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Draft:Learning Curve (album)

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Learning Curve
Studio album by
DJ Rap
Released1 June 1999
StudioStrongroom, London[1]
Genrepop-house,[2] dance-pop[1]
Length63:05
LabelHigher Ground
ProducerDJ Rap
DJ Rap chronology
Intelligence
(1995) 		Learning Curve
(1999) 		Synthesis
(2010)

Learning Curve is the debut studio album by British DJ and producer Charissa Saverio, better known as DJ Rap. Following her rise to prominence in the UK electronic music scene in the early 1990s, Rap independently released a series of singles and albums, before signing to Columbia Records imprint Higher Ground. She wrote hundreds of songs for the album over a four-year span and produced, engineered, and mixed the album herself. Musically, it is a dance-pop and pop-house album, in contrast with her previous drum and bass and jungle work, and drew comparison to the works of Madonna and Garbage. Its lyrical themes include female self-worth, mental health, and the rave scene.

Upon its release, Learning Curve drew praise from critics for its production and accessibility, although some fans and critics objected to its mainstream sound compared to her underground roots. The album spawned three singles, all of which became UK top 75 hits and reached the top 30 of the UK Dance Singles chart. The first two, "Bad Girl" and "Good to Be Alive", peaked within the top 40. In the United States, "Good to Be Alive" reached number five on the US Dance Club Songs chart and appeared in the 1999 motion picture Go.

Background

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Saverio first got involved in the club scene at age 14 in the early 1980s.[3] She had become a well-known DJ in Britain's drum and bass scene by 1991, launching her own independent label, Proper Talent, through which she released successful singles and albums.[4] She became the first UK artist to record and self-release a jungle album.[5] At the time that she signed to Sony, two years after releasing her first album, she estimated that her label had sold 80,000 records.[3] She wrote the album over a four-year period, estimating that she had written between 200 and 300 songs for the project.[4][3]

Composition

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The album was noted for its departure from DJ Rap's drum and bass and jungle background, with critics characterizing Learning Curve's genre as dance-pop or pop-house.[1][2][5] Multiple critics and journalists likened the album's sound to that of Madonna's Ray of Light and "Frozen".[4][6] The album also drew comparison to Garbage.[1][7][5] In an interview with Billboard, Rap stated that she opted for a more mainstream sound as she "would never" release her jungle recordings through a major label, explaining that those records sell around 5,000 copies and she feels protective of them and her own label.[3]

DJ Rap described opening track "Bad Girl" as "a political song about self-esteem", while critic David Browne noted the song alongside "You Get Around" for its theme of female self-worth.[8][6] "Good to Be Alive" includes the refrain "I feel no shame when I'm high" alongside lyrics "It feels so good, it must be right".[6][9] Rap wrote the song about how lucky she felt to survive a "traumatic childhood" and drug abuse earlier in her life.[8][9] For "Fuck with Your Head", Rap and co-writer Bill Baylis sought to experiment with their recording technology; Rap has stated she considers the song "one of the first dubstep explorations, in a sense".[8] The lyrics include "I want to get inside your head/Just f-f-f-fuck with your brain".[4]

Rap wrote "Bad Behaviour" from the point of view of a man, imagining what it would be like to be a "slut", and drew musical influence from the Chemical Brothers.[8] Browne characterized both "Fuck with Your Head" and "Bad Behaviour" as jungle.[6] "Everyday Girl" expresses gratitude to an executive at her record label, while "You Get Around" discusses payback against a cheating boyfriend.[8] "Human Kind", which Rap wrote about feeling like an outsider as a child, was inspired by trip-hop artists Massive Attack and Tricky.[8] Critic David Browne wrote that "Live It for Today" contains "semi-spiritual musings".[6] "Go" is about LSD.[8] "Stories from Around the World" features Sri Lankan Tamil musician Manickam Yogeswaran, who recorded his part in one take.[8] The song had originally been titled "I Think the Angels Have Left Me", but producer Dom T objected to the lyrics, and it was rewritten as an instrumental.[8] "Changes", which Rap has singled out as her least favorite song on the album for its "basic" quality and emphasis on lyrics over bass, discusses mental health and homelessness.[8] The closing track, "Ordinary Day", features an acoustic guitar and samples of Derrick May's "Strings of Life", drawing comparison to Jewel.[8][10] Rap wrote it to pay tribute to the rave scene.[4][8]

Release

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Learning Curve was released in the United Kingdom in the fall of 1998.[4] It was initially slated for release in the United States on 18 May 1999.[3] Its release date was then pushed to 1 June.[11] The British and American editions of the album featured different track lists, with the American version omitting drum and bass tracks "Beats Like This", "Audio Technica", and "Spiritual Aura" and replacing them with four new songs.[4][1]

Sony worked to introduce Rap to American listeners through film, fashion, college radio, and the Internet.[3] Out advertised the album in advance of its release.[12] Lead single "Bad Girl" was released in the United States on 19 February 1999, with the CD single including a mix by American DJ BT.[13] Its music video went into rotation on The Box.[14] "Good to Be Alive" was used in the 1999 film Go and appeared on its soundtrack.[6] The single's music video went into rotation on MTV2 and The Box.[9] The video for single "Everyday Girl" depicted Rap in a city surrounded by aliens.[8]

