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''New Life'' is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Monica, released by RCA Records on April 6, 2012. It marked the singer's debut release with the company following the disbandment of her former label, J Records in October 2011. A musical continuation of her commercially successful 2010 album ''Still Standing'', Monica started working on the album only weeks after the release of the former. She reteamed primarily with frequent writers and producers, including Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Missy Elliott, and Cainon Lamb but also collaborated with new and upcoming producers such as singer 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 that incorporates subtle elements of contemporary urban genres such as gospel, quiet storm, and reggae. The album's lyrics explore the complexities of romantic relationships and stages of love, much of which was inspired by Monica's 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 and close friend Mary J. Blige. Entertainer Brandy, who had previously collaborated with Monica on their number-one record "The Boy Is Mine" (1998), features on the single "It All Belongs to Me". ''New Life'' received a mixed reception by 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 at 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. Singles such as "Anything (To Find You)" and "Until It's Gone" failed to sell or chart noticeably on both the pop and the R&B charts. ==Background and recording== Monica released her sixth studio album, ''Still Standing'', in 2010. Chronicled by her BET reality series of the same name which was aired between October 2009 and January 2010, the album marked her third album on J Records following the renewal of her contract in October 2007.〔(【引用サイトリンク】work=That Grape Juice )〕 Released to critical and commercial success, it debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 184,000 in its first week, and reached the top of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.〔Caulfield, Keith. (Justin Bieber Tops Billboard 200 With 'My World 2.0' ). ''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2010-04-01.〕 The same year, ''Still Standing'' was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States and garnered a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Album.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/956976/ask-billboard-as-years-go-by )〕 Her biggest commercial success, the album was viewed as a humble comeback from Monica.〔 Monica began recording the album during the third quarter of 2010 — just weeks after the release of ''Still Standing''.〔 She recorded several songs in Los Angeles with longtime collaborator, producer and cousin Polow da Don, who was consulted to executive producing the effort. Together, she and Polow worked on what was expected to be the bulk of the album as she envisioned to create the "meat" of the album's center wit him.〔 Monica hoped that as with ''Still Standing'', determining an album title would help finding a direction on the project, and she intended to finish the album by mid-2011. As with previous albums, the singer reteamed with frequent contributors such as Bryan-Michael Cox, Missy Elliott, Jazmine Sullivan, and Cainon Lamb but also worked with a group of several new of musicians, songwriters, and producers.〔 It was however not until January 2012 that she recorded with other producers apart from Polow, when she entered studio sessions with Pop & Oak and D. Smith to record "Catch Me" and "Time to Move On." Most of the album's songs were recorded at the Audio Vision Studios and Circle House Recordings in Miami Florida. Monica recorded "Cry" at the Chalice Recording Studios in Hollywood, and "Without You" at the No Excuses Studios in Santa Monica, California.〔 Sessions for "New Life (Intro)" and "Amazing" took place at Doppler Studios and South Side Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.〔 Initially expected to be released as her fifth album with J Records, much of the album was eventually recorded under RCA Records after the restructuring of the RCA Music Group in October 2011 which shuttered J along with sister labels Jive and Arista. Originally scheduled for a November 2011 release, final recording sessions for ''New Life'' with producer Hit-Boy took place in October. On November 2, 2011, Monica took to Twitter to announce that the album would be postponed and that she along with the label was planning to restructure "the entire plan for the album." Within the next months, she resumed recording for the album and booked additional studio sessions with Rico Love and co-producers Earl & E, Mr. Morris, and Pierre Medor to retool ''New Life''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「New Life (Monica album)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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