In June 2003, after having produced and featured on several songs by other artists, Williams released his debut single "Frontin'", featuring Jay Z. Despite insisting that the single was a one-off, and that he was purely a producer and not an artist in his own right, it was announced that Williams would release his own studio album. The album includes the three already-released singles "Can I Have It Like That", "Angel" and "Number One" and performances featuring Jay Z, Nelly, Slim Thug, Snoop Dogg, Lauren London, Jamie Cullum and Pusha T of Clipse. Originally the album had been slated for release on November 15, 2005, but the date was delayed at Williams' request. Most recently, a music video for "That Girl" was released and has been receiving airplay on VH1. On this album, Pharrell makes his solo production debut without his partner Chad Hugo. In an interview on the delay, he stated that he felt the album needed more work. Nearly six months later, it was finally released.
Critical reception
The album received generally mixed reviews from critics. Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone called it "still only so-so, offering a series of modestly tuneful, sometimes snoozy soul-pop-hip-hop songs". Entertainment Weekly said the album "seems divided against itself, rest assured that all of the songs have something in common: they're not remotely catchy". For AllMusic, Andy Kellman wrote that "it's not like any part of it is flat-out poor, but it's a shame it didn't turn out better". In his consumer guide for MSN Music, Robert Christgau gave the album a two-star honorable mention rating, indicating a "likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy". He cited "Raspy Shit" and "Number One" as highlights and quipped, "keepin' it playa like he says, for exactly what that's worth".
In My Mind debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 behind LeToya's self-titled debut album and the compilation's Now 22, selling 142,000 copies in its first week. The album dropped to the number nine in its second week, selling an additional 51,000 units, for a two-week total of 193,000 copies sold. As of March 2014, In My Mind has sold 406,000 copies in the United States. The album has sold 2,889,025 copies worldwide.
Track listing
All songs written and produced by Pharrell Williams; songs with co-writers are noted.
