Believe (Yolanda Adams album)

Believe is the eighth studio album by American singer Yolanda Adams. It was released by Elektra Records on December 4, 2001, in the United States. The album features the singles "Never Give Up," and "I'm Gonna Be Ready".^[1] The track "Fo' Sho'" was done with labelmate Karen Clark-Sheard and was Sheard's first release after her near death experience. The first track, "Never Give Up", is said to be a response to the September 11 attacks. The album sold 67,000 copies in its best week in January 2002^[2] and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). As of 2019, the album has sold over 700,000 units.^[3] This was Adams' final release on Elektra before the company folded.

Believe
Studio album by Yolanda Adams
Released	December 4, 2001
Genre	Gospel
Length	53:31
Label	Elektra
Producer	Kevin Bond Louis Brown Buster & Shavoni Warryn Campbell Mike City Shep Crawford Drop Squad Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis James "Big Jim" Wright
Yolanda Adams chronology
The Experience (2001) Believe (2001) Day By Day (2005)
Singles from Believe
"Never Give Up" Released: October 30, 2001 "I Gotta Believe" Released: 2001 "I'm Gonna Be Ready" Released: 2001

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Cross Rhythms	[5]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[6]

Allmusic editor Liana Jonas found that "most of the fare on Believe [is] plagued by formulaic R&B and gospel arrangements, predictable key changes and progressions, and less-than-moving lyrics. The album does not justly showcase Adams' fullest vocal potential, which, to be sure, she has in spades based on past recordings. Adams should secure better songwriters and producers. Without them, her many talents go wasted. She can and should do better."^[4]

Track listing

Credits taken from the album's liner notes.^[7]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Never Give Up"	Yolanda Adams Terry Lewis James Harris III James Wright	Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Wright[A]	5:17
2.	"I Gotta Believe"	Shep Crawford Damon Crawford Ishmael Ferguson	Drop Squad Crawford	3:41
3.	"Fo' Sho'" (featuring Karen Clark Sheard)	Crawford	Crawford	3:27
4.	"Thank You"	V. Michael McKay	Kevin Bond	5:11
5.	"A Song of Faith"	Michael Flowers	Mike City	4:22
6.	"Unconditional"	Flowers	City	3:40
7.	"Anything"	Adams Erica Campbell Tina Campbell Warryn Campbell John "Jubu" Smith	W. Campbell	4:29
8.	"Only If God Says Yes"	Bond	Bond	4:50
9.	"Since the Last Time I Saw You"	V. McKay	Bond	3:46
10.	"I'm Gonna Be Ready"	Adams Harris Lewis Wright	Jam & Lewis Wright[A]	5:39
11.	"Darling Girl"	Adams Bobby Ross Avila Issiah J. "Iz" Avila Louis "Buster" Brown Scott "Shavoni" Parkert	Buster & Shavoni	4:18
12.	"I'm Thankful" (featuring T-Bone)	Adams Harris Lewis Wright Grant Nicholas Etienne Clark Rene Sotomayor	Jam & Lewis Nicholas Lil Nick Wright[A]	4:14

Notes

• ^{^[A]} denotes co-producer

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2001–02) Peak position US Billboard 200[8] 42 US Christian Albums (Billboard)[9] 2 US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard)[10] 1 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[11] 7

Year-end charts Chart (2002) Position US Billboard 200[12] 133 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] 29 US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard)[14] 2 US Christian Albums (Billboard)[14] 5 Chart (2003) Position US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard)[15] 11 Decade-end charts Chart (2000-2009) Peak position US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard)[16] 6

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[17]	Gold	700,000[3]

References

1. "Yolanda Adams - Believe". Discogs. discogs.com. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
2. Trust, Gary. "Ask Billboard: Happy 40th, Mariah! - Chart Beat". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
3. Alexis, Diamond (November 14, 2019). "Gospel Singer Yolanda Adams: 7 Hit Songs For Your Deepest Prayers". BET. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
4. Allmusic review
5. Best, Steve (January 1, 2003). "Yolanda Adams - Believe". Cross Rhythms. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
6. Colin Larkin (27 May 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5 ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 1992. ISBN 978-0857125958. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Google Books.
7. Adams, Yolanda. "Believe (CD, Album)". Elektra. 2001. https://www.discogs.com/Yolanda-Adams-Believe/release/710781
8. "Yolanda Adams Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
9. "Yolanda Adams Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
10. "Yolanda Adams Chart History (Top Gospel Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
11. "Yolanda Adams Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
12. "Billboard 200 Albums: Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
13. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
14. "The Year in Music 2002: Gospel / Contemporary Christian" (PDF). Billboard. December 28, 2002. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via World Radio History.
15. "Year in Music: Top Gospel Albums" (PDF). Billboard. December 27, 2003. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via World Radio History.
16. "Best of the 2000s: Gospel Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
17. "American album certifications – Yolanda Adams". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 11, 2020.

External links

• Believe at AllMusic