One Wish (Deborah Cox album)

One Wish
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 15, 1998
GenreR&B
Length62:19
LabelArista
Producer
Deborah Cox chronology
Deborah Cox
(1995)
One Wish
(1998)
The Morning After
(2002)
Singles from One Wish
  1. "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here"
    Released: September 15, 1998
  2. "It's Over Now"
    Released: May 4, 1999
  3. "We Can't Be Friends"
    Released: September 14, 1999
  4. "September"
    Released: 2000

One Wish is the second album by Canadian singer-songwriter Deborah Cox. It was released by Arista Records on September 15, 1998, in the United States. As with her self-titled debut album, One Wish was once again executive-produced by Clive Davis, but features more uptempo, contemporary R&B, and a slew of new producers and personnel, including Montell Jordan, Anthony "Shep" Crawford, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, DJ Quik, Stevie J and David Foster. It also contains dance and club music. Diane Warren, Daryl Simmons and Lascelles Stephens also returned with contributions to the album.

The album performed better in the US than its predecessor earning a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), while going gold in Canada. It was less successful in other territories. Cox was nominated for three Juno Awards for the album, winning two, including Best R&B Soul Recording for "Things Just Ain't the Same" in 1998 and Best R&B Soul Recording for One Wish in 1999. "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" also won a Soul Train Music Awards for Best Female R&B/Soul Single, and a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Best R&B/Soul Song of the Year.

The success of the album was in part due to the crossover success of the lead single "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" which became Cox's most successful entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number two, and remaining there for eight consecutive weeks, making it one of the longest stays at number two in chart history. The song also reached number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, spending a then record-breaking 14 weeks at number one. "We Can't Be Friends" was the second-most successful single from the album, reaching the top ten, while "It's Over Now" and "I Never Knew" both reached the top on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis described the album's musical spectrum as "varied, ranging from the typical cheating man song popular at the time, to safe middle-of-the-road, adult contemporary fare, and club anthems [...] Cox's voice, a powerhouse unto itself, sounds just as effective and very sweet when she's not belting out a tune Whitney Houston-style [...] A good album, which includes a couple of quintessential 1990s dance hits, and a prime example of Arista's incomparable marketing savvy."[1]

Track listing

One Wish – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."September"
Stevie J4:45
2."It's Over Now"
  • Jackson
  • KayGee
4:20
3."Nobody's Supposed to Be Here"Crawford4:22
4."We Can't Be Friends" (featuring R.L.)
  • Crawford
  • Jimmy Russell
  • Crawford
  • Professor Funk
4:41
5."Couldn't We"Diane WarrenDaryl Simmons4:32
6."One Wish"
4:34
7."I Won't Give Up"
  • Cox
  • Trina Powell
Lascelles Stephens4:32
8."Just When I Think I'm Over You"
Rodney Jerkins3:55
9."Love Is On the Way"
Stevie J4:43
10."I Never Knew"Jerkins5:05
11."One Day You Will"WarrenDavid Foster4:12
12."Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (Dance Mix)
  • Crawford
  • Jordan
4:14
13."Things Just Ain't the Same" (Dance Mix)
  • Crawford
  • Hector[a]
4:11
14."September" (KayGee Remix) (hidden track)
  • Stevie J
  • Cox
  • Chambers
  • Turpin
  • Stevie J
  • KayGee[a]
4:13
Total length:62:19
One Wish – Japanese edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Things Just Ain't The Same"
  • Renée
  • Antoine
  • Evans
  • Bell
  • Creed
Evans3:38
15."September" (KayGee Remix) (hidden track)
  • Stevie J
  • Cox
  • Chambers
  • Turpin
  • Stevie J
  • KayGee[a]
4:13
Total length:65:57


Notes:

  • "September" (KayGee remix) is a hidden track.
  • The original version of "Things Just Ain't the Same" was featured on the Money Talks soundtrack. It appears on the Japanese edition of the album.
  • ^a signifies an additional producer

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for One Wish
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[7] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[8] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Allmusic review
  2. ^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  3. ^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  4. ^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  5. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  6. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  7. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Deborah Cox – Deborah Cox". Music Canada. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  8. ^ "American album certifications – Deborah Cox – Deborah Cox". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 16, 2018.