Norwood's self-titled debut album was released in September 1994 and peaked at number twenty on the U.S. Billboard 200.[22] Critical reaction to Brandy was generally positive, with AllMusic writer Eddie Huffman declaring Brandy "a lower-key Janet Jackson or a more stripped-down Mary J. Blige [...] with good songs and crisp production."[23] Anderson Jones of Entertainment Weekly asserted, "Teen actress Norwood acts her age. A premature effort at best, that seems based on the philosophy 'If Aaliyah can do it, why can't I?'."[24] Brandy went on to sell over six million copies worldwide,[25] and produced three top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including "I Wanna Be Down" and "Baby", both of which reached the top of the Hot R&B Singles chart and were certified gold and platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[26] "Brokenhearted", a duet with Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men, became a number-two hit on the charts.[22] The album earned Norwood two Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance the following year, and won her four Soul Train Music Awards, two Billboard Awards, and the New York Children's Choice Award.[19] In 1995, she finished a two-month stint as the opening act on Boyz II Men's national tour,[27] and contributed songs to the soundtracks of the films Batman Forever and Waiting to Exhale, with the single "Sittin' Up in My Room" becoming another top-two success.[22] In 1996, Norwood also collaborated with Tamia, Chaka Khan, and Gladys Knight on the single "Missing You", released from the soundtrack of the F. Gary Gray film Set It Off. The single won her a third Grammy nomination in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category.[19]
Returning from yet another hiatus, Norwood's fourth album Afrodisiac was released in June 2004, amid the well-publicized termination of her short-lived business relationship with entertainment manager Benny Medina.[50] Norwood ended her contract with his Los Angeles-based Handprint Entertainment after less than a year of representation following controversies surrounding Medina's handling of the lead single "Talk About Our Love", and failed negotiations of a purported co-headlining tour with R&B singer Usher.[50] Despite the negative publicity, Afrodisiac became Norwood's most critically acclaimed album,[51] with some highlighting the "more consistently mature and challenging" effect of Timbaland on Norwood's music,[52] and others calling it "listenable and emotionally resonant", comparing it to "Janet Jackson at her best."[53] A moderate seller, the album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, and received certifications in the United States, Europe and Japan.[54] "Talk About Our Love" reached number six in the United Kingdom, but subsequent singles failed to score successfully on the popular music charts.[55] Later that year, she guest-starred as Gladys Knight in the third-season premiere of American Dreams, in which she performed "I Heard It Through the Grapevine".[56]
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