Southern Hummingbird

2002 studio album by Tweet

Southern Hummingbird

Studio album by

Tweet

Released| April 2, 2002 (2002-04-02)
Studio|

* The Village Recorder (Los Angeles)[a]
* Trac Ken Place (Los Angeles)[b]
* Westlake Audio (West Hollywood, California)[c]
* Manhattan Center (New York City)[d]
* The Hit Factory Criteria (Miami)[e]
* Nature's Finest (Los Angeles)[e]

Genre|

* R&B
* soul
* neo soul

Length| 66:27
Label|

* The Goldmind
* Elektra

Producer|

* Craig Brockman
* Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott
* Troy Johnson
* Jubu
* Nisan Stewart
* Timbaland
* Tweet

Tweet chronology
|  | Southern Hummingbird
(2002)  | It's Me Again
(2005)

|
|

Singles from  Southern Hummingbird

1. "Oops (Oh My)"
Released: January 11, 2002
2. "Call Me"
Released: April 22, 2002
3. "Boogie 2nite"
Released: October 28, 2002

Southern Hummingbird is the debut studio album by American singer Tweet, released on April 2, 2002, by The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records. The album features production by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Timbaland, Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart, guitarist John "Jubu" Smith, and Tweet herself. It also features guest vocals by Elliott, Bilal, and Ms. Jade, and included a bonus track performed by Elliott, "Big Spender", which samples the song of the same name from the 1966 musical Sweet Charity.

The album was met with positive reviews from music critics, who commended the album's musical direction and its lyrical content. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 195,000 copies in its first week. Southern Hummingbird was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 30, 2002, and by July 2025 it had sold 1,000,000 units in the United States.

The album was preceded by lead single "Oops (Oh My)", which reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Southern Hummingbird also spawned the singles "Call Me" and "Boogie 2nite", as well as the promotional single "Smoking Cigarettes".

## Background

[edit]

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|

In the 1990s, Tweet was part of the female trio Sugah. During this time, Tweet met and formed a close friendship with Missy Elliott. She also met Timbaland, who would later provide production for Southern Hummingbird.

## Music and lyrics

[edit]

> This album is an irresistible blend of blues, rootsy soul, and soft acoustic rock, with poignant and heartfelt lyrical phrasing. A truly impressive debut album so expect more soulful humming from one of r&b's rising stars.

— Keyshia Davis, BBC Music[1]

According to Keysha Davis from BBC Music, the album is a blend of blues, rootsy soul, and soft acoustic rock.[1] Southern Hummingbird and Tweet were commended for creating a "mood in the room that might either make you want to take your clothes off or that of your significant others."[2] Noting the album's musical style as groovy and "just feels good".[2] Songs like "Smoking Cigarettes" were noticed for making the listener feel how Tweet feels.[2] Tweet's voice was compared to the album's title with critics saying "she's not called the Southern Hummingbird for no reason", describing her vocals as "[s]oft, gentle, emotional and captivating".[2]

Lyrically the album fixates on the opposite sex, noted by The A.V. Club for its lyrical "intensity that borders on pathological". The album opens with Tweet "writhing in a pit of suicidal despair", followed by themes of Tweet singing about chastised cheating men, pined for the commitment-phobic, offered to take back lovers, and generally behaved like a strong woman whose happiness is nevertheless dependent almost entirely on her romantic entanglements."[3] The album's lyrics received large amounts of praise with reviewers say Tweet has a way with words continuing to say "songs like 'Beautiful' helped us understand how lyrics can move people."[2]

The album's third song "Smoking Cigarettes" is described as a "lush, laid back affair" which incorporates "bluesy 70's soul" and multi-layered vocals, built over a snare drum. Lyrically the song is based on the idea of cigarette smoking being used as a coping mechanism.[1] "Best Friend", featuring American singer Bilal, displays "lilting strings, exquisite vocals and heartbeat bass" noted for its use of "grassroots soul".[4] "Boogie 2nite" is a "feel-good" song that contains a repetitive "funky guitar riff" with lyrics discussing the "party vibe".[1] "Oops (Oh My)" is noted for its lyrical content which can be interpreted as discussing "female masturbation or a tribute to self-love." The song is built around a "superb groove" noted for its unmistakable Timbaland production. The song also contains "quick syncopated rhythms and Tweet's raspy vocals."[1] "Drunk" is an atmospheric song that continues to take influence from the idea of intoxicants, in the same vein as "Smoking Cigarettes". Lyrically the song sees Tweet broken and alone with only the aid of alcohol for company.[1]

