Acoustic Soul

Acoustic Soul
Acoustic Soul
Studio album by India Arie
Released	March 27, 2001
Recorded	2000–2001
Studio	Various Electric Lady (New York City); Sound Kitchen (Franklin, Tennessee); Music Mill (Nashville, Tennessee); Access (Atlanta, Georgia); Blues House; New Reflections (Nashville, Tennessee); The Studio (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); Worldbeat; Battery (New York City); ;
Genre	R&B
Length	61:16
Label	Motown
Producer	India Arie; Mark Batson; Carlos "6 July" Broady; Blue Miller; Bob Power;
India Arie chronology
Singles from Acoustic Soul
	"Video"; Released: February 6, 2001; "Brown Skin"; Released: June 11, 2001; "Strength, Courage & Wisdom"; Released: October 16, 2001; "Ready for Love"; Released: 2002;

Acoustic Soul is the debut studio album by American singer India Arie. It was released on March 27, 2001, by Motown. The album received seven nominations at the 44th Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Best R&B Album. Acoustic Soul was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 17, 2003, denoting shipments in excess of two million copies in the United States.^[3]

Critical reception

Upon its release, the album received acclaim from music critics.^[4]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[5]
Billboard	Favorable^[6]
Entertainment Weekly	A^[7]
Mixmag	^[8]
NME	9/10^[9]
PopMatters	Favorable^[10]
Rolling Stone	^[11]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[12]
USA Today	^[13]
The Village Voice	Mixed^[14]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	India Arie		0:50
2.	"Video"	Arie Shannon Sanders Carlos Broady	Carlos "6 July" Broady Arie	4:09
3.	"Promises"	Arie Blue Miller	Miller Arie	4:37
4.	"Brown Skin"	Arie Sanders Mark Batson	Batson Arie	4:56
5.	"Strength, Courage & Wisdom"	Arie	Batson Arie	4:57
6.	"Nature"	Arie Batson	Batson Arie	4:24
7.	"Back to the Middle"	Arie Miller	Miller Arie	5:11
8.	"Ready for Love"	Arie Miller	Miller Arie	4:28
9.	"Interlude"	Arie		1:24
10.	"Always in My Head"	Arie Miller	Bob Power Arie	4:40
11.	"I See God in You"	Arie	Broady Arie	3:17
12.	"Simple"	Arie The Unit Batson	Batson Arie	3:26
13.	"Part of My Life"	Tony Harrington	Batson Arie	4:03
14.	"Beautiful"	Arie Kerisha Hicks Miller	Miller Arie	4:05
15.	"Outro"	Arie		1:18
16.	"Wonderful (Stevie Wonder Dedication)" (bonus track)	Arie Cornelius Barnes Batson	Batson Arie	5:31

Japanese edition bonus track
No.	Title	Length
17.	"Butterfly"	4:07

UK edition bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
17.	"Strength, Courage & Wisdom" (live)	5:57
18.	"Brown Skin" (Bedroom Rockers Remix)	3:36

Special edition bonus disc
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Video" (DJ Dodge Remix)
2.	"Video" (Urban Wolves/Dream Team Remix (featuring Super Cat))
3.	"Brown Skin" (Bedroom Rockers Radio Remix)
4.	"Brown Skin" (E-London Club Remix)
5.	"Brown Skin" (Mind Trap Mix)
6.	"Strength, Courage & Wisdom" (Remix)
7.	"Strength, Courage & Wisdom" (live from Paradiso)

Sample credits

"Video" contains an interpolation of "Fun" by Brick.
"Nature" contains an interpolation of "Quiet Storm" by Mobb Deep.

Personnel

Musicians

India Arie – vocals, acoustic guitar
Mark Batson – organ, synthesizer, bass, percussion, drums, keyboards, programming, Mellotron, Fender Rhodes
Carlos "6 July" Broady – programming
John Catchings – cello
Larry Goldings – organ, Wurlitzer, string contractor
Steve Grossman – percussion, drums
Tony Harrell – keyboards
Kerisha Hicks – background vocals
Judeth Insel – viola
Avery Johnson – bass
Bashiri Johnson – percussion
Doug Kahan – bass
Terry MacMillan – percussion
Blue Miller – acoustic guitar, guitar, electric guitar, programming, vocals, background vocals
Bob Power – bass, guitar, conductor, programming
Marlene Rice – violin
Ralph Rolle – drums
Joyce Simpson – background vocals
David Spak – percussion
Laurneá Wilkerson – background vocals
Nioka Workman – cello

