Better Days (Joe album)

Last updated
Better Days
Joe-thomas-better-days.jpg
Studio album by
Joe
ReleasedDecember 11, 2001
Studio
Various
Length54:17
Label Jive
Producer
Joe chronology
My Name Is Joe
(2000)
Better Days
(2001)
And Then...
(2003)
Singles from Better Days
  1. "Let's Stay Home Tonight"
    Released: December 11, 2001
  2. "What If a Woman"
    Released: February 19, 2002
  3. "Isn't This the World"
    Released: April 23, 2002

Better Days is the fourth studio album by American R&B singer Joe. It was released by Jive Records on December 11, 2001, in the United States. The album reached number 32 on the US Billboard 200 and number four on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It spawned three singles, including "Lets Stay Home Tonight", which reached number 18 on the US R&B chart; "What If a Woman", which reached number 13 on the US R&B chart, and "Isn't This the World". Better Days became Joe's second album to receive a Grammy Award nomination in the Best R&B Album category, while "Let's Stay Home Tonight" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. On August 7, 2002, a Japanese limited version of the album was released together with "Joe Video Collection: I Wanna Know and More Video" content, named "Better Days & The Video Collection".

Contents

Background

In a 2001 interview with Billboard , Joe disclosed that Better Day was inspired by a conversation that he had with a journalist overseas. [1] He said: "We were talking about the state of R&B music. He thought that it was too risqué and that it didn't have much substance, R&B music needs to have a growth process." [1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Vibe Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [4]

AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier praised "Let's Stay Home Tonight" and "Ghetto Child" as highlights and Joe for carrying the record, but was critical of the track listing repeating various "songwriting techniques" and love story "motifs", concluding that "if you're looking for a few quality singles rather than a consistent album, you should find this to be an engaging album, even if its rushed and ultimately thin on original ideas." [2] Vibe contributor Dimitri Ehrlich gave praise to Joe's musical inventiveness in utilizing instrumentation, "lyrical wit" and telling stories from a woman's perspective, concluding with: "Better Days is mostly a one-man show, a nice surprise in an era when few artists seem brave enough to resist all-star guests." [4]

Billboard found that Joe "takes a message-oriented stance on Better Days" which "showcases the singer's sociopolitical side [...] A balance of positivity and soul, Better Days is the deft work of a true career artist – one who knows what it means to grow and evolve." [5] In a negative review, Dorian Lynskey from The Guardian wrote: "This is everyman R&B, a little like Craig David minus the pop pizzazz, a little like D'Angelo without the sexual heat, but mostly thuddingly dull. Even the guest stars succumb to Joe's tractor beam of tedium [...] only the CD booklet, in which Joe poses thoughtfully in expensive jackets, provides some fun, albeit of the unintentionally comic variety." [3]

Chart performance

The album debuted and peaked at number 32 on the US Billboard 200 in the week ending December 29, 2001. [6] A considerable drop from his previous effort My Name Is Joe (2000) which had opened at number two on the chart, [6] it was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 11, 2002. [7] By that time, Better Days had sold 510,000 units in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan. [8]

Track listing

Better Days track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Let's Stay Home Tonight"
  • Joe
  • Gordon
  • Campbell [a]
3:26
2."Better Days"
  • Joe Thomas
  • Joshua P. Thompson
  • Rickey Slaughter
  • Quincy Patrick
  • Stan Vincent
Joe4:31
3."What If a Woman"
  • Thomas
  • Skinner
  • Gordon
  • Joe
  • Gordon
  • Campbell [a]
4:14
4."Alone"
  • Thomas
  • Skinner
  • Gordon
  • Campbell
  • Joe
  • Gordon
  • Campbell [a]
4:34
5."Isn't This the World" The Neptunes 3:54
6."Ghetto Child" (featuring Shaggy)
  • Thomas
  • Skinner
  • Tonyatta P. Martinez
  • Gasner Allen Hughes
Joe4:12
7."I Like Sexy Girls"
  • Thomas
  • Skinner
  • Gordon
  • Joe
  • Gordon
  • Campbell [a]
4:00
8."Here She Comes"
  • Joe
  • Gordon
  • Campbell [a]
2:54
9."Lover's Prayer"
  • Thomas
  • Skinner
Joe4:02
10."Changed Man"
  • Thomas
  • Thompson
  • Slaughter
Joe4:16
11."I Understand"
  • Thomas
  • Skinner
Joe3:47
12."She Used 2 Luv Me"
  • Thomas
  • Skinner
  • Gordon
  • Campbell
  • Joe
  • Gordon
  • Campbell [a]
3:23
13."World of Girls"
  • Thomas
  • Skinner
Joe3:09
14."Let's Stay Home Tonight (Remix)" (featuring Petey Pablo)
  • Joe
  • Gordon
3:55
Total length:54:17
Japan/Australia bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."It Won't End"
  • Dyshon Collins
  • Jack Knight
  • Michael Jones
  • Steve Esteverne
  • Joe
  • Esteverne
4:00
Australia bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."What If a Women" (Smoove 5 Remix Edit)
  • Thomas
  • Skinner
  • Gordon
  • Joe
  • Gordon
  • Campbell [a]
  • Ricky Smoove [b]
  • Phase 5 [b]
3:45
17."I Wanna Know" (The Roni Remix)
  • Thomas
  • Skinner
  • Michele Williams
  • Joe
  • Edwin "Tony" Nicholas
  • Timmy Allen [a]
  • Gordon [b]
4:37

Notes

Sample credits

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Better Days. [9]

Musicians
Production
Imagery

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Better Days
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [20] Silver60,000*
United States (RIAA) [7] Gold510,000 [8]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Better Days release history
RegionDateFormat(s)Edition(s)LabelRef.
United StatesDecember 11, 2001Standard Jive [2]
JapanAugust 7, 2002
Better Days & The Video Collection[ citation needed ]

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