Christmas Day 2015, Evans released a re-recorded version of the song on Faith 20, a six-track album composed of remakes from Faith.[1]
Background
"Ain't Nobody" was written by Evans, Sean Combs and Chucky Thompson and produced by Combs and Thompson for her debut studio album Faith (1995).[2] Thompson said it was influenced by the song "Can't Let Her Get Away" by Michael Jackson from his 1991 album Dangerous, telling Soul Culture in 2014: "I took some pieces from that record, but I took from the soul vibe that we had going on at Bad Boy. The crazy part about this song was I was using this new drum machine device which is called a classic now, but it was the MPC 3000. I found myself trying it out and ended up creating my first beat with it."[3]
When he started on the music, Thompson didn't do the tracking until after Combs came to hear the song and gave him the go ahead to track it.[3] When Thompson attempted the first time after Combs left, the plug came out from the machine and the entire track was erased – which led him having to do it all over again from scratch, though he still favored his original version: "Trust me, the first version of the record was way better than the version you ended up hearing on the album."[3]
Critical reception
Billboard editor Larry Flick called the song "another pop/R&B-infused hip- hop kicker that casts Evans as a modern-day soul vixen — a role she plays to the hilt. She vamps with style and confidence against a backdrop of her own smooth and silky harmonies. The hook grabs you and never lets go, while the beat skittles and snakes up the spine. A perfect way to usher in the spring season, this is one of those singles that you'll find yourself swaying to even while in chill mode."[4]
