Diary of a Mad Band

{{for|the album by the band Down|Diary of a Mad Band: Europe in the Year of VI}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox album | name = Diary of a Mad Band | type = studio | artist = Jodeci | cover = Diary of a Mad Band.jpg | alt = | released = December 21, 1993 | recorded = July–November 1993 | studio = *Hit Factory, New York City *Chung King, New York City | genre = *Hip-hop soul<ref name="AM">{{cite web|first= Ron |last= Wynn |author-link= Ron Wynn |title= Jodeci – Diary of a Mad Band |publisher= AllMusic. All Media Network |url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/diary-of-a-mad-band-mw0000107201 |accessdate= August 6, 2016}}</ref> *soul<ref name="AM"/> *R&B<ref name="AM"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.complex.com/music/2014/07/best-r-and-b-albums-of-the-90s/diary-of-a-mad-band|title=8. Jodeci, Diary of a Mad Band - The 50 Best R&B Albums of the '90s|publisher=Damien Scott, Brendan Frederick, Craig Jenkins, Elena Bergeron, Justin Charity, Ross Scarano, Shannon Marcec of Complex|date=July 10, 2014|accessdate=October 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018231827/http://uk.complex.com/music/2014/07/best-r-and-b-albums-of-the-90s/diary-of-a-mad-band|archive-date=October 18, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> | length = 66:03 | label = *Uptown *MCA | producer = *Mr. Dalvin *DeVante Swing | prev_title = Forever My Lady | prev_year = 1991 | next_title = The Show, the After Party, the Hotel | next_year = 1995 | misc = {{Singles | name = Diary of a Mad Band | type = studio | single1 = Cry for You | single1date = November 23, 1993 | single2 = Feenin' | single2date = March 8, 1994 | single3 = What About Us | single3date = August 2, 1994 }} }} '''''Diary of a Mad Band''''' is the second studio album from American R&B group Jodeci, released December 21, 1993, on Uptown Records and distributed through MCA Records. The album also featured the first-ever album appearances from Timbaland & Magoo, S.B.I, Missy Elliott (credited as Misdemeanor) and Sista, two years before the latter group became known in the music industry. New Jersey rapper Redman also makes a guest appearance on the album. It was Jodeci's second album to reach number one on the R&B album chart, where it stayed for two weeks. It spawned the number 1 R&B hit "Cry for You"; the number 2 R&B hit "Feenin'", and the Top 15 R&B hit "What About Us". Despite not being released as a single, the album's opening track, "My Heart Belongs To U", was also an urban radio hit with it peaking at #55 & charting for 20 weeks on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. To date, the album has sold over four million copies in the United States and six million worldwide.

==Release and reception== {{Music ratings | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="AM">{{cite web|first= Ron |last= Wynn |author-link= Ron Wynn |title= Jodeci – Diary of a Mad Band |publisher= AllMusic. All Media Network |url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/diary-of-a-mad-band-mw0000107201 |accessdate= August 6, 2016}}</ref> | rev2 = ''Chicago Tribune'' | rev2score = {{Rating|2|4}}<ref name="CT"/> | rev3 = ''Christgau's Consumer Guide'' | rev3score = {{Rating-Christgau|neither}}<ref name="CG"/> | rev4 = ''Entertainment Weekly'' | rev4score = B+<ref name="EWRvw"/> | rev5 = ''Los Angeles Times'' | rev5score = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref>{{cite news|first=Dennis|last=Hunt|title=In Brief|work=Los Angeles Times|date=January 9, 1994|page=|accessdate=January 21, 2023|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-09-ca-9899-story.html}}</ref> | rev6 = ''Music Week'' | rev6score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Alan|last=Jones|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1994/Music-Week-1994-01-08.pdf|title=Market Preview: Mainstream|magazine=Music Week|date=January 8, 1994|page=7|access-date=April 28, 2025}}</ref> | rev7 = ''Orlando Sentinel'' | rev7score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>Gettelman, Parry (January 21, 1994). "Jodeci". ''Orlando Sentinel''.</ref> }} Dimitri Ehrlich of ''Entertainment Weekly'' wrote that at times bested the group's first, stating that the songs on their sophomore effort "often transcend the formulaic histrionics that marred their debut."<ref name="EWRvw">{{cite magazine|first=Dimitri|last=Ehrlich|title=Music Review: Diary of a Mad Band (1993) -fidello22 Jodeci|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=December 24, 1993|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,309051,00.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130122150703/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,309051,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 22, 2013|accessdate=April 10, 2010}}</ref> AllMusic critic Ron Wynn deemed the record "jarring" and "mismatched", preferring its sentimental love songs to the sexually explicit, hip hop-influenced "come-on numbers", which he found to be in poor taste.<ref name="AM"/> Rohan B. Preston from the ''Chicago Tribune'' found the lyrics clichéd and Jodeci "certainly not as funky as H-Town nor as stirring as Boyz II Men at their best".<ref name="CT">{{cite web|last=Preston|first=Rohan B.|date=February 10, 1994|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-02-10/features/9402100415_1_star-jodeci-mad-band|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170123074910/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-02-10/features/9402100415_1_star-jodeci-mad-band|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 23, 2017|title=Diary of a Mad Band (Uptown)|work=Chicago Tribune|accessdate=September 21, 2016}}</ref> Robert Christgau was even less impressed and assigned it a "neither" symbol in his ''Consumer Guide'' book, indicating an album that "may impress once or twice with consistent craft or an arresting track or two. Then it won't."<ref name="CG">{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=2000|pages=xvi, 150|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=0312245602|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/christgausconsum00chri_0}}</ref>

