Not That Kind

Not That Kind is the debut studio album by American singer Anastacia. It was released on June 16, 2000, by Epic Records and Daylight Records. The album features production by Sam Watters, Louis Biancaniello, Ric Wake, Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken, Rickey Minor, and The Shadowmen.
Bolstered by the global success of lead single "I'm Outta Love", the album reached the top two and top five of the majority of the countries in Europe and Oceania, including Australia, Germany and the UK (all number two), also topping the charts in New Zealand and Norway. Anastacia embarked on a promotional album tour that visited multiple countries, while three more singles were being released: title track "Not That Kind", "Cowboys & Kisses" and "Made for Lovin' You". The album eventually sold over five million copies worldwide.
In 1998, Anastacia was unemployed after being fired from a Los Angeles beauty salon for "being too loud." Disappointed after years of bad luck in the music industry, she was considering switching to a career in child psychology, when Lisa Braude, who later became her manager, encouraged her to join the MTV talent show The Cut (1998), hosted by rapper Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. Anastacia made her way to be one of the ten finalists, performing her own composition entitled "Not That Kind". While the season was won by male-female rap duo Silk-E, Anastacia attracted the interest of record labels after appearing on the shows, having impressed singers Elton John and Michael Jackson as well as the show's judges David Foster and Faith Evans. In March 1999, she signed a contract with Daylight Records, a custom label of Sony Music Entertainment's Epic Records and began work on her debut album.
"I'm Outta Love" was released as the album's lead single on February 29, 2000. It received acclaim from music critics, many of whom praised its production and Anastacia's vocal performance. A commercial success, it became the biggest-selling song of 2000 in both Australia and New Zealand and reached the top ten on most charts in appeared on. In the United States, the song peaked at number 92 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and spent three weeks on the chart only, though it fared better on Billboard's component charts, reaching number two on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. The song's music video, directed by Nigel Dick, was filmed on location at the Park Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
Title track "Not That Kind," originally performed by Anastacia on the MTV talent show The Cut in 1998, was released as the album's second single on October 2, 2000. The song received positive reviews from critics, with many praising its 1980s funk elements. It became a top hit in Italy, Scotland, and Spain and reached the top 20 on several further charts but failed to chart in the US. In France, the "Not That Kind" was awarded a silver certification in 2003. Directed by Marc Webb, the music video for "Not That Kind" was shot in New York City and opens with Anastacia singing the song in a club.
The country-flavoured soft rock tune "Cowboys & Kisses" was issued as the album third single on January 22, 2001. It earned a mixed reception from music critics, and became a moderate commercial success, peaking at number 17 on the Scottish Singles Chart, while also reaching the top thirty in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom as well as the top forty in Italy and Switzerland. Anastacia reteamed with Nigel Dick for the music video for "Cowboys & Kisses" which was filmed at the Camarillo Airport in January 2001 and depicts her as a cowgirl.
"Made for Lovin' You" was released as the album's fourth and final single on June 25, 2001. The uptempo track received positive reviews, and reached number five on the Dutch Top 40 Tipparade. It also peaked at number 27 on both the Scottish Singles Chart and the UK Singles Chart. The music video for "Made for Lovin' You" consists of several live performances, particularly a montage with scenes from her appearance at the Rock am Ring music festival in Germany in 2001.
Tricia Boey from MTV Asia praised Anastacia for her voice which she described as "a blue-eyed-soul version of Tina Turner or Chaka Khan" but felt the material on Not That Kind was "unworthy of it". She called it a "collection of songs that relies on tried and tested pop tactics. But hey, this kind of material is fashionable these days and so this disc may very likely go on to sell billions of records. Too bad they couldn't have matched that stunning voice to more interesting material." Similarly, Russell Baillie from The New Zealand Herald wrote: "While her accompanying multi-producer debut is quite a showcase for the white New Yorker's [...] black, soul-scorch of a voice, it's not anything special in the song department. It doesn't lack for variety, though, managing almost-earthy retro soul-funk, a big rock ballad, too much overblown diva stuff and points in between. No doubt it will prove quite the career-starter, but musically it shows that maybe Mariah divided by Macy doesn't necessarily go."
AllMusic editor William Ruhlmann rated the album four out of five stars. He noted that "Macy Gray demonstrated that a broad audience may respond to an older style if the singer herself is distinguished enough. Anastacia doesn't have the kind of unique timbre that Gray does – in fact, the minute she opens her mouth she starts reminding you of other singers, especially Aretha Franklin – but she is clearly a big talent, and that should count for something." Chris Lorraine, writing for Blender, found that "Anastacia's understated vocals give even the clichés of "Black Roses" some plain-spoken credibility. Her throaty voice evokes the anonymous disco-inflected divas of the late '70s, particularly on the Chic-ish "I'm Outta Love." But if Anastacia's alto should prove too conventional for megastardom, her debut suggests there are many more syllables yet to be sung.
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