Release Some Tension

Release Some Tension is the third studio album by American R&B vocal group SWV. It was released by RCA Records on August 12, 1997. The album guest appearances by E-40, Puff Daddy, Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Foxy Brown, Lil' Cease, Lil' Kim, Snoop Dogg and Redman. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments exceeding 500,000 copies in the United States.^[4]

Release Some Tension
Studio album by SWV
Released	August 12, 1997 (1997-08-12)
Recorded	1996–1997
Genre	R&B[1] soul[2] pop[2] hip hop soul[2][3]
Length	53:15
Label	RCA
Producer	Sean "Puffy" Combs Roderick "Majesty" Wiggins Malik Pendleton The Characters Timbaland Brian Alexander Morgan Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie Marc Kinchen K. Perez A.O Perez
SWV chronology
New Beginning (1996) Release Some Tension (1997) A Special Christmas (1997)
Singles from Release Some Tension
"Can We" Released: February 11, 1997 "Someone" Released: June 24, 1997 "Lose My Cool" Released: September 16, 1997 "Rain" Released: February 24, 1998

The album features hits like "Rain", "Someone", and "Can We". Another single "Lose My Cool" was slated to be released as the album's third single but due to limited radio airplay it was shelved in favor of "Rain" which became one of their most notable hits. The second single "Someone" reached number 19 on the Billboard charts and was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 copies.^[5][6] The girls and others claimed that this album was rushed and recording began while they were still promoting their second album New Beginning (1996).

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[2]
The Guardian	[7]
Music Week	[8]
Rolling Stone	[9]

AllMusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that "with their third album, SWV attempt to break away from the slick urban straitjacket and return to their hip-hop roots. In order to achieve their goal, the group hired a head-spinning array of producers and collaborators [...] Considering all the extra starpower, it's not all that surprising that SWV occasionally become overwhelmed by their guests, but that doesn't prevent Release Some Tension from being a solid album, particularly when it's propelled by funky singles [...]."^[3] Entertainment Weekly wrote that the album "finds the sistas lifting their voices with rollicking dexterity and torchy soul, returning to what got them their multi-platinum status. Hip-hop phenoms Sean ”Puffy” Combs, Missy Elliott, and Redman add street cred and pop velocity."^[2]

Track listing

Release Some Tension track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Someone" (featuring Puff Daddy)	Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie Sean Combs Jeremy A. Graham Andrea Martin Harve Pierre Kelly Price Todd Shaw	J Dub Combs	4:05
2.	"Release Some Tension" (featuring Foxy Brown)	Missy Elliott Inga Marchand John Daniels Roderick Wiggins	Wiggins Daniels[a]	4:05
3.	"Lose My Cool" (featuring Redman)	Malik Pendleton Reginald Noble	Pendleton	4:38
4.	"Love Like This" (featuring Lil' Cease)	Charles Farrar Kendall Jones Troy Taylor Jeff Lorber	Taylor	3:46
5.	"Can We" (featuring Missy Elliott)	Elliott Timothy Mosley	Timbaland	4:51
6.	"Rain"	Brian Alexander Morgan Jaco Pastorius	Morgan	4:25
7.	"Give It Up" (featuring Lil' Kim)	Angelettie Price Kimberly Jones Darryl French Mark James	D-Dot Lanz "Wet" Mitchell	4:41
8.	"Come and Get Some" (featuring E-40)	Cheryl Gamble Earl Stevens Marc Kinchen	Kinchen	4:23
9.	"When U Cry"	Darryl Ellis Paul Richmond Ruben Locke Jr. Patricia Deige Muldrow Kevin Perez Tony Pérez	K. Perez T. Perez	4:31
10.	"Lose Myself"	Farrar Dawn Beckman Taylor	Taylor	4:38
11.	"Here For You"	Farrar Johntá Austin Kevin Evans Taylor	Taylor	4:53
12.	"Gettin' Funky" (featuring Snoop Dogg)	Calvin Broadus Leon Sylvers III	Kinchen Evans	4:19

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer

Sample credits

• "Someone" embodies portions of "Ten Crack Commandments" as performed by The Notorious B.I.G.
• "Release Some Tension" embodies portions of "Collage" as written by E. Green.
• "Love Like This" embodies portions of "Raindance" as written and performed by Jeff Lorber.
• "Give It Up" contains samples of "No Tricks" as performed by The 45 King.
• "Gettin' Funky" contains samples of "Misdemeanor" as performed by Foster Sylvers.

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Release Some Tension Chart (1997) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] 195 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11] 19 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] 18 European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)[13] 38 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] 65 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 23 UK Albums (OCC)[16] 19 UK R&B Albums (OCC)[17] 3 US Billboard 200[18] 24 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[19] 5

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Release Some Tension Chart (1997) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[20] 89

Certifications

Certifications for Release Some Tension

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[21]	Gold	50,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[22]	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA)[23]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.