Anytime is the third studio album by American singer Brian McKnight. It was released by Mercury Records on September 23, 1997 in the United States. Following his moderately successful second albumI Remember You, McKnight consulted a wider range of collaborators to work with him on the album, including producers Sean Combs, Keith Thomas, Poke & Tone and songwriters Diane Warren, and Peter Black. While McKnight would provide most of the material by himself, Anytime deviated from the contemporary sound of his older work, with the former acts taking his music further into the hip hop soul genre. Upon its release, the album garnered generally mixed reviews from music critics and broke into the top 20 on the US Billboard 200, while becoming McKnight's first album to top the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A steady seller, it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, indicating sales in excess of 2.0 units, and spawned several singles, including the top 20 hit "You Should Be Mine ". Anytime marked McKnight's last record with Mercury Records before moving to Motown Records. In fact, Anytime would be re-released on Motown after he signed with the label.
Background
Anytime marked McKnight's third studio album with Mercury Records. While his previous album I Remember You was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, it only sold half as much as its predecessor Brian McKnight. Feeling initially pressured after what he called "the pseudo-failure of the I Remember You album,” McKnight, who was used to writing and producing most of his music by himself, decided to work with a wider range of musicians on the Anytime, including Sean "Puffy" Combs, Keith Thomas, Poke & Tone, Diane Warren, and Peter Black. With Anytime exposing McKnight to a wider audience, McKnight elaborated in a 2012 interview: "If Anytime was the spark, then Back at One became the fire. I was doing things then that I had never done before, that an audience had never heard or seen."
Critical reception
Anytime garnered generally mixed reviews from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic felt that McKnight "continues with the mellow, romantic urban R&B that has become his trademark, but there's a new twist McKnight hasn't exhausted its possibilities yet – Anytime is as strong as its predecessor – but "You Should Be Mine" and "Hold Me" suggest that he may be better off pursuing a new, hip-hop-influenced direction." In a contemporary review, The Rolling Stone Album Guide wrote that Anytime "signaled the start of a new phase in McKnight's career." In his review for Vibe, Darren McNeill called Anytime a "collection of mostly tired joints McKnight's solo effort pales in comparison to work by emerging-soul craftsmen like Eric Benét and Rahsaan Patterson." In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, critic Robert Christgau gave Anytime a "cut" rating, indicating "an album that isn't worth your time or money – sometimes a Neither, more often a Dud."
Chart performance
In the United States, Anytime became McKnight's highest-charting album yet, peaking at number 13 on the Billboard 200. McKnight's first album to do so, it also reached the top on Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, spending three weeks at number one. According to Soundscan, I Remember You had sold 1.7 million copies by January 1999. It was eventually certified double pltianum by the Recording Industry Association of America, indicating sales in excess of 2.0 million copies. Billboard ranked the album fourth on its 1998 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums year-end chart.
Singles
The lead single "You Should Be Mine " became McKnight's biggest hit in four years, peaking at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It featured rapper Mase, whose own career was at its peak during 1997. The title track was an even bigger hit, reaching number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart in May 1998. Since it was not released as a physical single, it was ineligible to chart on the Hot 100, but was still one of the most played songs on the radio during 1998. Anytimes third single "The Only One for Me" hit number 14 on the Rhythmic Top 40, as again no physical single was released for it. The fourth and final single was "Hold Me" hit number 35 on the Hot 100 and number 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
"You Should Be Mine " contains samples from "I Got Ants in My Pants" by James Brown.
"Hold Me" contains samples "I Get Around" by 2Pac, "Computer Love" by Zapp, "Step in the Arena" by Gang Starr and "Impeach the President" by The Honey Drippers.
"Jam Knock" contains samples from "I Can't Wait" by Nu Shooz.
