In the second edition of our “Songs That Should Have Been Singles on Every Album” series, we take a look at the career of Tank. He’s released six album since his debut in 2001, 3 on Blackground Records and 3 on Atlantic Records. Regardless of how many singles where chosen by the artist on each album, we pick our top three and explain why we feel this would have been successful. Tank is an artist we’ve supported heavily for many years, so this type of article is not to degrade his choices in any way. Let us know what you think!

Tank – “Fore of Nature” (2001)

Tank Chose: 1) “Maybe I Deserve” 2) “Slowly”

YouKnowIGotSoul Would Have Chosen: 1) “Maybe I Deserve” 2) “Slowly” 3) “I Don’t Wanna Be Lovin You”

Analysis: Tank’s debut album “Force of Nature” really solidified his place as one of the top artists in r&b, and we wouldn’t change much. “Maybe I Deserve” was the perfect record to introduce Tank as an artist unafraid to show his vulnerable side. “Slowly” did a great job of showcasing his powerhouse vocals and soulful style. He only had two singles, but we would have gone with “I Don’t Wanna Be Lovin You” as the third single. It’s a mid tempo mellow jam that introduces yet yet another side of Tank.

Tank – “One Man” (2002)

Tank Chose: 1) “One Man” 2) “Let Me Live”

YouKnowIGotSoul Would Have Chosen: 1) “Unpredictable” 2) “Supa Sexy” 3) “Make Me Wanna Sing”

Analysis: With Tank’s second album “One Man”, we would have gone in a completely different direction. The album was lead by “One Man”, which is a good ballad, but “Unpredictable” is the slow jam we would have gone with. “Let Me Live” with Jazze Pha and Mannie Fresh is a song we would have avoided altogether as well. It was obvious why it was chosen as a single; the party anthem was in line with the popular sound of the time. However, “Supa Sexy” is an uptempo jam way more in Tank’s lane. We would have closed out the album with “Make Me Wanna Sing”, another beautiful ballad which one again shows Tank’s vulnerable side.

Tank – “Sex, Love & Pain” (2007)

Tank Chose: 1) “Please Don’t Go” 2) “Heartbreaker”

YouKnowIGotSoul Would Have Chosen: 1) “Please Don’t Go” 2) “Wedding Song” 3) “I Hate U”

Analysis: “Sex, Love & Pain” is widely considered as Tank’s masterpiece, and “Please Don’t Go” was the perfect song to lead with. Tank is at his best when vulnerable, in pain, and booming on the vocals, and this song is all of those. For whatever reason, the album didn’t get a chance to have a longer life because it seemed like follow up singles weren’t pushed. We feel that “Wedding Song” would have been a great one, with huge potential for an impactful video. “Heartbreaker” was chosen by Tank and is an amazing song, but “I Hate U” is slightly favored by us. You can’t go wrong with this album though, so many great choices.

Tank – “Now or Never” (2010)

Tank Chose: 1) “Sex Music” 2) “Emergency” 3) “Celebration” 4) “I Can’t Make You Love Me”

YouKnowIGotSoul Would Have Chosen: 1) “Celebration” 2) “Emergency” 3) “Scream”

Analysis: Tank led off “Now or Never” with the progressive sounding “Sex Music”, and although it’s a great song, we didn’t include it in our top 3. “Celebration” would have been a great choice to push and with the Drake feature, had the potential to do really well at radio. “Emergency” was another great choice, it fits right into Tank’s strengths, and the way he’s been able to work the theme into his live shows over the years really has been successful. Although we left out “I Can’t Make You Love Me”, we have to admit it was a great choice for a single. Tank really did this timeless song justice, and the emotion he pours into the song is commendable. It is a cover though, and we’d have gone in favor of “Scream”, a song that featured the type of progressive production that is more in line with Tank’s sound.

Tank – “This is How I Feel” (2012)

Tank Chose: 1) “Compliments” 2) “Next Breath” 3) “Lonely”

YouKnowIGotSoul Would Have Chosen: 1) “Next Breath” 2) “Nowhere” 3) “Lost it All”

Analysis: The choices on “This is How I Feel” for us were pretty clear. Leading off with the vulnerable ballad “Next Breath” would have been a great choice since it’s signature Tank. From there, you could have gone to the very progressive “Nowhere” featuring Busta Rhymes. Although the song isn’t a typical Tank song, it’s a record that had the potential to make an impact on hip hop radio. You could finish off this album with the power ballad “Lost it All”, which features Tank emotionally belting away behind the keys.

Tank – “Stronger” (2014)

Tank Chose: 1) “You’re My Star” 2) “Stronger”

YouKnowIGotSoul Would Have Chosen: 1) “Stronger” 2) You’re My Star” 3) “Missing You”

Analysis: Tank’s most recent album to date is “Stronger”, and we wouldn’t have changed much about the first couple of singles. However, we would have gone with “Stronger” first since this is the type of ballad Tank fans are used to. We then would have moved onto the uptempo “You’re My Star”, which although is more uptempo than we’re used to hearing from Tank on the past in singles, is a great transition for him. We would have ended up with “Missing You”, a dope soulful Tank song.