Elgin | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 15, 2011 | |||
Length | 51:14 | |||
Label |
| |||
Producer |
| |||
Ginuwine chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Elgin | ||||
|
Elgin is the seventh studio album by American R&B singer Ginuwine. It was released by Notifi Music Group and E1 Music on February 15, 2011. [1] His second album with Notifit, the album takes its title from Ginuwine's first name, the singer worked with producers Bryan-Michael Cox, Tapping Warren, Kendrick Dean, Melvin "Saint Nick" Coleman, MaddScientist, and Tank on the album. [2] Songwriter and rapper Katrina "Trina" Taylor appears as a guest vocalist on the album track "Batteries." [2]
The album received a mixed reception by music critics, many of whom praised Ginuwine's vocal performances and the album's trend-detaching nature but found its lyrics unsuitable and cliché-addled. Upon its release, Elgin debuted at number 30 on the US Billboard 200, and at number seven on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with first week sales of 19,100 copies. The album produced three singles, including lead single "What Could Have Been" as well as "Heaven" and "Body."
The album was preceded by lead single "What Could Have Been", released on October 25, 2010. [3] The song peaked at number 61 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and reached top 20 on the Adult R&B Songs, peaking at number 15. [4] A second single, "Heaven," was released in January 2011, but failed to chart. [5] Ginuwine also filmed and released two promo music videos for "Break" and "Drink of Choice". "Body" served as the third single from the album.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
About.com | [6] |
AllMusic | [1] |
Allison Stewart, writing for The Washington Post , called the album "a solid if slightly anonymous disc that makes plain the problems facing veteran balladeers. Ginuwine got older, got married and gradually began to emphasize the crooner side of his persona, just as electro-centric R&B began to gain traction. And now he's stuck, his limber, velvet ribbon of a voice forced to resort to making unctuous Diane Warren ballads seem sincere and interesting and mostly not succeeding, while Ne-Yo has all the fun." [7] Lauren Carter from The Boston Herald remarked that "the majority of the 40-year-old’s seventh album is smoothed-out adult contemporary fare that ranges from steamy to snoozy." She found that "despite the lapses in songwriting, Ginuwine's voice retains an emotive, almost haunting, quality and frequently shines." [8]
AllMusic editor Andy Kellman rated the album three out of five stars and found that while a handful of "tracks would be better suited for younger singers, roughly half the album has Ginuwine acting his age, dealing with adult situations [...] Best of all is "Frozen"; audible shivering sounds overstate the mood projected by a scorned object of affection, but frost-coated synthesizers provide great contrast to Ginuwine's sympathetic pleading." [1] Mark Edward Nero from About.com called the album "stylish [and] sophisticated," but found that "unfortunately some of the albums songs lack the passion of his earlier releases [...] It's actually the more uptempo tracks on Elgin that please the most [...] Ginuwine could have tried to hop on the latest trends with this album in an effort to attract more young listeners, but to his credit, he acts his age throughout Elgin and shows that he's still got the power as a vocalist to charm the masses, even if his songs lack some of the creativity of his youth." [6]
Elgin debuted at number 30 on the US Billboard 200 and number seven on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with 19,100 copies sold in the first week. [9] It marked Ginuwine's lowest opening sales up to then and was a considerable decline from his previous effort A Man's Thoughts , which had opened to sales of 38,000 units in 2009. [9]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Heaven" | Durrell Babbs | Tank | 3:53 |
2. | "Break" | Diane Warren | Tapping Warren | 4:03 |
3. | "What Could Have Been" | Elgin Lumpkin |
| 3:32 |
4. | "Drink of Choice" | 4:46 | ||
5. | "Why We're Fighting" | Lumpkin | Coleman | 3:54 |
6. | "Body" | Lumpkin | Coleman | 3:32 |
7. | "Batteries" (featuring Trina) | Lumpkin | Young Yonny | 3:32 |
8. | "Kidnapped" |
| Coleman | 3:07 |
9. | "How Does Your Heart Forget" | D. Warren |
| 3:37 |
10. | "First Time" | Lumpkin | Ginuwine | 3:53 |
11. | "Frozen" |
|
| 4:48 |
Credits lifted from the liner notes of Elgin. [10]
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200 [12] | 30 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [13] | 7 |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | February 15, 2011 |
| [11] |
Elgin Baylor Lumpkin, better known by his stage name Ginuwine, is an American R&B singer and songwriter. He began his career as a member of Swing Mob in the early 1990s. He signed to Epic Records as a solo artist in the mid-1990s, and quickly rose to mainstream success following the release of his 1996 debut commercial single, "Pony". The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded his debut studio album, Ginuwine...The Bachelor (1996) which saw moderate but steady success upon release. His second album, 100% Ginuwine (1999) peaked within the top five on the Billboard 200 and its follow-up, The Life (2003) performed similarly; the latter spawned his highest charting single to date, "Differences". His next albums, The Senior (2003), Back II da Basics (2005), A Man's Thoughts (2009), and Elgin (2011) followed thereafter. According to Billboard, Ginuwine has sold an estimated 10 million albums in the US. Along with his solo career, he is a member of the R&B trio TGT alongside contemporaries Tyrese Gibson and Tank.
