Where It All Begins
Studio album by
Lalah Hathaway
ReleasedOctober 18, 2011
Length54:55
LabelStax
Producer
Lalah Hathaway chronology
Self Portrait
(2008)		 Where It All Begins
(2011)		 Lalah Hathaway Live
(2015)
Singles from Where It All Begins
  1. "If You Want to"
    Released: August 13, 2011
  2. "You Were Meant For Me"
  3. "My Everything"

"Where It All Begins" is the fifth studio album by American singer Lalah Hathaway. It was released on Stax Records and Concord Music Group on October 18, 2011.[1]

Background

An homage to her father Donny Hathaway, the artwork for Where It All Begins features a collage of her father album covers, with Hathaway inserted in place of her father on most of them.[1] In addition to family photos depicted throughout the booklet, the album features a cover version of Donny Hathaway's "You Were Meant for Me," the original of which was issued as a single a few months prior to his tragic passing.[1] Where It All Begins also features a remake of the song "I'm Coming Back" with Rachelle Ferrell, originally recorded by Vesta Williams for her 1986 album Vesta as well a remake of Hathaway's own "I’m Coming Back," first released in 1991.[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
PopMatters[2]

AllMusic editor Andy Kellman found that Where It All Begins "picks up where 2008'sSelf Portrait left off, though the pop-R&B-type moves – buzzing synthesizers, harder beats – are a little more pronounced. "If You Want To," a gleaming disco-funk track co-written by Rahsaan Patterson, is the best of that lot; the remainder of the album’s highlights are relatively subdued, led by the gliding, atmospheric title track – a stunning throwback to lyrically inward, sonically otherworldly soul-jazz of the '70s."[1]

Elias Leight from PopMatters felt that "though [Hathaway] tries her hand at a number of styles, her results are all similarly unimaginative. It is hard to pinpoint exactly where Hathaway goes wrong, but Where It All Begins is uninteresting. At a time when exciting new things are happening on many fronts of R&B, Hathaway offers a dull tour through the overdone and the bland."[2]

Chart performance

Where It All Begins debuted and peaked at number 32 on the US Billboard 200 in the week of November 5, 2011, becoming Hathaway's highest-charting album yet.[3] It also reached number seven on the Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, making it her second album to reach the top ten.[4]

Track listing

Where It All Begins track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Strong Woman"
Dre & Vidal3:07
2."Where It All Begins"
  • Hathaway
  • Green
5:45
3."My Everything"
  • Hathaway
  • Jonathan Richmond
  • Hathaway
  • Richmond
4:12
4."Small of My Back"Lee Hutson, Jr.JR Hutson4:47
5."If You Want to"
  • Hathaway
  • Richmond
3:28
6."Always Love You"Michael FlowersMike City4:08
7."Lie to Me"
Dre & Vidal4:33
8."This Could Be Love"
  • Hathaway
  • Green
  • Lewis Williams
  • Hathaway
  • Green
  • Bobby Sparks
4:52
9."Wrong Way"
Hutson3:44
10."You Were Meant for Me"William James Peterkin
4:03
11."I'm Coming Back" (featuring Rachelle Ferrell)Gary Taylor
  • Hathaway
  • Ramone
6:57
12."Dreamland"
  • Hathaway
  • Errol Cooney
  • James Day
  • Hathaway
  • Cooney
5:19
Total length:54:55
Apple Music bonus tracks[5]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."My Heart"FlowersCity3:42
14."This Could Be Love" (The Wednesday Mix)
  • Hathaway
  • Green
  • Williams
  • Hathaway
  • Green
  • Sparks
7:39
Best Buy bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Lose Yourself"FlowersCity4:03
14."We're All in This Together"FlowersCity 

Charts

Chart performance for Where It All Begins
Chart (2011) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[3] 32
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[4] 7

Release history

Release dates and formats for Where It All Begins
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
United States October 18, 2011 Stax [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kellman, Andy. Where It All Begins at AllMusic
  2. 1 2 Leight /, Elias (December 13, 2011). "Lalah Hathaway: Where It All Begins". PopMatters. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Lalah Hathaway Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Lalah Hathaway Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Lalah Hathaway – Where It All Begins (Apple Music)". Apple Music. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
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