Brandy: Brandy 2LP Orange Vinyl

Why you'll love it

This 2LP set puts the debut on orange vinyl. "Baby" reached No. 4 and "I Wanna Be Down" No. 6 on the Hot 100, the album went 4x platinum in the US, and it earned Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

This edition

2LP set
Orange vinyl

About the album

Brandy Norwood was 14 when she started recording her first album in 1993, and Atlantic put it out in September 1994. Keith Crouch produced about half of it, with Kenneth Crouch, Arvel McClinton, Somethin' for the People and Damon Thomas rounding out a team that gave her smooth, grown-up R&B with a teenage sparkle.

"I Wanna Be Down" set the tone, "Brokenhearted" climbed to No. 9 and "Best Friend" made No. 34. "Always on My Mind," written by Kenneth Crouch, was later reworked by The Walls Group as "God on My Mind," and "Love Is on My Side" was co-written by a 16-year-old Robin Thicke, his first credited song. The three-part "I Dedicate" interludes thread through all four sides, and "Sunny Day" and "As Long As You're Here" show off how easy her phrasing already was.

It went gold in Canada and silver in the UK, and paved the way for Never Say Never four years later. With the star and one of her songwriters both still in their teens, we like to think the studio kept a strict curfew.

Also at Kops: more Brandy on vinyl · browse Hip Hop / R&B