Technical

Producers: India Arie, Mark Batson, Carlos "6 July" Broady, Blue Miller, Bob Power
Executive producer: Kedar Massenburg
Engineers: Kevin Haywood, Avery Johnson, Jim Lightman, Blue Miller, Mark Niemiec, Bob Power, Lovis Scalise, Mike Tocci
Mixing: Kevin Haywood, George Karras, Jim Lightman, Chris Mazer, Blue Miller, Bob Power, Mike Shipley, Alvin Speights, Dave Way
Mastering: Chris Athens
Programming: Mark Batson
Assistant producer: Jason Breckling
String arrangements: Mark Batson
String engineer: Jon Smeltz
Creative director: Sandy Brummels
Product manager: Liz Loblack
Art direction: Annalee Valencia
Design: Annalee Valencia
Photography: Kwaku Alston, Michael Benabib

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *Acoustic Soul*
Chart (2001–2002)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[15]	36
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)^[16]	4
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[17]	21
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[18]	9
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[19]	48
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[20]	50
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[21]	19
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[22]	43
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[23]	85
UK Albums (OCC)^[24]	55
UK R&B Albums (OCC)^[25]	10
US Billboard 200^[26]	10
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[27]	3

Year-end charts

2001 year-end chart performance for *Acoustic Soul*
Chart (2001)	Position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[28]	95
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[29]	22
US Billboard 200^[30]	97
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[31]	39

2002 year-end chart performance for *Acoustic Soul*
Chart (2002)	Position
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)^[32]	19
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[33]	136
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[34]	26
US Billboard 200^[35]	96
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[36]	49

Certifications

Certifications for *Acoustic Soul*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
South Africa (RISA)^[37]	Gold	25,000^*
United States (RIAA)^[3]	2× Platinum	1,860,000^[38]
^* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history for *Acoustic Soul*
Region	Date	Format
United States	March 27, 2001	CD
United Kingdom	October 22, 2001
Japan	December 11, 2001
United States	July 17, 2007	CD (special edition)

Notes

^ Tracks 1, 5, 9 and 15
^ Track 2
^ Tracks 3 and 7
^ Tracks 4–6, 12, 13 and 16
^ Tracks 7, 8 and 14; vocals on track 11
^ Tracks 8 and 11
^ Strings on track 10
^ ^a ^b Track 10

References

^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1405. June 8, 2001. p. 51,59,63. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
^ "Going For Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. October 12, 2001. pp. 53, 63. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "American album certifications – India.Arie – Acoustic Soul". Recording Industry Association of America. December 17, 2003.
^ Shellberg, Tim (June 27, 2003). "India.Arie revives her 'acoustic soul'". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
^ Duffy, John. "Overview: India Arie — Acoustic Soul". AllMusic. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
^ Hall, Rashaun (March 31, 2001). "Spotlight: India.Arie — Acoustic Soul". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 13. p. 19.
^ "Music Capsule Review: India.Arie (2009) — Acoustic Soul". Entertainment Weekly. March 30, 2001. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
^ "India.Arie: Acoustic Soul". Mixmag: 179. June 2001.
^ Evans, Diana (2001-04-05). "Album Reviews – India.Arie : Acoustic Soul". NME. Retrieved on August 12, 2009.
^ Bottomley, Maurice (2001-03-26). "India.Arie: Acoustic Soul". PopMatters. Retrieved on August 12, 2009.
^ Masuo, Sandy (June 5, 2001). "India.Arie: Acoustic Soul : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "India.Arie". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 404. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
^ "Old 97's No. 5; generic Sasha; 'Acoustic' India". USA Today: D.10. March 27, 2001.
^ Green, Tony (2001-07-03). "Who Isn't Jill Scott?" Archived October 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. The Village Voice. Retrieved on August 12, 2009.
^ "Australiancharts.com – India.Arie – Acoustic Soul". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^ "ARIA Urban Chart – Week Commencing 4th March 2002" (PDF). The ARIA Report. No. 627. March 4, 2002. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 23, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. May 19, 2001. Archived from the original on December 14, 2004. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. July 18, 2001. Archived from the original on July 23, 2001. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – India.Arie – Acoustic Soul" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – India.Arie – Acoustic Soul" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^ "Charts.nz – India.Arie – Acoustic Soul". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – India.Arie – Acoustic Soul". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^ "Swisscharts.com – India.Arie – Acoustic Soul". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^ "India.Arie Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^ "India.Arie Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^ "Canada's Top 200 Albums of 2001". Jam!. January 8, 2002. Archived from the original on December 12, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
^ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001". Jam!. January 8, 2002. Archived from the original on November 22, 2002. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Urban Albums 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^ "Canada's Top 200 Albums of 2002". Jam!. January 14, 2003. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
^ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2002". Jam!. January 14, 2003. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
^ "Mi2N: Music Divas & Rock Bands Top South African Certifications". Music Industry News Network. May 2, 2002. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
^ "Best of Next". Vibe. Vol. 11, no. 9. September 2003. p. 168. ISSN 1070-4701 – via Google Books.