## Singles

[edit]

"Oops (Oh My)", featuring Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, was released as the album's lead single in January 2002. The song was a commercial success, reaching number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100, number one on the US Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and number five on the UK Singles Chart.[5][6]

"Call Me" was released as the second single in April 2002. It peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number nine on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming Tweet's second consecutive top-10 entry on the latter chart.[5] The track also reached number 35 in the United Kingdom.[6]

The album's third and final single, "Boogie 2nite", was released solely in Europe in October 2002. After English dance music duo Booty Luv released a cover version of the track in November 2006, Tweet's original song charted at number 167 in the UK that same month.[7]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
Metacritic| 73/100[8]
Review scores
Source| Rating
AllMusic| [9]
The A.V. Club| A[3]
Robert Christgau| [10]
Dotmusic| 7/10[4]
Entertainment Weekly| C+[11]
The Guardian| [12]
NME| [13]
Rolling Stone| [14]
Slant Magazine| [15]

Southern Hummingbird received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 73, based on 10 reviews.[8] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised the album's musical direction and production, but felt that Tweet was fading into the mix.[9] The A.V. Club praised the album's lyrical content and Tweet's "sultry" vocals, continuing to say, "Tweet recognizes the value of subtlety and understatement, but she also skillfully writes and produces or co-produces much of her own material."[3] BBC Music gave Southern Hummingbird described the album as "the stuff of real divas," adding that "Tweet's inherent melancholy further confirms the musical rite of passage in the tradition of other soul greats such as Aretha, Mary J Blige and Billie Holiday,"[1] whlie The New York Times called Southern Hummingbird a "strong debut album."[16]

Dotmusic commended Tweet's vocals saying she has the "kind of voice that doesn't overpower her music but lets it breathe."[4] Entertainment Weekly gave the album a mixed review noting that the album's production was a highlight which helped to showcase her "breathy coo", while praising the "well-crafted" the critics felt the album contained "too-similar ballads."[11] Imran Ahmed of NME gave a positive reception towards the album's production and musical style saying the album is a "rarely thrilling collection of R&B"; however, he felt the album lacked front to back cohesiveness.[13] Rolling Stone felt that "Oops" and "Make Ur Move" were highlights of the album, noting them for making "this hummingbird [fly]."[14] PopMatters found that "surprisingly, [the album] is not Missy and Timbaland's playground [...] Point being, different music serves different purposes. Southern Hummingbird is best serve with wine, that special someone, and candles. It goes down better if you concentrate more on her charming voice and the tracks, rather what she is actually saying."[17]

## Commercial performance

[edit]

Southern Hummingbird debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200, selling 195,000 copies in its first week.[18] The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 30, 2002,[19] and had sold 897,000 copies in the United States as of September 2015.[20] The album also fared well in European territories, peaking at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart.[6]

## Track listing

[edit]

No.| Title| Writer(s)| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "So Much to Say (Intro)"|

* Charlene Keys
* Nisan Stewart
* Craig Brockman

* Stewart
* Brockman

| 1:24
2.| "My Place"|

* Keys
* Stewart
* Brockman

* Stewart
* Brockman

| 4:24
3.| "Smoking Cigarettes"|

* Keys
* Stewart
* Brockman

* Tweet
* Stewart[a]
* Brockman[a]

| 4:16
4.| "Best Friend" (featuring Bilal)|

* Keys
* Stewart
* Brockman
* Bilal Oliver

* Tweet
* Stewart[a]
* Brockman[a]

| 5:08
5.| "Always Will"|

* Keys
* Stewart
* John Smith

* Jubu
* Stewart

| 4:41
6.| "Boogie 2nite"|

* Keys
* Stewart
* Smith

* Jubu
* Stewart

| 4:10
7.| "Oops (Oh My)" (featuring Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott)|

