Deborah Cox is the self-titled debut album by Canadian singer Deborah Cox. It was released by Arista Records on September 12, 1995, in the United States by Arista Records and was executive produced by Clive Davis. Deborah Cox is a blend of dance-pop, hip hop soul and R&B and features productions from producers such as Tim & Bob, Babyface, Daryl Simmons and Dallas Austin. A commercial and critical success, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for sales of over 500,000 units, and earned Cox a Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording at the 1996 Juno Awards.
"Sentimental" was released as the lead single from the album, and peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The second single "Who Do U Love" fared better on the singles chart, peaking at number 17 on the Hot 100, while reaching the top of Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs, selling 500,000 copies domestically.[3] It also attained worldwide success, peaking at number two on the New Zealand Singles Chart and reaching the Top 20 on other international charts.
AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that Cox "is a confident and stylish singer, but her self-titled debut is helped considerably by the powerhouse producers work behind the scenes [...] The record is filled with immaculately crafted dance-pop and ballads. Not all of the songs are up to the production standards, however. Like many singers in her genre, Deborah Cox is only as good as her material, and the songs on their debut are uneven [...] Nevertheless, the best songs on the album suggests that Cox has the potential to develop into a star."[1]
Japanese edition bonus track| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|
| 13. | "Sentimental" (Uptempo Mix) | | - Austin
- John Robinson (add.)
| 4:21 |
|---|
UK edition bonus track| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|
| 13. | "Sentimental" (Smooth Mix) | | - Austin
- Francis Buckley (add.)
| 4:32 |
|---|
In 2012, the album was remastered and re-released in the UK by New Skool Sounds as a 2CD deluxe edition with 16 additional tracks. The first 12 tracks of disc one are the same as on the standard edition.
Disc 1| No. | Title | Length |
|---|
| 13. | "Sentimental" (Smooth Mix) | 4:32 |
|---|
| 14. | "Who Do U Love" (Driza Bone Extended Mix) | 5:10 |
|---|
| 15. | "Sentimental" (Groove Mix) | 4:10 |
|---|
| 16. | "Who Do U Love" (Gass Mix) | 4:26 |
|---|
Disc 2| No. | Title | Length |
|---|
| 1. | "Who Do U Love" (David Morales Down Low Dub) | 6:11 |
|---|
| 2. | "It Could've Been You" (David Morales Club Mix) | 11:06 |
|---|
| 3. | "Who Do U Love" (David Morales Boss Drums Dub) | 5:00 |
|---|
| 4. | "Sentimental" (Uno Clio Dub) | 8:08 |
|---|
| 5. | "Who Do U Love" (Driza Bone Remix) | 4:08 |
|---|
| 6. | "Just Be Good to Me" (V-Men Vocal Dub) | 8:03 |
|---|
| 7. | "Sentimental" (E-Smoove House Dub) | 5:32 |
|---|
| 8. | "Who Do U Love" (David Morales Classic Club Mix) | 8:42 |
|---|
| 9. | "Just Be Good to Me" (Div-A-Pella) | 6:34 |
|---|
| 10. | "It Could've Been You" (Mass Avenue Hip Hop Remix) | 4:16 |
|---|
| 11. | "Sentimental" (Bounce Mix) | 4:05 |
|---|
| 12. | "Who Do U Love" (Chucky Thompson's Hip Hop Mix) | 3:48 |
|---|
- ^ a b c AllMusic review
- ^ a b Robertson IV, Gil L. (October 28, 1995). "Urban" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 11. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ "Best-Selling Records of 1996". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 3. BPI Communications Inc. January 18, 1997. p. 61. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 68.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Deborah Cox – Deborah Cox". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
- ^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
- ^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
- ^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Deborah Cox – Deborah Cox". Music Canada. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
- ^ "American album certifications – Deborah Cox – Deborah Cox". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
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