Stacie Orrico is the second studio album by American singer Stacie Orrico. It was released by ForeFront Records and Virgin Records on March 25, 2003, in the United States. Initially conceived as a Contemporary Christian music album, much in style of Orrico's debut album Genuine (2000), the album was titled Say It Again and expected to be released in 2002, featuring production by Anthony Dent and Tedd T, among others. Additional recording sessions with mainstream producers Dallas Austin and The Underdogs led to a different musical direction however and resulted in the renaming of the project. Stylistically, the album mixes the singer's native Christian music with more pop and R&B styles, but also features incorporation of teen pop and dance music.
Stacie Orrico received generally favorable reviews from music critics who praised the songs, but some said that it was mixed with different genres. The album peaked at number fifty-nine on the US Billboard 200, while also reaching the top spot on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart, and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It peaked in the top ten in different countries, including Japan and Norway, and the top twenty in Austria, Germany, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Stacie Orrico produced the international top ten hits "Stuck" and "(There's Gotta Be) More to Life" and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album.
Background
When Orrico released her debut album, Genuine (2000), she released only one mainstream single which was "Everything". It was later announced that she would record another album with her record label Forefront Records, Say It Again, which was originally intended solely for Christian pop radio, with a release date of April 2002. However, when Virgin Records saw mainstream potential with Orrico, the album was postponed and then cancelled while it was retooled.
|rev2 = MTV Asia
|rev2score = 7/10
|rev3 = Rolling Stone
|rev3score =
Stacie Orrico received generally positive reviews from music critics. Steve Losey from Allmusic rated the album three stars out of five. He pointed out about Orrico that "vocally the opus stretches her talents by delving into several tempo and mood changes that the 17-year-old embraces like a seasoned veteran." He also said that "the astounding thing about the disc is that the grooves drip of dance floor sweat, maturity, and soulfulness while maintaining integrity and purity from America's newest diva/role model." PopMatters noted that on her second album, "Orrico knows what she can do – excellent melodic pop – and doesn't try to push any boundaries. At this time in her young career, this clear path is a benefit." While the online magazine felt that a "couple of weaker, moderate-tempo songs prevent Stacie Orrico from matching Genuine, it declared the album a "well-crafted and focused" project, complimenting it for its "solid melodies and songs."
Billboard remarked that the album had Orrico "making major inroads into mainstream pop" and called it an "adventurous set that perfectly showcases Orrico's vocal sass and youthful exuberance." Rolling Stone critic Kerry L. Smith found that the album had Orrico invoke a "sexy, sophisticated spirit [that] spices up her R&B-heavy; sophomore album with hip-hop, pop and gospel stylings well beyond her years [...] The album's shining moments are the ballads "Strong Enough," which Orrico performs on keyboard and "I Promise." If Orrico continues to stay true to herself, her career is one promise she's sure to make good on."
Commercial reception
Stacie Orrico enjoyed moderate international success. It scored its chart highest entry in Japan where it reached number three on the Japanese Albums Chart and was later certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ),
Track listing
Notes
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- <sup></sup> signifies an additional producer
Personnel
- Anthony Anderson – guitar, MIDI programming
- David Angell – violin
- Dallas Austin – producer
- Ken Bell – guitar, MIDI programming
- Teddy Campbell – drums
- Melody Chambers – vocals
- Kyle Cook – guitar
- Eric Darken – percussion
- David Davidson – violin
- Eddie DeGarmo – executive producer
- Dave Deviller – producer
- Aaron Featherstone – acoustic guitar
- Greg Ham – executive producer
- Sean Hosien – producer
- Victor Indrizzo – drums
- Kenya Ivey – vocals
- Corky James – guitar, bass
- Kevin Kadish – MIDI programming
- Anthony LaMarchina – cello
- Harvey Mason Jr. – producer
- David May – Acoustic guitar
- Mooki – drums, keyboards, vocals, producer, drum programming, MIDI programming
- Marcelo Pennell – engineer, mixer
- Nashville String Machine – strings
- Lynn Nichols – guitar
- Stacie Orrico – vocals, producer
- Carlos Pennell – guitar
- Tony Reyes – guitar
- Matt Rollings – piano, producer
- Matt Serletic – producer
- Neil Stubenhaus – bass
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Weekly chart performance for Stacie Orrico
! scope="col"| Chart (2003)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Irish Albums (IRMA)
| style="text-align:center;"|23
|-
!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 59
|-
!scope="row"| US Christian Albums (Billboard)
| 1
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Year-end chart performance for Stacie Orrico
! scope="col"|Chart (2003)
! scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)
| style="text-align:center;"|34
|-
! scope="row"|US Christian Albums (Billboard)
|align="center"|8
|-
! scope="col"|Chart (2004)
! scope="col"|Position
|-
! scope="row"|US Christian Albums (Billboard)
|align="center"|8
|}