* Keys
* Elliott

| Timbaland| 3:58
8.| "Make Ur Move"|

* Keys
* Timothy Mosley

| Timbaland| 3:49
9.| "Motel"|

* Keys
* Susan Weems
* Bernard Edwards
* Nile Rodgers

| Tweet| 3:48
10.| "Beautiful"|

* Keys
* Brockman

| Brockman| 4:05
11.| "Complain"|

* Keys
* Stewart
* Brockman
* Weems

* Tweet
* Stewart[a]
* Brockman[a]

| 5:14
12.| "Heaven"|

* Keys
* Stewart
* Brockman

* Tweet
* Brockman[a]
* Timbaland[a]

| 3:39
13.| "Call Me"|

* Keys
* Elliott

| Timbaland| 2:56
14.| "Drunk"|

* Keys
* Stewart
* Brockman

* Tweet
* Brockman[a]

| 5:25
15.| "Southern Hummingbird (Outro)"|

* Keys
* Brockman

|  | 1:31
16.| "Sexual Healing (Oops Pt. 2)" (featuring Ms. Jade)|

* Keys
* Mosley
* Chevon Young

| Timbaland| 4:47
17.| "Big Spender" (bonus track, performed by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott)|

* Elliott
* Troy Johnson

* Elliott
* Johnson

| 3:12

Japanese edition bonus track[21]No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

15.| "Get Away (Move On)" (placed between "Drunk" and "Southern Hummingbird (Outro)")|

* Keys
* Stewart
* Brockman

| 4:22

### Notes

[edit]

* ^[a] signifies an additional producer

### Sample credits

[edit]

* "Motel" contains a sample of "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang.
* "Big Spender" contains a sample of "Big Spender" from Sweet Charity. The song appears only on initial pressings of the album.

## Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Southern Hummingbird.[22]

### Musicians

[edit]

* Tweet – vocals (tracks 1–16)
* Lil Charlie – lead guitar (tracks 2, 4)
* John "Jubu" Smith – guitar (track 3)
* Bilal – vocals (track 4)
* Dontae – bass (track 4)
* Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott – vocals (tracks 7, 17)
* Greg Leiz – steel guitar (track 11)
* Ms. Jade – rap (track 16)

### Technical

[edit]

* Nisan Stewart – production (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6); additional production (tracks 3, 4, 11)
* Craig Brockman – production (tracks 1, 2, 10); additional production (tracks 3, 4, 11, 12, 14)
* Dylan Dresdow – engineering, mixing (tracks 1–6, 9–12, 14)
* Tweet – production (tracks 3, 4, 9, 11, 12, 14); executive production
* John "Jubu" Smith – production (tracks 5, 6)
* Timbaland – production (tracks 7, 8, 13, 16); additional production (track 12); executive production
* Jimmy Douglass – engineering (tracks 7, 8, 12, 13, 16); mixing (tracks 7, 8, 13, 16)
* Tyson Leeper – engineering (tracks 16, 17)
* Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott – production (track 17); executive production
* Troy Johnson – production (track 17)
* Carlos Bedoya – engineering (track 17)
* Manny Marroquin – mixing (track 17)
* Bernie Grundman – mastering

### Artwork

[edit]

* Ruven Afanador – photography
* Anita Marisa Boriboon – art direction, design

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

Weekly chart performance for Southern Hummingbird | Chart (2002)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)[23] | 18
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[24] | 43
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[25] | 9
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[26] | 65
European Albums (Music & Media)[27] | 53
French Albums (SNEP)[28] | 101
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[29] | 44
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[30] | 32
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[31] | 13
Scottish Albums (OCC)[32] | 33
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[33] | 35
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[34] | 65
UK Albums (OCC)[35] | 15
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[36] | 3
US Billboard 200[37] | 3
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[38] | 2

### Year-end charts

[edit]

Year-end chart performance for Southern Hummingbird | Chart (2002)  | Position

|

Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[39] | 74
US Billboard 200[40] | 93
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[41] | 18

## Certifications

[edit]

Certifications for Southern Hummingbird Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

United States (RIAA)[19] | Platinum  | 1,000,000[20]

## Release history

[edit]

Release history for Southern Hummingbird Region  | Date  | Label  | Ref.

|
|
|

United States  | April 2, 2002  |

* The Goldmind
* Elektra

| [9]
Japan  | April 10, 2002  | Warner | [21]
Australia  | May 13, 2002  | [42]
United Kingdom  | Elektra  | [43]
Germany  | May 27, 2002  | Warner  | [44]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Tracks 1–6, 10, 11 and 14
2. ^ Track 4
3. ^ Tracks 7–9, 12, 13, 16 and 17
4. ^ Tracks 13 and 16
5. ^ a b Track 17