==Track listing== {{track listing | title1 = My Heart Belongs to U | writer1 = Donald Earle DeGrate, Jr. | length1 = 5:02 | title2 = Cry for You | writer2 = DeGrate | length2 = 5:01 | title3 = Feenin{{'-}} | length3 = 5:10 | writer3 = DeGrate | title4 = What About Us | writer4 ={{flatlist| *DeGrate *Devell Moore }} | length4 = 5:20 | title5 = Ride & Slide | writer5 = DeGrate | length5 = 4:57 | title6 = Alone | writer6 = {{flatlist| *DeGrate *Dalvin DeGrate }} | length6 = 4:43 | title7 = You Got It | note7 = featuring Redman | writer7 = {{flatlist| *DeGrate *Reginald Noble }} | length7 = 5:56 | title8 = Won't Waste You | note8 = featuring Missy Elliott | writer8 = {{flatlist| *Cedric Renard Hailey *Melissa Elliott }} | length8 = 4:55 | title9 = In the Meanwhile | note9 = featuring Timbaland | writer9 = {{flatlist| *DeGrate *Timothy Mosley }} | length9 = 4:22 | title10 = Gimme All You Got | writer10 = {{flatlist| *DeGrate *Joel Hailey *Cedric Renard Hailey *Dalvin DeGrate }} | length10 = 3:42 | title11 = Sweaty | note11 = featuring Missy Elliott | writer11 = {{flatlist| *DeGrate *Dalvin DeGrate *Elliott }} | length11 = 5:54 | title12 = Jodecidal Hotline | writer12 = Dalvin DeGrate | length12 = 3:11 }} {{Track listing | headline = Jodeci-CD bonus track | title13 = Success | writer13 = {{flatlist| *K-Ci Hailey *Dalvin DeGrate }} | length13 = 7:41 }}

==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}

===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col"| Chart (1994) ! scope="col"| Peak position |- ! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{cite Ryan|page=146}}</ref> | 99 |- {{album chart|Billboard200|3|artist=Jodeci|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 3, 2021}} |- {{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|1|artist=Jodeci|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 3, 2021}} |} {{col-2}}

===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col"| Chart (1994) ! scope="col"| Position |- ! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1994/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994|work=Billboard|accessdate=May 3, 2021}}</ref> | 41 |- ! scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1994/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994|work=Billboard|accessdate=May 3, 2021}}</ref> | 6 |} {{col-end}}

===Singles=== {| class="wikitable" !rowspan="2"|Year !rowspan="2"|Single !colspan="6"|Peak chart positions<ref name="BllbrdSingles">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r191296|pure_url=yes}}|title=allmusic ((( Diary of a Mad Band > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))|website=Allmusic|accessdate=March 25, 2010}}</ref> |- !width="100"|U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 !width="100"|U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks !width="100"|U.S. Rhythmic Top 40 |- |align="center"|1993 |align="left"|"Cry for You" |align="center"|15 |align="center"|1 |align="center"|5 |- |align="center" rowspan="2"|1994 |align="left"|"Feenin'" |align="center"|25 |align="center"|2 |align="center"|16 |- |align="left"|"What About Us" |align="center"|— |align="center"|14 |align="center"|— |}

"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

==Certifications== {{Certification Table Top}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Jodeci|title=Diary of a Mad Band|award=Platinum|number=2|type=album|relyear=1993|certyear=1996|date=August 14, 1996|access-date=July 13, 2022}} {{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}

==Personnel== Information taken from Allmusic.<ref>{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r191296|pure_url=yes}}|title=allmusic ((( Diary of a Mad Band > Credits )))|website=Allmusic|accessdate=March 24, 2010}}</ref>

*arranging – Dalvin DeGrate, Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey, DeVante Swing *recording engineer – Prince Charles Alexander *assistant engineer – Steve Fitzmaurice *creative director – Brett Wright *scratches - Timbaland *executive producers – Tim Dawg, Andre Harrell, Jodeci, Steve Lucas *guitar – Darryl Pearson *horn – Charles "Prince Charles" Alexander *mastering – Chris Gehringer *mixing – Charles "Prince Charles" Alexander, Bob Brockman, Dalvin DeGrate, Steve Fitzmaurice, Tony Maserati, DeVante Swing, John Wydrycs *multi-instruments – Dalvin DeGrate, DeVante Swing *talkbox - Mike "Funky Mike" Jackson *photography – Daniel Hastings *production – Mr. Dalvin, DeVante Swing *production coordination – Dean "Mr. Magoo" Moodie *vocal consultant – Kenny Hicks *backing vocals – Jodeci *guest vocals – Redman, Timbaland, Sista, Magoo, S.B.I. and Misdemeanor

==Notes== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r191296|label=''Diary of a Mad Band''}} * ''[http://www.discogs.com/Jodeci-Diary-Of-A-Mad-Band/release/251832 Diary of a Mad Band]'' at Discogs

Category:1993 albums Category:Jodeci albums Category:MCA Records albums Category:Uptown Records albums