Product Overview
Thankful - Mary Mary / Columbia Audio CD 2000 / COL 497985 2
UPC 5099749798526
Mary Mary is a female American urban contemporary gospel duo composed of sisters Erica Atkins-Campbell and Trecina Atkins-Campbell. Formed in 1998, Mary Mary was launched into mainstream recognition following the release of their best-selling debut album, Thankful (2000), which contained the hit single "Shackles (Praise You)". Their followup album Incredible (2002), reached number one on the Top Gospel Albums chart. Their self-titled third album, Mary Mary (2005), which contains themes the public interpreted as a channel to the group's experience, contains the worldwide hits "Heaven", "The Real Party", and "Yesterday".
Thankful is the debut studio album by American duo Mary Mary. It was released on May 2, 2000 through Columbia Records in the United States. Chiefly produced by Warryn Campbell, the album comprises urban contemporary gospel, R&B and hip hop soul music. It produced the smash crossover hit "Shackles (Praise You)", which reached the top-ten in seven countries and the single "I Sings", which was also a significant hit – although it did not match the success of its predecessor. Thankful established Mary Mary as one of the leading artists in contemporary Christian music, and won the duo the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album at the 43rd awards ceremony as well as a Dove Award, a Lady of Soul Award, and a Stellar Award.
Tracklist:
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thankful" |
|
Campbell | 3:23 |
| 2. | "I Sings" (featuring BB Jay) |
|
Campbell | 4:39 |
| 3. | "What a Friend" |
|
Campbell | 3:11 |
| 4. | "Shackles (Praise You)" |
|
Campbell | 3:16 |
| 5. | "Can't Give Up Now" |
|
|
4:57 |
| 6. | "Be Happy" |
|
|
4:34 |
| 7. | "Joy" |
|
Campbell | 4:10 |
| 8. | "I Got It" |
|
Campbell | 3:49 |
| 9. | "Somebody" |
|
Campbell | 3:34 |
| 10. | "Good to Me" (featuring Destiny's Child) |
|
Campbell | 4:09 |
| 11. | "One Minute" |
|
|
4:47 |
| 12. | "Still My Child" (featuring Charles Veal Jr. & South Central Chamber Orchestra) |
|
Campbell | 3:57 |
| 13. | "Still My Child (Interlude)" |
|
Campbell | 0:49 |
| 14. | "Wade in the Water" | Andrew Gouché |
|
4:29 |
| 1 | Thankful | 3:24 |
| 2 | I Sings
Featuring [Rap] – BBJ, Written-By – Jarvis E. Cooper, Written-By [Rap Lyrics] – BBJ, Jarvis E. Cooper |
4:39 |
| 3 | What A Friend | 3:11 |
| 4 | Shackles (Praise You) | 3:16 |
| 5 | Can't Give Up Now
Choir – Erica And Tina's Friends, Directed By – Jonathan Greer, Written-By – Curtis Burrell |
4:58 |
| 6 | Be Happy
Producer [Vocal] – Tye-V Turman, Producer, Written-By, Instruments [All] – Al West, Recorded By – Jan Fairchild |
4:34 |
| 7 | Joy | 4:10 |
| 8 | I Got It | 3:50 |
| 9 | Somebody | 3:34 |
| 10 | Good To Me
Featuring [With], Backing Vocals – Destiny's Child, Guitar – Charlie "Little Charlie" Bereal,Recorded By – Kevin Crouse, Written-By – Curtis Mayfield |
4:09 |
| 11 | One Minute
Backing Vocals – Gormyko Collins, Producer – Rick "Dutch" Cousins, Written-By – Latrell Simmons, Rick Cousins |
4:47 |
| 12 | Still My Child
Featuring – Charles Veal, South Central Chamber Orchestra, Recorded By – Dave Reitzas, Kevin Crouse, Recorded By [Strings] – David Reitzas |
3:57 |
| 13 | Still My Child (Interlude)
Featuring – Charles Veal*, South Central Chamber Orchestra, Recorded By – David Reitzas |
0:47 |
| 14 |
Wade In The Water
Backing Vocals – Chris Bolton, Eric Dawkins, Erica Atkins, Gromyko Danielle Collins*, Jacquelin Gouché-Ferris, Keisha Ealy, Thomacina Atkins, Trecina Atkins, Drums – Derrick Rydell Walker, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Warryn "Arc" Campbell, Organ – Tim "Spirit" Carmen, Producer, Written-By, Bass – Andrew Gouché |
4:29 |
- A&R [Assistant] – Hilari Farrell
- A&R [Director] – Tye-V Turman
- Arranged By [Strings], Orchestrated By – Jerry Peters (tracks: 12, 13)
- Art Direction – Christine Kim, Ron Jaramillo
- Backing Vocals – Baby Dubb (tracks: 2), Joi Campbell (tracks: 1, 14), Mary Mary (tracks: 1 to 3, 7 to 12)
- Computer [Pro-Tools] – Dylan Vaughan (tracks: 4, 7)
- Conductor [Strings] – Charles Veal (tracks: 12, 13)
- Coordinator [Project] – Sandra Campbell
- Engineer [Assistant] – Dave Hancock (2) (tracks: 12, 13), Nick Marshall (tracks: 12, 13)
- Executive-Producer – Poke And Tone, Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell
- Guitar – John "Jubu" Smith (tracks: 7, 9)
- Instruments [All] – Baby Dubb (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 10, 12)
- Management – Kenneth Crear, Marcus Grant
- Mastered By – James Cruz
- Mixed By – Manny Marroquin
- Mixed By [Assistant] – Dylan Vaughan
- Other [Hair] – Damon
- Other [Makeup] – Rudy Sotomayor
- Other [Styling] – Andrea Lieberman
- Photography By – Kwaku Alston
- Producer – Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell* (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 14)
- Programmed By – Baby Dubb (tracks: 9, 10)
- Recorded By – Anthony "A.J." Jeffries (tracks: 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 14), Baby Dubb (tracks: 1, 3, 7, 8 11)
- Written-By – Erica Atkins (tracks: 1 to 13), John Smith* (tracks: 7, 9), Trecina Atkins (tracks: 1 to 13), Tye-V Turman (tracks: 6, 11), Warryn Campbell (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 13)
The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics. William Ruhlmann from AllMusic gave Thankful a grade of four and a half out of five stars. He found that "Thankful is pure gospel music, a series of praise songs and cautionary tales with religious messages, but it is likely to have a broader appeal than most gospel music."[1] Cross Rhythms felt that Mary Mary "look set for big things both on the secular and gospel market. That's because they have very attractive vocals and the use the very same musical styles and beats currently popular within secular R&B. But somehow, even though their lyrical content is very much gospel-based, they've managed to appeal equally to the secular market."
