Contains the hidden track "Shed" which follows "Blowin' Up Your Speakers."
Personnel includes: Macy Gray, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Angie Stone, Slick Rick, Sunshine Anderson (vocals); Darryl Swann (acoustic & electric guitar); Jinsoo Lim (guitar); Jeremy Ruzumna (piano, organ, synthesizer); Zac Rae (Chamberlain, synthesizer); Mike Elizondo (bass); Victor Indrizzo (drums); Marina Bambino, Davey Chedwiggen (percussion); Stephanie Alexander, Sy Smith, LeJon Walker, Latina Webb (background vocals).
Recorded at Paramount Recording Studios and The Record Plant Recording Studios, Hollywood, California; Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois; The Studio and Remote Recording Services, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Macy Gray's debut album ON HOW LIFE IS made here an R&B superstar, and the followup THE ID keeps pace with the stellar reputation its predecessor garnered. As before, Gray eschews the played-out trappings of so much contemporary R&B. Instead of drum loops, self-consciously retro-sounding analog synths, and easily recognizable samples, Macy surrounds herself with live drums, piano, organ, strings, and the other elements that once were standard fare in R&B and are now considered "organic."
Riding atop it all is her quirky, distinctive, Patti Labelle-meets-Eartha Kitt voice and her decidedly outspoken lyrics. Even more than on her previous album, Gray delightfully turns the tables on male R&B stars who've always been only too proud to promote their sexual freakhood. On several songs here, Macy boldly claims freakiness as a female attribute to be trumpeted from the rooftops. On the album's catchiest tune, "Relating to a Psychopath," she humorously extends her freewheeling outlook to mental dysfunction, underscoring things with some Sly Stone-like psychedelic soul flavor by ending the song with a flurry of phasing and stereo panning. Whether indulging in a full-on torch ballad or getting righteously funky, Macy rules THE ID with a grace befitting the new-school Queen of Soul.
What the critics say...
Rolling Stone (9/27/01, p.66) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Filled with upbeat funk and mellow soul and exquisitely crafted songs about love and sex, with a little violence and a lot of humor.... she's really come into her own ..."
Spin (1/02, p.77) - Ranked #17 in Spin's "Albums of the Year 2001".
Spin (10/01, pp.123-4) - 8 out of 10 - "...Delicious...Gray is a remarkable case....Retrofitted, to be sure...she's equally at home in the all-natural neo-soul movement and the perenially artificial LA pop world, where you make yourself up as you go along..."
Entertainment Weekly (9/21/01, pp.80-1) - "...Engaging and indulgent..." - Rating: B
Q (10/01, p.127) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...An album rich in texture..."
Mixmag (10/01, p.180) - 3 out of 5 - "...Perched on the left side of the r'n'b fence, with a voice that sounds like she lives on helium...as this album shows...she's got plenty of gas left in her tank..."
CMJ (10/8/01, p.16) - "...Irrepressibly charming..."
Mojo (Publisher) (1/02, p.70) - Ranked #23 in Mojo's "Best [40] Albums of 2001".
Mojo (Publisher) (10/01, p.128) - "...Simply turns up the levels on what made her debut so big....Fine enough..."
