Passion, Pain & Pleasure

Passion, Pain & Pleasure
Studio album by Trey Songz
Released	September 14, 2010
Genre	R&B
Length	55:50
Label	Songbook Atlantic
Producer	Troy Taylor Edrick Miles John "SK" McGee Tha Bizness Swizz Beatz Kane Beatz Mario Winans Jerren "J-Kits" Spruill Mark "The Mogul" Jackson Noah "40" Shebib Bei Maejor Patrick Hayes Romeo Taylor Ezekiel Lewis Polow da Don
Trey Songz chronology
Ready (2009) Passion, Pain & Pleasure (2010) Inevitable (2011)
Singles from Passion, Pain & Pleasure
"Bottoms Up" Released: July 27, 2010 "Can't Be Friends" Released: September 28, 2010 "Love Faces" Released: January 11, 2011 "Unusual" Released: May 17, 2011[1][2]

Passion, Pain & Pleasure is the fourth studio album by American R&B recording artist Trey Songz; it was released on September 14, 2010. The album serves as a follow-up to his commercial breakthrough Ready (2009). Production for the album took place during from March 2010 to July 2010 and was handled by several record producers, including his mentor Troy Taylor, Bryan-Michael Cox, Stargate and Mario Winans, among others.

The album debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200, selling 240,000 copies in its first week. It has produced two singles, including "Can't Be Friends" and Billboard hit "Bottoms Up". The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments exceeding 500,000 copies in the United States. Upon its release, Passion, Pain & Pleasure received positive reviews from most music critics. Songz promoted the album via his Summer 2010 tour with R&B singer Monica.

Singles

The album's lead single "Bottoms Up" featuring Nicki Minaj, was released on July 27, 2010. The music video was filmed on July 31, 2010 and was released Tuesday, August 17, 2010 on BET.^[3] It has reached at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[4][5]

The album's second single "Can't Be Friends" was released on September 28, 2010. The song produced by Mario Winans and it contains a sample of composer Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Bibo no Aozora" from the score of 2006 drama film Babel.^[6] It charted at number 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[4][5] The music video was filmed and was released on September 7, 2010.

"Love Faces" and "Unusual" featuring Drake were released as the third and fourth singles respectively.^[1]

Leaks

In August 2010, the tracks "Love Faces" and "Doorbell" leaked through the internet.^[7] On his Ustream.tv channel, Songz expressed his feelings regarding the leaks, stating "Shout out to everybody who didn't listen to the leaks. Bootleggers gotta eat. I ain't mad at y'all boys".^[7] In his response, Songz also premiered the track "Massage", a boudior-oriented slow jam about giving a lover a head-to-toe massage that he performs on tour with giving a selected audience member a massage onstage.^[7]

Reception

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 240,000 copies.^[8] In its second week, it dropped to number 7 on the chart and sold 66,000 copies.^[9] The album remained at number 7 and sold 42,000 copies in its third week.^[10] It fell two spots to number 9 on the chart and sold 32,000 copies in its fourth week.^[11] The album has currently sold 823,000 copies in the United States.^[12] The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments exceeding 500,000 copies in the United States. Passion, Pain & Pleasure debuted at number 32 on Canada's Top 100 Albums chart.^[13] In France, the album entered at number 138 on the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique's albums chart.^[14]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	[15]
Allmusic	[16]
BBC Online	(favorable)[17]
Los Angeles Times	[18]
PopMatters	(8/10)[19]
Rolling Stone	[20]
The Sydney Morning Herald	[21]
USA Today	[22]
The Washington Post	(favorable)[23]

Passion, Pain & Pleasure received positive reviews from most music critics.^[24] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 71, based on five reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".^[24] Allmusic writer Andy Kellman gave it four out of five stars and complimented its second half as "the strongest, most varied side of a Trey Songz album, just about flawless. It smoothly shifts through several moods".^[16] BBC Online's Mike Diver praised the album's "in-depth descriptions of how our protagonist is going to pleasure his other half" and noted Songz's performance as a strength, stating "The skill is in the execution, in the articulation – and Trey is well studied and blessed with some wonderfully smooth vocals".^[17] Sean Fennessey of The Washington Post wrote that the album "is softer and subtler than 'Ready'. There are more ballads here -- and fewer 'panty-droppers' and 'baby-makers'. Instead, Trey is making 'Love Faces' at his girl, or growing reflective, and occasionally maudlin, as on 'Can't Be Friends'".^[23] Tyler Lewis of PopMatters commented that "Songz rides the tonal and rhythmic shifts with impressive agility" and commended "a clearly rejuvenated songwriting team of Troy Taylor, Edrick Miles, Tony Scales, and Songz himself, who in various combinations wrote the lyrics and melodies to nearly every song here".^[19]

