The Definition Of...
She had previously collaborated with Samuels for her fourth album Side Effects of You (2013); she referred to him as her "Quincy Jones" since she would work "from scratch with him going to the keyboard and just playing things".[4] Frustrated with the amount of record label interference in the past, she described executives' plans to determine her sound and style as "prostituting the artist’s gift", and wanted to avoid such influences for the album.[6] During the early stages of the album's production, Fantasia posted several videos on her social media accounts of her recording sessions with Kelly,[6] including one on November 20, 2014.[7] Fantasia worked with producers Ron Fair, Brian Kennedy, Neff-U, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, and GRADES; the album includes features from Tye Tribbett and Stacy Barthe.[19][20] Photographer Derek Blanks shot the accompanying music video for "Sleeping with the One I Love", which features Fantasia "portray[ing] multiple characters in a compelling plot twist".Editor Matthew Scott Donnelly wrote that "across 11 tracks, Fantasia shifts gears as frequently as she did on American Idol, when following up a Barry Manilow single with "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" didn't seem strange.He described "Sleeping with the One I Love" as "a jazzy torch song penned by R. Kelly" and "I Made It" as "a spiritual turn-up that shows Fantasia should make a gospel album."[23] Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave album mixed review, giving it 2.5 out of five stars, saying: "The album starts with a cluttered, uptempo rock-R&B hybrid and never really stabilizes after that, abruptly moving into one of a few ballads suited more for a pop-oriented R&B artist, later involving a contemporary country number seemingly written by an algorithm, and a triumphant Tye Tribbett-driven gospel belter, among other approaches [...] One mark of consistency here is that Barrino often sounds like she's fulfilling roles, however effectively, rather than baring her soul.