Reception

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Critical

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Spin4/10[10]

LA CityBeat writer Dennis Romero characterized reviews of the album as "decent".[2] In a review for Entertainment Weekly, Browne wrote that the album demonstrates that DJ Rap "can go break beat for break beat with most of her guy peers", calling the album "a sort of underground companion to Madonna's Ray of Light" and deeming "Good to Be Alive" the highlight.[6] In a review for Spin, critic Sally Jacob named "Change" and "Stories from Around the World" as highlights but opined that the rest of the album was "predictable" pop songs.[7] Jacob criticized the lyrics, as well as deeming the first two singles "sub-Madonna".[10] Some British critics took issue with the album's mainstream sound, with a single review in DJ negatively deeming her "the Kate Bush of drum'n'bass".[4][7]

Commercial

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As of June 2005, the album had sold 500,000 copies worldwide.[2] In the United Kingdom, Learning Curve spawned two top 40 hits.[15] "Bad Girl" debuted on the chart dated 4 July 1998, peaking at number 32 and spending two weeks in the top 75, while "Good to Be Alive" debuted at number 36 on the chart dated 17 October 1998 and likewise spent two weeks in the top 75.[15] "Everyday Girl" became the album's third and final entry on the UK Singles Chart, debuting and peaking at number 47 on 3 April 1999.[15] All three singles also entered the Dance Singles Chart, with "Bad Girl" peaking at number 4, "Good to Be Alive" at number 11, and "Everyday Girl" at number 21.[15]

In the United States, "Bad Girl" peaked atop the Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts Maxi-Singles Sales chart dated 3 April 1999, while "Everyday Girl" reached number 2 on that chart in June 2000.[16][17] "Good to Be Alive" reached number 5 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart on 31 July 1999.[18] On US college radio, the album went for adds on 4 May 1999.[19] In the 24 May 1999 issue of CMJ New Music Report, a United States college radio journal, Learning Curve debuted at number 13 on the RPM dance airplay chart and number 132 on the CMJ Radio 200, based on airplay reports from 187 and 410 stations, respectively.[20][21] In the 14 June 1999 issue, the album reached number 30 on the CMJ 200 and number 9 on the dance chart.[22][23] It ultimately spent 11 weeks on the CMJ Radio 200, through 2 August 1999.[24]

Track listing

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Credits and personnel

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Bush, Josh. "Overview: Learning Curve - DJ Rap". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Romero, Dennis (9 June 2005). "DJ Rap Attacks!". LA CityBeat. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Joseph, June (3 April 1999). "UK Drum n Bass Star DJ Rap Targets U.S. with Debut Higher Ground Set". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 14. pp. 14, 17. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Reighley, Kurt (June 1999). "DJ Rap Space 1999". CMJ New Music Monthly (70): 35–39. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Ciabattoni, Steve (3 May 1999). "Reviews: DJ Rap - Learning Curve". CMJ New Music Report. 58 (616): 27–28. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Browne, David (31 May 1999). "Learning Curve". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  7. ^ a b c Hermes, Will (December 1998). "Queen of the Jungle: DJ Rap". Spin. 14 (12): 122. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Classic album: DJ Rap on Learning Curve". MusicRadar. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  9. ^ a b c Taylor, Chuck (27 November 1999). "As She Moves into Pop, Singer/Spinner DJ Rap Finds that It's 'Good to Be Alive'". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 48. p. 84. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  10. ^ a b c Jacob, Sally (June 1999). "DJ Rap - Learning Curve". Spin. 15 (6): 142. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  11. ^ "Upcoming Releases: June 1". CMJ New Music Report. 58 (619): 40. 24 May 1999. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  12. ^ "Ad: DJ Rap - Learning Curve". Out. 7 (12): 75. June 1999. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  13. ^ "DJ Rap: Bad Girl". CMJ New Music Report. 58 (608): 29. 8 March 1999. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  14. ^ "Billboard Video Monitor: The Clip List". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 14. 3 April 1999. p. 85. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  15. ^ a b c d "DJ Rap Songs and Albums". Official Charts Company. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  16. ^ "Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts April 3, 1999". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 14. 3 April 2000. p. 43. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  17. ^ "Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts June 3, 2000". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 23. 3 June 2000. p. 30. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  18. ^ Hay, Carla (23 October 1999). "Popular Uprisings: Dance Rap". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 43. p. 28. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  19. ^ "Radio 200 Adds". CMJ New Music Report. 58 (614): 21. 9 April 1999. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  20. ^ "RPM: May 24, 1999". CMJ New Music Report. 58 (619): 33. 24 May 1999. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  21. ^ "CMJ Radio 200: May 24, 1999". CMJ New Music Report. 58 (619): 21. 24 May 1999. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  22. ^ "RPM: June 14, 1999". CMJ New Music Report. 58 (622): 31. 14 June 1999. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  23. ^ "CMJ Radio 200: June 14, 1999". CMJ New Music Report. 58 (622): 21. 14 June 1999. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  24. ^ "CMJ Radio 200: August 2, 1999". CMJ New Music Report. 59 (629): 17. 2 August 1999. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
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