Full Moon

Full Moon is the third studio album by American singer Brandy. First released by Atlantic Records on February 25, 2002, it was recorded during fall 2000 to October 2001 at several recording studios, amid a three-year musical hiatus following the release of her highly successful previous studio album Never Say Never (1998) and her nervous breakdown in November 1999. As with Never Say Never, Norwood collaborated with Rodney Jerkins and his Darkchild crew on the majority of the album's production. The record saw her abandon her teenage appeal for a more adult and sensual edginess, coinciding with her relationship with music producer Big Bert and her pending pregnancy. Along with her image, Norwood's voice had gone through a major change, losing the "girly-rasp" that she once had, for a now deeper and warmer voice, that had acquired a scratchy, evocative edge. The music also reflected the change, as songs such as "What About Us?" and "Full Moon" explored more adult, sexual topics, and a sound that blended her previous urban pop sound with heavy influences of UK garage, dubstep, and progressively futuristic tones. Following a mixed response from critics at the time of its release, Full Moon has since earned retrospective recognition from musicians, singers, and producers within the contemporary R&B and gospel genres. Her first album in four years, Full Moon debuted on top of the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and at number 2 on the Billboard 200, selling approximately 156,000 copies in its first week of release. It eventually received a platinum certification by the RIAA for more than one million copies shipped to stores. While the album entered the top twenty on the majority of the charts it appeared on outside the United States, it also reached the top ten in Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.