# Deborah Cox (album)

Deborah Cox is the self-titled debut album by Canadian singer Deborah Cox. It was released by Arista Records and Vassal Benford's vanity label Vaz Records on September 12, 1995, in the United States. Cox was signed by Clive Davis to Arista after he discovered her during a performance as Celine Dion's backing vocalist at The Arsenio Hall Show in 1994. In preparation of her debut album, the label consulted a variety of producers to work with her, including Tim & Bob, Babyface, Daryl Simmons and Dallas Austin.
The album was released to generally positive reviews from music critics, though some felt that the material was uneven. While it failed to crack the upper half of the US Billboard 200, Deborah Cox emerged as a steady seller, particularly based on the crossover success of its second single "Who Do U Love," which became a hit on the dance market. It reached Platinum status in Canada and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment figures of over 500,000 units. Deborah Cox earned Cox the Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording at the 1996 awards ceremony.

## Background

Cox began singing on TV commercials at age twelve, and entered various talent shows including an appearance on Tiny Talent Time. She performed in nightclubs as a teenager, and began to write music around the same time. Cox entered the music industry in the early 1990s, performing as a backup vocalist for Celine Dion for six months. In 1992, she also appeared on Canadian rapper Devon's album titled It's My Nature on the track "That's a Friend." After receiving several rejection letters from Canadian record labels that claimed their "quota" had been reached, Cox moved to Los Angeles in 1994 with producer and songwriting partner, Lascelles Stephens.
The same year, she met Arista Records executive Clive Davis when she was again singing backup vocals for Dion on The Arsenio Hall Show. Impressed by the "creamy power of her voice," he signed her to Arista. To capture her versatility, the label teamed her with several heavyweight songwriters and producers, including Dallas Austin, Tim & Bob, Daryl Simmons, Keith Crouch, Vincent Herbert, Keith Thomas, and Babyface. Cox, who co-wrote three songs on what would become her self-titled debut album, commented on the creation procss: "We spent a long time hand-picking material. Our approach was to find real songs that would have that "timeless" quality. It took a while [...] but I knew what I wanted and I think there is some great material here."

## Promotion

In hopes to separate Cox from the rest of Arista's other young female singers such as Monica and Faith Evans, the label set up a number of intimate solo showcases in the weeks leading up to Deborah Cox's release. In August 1995, she appeared on several R&B and top 40/rhythm programmers in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.. Cox also performed at the Musicland and several Target conventions the same month. In addition, she shared bill with other singers at the KMEL San Francisco concert on August 25, 1995 and embarked on a European promotional tour afterwards.

### Singles

Arista selected Dallas Austin-produced "Sentimental" to precede the album as its lead single. The song peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, with its Brett Ratner-directed music video earning Cox a nomination for Best New Artist Clip at the 1996 Billboard Music Video Awards. Second single "Who Do U Love" peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and enjoyed success in the dance market, with its remixes reaching the top of the magazine's Hot Dance Club Songs, selling 500,000 copies domestically. It also attained worldwide success, peaking at number two on the New Zealand Singles Chart and reaching the Top 20 on other international charts. "Where Do We Go from Here," which served as the album's third single along with the S.O.S. Band cover "Just Be Good to Me," became a top ten hit in New Zealand and reached number 28 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Two further singles, the Keith Crouch-penned "The Sound of My Tears" and the Tim & Bob-produced "It Could've Been You," were released in 1996, though only the former managed to chart in the United States.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
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." Gil L. Robertson IV fom Cash Box magazine called the album a "well-polished mix of pop and R&B styles that should do well on the marketplace. Everything about this project is first rate, from the glossy but solid musical production to the song selection and Cox's delivery. Although she’s been hyped as Arista's next Whitney Houston, Cox's vocals lack the powerful dynamics responsible for Houston's massive appeal. Radio formats across the board will, for certain, fall for this talented Canadian beauty." Jet magazine felt that Cox's "self-titled debut album skillfully presents her powerful talent to the listening audience. From the smooth groove of "Sentimental" to the heartfelt emotion of "Sound of My Tears," Cox shows her vocal versatility and range."

## Commercial performance

Released on September 12, 1995, Deborah Cox debuted at number 105 on the US Billboard 200 in the week of October 28, 1995 and peaked at number 102 a week later. It also reached number 25 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and peaked atop the US Heatseekers Albums chart. On August 1, 1996, it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments figures in excess of 500,000 units. By August 1998, Deborah Cox had sold 293,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan. In Canada, the album peaked at number 55 on RPM's Top Albums/CDs in the week of May 27, 1996. On June 26, 1996, it was certified Gold by Music Canada. It eventually reached Platinum status in February 1997 when it surpassed shipments figures of 100,000 units.

## Track listing
### 2012 re-release

In 2012, the album was remastered and re-released in the UK by New Skool Sounds as a two-disc deluxe edition with 16 additional tracks.
Notes
* denotes co-producer(s)
* denotes additional producer(s)

## Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Deborah Cox.
* Keith Andes – keyboards
* Dallas Austin – composer, guest artist, multi instruments
* Babyface – guest artist, keyboards
* Vassal Benford – composer
* Lisa Bernard – vocals (background)
* Darryl Brundidge – keyboards
* Deborah Cox – composer, primary artist, vocals
* Keith Crouch – composer, keyboards, percussion
* Valerie Davis – vocals (background)
* Ada Dyer – vocals (background)
* Derrick Edmondson – saxophone
* Sherree Ford-Payne – guest artist, vocals (background)
* Dean Gant – synthesizer
* Ronnie Garrett – bass
* Ben Garrison – drums
* Mark Hammond – drums
* James Harris – composer
* Vincent Herbert – drums
* Kipper Jones – composer
* Tim Kelly – drums, keyboards
* Debra Killings – vocals (background)
* Terry Lewis – composer
* Alvin Parker – organ
* Scherrie Payne – vocals (background)
* Bob Robinson – keyboards
* Rick Sheppard – synthesizer
* Daryl Simmons – drums, keyboards
* Tann Simmons – vocals (background)
* Sam Simms – bass
* John Jubu Smith – guitar
* Lascelles Stephens – composer
* Vance Taylor – piano
* Keith Thomas – bass, synthesizer
* Michael Thompson – guitar
* Audrey Wheeler – guest artist, vocals (background)
* Colin Wolfe – bass, composer
* Val Young – vocals (background)

## Charts

Chart performance for Deborah Cox :
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) | 66 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM) | 55 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) | 49 |
| US Billboard 200 | 102 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) | 1 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) | 25 |

## Certifications

Certifications for Deborah Cox :
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Canada (Music Canada) | Platinum | 100,000$^^$ |
| United States (RIAA) | Gold | 500,000$^^$ |
| $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||