Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship

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Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
Studio album by
India Arie
ReleasedJune 27, 2006 (2006-06-27)
Recorded2005–2006
GenreR&B
Length59:48
LabelMotown
Producer
India Arie chronology
Voyage to India
(2002) 		Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
(2006) 		Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics
(2009)
Alternative cover
UK cover
Singles from Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
  1. "I Am Not My Hair"
    Released: November 15, 2005
  2. "There's Hope"
    Released: June 26, 2006[1]
  3. "The Heart of the Matter"
    Released: September 4, 2006

Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship is the third studio album by American singer India Arie, released on June 27, 2006, by Motown. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 161,000 copies in its first week. In 2007, the album was nominated for three Grammy Awards: Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song for "I Am Not My Hair", and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "I Am Not My Hair".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic53/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Blender[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB[4]
The Guardian[5]
NME4/10[2]
PopMatters6/10[6]
Rolling Stone[2]
Spin4/10[2]
USA Today[7]
Vibe[8]

Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 53, based on 14 reviews.[2] Some reviews are positive, like Billboard, for example, which gave the album a positive review and called it "An ambitious, aurally rich suite of storytelling songs."[9] Hartford Courant gave it a positive review and said, "Of all today's self-actualizing soul singers, India.Arie represents the purest version of the concept. How much you'll like her brand of R&B depends in part on whether the word "nurturing" gives you the warm fuzzies or makes your skin crawl."[10] On the other hand, Mojo gave it two stars out of five and said, "Lacking the wit and lyrical dexterity of a Jill Scott or the raw power of Angie Stone, the songs can feel airless and unengaged."[2] Q also gave it two stars out of five and said that Arie's "sauntering melodies struggle under the weight of their worthy load."[2]

Commercial performance

In the United States, Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts with first-week sales of 161,000 copies, Arie's first number-one album on the Billboard 200 and second on the R&B chart.[11] The following week, it fell to number three on the Billboard 200 with 69,000 copies sold.[12] The album had sold 689,000 copies in the United States as of December 2008.[13]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro: Loving"
  • Arie
  • Sanders
1:30
2."These Eyes"
  • Arie
  • Batson
  • Sanders[a]
4:31
3."The Heart of the Matter"
5:15
4."Good Morning"
  • Arie
  • Sanders
  • Ramsey
5:27
5."Private Party"
  • Arie
  • Burch
  • Johnson
  • Howard
3:52
6."There's Hope"
  • Arie
  • Harrington
  • Burch
3:56
7."Interlude: Living"
  • Arie
  • Sanders
  • Arie
  • Sanders
1:23
8."India'Song"Arie
  • Arie
  • Doctah B Sirius AKA Courtney Branch
5:26
9."Wings of Forgiveness"
  • Arie
  • Macek
  • Gosselin
  • White
4:59
10."Summer" (featuring Rascal Flatts and Victor Wooten)
  • Arie
  • Ramsey
  • Cindy Morgan
  • Arie
  • Ramsey
  • Sanders
3:14
11."I Am Not My Hair" (featuring Akon)
 3:49
12."Great Grandmother"  0:34
13."Better People"
  • Arie
  • Sanders
  • Ramsey
  • Macek
  • Jimmy "J-Rok" English
  • Arie
  • Macek
  • English
3:43
14."Outro: Learning"
  • Arie
  • Sanders
  • Arie
  • Sanders
1:32
15."I Choose"
4:45
16."This Too Shall Pass" (hidden track)  5:54
UK edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
16."I Am Not My Hair" (Urban A/C Mix)4:20
17."This Too Shall Pass" (hidden track)5:52
iTunes Store bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
16."I Am Not My Hair" (Yoruba Soul Remix) 
17."This Too Shall Pass"5:52
Target exclusive edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
16."Just for Today (Embrace the Mystery)"4:31
17."This Too Shall Pass" (hidden track)5:52
Circuit City exclusive edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
16."Simple Yes"4:48
17."This Too Shall Pass" (hidden track)5:52

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer
  • ^[b] signifies a main and vocal producer

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[27] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "Urban AC – Week Of: June 26, 2006". Radio & Records. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Critic reviews at Metacritic
  3. ↑ Allmusic review
  4. ↑ Sinclair, Tom (June 19, 2006). "Music Review: Testimony Vol. 1: Life & Relationship". Vibe. Archived from the original on April 26, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  5. ↑ Clarke, Betty (June 23, 2006). "CD: India.Arie, Testimony: Vol 1, Life and Relationships". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  6. ↑ Horowitz, Steven J. (June 26, 2006). "India.Arie: Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship". PopMatters. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  7. ↑ Jones, Steve (June 27, 2006). "Shawnna's 'Block' rocks; Arie's 'Testimony' credible". USA Today. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  8. ↑ Hope, Clover (June 19, 2006). "India.Arie – Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship (Universal Motown)". Vibe. Archived from the original on October 20, 2006. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  9. ↑ Mitchell, Gail. "Billboard review". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 13, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  10. ↑ Hope, Clover (June 19, 2006). "New On Disc". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  11. ↑ Hasty, Katie (July 5, 2006). "India.Arie's 'Testimony' Debuts At No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  12. ↑ Hasty, Katie (July 12, 2006). "Cash Earns First No. 1 Album Since 1969". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  13. ↑ Cohen, Jonathan (December 29, 2008). "India.Arie Readies Next 'Testimony'". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  14. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 18.
  15. ↑ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. July 9, 2006. Archived from the original on July 15, 2006. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – India.Arie – Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Lescharts.com – India.Arie – Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – India.Arie – Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – India.Arie – Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – India.Arie – Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Chart Log UK (1994–2010): I Am Arrows – Laura Izibor". Zobbel.de. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  23. ↑ "India.Arie Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  24. ↑ "India.Arie Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  27. ↑ "American album certifications – India.Arie – Testimony". Recording Industry Association of America. August 4, 2006. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
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