Love in the First is the debut studio album by American R&B artist Latif. It was released by Motown on September 23, 2003 in the United States. The album peaked at number 67 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Promotion
The album's only single, "I Don't Wanna Hurt You" was written by Sean Garrett and Latif. About the creation of this song, Latif commented that Garrett "listened to what I was going through and helped translated that into this beautiful song."[1]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
AllMusic editor John Bush wrote that Love in the First "smacks of an A&R system that treats singers as grist for the mill. Love in the First features a fair trailer single ("I Don't Wanna Hurt You"), and the lyrics or set-up for many of the other songs reveal a quest for all manner of variations on the basic this-love-won't-work theme ("Without U," "My Sister's Girlfriend," "My Man's Girl"). Tied to weak arrangements, though, no doubt cribbed third-hand from the work of vocalists ranging from Usher to D'Angelo, Latif isn't allowed to show how he's different from his contemporary R&B predecessors."[2]
Commercial performance
Love in the First debuted and peaked at number 67 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[3]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Don't Wanna Hurt You" | Bishop | 4:53 | |
| 2. | "Who's Loving Her Now" |
| Charley | 3:57 |
| 3. | "It's Alright" |
| Leslie | 4:06 |
| 4. | "Without You" |
| 4:57 | |
| 5. | "Can't Let Love" |
|
| 4:01 |
| 6. | "Girl" |
| Spencer | 3:14 |
| 7. | "Put Me On" |
| 3:52 | |
| 8. | "My Man's Girl" |
| Adonis | 3:24 |
| 9. | "Love in the First" |
| Adonis | 4:25 |
| 10. | "My Sister's Girlfriend" |
| Spencer | 3:57 |
| 11. | "Rain Will Go Away" |
| Leslie | 3:26 |
| 12. | "Heavenly" |
| Leslie | 4:34 |
| 13. | "I Don't Blame You" |
| Leslie | 3:24 |
Notes
- ^[a] signifies a co-producer
Samples
- "I Don't Wanna Hurt You" embodies portions of "Time Will Reveal," as performed by DeBarge.
- "Can't Let Love" contains a sample of "Let's Get Together Soon" as performed by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.
Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[3] | 67 |
References
- ^ "Latif – Love In The First". musicremedy. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b Allmusic review
- ^ a b "Latif Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
