Marrin
 * Mixing: Dave Pensado
 * Mixing assistance: Ethan Willoughby
 * Mastering: Eddy Schreyer
 * A&R: Kathryn Keller Moss
 * Art Direction: Drew FitzGerald
 * Photography: Marc Baptiste & Sheryl Nields