Tougher Than Love

Tougher Than Love
Studio album by
Diana King
ReleasedApril 25, 1995
Length46:26
LabelWork
Producer
Diana King chronology
Tougher Than Love
(1995) 		Think Like a Girl
(1997)

Tougher Than Love is the debut studio album by Jamaican-American singer-songwriter Diana King. It was released by the Work Group on April 25, 1995. The album reached the top ten in Finland, Japan, and Norway as well as on the UK R&B Albums and on the US Top Reggae Albums chart. Tougher Than Love produced four singles, including "Shy Guy", "Love Triangle", "Treat Her Like a Lady" and "Ain't Nobody," a cover of the Rufus & Chaka Khan song from 1983.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Music Week

Music & Media wrote about that album: "You can only do that properly if your singing is as good as your rapping. Diana succeeds cum laude on both disciplines. As a vocalist she's reminiscent of Anita Baker, as a rapper Patra is the best reference. With the catchy tracks [...] King deserves to be crowned queen of the innovation." A reviewer from British magazine Music Week wrote, "A fitting title adorns this strongly reggae/dancehall-influenced album which amply showcases King as an unusual [female] talent, who is most impressive when she [they] sing[s] it straight and soulful."

Billboard editors Paul Verna and Marilyn A. Gillen noted that "despite her youth, Jamaican artist's full-bodied vocals demonstrate a tenured versatility that balances the memorable hooks and car-catching choruses that could have easily allowed this debut to become merely a production-driven vehicle. Syncopated Jamaican shythms and patois, though far from center stage, maintain album's semi-exotc appeal. Excellent crossover potential." Cash Box found that there was "deep new-jack funk sensibilities on King's debut here. She [...] offers a collection here that is expertly produced and fits right in to the urban music landscape. Mixing chant and song deftly, she wins with tracks like “Love Triangle," "Love Me Thru The Night" and the bumpin’ cover of Chaka's "Ain't Nobody"." AllMusic rated the album two ouf of five stars.

Commercial performance

In the United States, the album peaked at number 179 on the US Billboard 200, number 85 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number three on the Top Reggae Albums chart. Elsewhere, it reached the top ten in Finland, Japan, Norway, and on the UK R&B Albums chart.

Track listing

Tougher Than Love track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Love Me Thru the Night"
Tucker5:18
2."Shy Guy"
Marvel4:19
3."Love Triangle"
Marvel4:22
4."Ain't Nobody"Hawk WolinskiTucker5:23
5."Tougher Than Love"
  • King
  • Marvel
  • Marlon Graves
Marvel3:50
6."Can't Do Without You"
  • King
  • Marvel
Marvel5:01
7."Slow Rush"
  • King
  • Matt Noble
4:56
8."Treat Her Like a Lady"
Marvel3:55
9."Black Roses"
  • King
  • Noble
Noble5:06
10."Tumble Down"
  • King
  • Marvel
Marvel4:18
Total length:46:26
European bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
11."Lock Him Up"
  • Dodd
  • Minott
4:36
Special edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
11."Hey Jude"Lennon–McCartneyMarvel5:51
12."Lock Him Up"
Bennett4:13
13."I'll Do It" (with Nahki)
  • King
  • Marvel
  • Naoki Yamaguchi
Marvel3:55

Notes

  • ^[a] denotes additional producer(s)

Sample credits

Charts

Chart performance for Tougher Than Love
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) 33
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) 28
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) 39
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) 28
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) 9
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 28
Japanese Albums (Oricon) 5
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) 6
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 40
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) 29
UK Albums (OCC) 50
UK R&B Albums (OCC) 8
US Billboard 200 179
US Reggae Albums (Billboard) 3
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) 85

Certifications

Certifications for Tougher Than Love
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ) 3× Platinum 600,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway) Gold 25,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b "Tougher Than Love – Diana King". AllMusic. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  2. ^ "Reviews: Albums" (PDF). Music Week. July 22, 1995. p. 29. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  3. ^ "New Releases: Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. May 13, 1995. p. 13. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  4. ^ "Reviews: Albums" (PDF). Music Week. July 22, 1995. p. 29. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  5. ^ Verna, Paul; Gillen, Marilyn A. (June 3, 1995). "Album Reviews". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  6. ^ Martinez, M.R. (May 6, 1995). "Urban" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 7. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Diana King Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Diana King Chart History (Reggae Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  10. ^ "Diana King – Tougher Than Love". Discogs. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  11. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Diana King – Tougher Than Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  12. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Diana King – Tougher Than Love" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Diana King – Tougher Than Love" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Diana King – Tougher Than Love" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  15. ^ "Diana King: Tougher Than Love" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  16. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Diana King – Tougher Than Love" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  17. ^ "ダイアナ・キングのCDアルバムランキング、トニー・ブラクストンのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  18. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Diana King – Tougher Than Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  19. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Diana King – Tougher Than Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  20. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Diana King – Tougher Than Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  21. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  22. ^ "Diana King Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  23. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Diana King – Tougher Than Love" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved March 1, 2020. Select 1995年12月 on the drop-down menu
  24. ^ "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved March 1, 2020.



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