In contrast, Rolling Stone writer Will Hermes gave the album two out of five stars and stated "it's just steady mackin' over dull, airbrushed slow-jams".^[20] Andrew Murfett of The Sydney Morning Herald expressed a negative response towards its sexual content and stated "Little, if anything, is left to the imagination here".^[21] Los Angeles Times writer August Brown viewed that Songz "lacks an especially charismatic voice", but complimented its musical quality and wrote that the album "leaves you like a perfect one night stand — you don’t have to remember the person, just the way he or she made you feel".^[18] About.com's Mark Edward Nero stated "this album's musical and vocal quality are consistently good from track to track" and concluded "despite the few miscues, this is clearly Trey's most consistent album yet".^[15] USA Today's Steve Jones gave the album three out of four stars and stated "his consistent passion makes listening a pleasure".^[22]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Here We Go Again (Intro)"	Tremaine Neverson Troy Taylor	Troy Taylor Jerren "J-Kits" Spruill	0:40
2.	"Love Faces"	Neverson Taylor Edrick Miles Tony Scales	Troy Taylor Edrick Miles	4:02
3.	"Massage"	Neverson Taylor John McGee Miles Scales	Troy Taylor John "SK" McGee	4:17
4.	"Alone"	Neverson Scales Taylor Miles J. Henderson C. Whitacre	Tha Bizness	3:31
5.	"Bottoms Up" (featuring Nicki Minaj)	Neverson Scales Miles Daniel Johnson Milton James Onika Maraj	Kane Beatz The Track Dealer FKi	4:00
6.	"Pain (Interlude)"	Neverson Taylor McGee Miles Frank Brim Scales	Troy Taylor Romeo Taylor	0:37
7.	"Can't Be Friends"	Mario Winans Michael Jones Claude Quo Forbes Neverson Taylor	Mario Winans	4:45
8.	"Please Return My Calls"	Neverson Taylor Mark Jackson	Troy Taylor Mark "The Mogul" Jackson	3:57
9.	"Made to Be Together"	Neverson Taylor Eric Hudson Andrew Clifton Scales Miles	Eric Hudson Andrew "Drew" Clifton	4:28
10.	"Pleasure (Interlude)"	Taylor	Troy Taylor	1:29
11.	"Red Lipstick"	Neverson Taylor McGee	Troy Taylor John "SK" McGee	4:00
12.	"Unusual" (featuring Drake)	Andrew Wansel Warren Felder Dexter Wansel Neverson Ezekiel Lewis John Maultsby Melvin Moore Floyd Bentley Aubrey Graham Noah Shebib	Andrew "Pop" Wansel Warren "Oak" Felder Noah "40" Shebib	3:32
13.	"Doorbell"	Neverson Taylor McGee Miles Frank Brim Scales	Troy Taylor John "SK" McGee	3:56
14.	"Passion (Interlude)"		Bei Maejor	1:24
15.	"Unfortunate"	Neverson Miles Shebib Scales	Noah "40" Shebib	3:49
16.	"Blind"	Neverson Brandon Green Miles Scales	Bei Maejor	4:06
17.	"You Just Need Me"	Neverson Taylor Miles Scales	Kane Beatz Chas	3:32

Bonus tracks
No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"Already Taken"	Polow Da Don	3:58
19.	"I Like Dat" (featuring Swizz Beatz and T.I.)	Swizz Beatz	3:44

iTunes deluxe version and Japan bonus tracks
No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"Panty Droppa" (The Complete Edition)	Troy Taylor Patrick "Guitar Boy" Hayes	3:52
19.	"Love Me Better" (Here We Go Again Complete Edition)	Jerren "J-Kits" Spruill Troy Taylor	3:39

Notes

• "Can't Be Friends" contains samples of "Bibo No Aozora" performed by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
• "Doorbell" contains elements of "Carol of the Bells", written by Mykola Leontovych and P. Wilhousky.

Personnel

Credits for Passion, Pain & Pleasure adapted from Allmusic.^[25]

Rebecca Alexis – stylist Johnta Austin – background vocals, executive producer Tanisha Broadwater – production coordination Dee Brown – engineer Greg Gigendad Burke – art direction, design Mike Caren – A&R Charles Parker, Jr. – violin Mark B. Christensen – mastering Andrew Clifton – producer Nina Cottman – violin Carl Cox, Jr. – flute, tenor saxophone Steve Dickey "Rock Star" – engineer Wayne Washington – A&R Jesus Garnica – assistant Sasha Gomez – vocals Dionnee Harper – marketing Jean-Marie Horvat – vocals, mixing Eric Hudson – producer, instrumentation J-MIKE – producer Mark "the Mogul" Jackson – producer Jaycen Joshua – mixing Kane Beatz – producer Olga Konopelsky – violin Emma Kummrow – violin Christian Lantry – photography Ezekiel Lewis – vocal producer Giancarlo Lino – assistant Bei Maejor – producer

