This Is Me (Kierra Sheard album)

This Is Me is the second studio album by American singer Kierra "Kiki" Sheard. It was released by EMI Gospel on June 27, 2006 in the United States. Sheard reteamed with her brother J. Drew Sheard, Warryn Campbell and duo PAJAM to work on her sophomore album but also consulted new collaborators to write and produce on This Is Me, including PJ Morton, Antonio Neal, and Tommy Sims as well as Fred Jerkins III and his son Lil Freddie.

This Is Me
Studio album by
Kierra "Kiki" Sheard
ReleasedJune 6, 2006
Genre
Length44:17
LabelEMI Gospel
Producer
Kierra "Kiki" Sheard chronology
Just Until...
(2005)		 This Is Me
(2006)		 Bold Right Life
(2008)

Upon release, the album earned generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics and became Sheard's second consectuive album to debut at number one on the US Billboard Top Gospel Albums, also reaching number 90 on the Billboard 200. Nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album,[2] This Is Me won a Dove Award for Urban Album of the Year at the 38th GMA Dove Awards in 2007.[3]

Background

Upon announcing the then future release, Sheard commented that she "called the album This Is Me because its more of the music me and my friends listen to, says Kiki. I grew up in the church, hearing and singing traditional Gospel, which I still love and will always be a big part of who I am. But when the Clark Sisters, then later, artists like Kirk Franklin, and Mary Mary stepped out and put the Gospel message to a contemporary sound, a lot of people, particularly the young, realized this was music they could relate to, and when they were then willing to give it a listen, the message started getting through as well."[4]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Cross Rhythms[5]

Allmusic editor Andree Farias found that This Is Me was less "calculated" than her debut abum I Owe You (2004), writing: "It's more genuinely urban, befitting Sheard's age and sidestepping the ingratiatingly traditional side of I Owe You. As with most young performers, the disc is still handled by a bevy of producers and collaborators, but at least the songs never make Sheard sound out of character [...] Good for her: while This Is Me isn't always a smooth ride, it outdoes the debut in that it presents a more accurate picture of where she, not her family or her label, wants to head artistically."[1]

This Is Me was met with mixed reaction from Sheard's core gospel fanbase. Where traditional gospel enthusiasts had a few tracks of that style to appease them on Kiki's debut project, her second album adopted an even more slick, contemporary sound. The only place the more trademark traditional "churchy" vocals appear are in the vamp of "No, Never". Nonetheless, scores of younger fans have been introduced to both traditional and contemporary gospel influences through Kiki Sheard's work. The artist herself stated that her goal with this album was to take the gospel message to a younger generation through songs that have a "beat they can associate with."[4]

Accolades

The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album in December 2006,[2] and album won a Dove Award for Urban Album of the Year at the 38th GMA Dove Awards in 2007.[3]

Chart performance

Upon release, This Is Me beame Sheard's second consectuive album to debut at number one on the US Billboard Top Gospel Albums.[6] In the US, it also reached number four on the Top Christian Albums, number 16 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 90 on the Billboard 200.[7]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."You're the Only One"
3:42
2."Yes"
W. Campbell2:56
3."It Is What It Is"
  • F. Jerkins III
  • Daniels
  • Jerkins
Uncle Freddie3:36
4."This Is Me"
  • F. Jerkins III
  • Delisha Thomas
Uncle Freddie4:23
5."Wrong Things"James MossPAJAM3:58
6."Faith"Kierra "Kiki" Sheard
  • J. Drew Sheard
  • K. Sheard
2:47
7."Why Me?"
Uncle Freddie3:26
8."Have What You Want"K. Sheard
  • J. Sheard
  • K. Sheard
4:07
9."You"
W. Campbell2:49
10."Change"
  • Morton
  • Sims
3:28
11."No, Never"K. Sheard
  • J. Sheard
  • K. Sheard
3:44
12."Hear This" (Intro)
  • K. Sheard
  • Dwayne Wright
  • Avriele Crandle
  • Antonio Neal
  • Wright
  • Crandle
0:28
13."Hear This"
  • K. Sheard
  • Wright
  • Crandle
  • Neal
  • Wright
  • Crandle
4:49
Special edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Hands Up"
  • K. Sheard
  • F. Jerkins III
Uncle Freddie3:47
15."Always by My Side"K. Sheard
  • J. Sheard
  • K. Sheard
3:02
16."Scream"
  • Paul D. Allen
  • Wille Wood
  • Rodney Levens
  • Brian Bradley
  • Moss
  • Walter Kearney
PAJAM3:55
17."Here I Am"MortonMorton3:05
18."It's Not Over"
  • Neal
  • Harrold
3:43
19."This Is Me" (Live)
  • F. Jerkins III
  • Thomas
  • Neal
  • K. Sheard
4:32
Japan edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Yes"
  • W. Campbell
  • J. Campbell
  • E. Campbell
W. Campbell2:56
2."You"
  • W. Campbell
  • E. Campbell
  • T. Campbell
W. Campbell2:49
3."You're the Only One"
  • F. Jerkins III
  • F. Jerins IV
  • Daniels
  • Jerkins
  • Uncle Freddie
  • Lil Freddie
3:42
4."Get Better – It's Not Over"  3:43
5."This Is Me"
  • F. Jerkins III
  • Thomas
Uncle Freddie4:23
6."It Is What It Is"
  • F. Jerkins III
  • Daniels
  • Jerkins
Uncle Freddie3:36
7."Have What You Want"K. Sheard
  • J. Sheard
  • K. Sheard
4:07
8."Wrong Things"J. MossPAJAM3:58
9."Why Me?"
  • F. Jerkins III
  • R. Jerkins
  • Daniels
  • Jerkins
Uncle Freddie3:26
10."Faith"Kierra "Kiki" Sheard
  • J. Drew Sheard
  • K. Sheard
2:47
11."Hands Up"
  • K. Sheard
  • F. Jerkins III
Uncle Freddie3:47
12."Get Yours"  3:34
13."Scream"
  • Allen
  • Wood
  • Levens
  • Bradley
  • Moss
  • Kearney
PAJAM3:55
14."Hear This"
  • K. Sheard
  • Wright
  • Crandle
  • Neal
  • Wright
  • Crandle
4:49
15."No, Never"K. Sheard
  • J. Sheard
  • K. Sheard
3:44
16."Rise"  3:49

Charts
Chart (2006) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[7] 90
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[8] 3
US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard)[9] 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] 16

References
  1. Allmusic review
  2. "49th Annual Grammy Awards Nominee List". Grammy.com.
  3. 38th Annual GMA Awards on About.com
  4. "An Interview With Kierra Sheard". GospelFlava.com.
  5. Cross Rhythms review
  6. "Kierra "Kiki" Sheard's 'This Is Me' debuts at #1". GospelCity.com. July 10, 2006. Archived from the original on September 5, 2006.
  7. "Kierra Sheard Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  8. "Kierra Sheard Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  9. "Kierra Sheard Chart History (Top Gospel Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  10. "Kierra Sheard Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
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