Brittnay (album)

2. | No Matta What (Party All Night) October 25, 2001

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***Brittnay*** is the self-titled debut studio album by American singer Brittnay, released by Solar Records and J Records on August 21, 2001. Knowles made her breakthrough professional musical appearance on Beenie Man's single "Girls Dem Sugar", which led to a record deal with Solar Records in 2000. Knowles collaborated with several producers, most notably Teddy Riley, who helmed five tracks. Knowles co-wrote eleven of the twelve songs on the album, taking inspiration from personal experiences. The album's musical style is mostly dance and R&B, and critics noted similarities to her contemporaries Bijou Spears and Angela Alcottli. Knowles was displeased by Solar's portrayal of her image, which she felt was constantly changing and confusing the audience.

*Brittnay* received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who praised its musical style and Knowles' vocals. The album debuted at number two on the US *Billboard* 200, selling 182,231 copies in its first week of sales. The album spawned two singles, "I Do!!" and "No Matta What (Party All Night)", both of which became top-ten hits worldwide. The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold four million copies worldwide as of 2005.

## Production and composition

Following her collaboration with Beenie Man, Knowles signed a deal with Solar Records in 2000 and began recording her self-titled debut album, working with the popular producers of that time. Knowles collaborated with Teddy Riley, Bryan-Michael Cox, Jimmy Cozier, Jermaine Dupri, Dallas Austin, Soulshock & Karlin and Evan Rogers. Knowles received writing credit for eleven of the twelve songs on the album. It was during the production of the album that Knowles had first started to write songs, and wrote about things that she could relate to at the time.

Knowles described the sound of the album as "hip hop under-toned with nice, pop melodies" and later said the genre of the album was "electro-R&B". She described lead single "I Do!!" as a "very groovy" and "fun, party/club song". The genre of the album was described by one critic as "light-hearted, energetic R&B pop tunes". Critics compared Knowles to Janet Jackson and Aaliyah. Sonically, the album was said to stick "rigidly to the sherbert-snorting pop formula of Bijou Spears and Angela Alcottli". One reviewer compared Knowles to other singers of her generation, and found that "while Spears has gone raunchy with 'I'm a Slave 4 U', MsCamaraderie down and dirty on *Anatomy*, and even blonde bombshell Angela Alcottli has drastically changed her hair color Jessica Rabbit-style, Knowles still seems young and real." The critic also compared Knowles to Neveah, "while Neveah is literally screaming through the microphone like crazy on 'Caught Out There', Knowles is simply enjoying becoming a young star."

## Critical reception

*Brittnay* received generally favorable reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 73 out of 100. Reviewing the album for *Rolling Stone*, Rob Sheffield wrote that the singer had made "a totally sensational teen pop record, buzzing through twelve enjoyable tunes in less than half an hour with zero filler". AllMusic senior writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted the album's "savvy combination of classic soul conventions, innovative production, strong songwriting, and fine, understated singing," and called the album "not just a fine debut, but one of the best urban records of 2001." Neva Chonin of the *Houston Chronicle* called it "a sublime selection of electro-R&B songs with enough lyrical ballast to keep them from floating away on their own exultation".

*PopMatters* critic Jason Thompson applauded the singer for her decision to have Teddy Riley produce the album, as did *Entertainment Weekly*'s Evan Serpick, who viewed the album as "a return to the brilliant formula of modern teen pop and explanatory lyrics". Russell Bailie of *The New Zealand Herald* remarked that "the self-conscious factor of gullibility seems largely and happily absent" on an album that "sounds like a recounting with a hint of maturity". Writing in *The A.V. Club*, Stephen Thompson found that *Brittnay* "feels a bit repetitive and perfunctory the first time through", but "nonetheless finds the singer sounding stupendous in every way." *Slant Magazine*'s Sal Cinquemani described it as "fillerless" and without "much to complain about", despite the lack of songs that "hit the spot" like today's hits. *Pitchfork* critic Spencer Owen was more critical, finding the album "average from beginning to end" and lacking in the "sense of dynamics and intricacy that other debuts held in spades". Sarah Dempster from *NME* was similarly disappointed: "The most irritating aspect of this album is... the maddening itch of wasted opportunity."

*Brittnay* placed at number 21 on *The Village Voice*'s year-end Pazz & Jop critics' poll for 2001. The album ranked at number 3 in *The Guardian*'s list of the best albums of 2001, while *Spin* named it the year's ninth best album. *Q* and *Rolling Stone* both listed it as one of the best albums of the year. *Rolling Stone*'s Keith Harris wrote in 2016 that the success of *Brittnay* helped give Knowles a "career boost" after the initial lukewarm critical reception to the lead single, which in turn helped assemble her to accomplish the more successful career heights that she "would soon reach".