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g Davis, Keysha (November 20, 2002). "Review of Tweet – Southern Hummingbird". BBC Music. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
2. ^ a b c d e Deyior (June 24, 2012). "Lifestyle: 5 Reasons We Want To Tweet The Southern Hummingbird". Singersroom. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
3. ^ a b c Rabin, Nathan (April 17, 2002). "Tweet: Southern Hummingbird". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
4. ^ a b c Evans, Diana (May 13, 2002). "Southern Hummingbird". Dotmusic. Archived from the original on January 10, 2004. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
5. ^ a b "Tweet | Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
6. ^ a b c "Tweet". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
7. ^ "Chart Log UK: 1994–2010: DJ T – Tzant". Zobbel. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
8. ^ a b "Southern Hummingbird by Tweet Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
9. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Southern Hummingbird – Tweet". AllMusic. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
10. ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Tweet". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
11. ^ a b Tucker, Ken (April 5, 2002). "Southern Hummingbird". Entertainment Weekly. No. 647\. ISSN 1049-0434. Archived from the original on October 24, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
12. ^ Williams, Richard; Aizlewood, John; Sullivan, Caroline; Simpson, Dave (May 10, 2002). "Dark night at the movies". The Guardian. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
13. ^ a b Ahmed, Imran (May 17, 2002). "Tweet : Southern Hummingbird". NME. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
14. ^ a b Hardy, Ernest (March 27, 2002). "Tweet: Southern Hummingbird". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 7, 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
15. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (March 20, 2002). "Review: Tweet, Southern Hummingbird". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
16. ^ "POP AND JAZZ GUIDE". The New York Times. May 24, 2002. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
17. ^ Pride, Felicia (August 15, 2002). "Tweet: Southern Hummingbird". PopMatters. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
18. ^ Martens, Todd (April 11, 2002). "Ashanti Album, Single Dominate Charts". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
19. ^ a b "American album certifications – Tweet – Southern Hummingbird". Recording Industry Association of America. April 30, 2002. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
20. ^ a b Mitchell, Gail (September 14, 2015). "Tweet Returns With New Single: 'Won't Hurt Me'". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
21. ^ a b サザン・ハミングバード [Southern Hummingbird] (in Japanese). Warner Music Japan. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
22. ^ Southern Hummingbird (liner notes). Tweet. Elektra Records. 2002. 62746-2.`{{cite AV media notes}}`: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
23. ^ "ARIA Urban Chart – Week Commencing 20th May 2002" (PDF). The ARIA Report. No. 638\. May 20, 2002. p. 14. Retrieved February 1, 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
24. ^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. April 25, 2002. Archived from the original on November 13, 2004. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
25. ^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. April 25, 2002. Archived from the original on May 1, 2002. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
26. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tweet – Southern Hummingbird" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
27. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20, no. 23\. June 1, 2002. p. 20\. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
28. ^ "Lescharts.com – Tweet – Southern Hummingbird". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
29. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Tweet – Southern Hummingbird" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
30. ^ "Charts.nz – Tweet – Southern Hummingbird". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
31. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Tweet – Southern Hummingbird". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
32. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
33. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Tweet – Southern Hummingbird". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
34. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Tweet – Southern Hummingbird". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
35. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
36. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
37. ^ "Tweet Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
38. ^ "Tweet Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
39. ^ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
40. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
41. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
42. ^ "Southern Hummingbird by Tweet". Angus & Robertson. Archived from the original on February 19, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
43. ^ "Southern Hummingbird: Tweet". Amazon. United Kingdom. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
44. ^ "Southern Hummingbird: Tweet". Amazon (in German). Germany. Retrieved October 24, 2017.

* v
* t
* e

Tweet

Discography

Studio albums|

* Southern Hummingbird
* It's Me Again
* Charlene

Live albums|

* The Dresden Soul Symphony

Extended plays|

* Simply Tweet

Singles|

* "Oops (Oh My)"
* "Call Me"
* "Boogie 2nite"
* "Turn da Lights Off"
* "Won't Hurt Me"
* "Magic"
* "Neva Shouda Left Ya"

Featured singles|

* "Take Away"
* "All Y'all"
* "No Panties"

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

*[No.]: Number
*[Ref.]: Reference
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template