The Return (Ruben Studdard album)
| The Return | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Ruben Studdard | ||||
| Released | October 17, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2005–06 | |||
| Genre | R&B soul | |||
| Length | 50:19 | |||
| Label | J, 19 | |||
| Producer |
Scott Storch Shea Taylor Stargate The Underdogs | |||
| Ruben Studdard chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Return is the third album by American R&B artist Ruben Studdard and was released on October 17, 2006, by J Records. The first single, "Change Me", was released on July 31, 2006. The album was met with mixed reviews from critics who complained about the production and Ruben's performance. The Return debuted and peaked at number 8 but sales were low and it was the last album that Ruben released under J Records.
Controversy
Sony Music was accused of the unauthorized use of Louis Vuitton's copyrighted Toile as part of the disc's design. An undisclosed settlement was reached between Sony and LVMH, the parent company of Louis Vuitton.[1]
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |    [2] |
| AllMusic | [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[4] |
| People | [5] |
The album received mixed reviews from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic found Studdard's performance throughout the album to be lazy with no melodies guiding him, concluding that "when combined with the dull productions, the results are deadly boring."[3] About.com's Mark Edward Nero was also critical of Studdard's voice, saying that it had "no potency much of the time and almost sounds as generic as the vocals that accompany elevator music."[2] Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly was more positive, saying that "The production's bland, but his sweet singing carries the day."[4]
Commercial performance
The album debuted and peaked at number eight in the Billboard 200, with 71,000 copies sold in its first week of release.[6] The album sold only 237,000 copies in the U.S. It subsequently became his last album with J Records, having been dropped from their line-up in December 2007.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Return (Of the Velvet Teddy Bear)" | Harold Lilly, Kevin Cates, Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff | Lilly, Cates | 4:14 |
| 2. | "Change Me" | Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas, Steve Russell, Tank, Antonio Dixo, Luke Boyd | The Underdogs | 3:50 |
| 3. | "Make Ya Feel Beautiful" | Shea Taylor, Shaffer Smith | Taylor | 3:27 |
| 4. | "Get U Loose" | Mason, Jr., Thomas, Russell, Boyd, Tank | Russell | 3:54 |
| 5. | "Our Story" | James Poyser, Lilly | Poyser | 3:50 |
| 6. | "One Side" | Lilly, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen | Stargate, Lilly (co.) | 3:55 |
| 7. | "What tha Business Is" | Scott Storch, Jason Boyd | Storch, Boyd (co.) | 3:26 |
| 8. | "Rather Just Not Know" | Smith, Nathan Perez, Steve-O Valdez | Happy Perez | 3:38 |
| 9. | "Ain't No Party" | Lilly, Cainon Lamb | Lilly | 3:40 |
| 10. | "Listen to Ya Heart" | Matthew McAllister, Lilly, Antoine Carraby, Yomo Smith, Eric Wright, Mark Green, Bryon McCane, Charles Scruggs, Anthony Henderson, Steven Howse, Stanley Howse | Vudu | 3:35 |
| 11. | "I'm Not Happy" | Lilly, Ruben Studdard, James Scheffer, Frank Romano, Calvin Puckett | Jim Jonsin | 4:09 |
| 12. | "To Da Crib" | Studdard, Cates, Johnathan Effinger | Cates | 3:33 |
| 13. | "Blow Ya Mind" | Studdard, Michael "Flyte" Stuckey | Stuckey | 3:02 |
| 14. | "If Only for One Night" (Bonus Track) | Brenda Russell | Studdard | 3:46 |
• (co.) Co-producer
- Notes
- Track 2, "Change Me", features additional background vocals by Steve Russell and Tank
- Track 4, "Get U Loose", features additional background vocals by Steve Russell and Tank
- Track 8, "Ain't No Party", features additional background vocals by Mocha
- Sample credits
- "The Return (Of the Velvet Teddy Bear)", samples "You're The Reason Why", performed by The Ebonys, written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff
- "Listen to Ya Heart", contains a portion of "Foe tha Love of $", performed by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony featuring Eazy-E, written by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Eazy-E
Personnel
Adapted from the The Return liner notes.[7]
- Larry Jackson: A&R
- Chris Gehringer: mastering (Sterling Sound, NYC)
- BGC2, Inc. and Cedric Evans: management
- Burton Goldstein & Company, LLC (Burt Goldstein, Jodi Persichetti): business management
- Howard Siegel (Pryor, Cashman, Sherman & Flynn): legal representation
- Anita Marisa Boriboon: art direction and design
- Christian Lantry: photographer
- Vincent "VJ" Lake: stylist
- Mylah Morales: grooming
- Chris LeBeau: photoshoot production
- Bre Scullark: cover model
Charts
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[8] | 8 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] | 2 |
References
- ↑ "Counterfeit Chic". Counterfeit Chic. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
- 1 2 Mark Edward Nero. "Review: Ruben Studdard's 'The Return'". About.com. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
- 1 2 Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "The Return - Ruben Studdard". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
- 1 2 Jody Rosen (2006-10-20). "The Return Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- ↑ Chuck Arnold; Ralph Novak (2006-11-06). "Picks and Pans Review: Ruben Studdard (The Return)". People. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- ↑ Katie Hasty (2006-10-25). "Diddy Scores First No. 1 Album In Nine Years". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ↑ The Return (booklet). Ruben Studdard. J Records. 2006.
- ↑ "Ruben Studdard – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Ruben Studdard. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
- ↑ "Ruben Studdard – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Ruben Studdard. Retrieved 2014-07-15.