The Return (Ruben Studdard album)

The Return
Studio album by Ruben Studdard
Released October 17, 2006 (2006-10-17)
Recorded 200506
Genre R&B soul
Length 50:19
Label J, 19
Producer Scott Storch
Shea Taylor
Stargate
The Underdogs
Ruben Studdard chronology
I Need An Angel
(2004)
The Return
(2006)
Love Is
(2009)

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
SourceRating
About.com[2]
AllMusic[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB[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. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "The Return (Of the Velvet Teddy Bear)"  Harold Lilly, Kevin Cates, Kenneth Gamble, Leon HuffLilly, Cates 4:14
2. "Change Me"  Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas, Steve Russell, Tank, Antonio Dixo, Luke BoydThe Underdogs 3:50
3. "Make Ya Feel Beautiful"  Shea Taylor, Shaffer SmithTaylor 3:27
4. "Get U Loose"  Mason, Jr., Thomas, Russell, Boyd, TankRussell 3:54
5. "Our Story"  James Poyser, LillyPoyser 3:50
6. "One Side"  Lilly, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik HermansenStargate, Lilly (co.) 3:55
7. "What tha Business Is"  Scott Storch, Jason BoydStorch, Boyd (co.) 3:26
8. "Rather Just Not Know"  Smith, Nathan Perez, Steve-O ValdezHappy Perez 3:38
9. "Ain't No Party"  Lilly, Cainon LambLilly 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 HowseVudu 3:35
11. "I'm Not Happy"  Lilly, Ruben Studdard, James Scheffer, Frank Romano, Calvin PuckettJim Jonsin 4:09
12. "To Da Crib"  Studdard, Cates, Johnathan EffingerCates 3:33
13. "Blow Ya Mind"  Studdard, Michael "Flyte" StuckeyStuckey 3:02
14. "If Only for One Night" (Bonus Track)Brenda RussellStuddard 3:46

  (co.) Co-producer

Notes
Sample credits

Personnel

Adapted from the The Return liner notes.[7]

Charts

Chart (2006) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[8] 8
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] 2

References

  1. "Counterfeit Chic". Counterfeit Chic. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  2. 1 2 Mark Edward Nero. "Review: Ruben Studdard's 'The Return'". About.com. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  3. 1 2 Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "The Return - Ruben Studdard". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  4. 1 2 Jody Rosen (2006-10-20). "The Return Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
  5. Chuck Arnold; Ralph Novak (2006-11-06). "Picks and Pans Review: Ruben Studdard (The Return)". People. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
  6. Katie Hasty (2006-10-25). "Diddy Scores First No. 1 Album In Nine Years". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
  7. The Return (booklet). Ruben Studdard. J Records. 2006.
  8. "Ruben Studdard – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Ruben Studdard. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
  9. "Ruben Studdard – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Ruben Studdard. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
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