Before Mya began to work on what would eventually be her third studio album, she participated in prior engagements which would result in the blockbuster success of 2001's "Lady Marmalade", a collaboration for the Moulin Rouge!

[5] The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, with AllMusic praising Mya for coming up with her best and most varied set of songs yet.

Not knowing when my album would come, working with someone like A&M Records president Ron Fair and the transition from moving from an independent label to Interscope sort of left us in limbo.

[9] While speaking with Trace, Mya admitted Fear of Flying was a political war at Interscope Records between her former manager Haqq Islam and CEO Steve Stoute competing with each other.

[9] Pushed by her newfound freedom, she was instrumental in all creative aspects on the album and credited as a co-writer, co-producer along with Ron Fair as well as served as executive producer.

"[11] Impressed with the tracks Mya had worked on while on the road, A&M president Ron Fair offered to serve as the album's executive producer.

[14] Elliott said Mya's lyrical development was not a shock tactic or an effort to keep up with her racy peers – it is more a sign of her own maturation and her interest in being honest and open.

"[14] Previewed by Trace magazine, journalist Omar Dubois observed, "thematically Moodring was more consistently optimistic than Fear of Flying, which he declared was engulfed in adolescent cynicism.

[9] Comprising sixteen tracks, Moodring was viewed as the singer's most personal album[10] and a sonic indicator of how she was living, loving and creating in 2003 with songs that ranges from emotional to erotic.

[15][16] An eclectic album, Moodring encompasses a selection of genres from edgy hip hop flavors to smoothed out soul to banging techno to understated pop and sultry reggae.

[16] Its production incorporates a grab bag of great beats, well-orchestrated harmonies, throw-away gook, and suggestively seductive vocal hooks.

[17] Moodring opens with the Missy Elliott-produced "My Love Is Like...Wo", a "sexy, no holds-barred" song about a woman in control sexually and emotionally.

[9] An ode to Prince and Rick James, Mya explained the concept behind the song, commenting, "I love that pretty s*$%, that pimp s*$%" "That's the s*$% that turns me on when I go to see a stage show.

"[9] The sultry, invitingly delivered "No Sleep Tonight" plays like an X-rated Boyz II Men song, with a sexy old school R&B beat over slinky, sensual vocals and served as the album's sixth track.

[17] Ninth track, the pop soulish Marvin Gaye meets Neneh Cherry choon "Things Come & Go", featured dancehall rapper Sean Paul.

[22] A garage-driven number, "Whatever Bitch" was primarily inspired by a gay dance called wagging, and drag queens at the KitKatClub in Berlin.

Arranged to Petty's distinctive chord progression-albeit played on piano, the singer's version is a brand-new entity, a confused story about a lost soul looking to Jesus Christ for direction.

[13][14][24] Speaking with Billboard, Mya appointed the album's delay due to her transitioning within the Universal Music system from an independent label to A&M Records.

Joined by rapper Common, their spot featured the two singing an original song based on the 1960s jazz hook of Eddie Harris' "Compared to What".

[31] During a press conference, Dominic Sandifer, senior VP of strategic marketing for Interscope, Geffen, and A&M at Universal Music Group, explained the motion behind the ideal joint project for labels nowadays, noting the Coca-Cola's campaign starring Mya and Common.

Under a deal with Universal Music & Video Distribution, Doritos featured artists from UMVD-distributed labels on 180 million bags of its snack food through the end of the year.

[47] "Get Up," an uptempo track with a party club vibe was initially announced as the album's first single, however the song was relinquish to the Biker Boyz soundtrack and recorded by labelmate Keyshia Cole.

"[6] Similarly, Lewis Dene of BBC Music declared the album her "most complete and accessible yet", noting that with Moodring "Mya's set to further remind listeners of her ability to shrewdly bridge the gap between pop/R&B and street-level hip hop.

[57] Tracy E. Hopkins, writing for Rolling Stone, called the album an "ambitious third disc" that "reintroduces the former good girl as a sex kitten – a transformation that began with the Grammy-winning 'Lady Marmalade'."

"[54] Vibe editor Dimitri Ehrlich noted that though Mya "doesn't add any real depth to her artistic sack, she captivates by revealing another stage in her development – as a woman.

"[55] Entertainment Weekly's writer Neil Drumming gave the album a B− rating, commenting that "at best, Moodring exhibits some minor genre dabbling, but truthfully, Mya's source material hasn't broadened much."

"[52] The Village Voice editor Carol Cooper found that "although Mya varies her album's mood with sweet pop-dancehall and trendy 'I'll kick your ass' rants, she's really waiting for one of her insatiable nooky anthems to win her the ever rotating demon-lover franchise on America's pop charts.

[66] David Levesley of British GQ saluted the singer as a "triple threat", who can also write and orchestrate, and said Moodring "deserves to be remembered as one of the great R&B albums of the early 21st century.

[70] During a Q&A with fans on Twitter, singer Chlöe when asked if she could recreate any music video, she responded, "My Love Is Like...Wo" as her choice and cited the song as inspiration as well.

Speaking on behalf of the song's music video, she raved, "In [My Love is Like] Whoa" she was tap dancing and she did a little bit of hip-hop, then there was jazz moments."