Welcome to Fantasy Island | ||||
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Studio album by Adina Howard | ||||
Released | Unreleased | |||
Recorded | 1996-1997 | |||
Genre | R&B, hip hop soul | |||
Length | 58:32 | |||
Label | Elektra Records | |||
Adina Howard chronology | ||||
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Singles from Welcome to Fantasy Island | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | link |
Welcome to Fantasy Island, is the second album from American R&B singer/songwriter Adina Howard. The album was due for release on July 29, 1997, but the album was then shelved. It eventually received a release (excluding "T-Shirt & Panties" and "Crank Me Up" which were included on her The Second Coming release under Rufftown Records) on May 19, 2013 through the mixtape site DatPiff.com.
Despite the album never being originally released in 1997, it did however spawn two hit singles, "(Freak) And U Know It" and "T-Shirt & Panties."
After the success of her debut album Do You Wanna Ride? in addition to her hit soundtrack single "What's Love Got to Do With It?" with Warren G, Howard began work on her sophomore album. During this time, her record label Mecca Don/EastWest Records merged into Elektra Records, headed by label exec Sylvia Rhone. She gained more creative control with the project (originally titling it Portrait of a Lady), being able to hand-pick the songs and working with an array of popular artists such as her then-labelmate Missy Elliott, Bizzy Bone of Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ Quik, Timbaland, Ginuwine, K-Ci Hailey of Jodeci, and Jamie Foxx. Similar to her debut album, where she recorded a cover of the R&B classic "You Don't Have to Cry," she recorded a cover of the hit Vanity 6 song "Nasty Girl" for the album. However, it eventually did not make the final album tracklist.
Originally set for release on July 8, 1997, the album was preceded by the release of the lead single "[Freak] And U Know It" which was produced by DJ Quik. The song was serviced to radio on May 20, with the music video directed by Francis Lawrence. The single ended up peaking at #70 on the Hot 100, and #32 on R&B (marking her 4th Top40 R&B hit). It also included a B-side track called "Swerve On" featuring Menajahtwa. The album was later pushed back to September 16.