Connie Makita – design Fabian Marasciullo – mixing John McGee – producer, musician Donnie Meadows – production coordination Edrick Miles – background vocals, lyricist, producer, musician Frank Nitty – background vocals Adrian "A.J." Nunez – assistant Thiago Pinto – engineer Zachariah Redding – assistant Karen Anna Schubert – french horn Noah Shebib – producer Stan Slotter – trumpet Jerren "J-Kits" Spruill – producer, engineer Zach Steele – engineer Romeo Taylor – producer, engineer Troy Taylor – background vocals, producer, engineer, executive producer, vocal producer, musician Gregory Teperman – violin Tha Bizness – producer Stephen Tirpak – trombone Chef Tone – lyricist Carolyn Tracey – package production The Track Dealer – producer Allison Traylor – guitar Trey Songz – background vocals, lyricist, engineer, executive producer, vocal producer John Walsh – trumpet Dexter Wansel – producer Mark Ward – cello Mario Winans – producer

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2010–11) Peak position Australian Urban Albums Chart[26] 1 Belgian Heatseekers Albums Chart (Flanders)[27] 9 Belgian Heatseekers Albums Chart (Wallonia)[28] 13 Canadian Albums Chart[13] 32 Dutch Albums Chart[29] 58 French Albums Chart[14] 138 South Korean International Albums Chart[30] 74 UK R&B Albums Chart[31] 22 US Billboard 200[8] 2 US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[32] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2010) Position US Billboard 200[33] 52

Release history

Country	Date	Label
United States	September 14, 2010[34]	Songbook Entertainment Atlantic Records
United Kingdom	November 1, 2010[35]	Atlantic Records
Germany	March 11, 2011[36]

References

1. "Trey Songz Selects Third Singles". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
2. "Urban/UAC Future Releases | R&B, Hip Hop, Release Schedule and Street Dates |". Allaccess.com. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
3. "Trey Songz (TreySongz) on Twitter". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
4. Trey Songz Album & Song Chart History – R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Billboard. Retrieved on 2011-05-14.
5. Trey Songz Album & Song Chart History – Hot 100. Billboard. Retrieved on 2011-05-14.
6. New Music: Trey Songz – ‘Can’t Be Friends’. Rap-Up. Retrieved on 2010-09-15.
7. Ziebge, Mawuse (September 2, 2010). Trey Songz Plays Passion, Pain & Pleasure Songs On Ustream. MTV. Retrieved on 2010-09-15.
8. Caulfield, Keith (September 22, 2010). Linkin Park and Trey Songz Debut At Nos. 1 & 2 on Billboard 200. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-09-22.
9. Caulfield, Keith (September 29, 2010). Zac Brown Band Bows At No. 1 on Billboard 200. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-09-30.
10. Caulfield, Keith (October 6, 2010). Kenny Chesney Claims Sixth No. 1 Album with 'Hemingway's Whiskey'. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-10-08.
11. Caulfield, Keith (October 13, 2010). . Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-10-14.
12. "Upcoming Releases". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
13. Albums: Top 100 - For the Week Ending 16 September 2010. Jam!. Retrieved on 2010-09-30.
14. "Tops : Noah et Sardou toujours en tête" (in French). Chartsinfrance.net. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
15. Nero, Mark Edward (September 14, 2010). Review: Passion, Pain & Pleasure. About.com. Retrieved on 2010-09-15.
16. Kellman, Andy (September 14, 2010). Review: Passion, Pain & Pleasure. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-09-15.
17. Diver, Mike (December 8, 2010). Review: Passion, Pain & Pleasure. BBC Online. Retrieved on 2010-12-09.
18. Brown, August (September 20, 2010). Review: Passion, Pain & Pleasure. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2010-09-21.
19. Lewis, Tyler (December 10, 2010). Review: Passion, Pain & Pleasure. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2010-12-10.
20. Hermes, Will (September 14, 2010). Review: Passion, Pain & Pleasure. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2010-09-30.
21. Murfett, Andrew (October 21, 2010). Review: Passion, Pain & Pleasure. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved on 2010-10-25.
22. Jones, Steve (September 14, 2010). Review: Passion, Pain & Pleasure. USA Today. Retrieved on 2010-09-15.
23. Fennessey, Sean (September 14, 2010). Review: Passion, Pain & Pleasure. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2010-09-15.
24. Passion, Pain & Pleasure Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2010-12-18.
25. Credits: Passion, Pain & Pleasure. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-09-15.
26. "Top 40 Urban Albums & Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 2011-03-27. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
27. "Trey Songz – Passion, Pain & Pleasure (album)". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
28. "Trey Songz – Passion, Pain & Pleasure (album)". ultratop.be (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
29. "Trey Songz – Passion, Pain & Pleasure (album)". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
30. "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
31. "2011-03-19 Top 40 R&B Albums Archive". Official Charts. 2011-03-19. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
32. Jacobs, Allen (September 22, 2010). Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 9/19/2010. HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2010-09-22.
33. "Best of 2010 - Billboard Top 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
34. "Amazon.com: Passion, Pain & Pleasure: Trey Songz: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2010-08-10.
35. "Amazon.co.uk: Passion, Pain & Pleasure:Trey Songz: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
36. "Passion,Pain & Pleasure: Trey Songz: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2011-02-22.

External links

• Official website
• Passion, Pain & Pleasure at Metacritic