Chapter 2: The Voice

Chapter 2: The Voice is the third studio album by American singer Syleena Johnson. It was released by Jive Records on November 26, 2002 in the United States. While Johnson reteamed with R. Kelly and Joel Kipnis to work on the album, Chapter 2 includes a diverse roster of collaborators including Hi-Tek, Dwayne Bastiany, Mike Dunn and Scorpio as well as duo Carvin & Ivan who contributed four songs. Upon its release, it debuted and peaked at number 104 on the US Billboard 200 and entered the top 20 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. With "Tonight I'm Gonna Let Go", the album's lead single, Chapter 2 produced Johnson's first international top forty hit.

Chapter 2: The Voice
Studio album by Syleena Johnson
Released	November 26, 2002
Recorded	2002
Genre	R&B soul neo soul
Length	63:09
Label	Jive
Producer	Dwayne Bastiany Carvin & Ivan Mike Dunn Hi-Tek R. Kelly Joel Kipnis C. Major Scorpio
Syleena Johnson chronology
Chapter 1: Love, Pain & Forgiveness (2001) Chapter 2: The Voice (2002) Chapter 3: The Flesh (2005)
Singles from Chapter 2: The Voice
"Tonight I'm Gonna Let Go" Released: August 5, 2002 "Guess What" Released: October 28, 2002

Release and promotion

The album's lead single "Tonight I'm Gonna Let Go" was released on August 5, 2002.[1] The song, that samples on Busta Rhymes' Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,[1] was one of BET's most-played clips for the weeks of October 13, October 20 and October 27, 2002.[2][3][4] The Voice's second single "Guess What" was written and produced by R. Kelly; it was sent to radios on October 28.[1]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Vibe	[6]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"The Voice/Intro"	Syleena Johnson Tony Cottrell Lawrence Howard Brown Oleg Lopatin Marvin Gaye Al Cleveland Renaldo Benson	Hi-Tek	4:33
2.	"Faithful to You"	Johnson Dwayne Bastiany	Bastiany	3:30
3.	"Now That I Got You"	Johnson Bastiany Deniece Williams Susaye Greene Henry Redd Nathan Watts	Bastiany	3:37
4.	"Dear You"	Johnson Carvin Haggins Ivan Barias Jamar Jones	Carvin & Ivan	3:39
5.	"Guess What"	R. Kelly	R. Kelly	3:32
6.	"I'm Gon' Cry"	Johnson Haggins Barias Frank Romano Steve Cropper Al Jackson, Jr. Donald Dunn Booker T. Jones	Carvin & Ivan	3:31
7.	"Is That You"	Johnson Mike Dunn	Dunn	4:30
8.	"Tonight I'm Gonna Let Go"	Johnson Dunn James Seals	Dunn	3:54
9.	"If You Play Your Cards Right"	Kevin McCord	Scorpio	6:01
10.	"No Words"	Johnson Haggins Barias Romano	Carvin & Ivan	3:46
11.	"So Willingly"	Johnson Haggins Barias Romano	Carvin & Ivan	3:46
12.	"Guitars of the Heart (Happy)"	Johnson Joel Kipnis	JK	5:40
13.	"I Believe in Love"	Johnson Christian Robinson	C. Major Scorpio	3:51
14.	"Outro"	Johnson Cottrell	Hi-Tek	0:59
15.	"Tonight I'm Gonna Let Go (Remix)" (featuring Busta Rhymes, Rampage, Sham & Spliff Star of Flipmode Squad)	Johnson Dunn Seals Trevor Smith Roger McNair Leroy Jones William Lewis	Dunn Scorpio R. Kelly	4:18
16.	"Joined at the Hip"	R. Kelly	R. Kelly	3:55

Sampling credits

• "Tonight I'm Gonna Let Go" contains re-played elements from "Sweet Green Fields" by Seals and Crofts.
• "If You Play Your Cards Right" is a cover of the 1981 song by Alicia Myers.
• "Tonight I'm Gonna Let Go (Remix)" samples on "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" by Busta Rhymes.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

Kamel Abdo – Engineer Timmy Allen – Vocals (background) Ivan "Orthodox" Barias – Producer, Instrumentation Dwayne Bastiany – Producer, Instrumentation Jim Bottari – Engineer Kara Buhl – Photo Production C-Major – Producer Troy Corbin – Vocals (background) Mike Dunn – Producer, Engineer Rodney East – Keyboards David Flemming – Engineer Andy Gallas – Engineer Abel Garibaldi – Programming, Engineer Serban Ghenea – Mixing Tony Gillis – Mastering Tarsha Gray – Hair Stylist Carvin "Ransum" Haggins – Producer, Vocal Arrangement Hi-Tek – Producer Syleena Johnson – Arranger, Vocals (background), Vocal Arrangement

Jamar Jones – Keyboards R. Kelly – Arranger, Vocals (background), Producer, Mixing, Remix Producer, Remix Arrangement Donnie Lyle – Bass, Guitar Carlos "Storm" Martinez – Engineer Charles McCrorey – Engineer Ian Mereness – Programming, Engineer, Mixing Jason Mlodzinski – Assistant Jackie Murphy – Art Direction, Design Herb Powers – Mastering Darien Rapp – Engineer Christian Robinson – Engineer Frank Romano – Guitar Patrick Salisbury – Photography Brian Stanley – Engineer Rich Tapper – Engineer Chris Trevett – Engineer Denise Trorman – Art Direction, Design Pamela Watson – Stylist Doug Wilson – Engineer

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2002) Peak position US Billboard 200[7] 104 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] 19 US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[9] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2003) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] 59

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Ref.
United States	November 26, 2002	Jive Sony Legacy	[11]

References

1. Lorez, Jeff (November 23, 2002). "Jive's Johnson Pens New 'Chapter'". Billboard. Vol. 114 no. 47. p. 23 – via Google Books.
2. "Video Monitor". Billboard. Vol. 114 no. 43. October 26, 2002. p. 71. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
3. "Video Monitor". Billboard. Vol. 114 no. 44. November 2, 2002. p. 71. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
4. "Video Monitor". Billboard. Vol. 114 no. 45. November 9, 2002. p. 67. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
5. Henderson, Alex. "Chapter 2: The Voice - Syleena Johnson". AllMusic. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
6. Checkoway, Laura (December 2002). "Vibe Review - Chapter 2: The Voice". Vibe. Vol. 10 no. 12. p. 206. ISSN 1070-4701 – via Google Books.
7. "Syleena Johnson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
8. "Syleena Johnson Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
9. "Syleena Johnson Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
10. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
11. "Chapter 2: The Voice - Syleena Johnson". Amazon (US). Retrieved October 8, 2020.

External links

• Official website