Songoftheday 4/11/21 - Everything you want is real close when you close your eyes, and the things you think about the most they come to life...

 

 

"Imagination" - Tamia

from the album Tamia (1998)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #37 (one week)

Weeks in the Top-40: 4

 

Today's song of the day comes from Tamia, an R&B singer who hails from Ontario, Canada. She got her first big break from music legend Quincy Jones, who signed her to his label and recruited her to sing on his 1995 album Q's Jook Joint. From that she landed a pair of Grammy nominations from the get go with "You Put A Move On My Heart" up for Best R&B Female Vocal (which went to Toni Braxton for "You're Making Me High"), and "Slow Jams" with Babyface, Barry White, and Portrait up for Best R&B Duo/Group Vocal (which the Fugees took home for their cover of "Killing Me Softly"). Also, Tamia was one of the four vocal powerhouses on "Missing You" from the movie Set It Off with Gladys Knight, Brandy, and Chaka Khan, which scored her first top-40 pop hit in the autumn of 1996. It also got a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Collaboration, which Natalie Cole stole with her version of "Unforgettable" with Nat King Cole. The lead single from the set was "Imagination", which was built on an interpolation of the Jackson 5 classic "I Want You Back", giving its authors (Berry Gordy, Fonze Mizelli, Freddie Perren, and Deke Richards) writing credit, along with producers Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal. Dupri appears on the track with rap verses as well. The result was a subdued version of 90s post-new jack swing soul that showcased her powerful voice without having to go into gymnastics...

"Imagination" became Tamia's second top-40 pop hit, and first "solo" one, in May of 1998. The song also climbed to #12 on Billboard magazine's R&B chart. Internationally, the single peaked at #12 in her native Canada, and reached the top-40 in New Zealand at #30. The Tamia album, released in April of that year, came in at #67 on the Billboard 200 sales tally, and #18 on the R&B specific albums list.

(6/10)

Up tomorrow: A pair of songs from the Diva giving her everything.