| New Life | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 6, 2012 | |||
| Length | 42:52 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
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| Monica chronology | ||||
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| Singles from New Life | ||||
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New Life is the seventh studio album by American singer Monica, released by RCA Records on April 6, 2012. It marked the singer's debut release with the label following the dissolution of her former label, J Records in October 2011. A musical continuation of her commercially successful previous album Still Standing (2010), Monica began working on the album only weeks after the release of the former. She returned to work with frequent collaborators; writers and producers including Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Missy Elliott, and Cainon Lamb, as well as such as singer and songwriter Rico Love, whose songs replaced much of her cousin, producer Polow da Don's original material.
New Life is predominately a contemporary R&B album with major influences of pop and soul. The album's lyrics explore the complexities of romantic relationships and stages of love, much of which was inspired by her marriage to professional basketball player Shannon Brown and her relocation to Arizona. Guest vocalists on the album are rappers Rick Ross and Wale, as well as singer Mary J. Blige. Singer and actress Brandy, who had previously collaborated with Monica on their 1998 number-one single "The Boy Is Mine" (1998), co-performs on the single "It All Belongs to Me" as its spiritual successor.[1]
New Life was met with mixed reception from music critics, many of whom praised Monica's vocal performances and the album's trend-detaching nature, but found the material too generic and cliché-addled. Upon its release, the album debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 and number two on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 69,000 copies. With first-month sales of 116,400 copies, New Life sold significantly less than its predecessors. Its singles—"Anything (To Find You)", "Until It's Gone", "It All Belongs to Me" and "Without You"—each failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100, but lingered on narrower charts such as Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs.