Chris Brown and the pros and cons of long tracklists

Brown’s new album, “11:11,” went from 11 songs to 22 at the last minute, continuing a long trend of the Grammy winner dropping albums with more than 20 songs.

Chris Brown’s latest album, “11:11,” has arrived. Not only did it come a day early, but it came with double the amount of tracks that had been originally announced, with 22. While the album has some infectious material, it’s another album from Brown that boasts an extended tracklist, as he outpaces all other artists in the growing trend of long albums. 

A few months ago, Chris Brown announced that “11:11” would only have 11 songs on its tracklist, simultaneously lining up the album’s Nov. 11 release date while addressing the talk surrounding his long albums. This comes after his last three albums boasted tracklists more than over 20 songs, two of which were over 30. 

The new album finds Brown incorporating Afrobeat to his sound, and he sounds motivated and fresh on “Sensational” and “Nightmares.” Meanwhile, tracks like “Summer Too Hot” and “Press Me” will undoubtedly delight Brown’s R&B fans, and “Red Flags” and “That’s On You” keep up the trap music rhythms that have dominated R&B for over a decade. 

What motivates his penchant for releasing so much music over the past few years? Brown is not the only artist who includes over 20 tracks on his albums, but by far, no one has included more tracks on an album than Brown or released albums consistently. 

Throughout Brown’s career, he’s dropped music at a furious pace. Friday’s “11:11” is his 11th solo studio album. Having released his self-titled debut album in 2005, Brown, on average, drops a new album every 18 months, not counting his collaborative projects with rappers Tyga and Young Thug. 

Few artists have been as prolific in releasing albums as Chris Brown. He kicked up that prolific work ethic on his last couple of albums. His 2017 album, “Heartbreak on a Full Moon,” and his 2019 album, “Indigo,” had an unorthodox amount of songs on them, with tracklists of 45 and 30 songs, respectively. 

Brown’s most recent album, last year’s “Breezy,” only had 23 songs, but its deluxe edition added another 10. And while that’s still less than “Heartbreak” and “Indigo” and reflective of what many artists are doing now, does it serve the artists or their fans by including many songs on these projects?

In March 2017, Drake released “More Life,” following his 2016 hit album, “Views.” However, Drake referred to “More Life” as a “playlist” rather than an album. At 22 songs and over 81 minutes in length, “More Life” couldn’t fit on a CD, or compact disc, which holds 80 minutes. That October, Brown dropped “Heartbreak on a Full Moon,” thus snowballing the now commonality of artists making albums that have over 20 songs and are primarily touted as digital releases. 

Drake would release a double album, 2017’s “Scorpion,” with 27 songs. Summer Walker’s 2021 sophomore album, “Still Over It,” has 20 tracks. Kanye West had 27 songs on his “Donda” album that same year. SZA’s 2023 hit album, “S.O.S.,” includes 23 songs. And, of course, there’s Brown’s last four projects. Why?

There are practical reasons for this. 

In the digital age, where streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube reign supreme, artists have recognized the critical importance of securing a coveted spot on these platforms, according to The Washington Post. Artists are compensated based on the number of streams their songs accumulate. In this digital landscape, longer albums become strategic powerhouses. They present a surplus of opportunities for fans to press play, indulge in the artist’s sonic journey and, in turn, elevate streaming numbers. The result? Elevated chart positions and the promise of enhanced revenue.

Longer albums are a goldmine when it comes to monetization. Fans are more inclined to purchase an entire album rather than individual tracks. This phenomenon becomes incredibly lucrative for artists, who reap the rewards through album sales and merchandising. In an era where the music industry continues to evolve, artists tap into this potential revenue stream to sustain their creative pursuits.

However, it’s crucial to note that while the allure of lengthy tracklists offers many benefits, they are not without their potential pitfalls. Extended albums may pose a challenge to listeners, their immersive nature sometimes diluting the overall quality of the music. It can become arduous for individual songs to shine brightly in a sea of tracks. Some audiences prefer shorter, more concise albums that offer an easily digestible listening experience.

Before streaming and file sharing, albums were solely available in physical form. Before the late 1980s, cassette tapes and vinyl records were the primary ways to listen to albums, with a time limitation of 40 to 50 minutes. After CDs became the direct way to make albums, the 80-minute limit increased track lists. However, the time limitations on albums made the listening experience more meaningful. 

Thanks to streaming and shuffle culture, it’s harder than ever to hold a listener’s attention for an extended period. As a result, an album with over 20 songs, especially over 30 songs, may dilute what could’ve been a far more concise and potent body of work. 

An album has the potential to be far more memorable when it has anywhere between eight and 14 songs. If you think about some of the greatest, most influential albums of all time, many of them didn’t even exceed ten tracks — Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Stevie Wonder’s “Innervisions,” Prince’s “Purple Rain,” Aretha Franklin’s “Sparkle,” just to name a few. 

Brown, like so many others, achieved great success in terms of individual streams and hits, like “No Guidance,” “Go Crazy,” “Privacy” and “Under the Influence.” Indeed, Brown doesn’t need to deviate from his practices, as the deluxe version of “Breezy” received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album. However, one can’t help but think how much more powerful his albums would be if he would shorten the tracklist, and the same goes for acts like SZA, Walker, The Weeknd and others. It’s important to express yourself as an artist and boost your earning potential, but the legacy still goes a long way, and shorter albums will only help their legacies. 

Matthew Allen is an entertainment writer of music and culture for theGrio. He is an award-winning music journalist, TV producer and director based in Brooklyn, NY. He’s interviewed the likes of Quincy Jones, Jill Scott, Smokey Robinson and more for publications such as Ebony, Jet, The Root, Village Voice, Wax Poetics, Revive Music, Okayplayer, and Soulhead. His video work can be seen on PBS/All Arts, Brooklyn Free Speech TV and BRIC TV.

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