I Am (Elisa Fiorillo album)
| I Am | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Elisa Fiorillo | ||||
| Released | 21 August 1990 | |||
| Genre | R&B, Pop, Dance, House, Funk | |||
| Length | 44:00 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis Records | |||
| Producer | David Z, Prince, Oliver Leiber | |||
| Elisa Fiorillo chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | favorable |
| News & Record (Greensboro) | |
| New Straits Times | |
I Am is the second album from American singer Elisa Fiorillo, and her last album release aiming at the mainstream chart, released in 1990.
After the American top 20 success of the 1987 single "Who Found Who" with John "Jellybean" Benitez, Fiorillo had two minor hits on the American Billboard from her self-titled debut album. As a follow-up, she released her second album I Am in 1990, recorded at Prince's Paisley Park recording studio after she had contributed, as a backing vocalist, to the soundtracks of Graffiti Bridge and Batman. Several songs from the album were written by Prince, whilst he also produced one track. Fiorillo also appeared on Prince's 1991 album Diamonds and Pearls, being the backing vocalist on two songs, whilst in 2009, Fiorillo became a member of Prince's band, where in 2010 she performed on a world tour with Prince, playing in sold-out shows across Europe.
Two singles were released from the album: "On the Way Up" and "Oooh This I Need". The leading single "On the Way Up" gave Fiorillo a top-30 American hit and garnered significant attention in clubs, whilst "Oooh This I Need", released in 1991, failed to capture the same success, only peaking at #90. "On the Way Up" saw a worldwide release whilst "Oooh This I Need" was mainly released in America only.
The album itself failed to make an impact on the American chart or any other country, and Fiorillo would not record any more albums, largely contributing as a backing vocalist instead.
In an interview around the time of the album, the interviewer noted that the track "Ain't Right" spoke about interracial relationships, and therefore asked Fiorillo what motivated her to write it. Fiorillo replied "I got the idea from a friend of mine who was going out with a black guy, and "Ain't Right" is about the way her parents reacted. If a person loves somebody you shouldn't put any boundaries on it. I mean, I'm Italian; I don't want people saying "Don't go out with her, she eats too much pasta."
In a December 1990 interview, the article spoke of the track "Purpose in Your Life", which Fiorillo took particular pride in. The song is an anti-teen-suicide song inspired by a letter Fiorillo received several years before from a despondent 13-year-old fan. Fiorillo stated "I wrote her a letter back, and I told her you have to have a purpose and you should realize that you can't live for everyone else - you have to live for yourself. She wrote me back, and so did her parents, thanking me. It made me think I can really help people and it's nobody's doing but mine."
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