Upon release, Lovers Rock was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised the band's musical direction. The album earned Sade the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album in 2002. Commercially, the album reached number 18 on the UK Albums Chart and number three on the US Billboard 200. It has since been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having sold 3.9 million copies in the United States by February 2010. The album spawned two singles—"By Your Side" and "King of Sorrow"—and was further promoted by the band's Lovers Rock Tour. Following the release of Love Deluxe (1992), the band began an eight-year hiatus, during which Adu would experience media scrutiny and give birth to her first child.

Love Deluxe is the fourth studio album by English band Sade, released by Epic Records in the United Kingdom on 26 October 1992 and in the United States on 3 November 1992.

Three singles were released from the record: lead single "The Centre of the Heart" was a hit throughout Europe, and was Roxette's third number one single in their home country. "Real Sugar" underperformed; it remains the lowest-peaking of all their charting singles in both Germany and Switzerland. Conversely, "Milk and Toast and Honey" performed well, and was the album's longest-charting hit in Sweden and Switzerland. The latter was also the only single from the album to be released in the United Kingdom.
The album received mixed reviews upon release. AllMusic called it an "exciting, immediate, high-gloss pop gem that contains very little filler indeed", although other publications were critical of Per Gessle's lyrics, particularly to album track "Jefferson". The record performed well commercially throughout mainland Europe, and was one of the best-selling albums of the year in several territories, but was largely ignored in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 120.

Ricky Martin is the fifth studio album and first English album by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. It was released on May 11, 1999, by Columbia Records. Following the release of four Spanish-language albums, and the huge success of his fourth studio album, Vuelve (1998), Martin announced the recording of his first English language album. He worked with producers KC Porter, Robi Rosa, and Desmond Child to create the album. Musically, Ricky Martin consists of dance-pop tracks, power ballads, mid-tempo pop songs, and rock numbers. After the album's release, Martin embarked on the worldwide Livin' la Vida Loca Tour, which was the highest-grossing tour of 2000 by a Latin artist.

"María" is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his third studio album, A Medio Vivir (1995). The song was written by Ian Blake, Luis Gómez Escolar, and KC Porter, while the production was handled by Porter, Tom Vickers, and Steve Berkowitz. It was released by Sony Music Mexico as the second single from the album on November 21, 1995. A Spanish language flamenco, dance, and salsa song, it is about an attractive but dangerous woman called "María". Local DJ Pablo Flores remixed the song, turning it into an up-tempo samba tune in a house bassline. The remix version became more popular than the original one.

Different Class is the fifth studio album by English rock band Pulp, released on 30 October 1995 by Island Records.
The album was a critical and commercial success, entering the UK Albums Chart at number one and winning the 1996 Mercury Music Prize. It has been certified four times platinum, and had sold 1.33 million copies in the United Kingdom as of 2020. In 2013, NME ranked the album at number six in its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd is the fourth compilation album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 5 November 2001 by EMI internationally and a day later by Capitol Records in the United States. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart on 24 November 2001, with sales of 214,650 copies. It remained on the chart for 26 weeks. The album was certified Gold, Platinum and Double Platinum on 6 December 2001 in the US by the RIAA. It was certified Triple Platinum in the US on 8 January 2002, and Quadruple Platinum on 10 September 2007.

In Between is the fifth studio album by Paul van Dyk released on August 14, 2007. The album features a wide range of collaborations including David Byrne of Talking Heads, Jessica Sutta of the Pussycat Dolls, Ashley Tomberlin of Luminary, Alex M.O.R.P.H., Lo-Fi Sugar, Rea Garvey of Reamonn, Ryan Merchant and Wayne Jackson. The latter had collaborated earlier with Paul van Dyk on the song "The Other Side". The album also features a vocal sample of Ben Lost from Probspot's "Blows My Mind" on the song "Another Sunday".

No Strings Attached is the second studio album by American boy band NSYNC, released on March 21, 2000 by Jive Records. Looking to distinguish their music from that of their labelmates, its music incorporates pop and R&B styles. Prior to the release of the album, NSYNC separated from their management Trans Continental and their label RCA Records; its title is a play on the idea of independence from corporate control. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers, including group members Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez and new collaborators Kristian Lundin, Jake Schulze, Rami Yacoub, Teddy Riley, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Richard Marx, Veit Renn, and Guy Roche.

Nina Simone - was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and pop.
The sixth of eight children born from a poor family in Tryon, North Carolina, Simone initially aspired to be a concert pianist. With the help of a few supporters in her hometown, she enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. She then applied for a scholarship to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where, despite a well received audition, she was denied admission,[4] which she attributed to racism. In 2003, just days before her death, the Institute awarded her an honorary degree.

Silver Side Up is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Nickelback; it was released on September 11, 2001. According to AllMusic, Silver Side Up continued Nickelback's tradition of "dark high-octane rock" from the band's first two albums. It reached number one in Canada, Austria, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The album was certified 8× Platinum in Canada, 6× Platinum in the US, and 3× Platinum in the UK. Thus far, Silver Side Up is one of only two Nickelback albums to not have 11 tracks; there are only 10 tracks on this album, while 1996's Curb has 12.

All the Right Reasons is the fifth studio album by Canadian hard rock band Nickelback, released on October 4, 2005. It is the band's first album with former 3 Doors Down drummer Daniel Adair, who replaced Ryan Vikedal in January 2005. The album topped the Canadian Albums Chart and the American Billboard 200 albums chart and has sold 18 million copies to date, being the best selling Nickelback album to date according to certifications from the CRIA, the RIAA and the BPI. Seven singles were released from the album. The album re-entered the Finland Albums Chart 5 years after its release, setting also a new peak position, at #21.

Avant que l'ombre... is the sixth studio album by Mylène Farmer, released on 4 April 2005. Mainly composed of acoustic ballads, this album produced five singles which were all top ten hits in France, including "Fuck Them All" and "L'amour n'est rien..."