1994 studio album by Zhané
Pronounced Jah-Nay is the debut studio album by American R&B group Zhané . It was released on February 15, 1994, via Motown . The recording sessions took place at The Enterprise Studios and at Encore Studios in Burbank , at Marion Recording Studio in Fairview, New Jersey, and at Unique Recording Studios and at Soundtrack Studios in New York City . The album was produced by Naughty by Nature and Zhané. It peaked at number thirty-seven on the Billboard 200 and number eight on the Top R&B Albums chart. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on October 4, 1996.
The album produced five singles: "Hey Mr. D.J. ", "Groove Thang ", "Sending My Love ", "Vibe " and "You're Sorry Now". Its lead single, "Hey Mr. D.J.", became the group's most successful song, reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and receiving gold certification by the RIAA.
Music & Media wrote, "The concept this female duo–Renee Neufville and Jean Norris –practises is relatively new. Blending sweet soul music with hip hop rhythm tracks, the outcome is not unlike "Sons Of Soul" Tony! Toni! Tone! . Compared to their own streetwise rap records, producers Naughty By Nature were very smooth operators in the studio for this one. Apart from the two singles "Hey Mr. D.J. " and "Groove Thang " the beat is rather slow. Pronounce "Ge-nius," we say sans gene."[ 8]
Title Writer(s) Producer(s) 1. "Hey Mr. D.J. " Naughty by Nature 4:11 2. "Intro (Interlude)" Gist Naughty by Nature 0:35 3. "Vibe " Naughty by Nature 3:30 4. "Sending My Love " Neufville Naughty by Nature Naughty by Nature David Bellochio (add. ) 3:41 5. "Sweet Taste of Love" Neufville Naughty by Nature David Bellochio (add. ) 3:50 6. "Changes" Neufville Naughty by Nature Renée Neufville Craig King (co. ) 4:44 7. "You're Sorry Now" Neufville Naughty by Nature Naughty by Nature David Bellochio (co. ) 4:41 8. "Love Me Today" Neufville Renée Neufville Naughty by Nature 5:25 9. "Off My Mind" Neufville Renée Neufville 4:24 10. "La, La, La" Jean Norris Naughty by Nature 5:29 11. "Groove Thang " Naughty by Nature 3:55 12. "For a Reason" Norris Zhané 6:56 13. "Hey Mr. D.J. (Remix)" Naughty by Nature 5:13 Total length: 56:34
Sample credits Renée Neufville – vocals, lyrics (tracks: 1, 3-11, 13) , piano (track 8) , strings (track 12) , producer (tracks: 6, 8, 9, 12) , executive producer Jean Norris – vocals, lyrics & producer (tracks: 10, 12) , keyboards (track 10) , piano (track 12) , executive producer Keir "Kay Gee" Gist – vocals (track 2) , drum programming (tracks: 6–8, 10, 13) , executive producer Wendell & Face – vocals (track 2) Les – additional vocals (track 3) Voe Harris – keyboards (track 3) Naheem "Pop Holiday" Bowens – keyboards (track 3) David Bellochio – keyboards (tracks: 4, 5, 7, 8) , piano (track 9) , additional producer (tracks: 4, 5) , co-producer (track 7) , recording (tracks: 1–8, 10–13) Alan Goldsher – bass (track 9) Steve Williams – drums (track 9) Frank Gravis – bass (track 10) Paul Levant – guitar (track 10) Kevin Batchelor – trumpet (track 10) Naughty by Nature – producers (tracks: 1–8, 10, 11, 13) Craig King – co-producer (track 6) Angela Piva – recording (tracks: 1–8, 10–14) , mixing (tracks: 1–7, 9-14) John Van Nest – mixing (track 8) Frank Fagnano – recording (track 9) Quincy Jones III – remixing (track 13) Ed Miller – recording assistant Fred Kelly – recording assistant John Buttigieg – recording assistant Mufi – recording assistant Rob Polhemus – recording assistant Scott Blockland – recording assistant Scott Canto – recording assistant Steve McKeever – executive producer, liner notes Jonathan Clark – art direction Shauna Woods – design James Minchin III – photography ^ a b Promis, Jose F. "Pronounced Jah-Nay Zhané" . AllMusic . Retrieved March 12, 2021 . ^ Considine, J.D. (June 10, 1994). "Books & Music: Album Reviews" . The Baltimore Sun . p. G3. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Bangor Daily News . ^ Larkin, Colin (2000). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music . Omnibus Press . ^ Bernard, James (February 11, 1994). "Pronounced Jah-Nay" . Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved March 12, 2021 . ^ Martinucci, John (February 11, 1994). "Gavin Picks — Albums" (PDF) . Gavin Report . Retrieved March 14, 2022 . ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Pronounced Jah-Nay". People . March 21, 1994. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (May 1994). "Heavy Rotation" . Spin . p. 24. Retrieved January 27, 2023 . ^ "New Releases: Albums" (PDF) . Music & Media . April 9, 1994. p. 8. Retrieved May 19, 2021 . ^ "Australiancharts.com – Zhané – Pronounced Jah-Nay" . Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2021. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100" . Official Charts Company . Retrieved March 12, 2021. ^ "Billboard 200 Chart: Week of March 12, 1994" . Billboard . Retrieved March 12, 2021 . ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart: Week of March 12, 1994" . Billboard . Retrieved March 12, 2021 . ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1995" . Billboard . Retrieved March 12, 2021 . ^ "American album certifications – Zhane – Zhane" . Recording Industry Association of America .
Studio albums Singles Featured singles