I Am is the debut studio album by American R&B singer Chrisette Michele, released in the United States on June 19, 2007, by Def Jam Recordings. The album's third single, "Be OK", won the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.
Production Michele began working on the music that would make up I Am before she had a recording contract, and started promoting her work by visiting events for independent artists. During this time, she caught the attention of L.A. Reid, who later signed her to Island Def Jam, where she got support from producers such as Babyface, will.i.am, and John Legend.
The video for the album's lead single "If I Have My Way" premiered on VH1 Soul. The video for her second single "Best of Me" premiered on July 6, 2007, on Yahoo! Music, and was later added to VH1's video rotation. "Be OK", which features will.i.am, was released as the third single from the album, whose music video was on BET's 106 & Park on December 18, 2007. "Love Is You" was the fourth and final single and was released in 2008.
Reception
I Am generally mixed reviews from music critics. Andy Kellman of AllMusic praised I Am for successfully blending vintage soul influences with contemporary R&B, highlighting Michele's distinctive vocals and versatility, while Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club similarly commended its mix of upbeat neo-soul and intimate ballads, noting that Michele's voice remained compelling over both energetic and stripped-back arrangements. Ebony described I Am as an "impressive debut," praising Michele's "captivating jazzy-soulful vocals" and calling it "a winning set of tunes" that showcased her talents as a singer, songwriter, and composer. Billboard editor Clover Hope also lauded the album's "classy" and understated approach, highlighting Michele's "warm, scratchy vocals" and vintage-inspired style, while suggesting it could have benefited from more upbeat material. Steve Jones of USA Today gave I Am a three-and-a-half-star rating, highlighting her "soul-drenched vocals," mature songwriting, and blend of jazz, swing, gospel, and adult contemporary influences, noting that the album established her as a notable R&B talent.
More critical reviews focused on the album's execution. Writing for The Village Voice, Amy Linden praised Michele's "tangy, jazzy voice" and "effortless womanly grace," but felt the album was often "pleasant" yet "sluggish" due to its overly earnest songwriting and lack of energy. Steven J. Horowitz of PopMatters likewise praised Michele's jazz-influenced vocals but criticized the conventional R&B production, arguing that I Am ultimately fell short of her artistic potential and was "a disappointing achievement rather than a remarkable debut." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times argued that I Am leaned too heavily on retro influences, writing that "unlike Winehouse, who was repurposing and updating, Ms. Michele was rehashing."
Commercial performance I Am debuted at number twenty-nine on the US Billboard 200 and number five on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 26,000 copies in its first week. By late February 2009, the album had sold 419,000 units domestically.
Track listing
Sample credits "Good Girl" contains a sample from "Move Over" performed by The Soul Children. "Be OK" contains a sample from "Could You Be Loved" performed by Bob Marley & the Wailers. "Let's Rock" contains a sample from "Here We Go" performed by Run D.M.C.
Personnel Musicians
Chrisette Michele – singing, backing vocals Face – acoustic guitar, drums Lino Gomez – bass clarinet Vincent Henry – baritone saxophone Chris Johnson (drummer) – drums Norris "Sirone" Jones – guitar Lisa Kim – violin Gail Kruvand – bass John Legend – piano Rob Lewis – keyboards Emily Mitchell – bass clarinet
Eileen Moon – cello Sandra Park – violin Bruce Purse – bass trumpet Salaam Remi – bass, drums, guitar, piano Robert Smith III – drums Qiang Tu – cello Jeremy Turner – cello Omari Williams – drums Steve Williamson – clarinet Kelvin Wooten – bass, organ, piano Sharon Yamada – violin
Production
Chrisette Michele – producer Babyface – producer, keyboard programming Stephen Barber – string arrangements Paul Boutin – engineer Thom Cadley – engineer Lysa Cooper – stylist Dwayne "Whateva" Lindsey – producer Andrew Dawson – engineer Nichell Delvaille – art coordinator, photo coordination Gleyder "Gee" Disla – assistant Dylan Dresdow – mixing engineer Doug "Biggs" Ellison – programming, executive producer, management, vocal editing Anthony Gallo – vocal engineer Jon Gass – mixing GI Joe – producer Don Goodrick – assistant engineer Christopher "Jazz" Grant – engineer Bernie Grundman – mastering Courtney Harris – assistant engineer Matt Jones – photography
Doug Joswick – package production Hyomin Kang – assistant engineer John Legend – producer Rob Lewis – string arrangements Riley Mackin – engineer Manny Marroquin – mixing Tony Maserati – mixing Mo Jaz – producer Linette Payne – personal manager Kevin Randolph – producer L.A. Reid – executive producer Kendal "KD" Revanales – programming, engineer, vocal editing Rubin Rivera – engineer Mark Roule – digital editing, mixing assistant Joseph Smart – engineer Jason Stasium – engineer David Lee Stewart – producer Matt Taylor – design Nadia Vessel – hair stylist will.i.am – producer Kelvin Wooten – producer, string arrangements Patricia Yankee – grooming
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for I Am Chart (2007) PeakpositionJapanese Albums (Oricon)186
Year-end charts + 2007 year-end chart performance for I AmChart (2007)PositionUS Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)58 + 2008 year-end chart performance for I AmChart (2008)PositionUS Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)44
Release history + I Am release historyCountryDateFormatLabelCatalogRef. United KingdomJune 18, 2007Island14466 United StatesJune 19, 2007Def JamB000877402 CanadaJuly 10, 2007 GermanyJuly 24, 2007Universal Music– JapanNovember 21, 2007Universal Japan91147
References