Next (Vanessa Williams album)

Next
Next
Studio album by Vanessa Williams
Released	August 26, 1997
Recorded	February–June 1997
Studio	The Bennett House (Franklin, Tennessee); Flyte Tyme (Edina, Minnesota); Clinton (New York City); Blue Light (New York City); Westlake (West Hollywood, California); Sound Chamber Recorders (North Hollywood, California); Stonecreek (Gladwyne, Pennsylvania); Avatar (New York City); Right Track (New York City); Barking Doctor Recording (Mount Kisco, New York); East Bay Recording (Tarrytown, New York); Soundtrack (New York City); Chicago Trax (Chicago); Chicago Recording Company (Chicago); Starstruck (Nashville, Tennessee);
Genre	Dance-pop; hip hop soul; R&B;
Length	53:09
Label	Mercury
Producer	J. Dibbs; Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; R. Kelly; Jeff Kievit; Rob Mathes; Dennis Ross III; Daryl Simmons; Keith Thomas;
Vanessa Williams chronology
Singles from Next
	"Happiness"; Released: July 24, 1997; "First Thing on Your Mind"; Released: September 21, 1997; "Oh How the Years Go By"; Released: November 27, 1997; "Who Were You Thinkin' 'Bout"; Released: April 21, 1998;

Next is the fifth studio album by American singer and actress Vanessa Williams. It was released through Mercury Records on August 26, 1997. It includes the hit singles "Happiness" (number 36 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks chart), "Who Were You Thinkin' 'Bout", "First Thing on Your Mind" and "Oh How the Years Go By" (number 6 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart). Bonus track “And this is life” featured on the Japanese release of the album.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Who Were You Thinkin' 'Bout?"	Keith Thomas Phil Galdston	Thomas	4:06
2.	"Happiness"	James Harris III Terry Lewis John Smith	Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis	4:27
3.	"And My Heart Goes"	J. Dibbs Joyce Dean	J. Dibbs	4:23
4.	"First Thing on Your Mind"	Antonina Armato Kenny Lamar McGowan Ken Miller	Armato	3:57
5.	"Crazy 'Bout You"	Daryl Simmons	Simmons	4:34
6.	"Lost Without You"	Adrianne Johnson Ross	Dennis Ross III	4:40
7.	"Someone Like You"	Van Morrison	Jeff Kievit Rob Mathes	4:53
8.	"The Easiest Thing"	Stephanie Lewis Mathes	Kievit	4:34
9.	"Surrender"	Barry J. Eastmond Siedah Garrett	Eastmond	4:55
10.	"Start Again"	R. Kelly	R. Kelly	3:56
11.	"And If I Ever" (featuring Simbi Khali)	Harris Lewis	Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis	4:06
12.	"Oh How the Years Go By"	Simon Climie Will Jennings	Thomas	5:11

Chart performance for *Next*
Chart (1997)	Peak position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[4]	31
US Billboard 200^[5]	53
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[6]	28

Certifications for *Next*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)^[7]	Gold	100,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.