External links

[1] Tracks 1, 5, 9 and 15

[2] Track 2

[3] Tracks 3 and 7

[4] Tracks 4–6, 12, 13 and 16

[5] Tracks 7, 8 and 14; vocals on track 11

[6] Tracks 8 and 11

[7] Strings on track 10

[Track_10-8] Track 10

[9] "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1405. June 8, 2001. p. 51,59,63. Retrieved December 10, 2022.

[10] "Going For Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. October 12, 2001. pp. 53, 63. Retrieved December 10, 2022.

[RIAA-11] "American album certifications – India.Arie – Acoustic Soul". Recording Industry Association of America. December 17, 2003.

[Acclaim-12] Shellberg, Tim (June 27, 2003). "India.Arie revives her 'acoustic soul'". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved January 31, 2022.

[AM_review-13] Duffy, John. "Overview: India Arie — Acoustic Soul". AllMusic. Retrieved January 31, 2022.

[Billboard_review-14] Hall, Rashaun (March 31, 2001). "Spotlight: India.Arie — Acoustic Soul". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 13. p. 19.

[EW_Review-15] "Music Capsule Review: India.Arie (2009) — Acoustic Soul". Entertainment Weekly. March 30, 2001. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2022.

[16] "India.Arie: Acoustic Soul". Mixmag: 179. June 2001.

[17] Evans, Diana (2001-04-05). "Album Reviews – India.Arie : Acoustic Soul". NME. Retrieved on August 12, 2009.

[18] Bottomley, Maurice (2001-03-26). "India.Arie: Acoustic Soul". PopMatters. Retrieved on August 12, 2009.

[19] Masuo, Sandy (June 5, 2001). "India.Arie: Acoustic Soul : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved July 28, 2013.

[Cross-20] Cross, Charles R. (2004). "India.Arie". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 404. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

[21] "Old 97's No. 5; generic Sasha; 'Acoustic' India". USA Today: D.10. March 27, 2001.

[22] Green, Tony (2001-07-03). "Who Isn't Jill Scott?" Archived October 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. The Village Voice. Retrieved on August 12, 2009.

[ac_Australia_India.Arie-23] "Australiancharts.com – India.Arie – Acoustic Soul". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2019.

[24] "ARIA Urban Chart – Week Commencing 4th March 2002" (PDF). The ARIA Report. No. 627. March 4, 2002. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 23, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2020 – via National Library of Australia.

[25] "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. May 19, 2001. Archived from the original on December 14, 2004. Retrieved April 12, 2023.

[26] "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. July 18, 2001. Archived from the original on July 23, 2001. Retrieved January 27, 2023.

[ac_Netherlands_India.Arie-27] "Dutchcharts.nl – India.Arie – Acoustic Soul" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2019.

[ac_Germany4_India.Arie-28] "Offiziellecharts.de – India.Arie – Acoustic Soul" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 1, 2019.

[ac_New_Zealand_India.Arie-29] "Charts.nz – India.Arie – Acoustic Soul". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2019.

[ac_Sweden_India.Arie-30] "Swedishcharts.com – India.Arie – Acoustic Soul". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2019.

[ac_Switzerland_India.Arie-31] "Swisscharts.com – India.Arie – Acoustic Soul". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2019.

[ac_UK2_-32] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 1, 2019.

[ac_UKR&B_-33] "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 1, 2019.

[ac_Billboard200_India.Arie-34] "India.Arie Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2019.

[ac_BillboardRandBHipHop_India.Arie-35] "India.Arie Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2019.

[36] "Canada's Top 200 Albums of 2001". Jam!. January 8, 2002. Archived from the original on December 12, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.

[37] "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001". Jam!. January 8, 2002. Archived from the original on November 22, 2002. Retrieved January 22, 2023.

[38] "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2019.

[39] "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2019.

[40] "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Urban Albums 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.

[41] "Canada's Top 200 Albums of 2002". Jam!. January 14, 2003. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2022.

[42] "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2002". Jam!. January 14, 2003. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.

[43] "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.

[44] "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.

[45] "Mi2N: Music Divas & Rock Bands Top South African Certifications". Music Industry News Network. May 2, 2002. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2019.

[46] "Best of Next". Vibe. Vol. 11, no. 9. September 2003. p. 168. ISSN 1070-4701 – via Google Books.

[a]

v t e India Arie
Discography
Albums	Acoustic Soul (2001) Voyage to India (2002) Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship (2006) Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics (2009) Songversation (2013) Christmas with Friends (2015)
Singles	"Video" "Peaceful World" "Brown Skin" "Little Things" "I Am Not My Hair" "The Heart of the Matter" "Words" "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"