The MF Life
| The MF Life | ||||
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| Studio album by Melanie Fiona | ||||
| Released | March 20, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2011–12 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 52:25 | |||
| Label | SRC, Universal Republic | |||
| Producer | No I.D., Salaam Remi, Andrea Martin, Rico Love, Earl Hood, Eric Goudy II, Jack Splash, Los Da Mystro, Jay Fenix, Infinity, Antario "Tario" Holmes, Espionage, Sham & Motesart, T-Pain, Supa Dups, Soundz | |||
| Melanie Fiona chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The MF Life | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Entertainment Weekly | A– |
| Fact | 3/5 |
| Los Angeles Times |  |
| Now | 2/5 |
| Rolling Stone | |
| USA Today | |
The MF Life is the second studio album by Canadian recording artist Melanie Fiona, released March 20, 2012, on SRC Records and Universal Republic Records. Production was handled by several record producers, including No I.D., Salaam Remi, Andrea Martin, Rico Love, Los Da Mystro and T-Pain, among others. Its music expands on the traditional R&B influences of Fiona's 2009 debut album, The Bridge, and its songs deal with themes of aggrievement, longing, and romantic triumph.
The album debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200, selling 34,000 copies in its first week. It produced three singles, including the R&B hit "4 AM". Upon its release, The MF Life received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended its production, songwriting and Fiona's vocals. Fiona promoted it with a national tour throughout March 2012. As of May 2012, the album has sold 69,500 copies in the United States.
After the shutdown of Universal Motown Records, Fiona was transferred to Universal Republic Records. In an interview with Gary Graff, she said that the delay in the album's release allowed her to reach out to rappers J. Cole and Nas to contribute to the songs "This Time" and "Running", respectively.
Recording sessions for the album took place at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, 4220 Feng Shui Studios in Los Angeles, Circle House Studios, The Hit Factory Criteria, and Body Music in Miami, Chevy Shack and Losta Studios in Atlanta, Summit Sound in New York, and The Armoury Vault in Toronto, Canada.
In a press release, Fiona explained the album's title, "the ‘MF’ in the album title represents my initials, but it also gets at the many facets of myself as an artist and a young woman. It can be viewed as the ‘Mighty Fine Life’ in times of triumph and success, but also the ‘Mother-F-ing Life’ when I’m dealing with frustration or misfortune. I celebrate both. I feel it would be dishonest if everything was all about glitz and glamour. It’s about the balance of life, the yin and the yang, the good and the bad, all of that."
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Wikipedia