"Touch" is a song by American R&B singer Omarion. It was released on February 11, 2005, as the second single off his 2005 debut album O. The song was written by Pharrell Williams and includes his background vocals on the song's bridge. The song was produced by The Neptunes. "Touch" was originally planned to be the first single from O in the UK. However, it was eventually decided that as in the US, "O" would be the first single from the album there as well. It was a minor hit in the US, peaking at only number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 35 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"Differences" is an R&B song by American singer Ginuwine. It was written by the artist alongside producer Troy Oliver and recorded for his third studio album, The Life (2001). Released as the album's second single, the ballad spent four weeks at number-one on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. It was ranked at number 50 and number 68 in the 2001 and 2002 on Billboard Year-End lists, respectively, and was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). American rapper Pop Smoke sampled the song on his hit track released in 2020, "What You Know Bout Love".
Joe Budden is the debut studio album by American rapper Joe Budden. It was released on June 10, 2003, by On Top, distributed by Def Jam. Recording sessions took place from 2002 to 2003, with production by Dub B aka White Boy, along with the other high-profile producers such as Just Blaze and Lofey. The album features guest appearances from Lil' Mo, Busta Rhymes and 112. Upon the record's release, it was met with favorable reviews from music critics. Joe Budden debuted at number 8 on the US Billboard 200, selling 95,000 units in its first week, later the record sold 420,000+ copies in the United States. It also entered at number 55 on the UK Albums Chart.
"Pony" is a song by American singer Ginuwine, released as the debut single from his first album, Ginuwine...The Bachelor (1996). Ginuwine co-wrote the song with Swing Mob associates Static Major and Timbaland; the latter made his breakthrough as a producer with the song. It peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.
EV3 is the third studio album by American female vocal group En Vogue. It was released by East West Records on June 17, 1997, in the United States. Recorded after a lengthy break during which the group members became mothers or established solo careers, the album was En Vogue's first project to include a diverse roster of collaborators including credits from Babyface, David Foster, Diane Warren, Andrea Martin, Ivan Matias, and Organized Noize along with regular contributors Foster & McElroy. It marked their first album without Dawn Robinson, who decided to leave the group late into the recording of EV3 in favor of a solo recording contract, prompting the remaining trio to re-record much of the material for the album.
Trey Day is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist Trey Songz. It was released on October 1, 2007, by Atlantic Records. Recording for the album began in mid-2006, with Songz again reteaming with longtime collaborator Troy Taylor. With the singer aiming for the album to be more mainstream-oriented than his debut album I Gotta Make It (2005), he also consulted a wider range of producers to work with him, including Bryan-Michael Cox, Danja, Stargate and R. Kelly.
I Apologize, while credited to Ginuwine, is not an official release but has acceptance to his catalog. It peaked at No. 50 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Force of Nature is the debut studio album by American R&B recording artist Tank. It was released on March 13, 2001 by Blackground Records. The album debuted atop the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200.
"So Anxious" is a song by R&B singer Ginuwine. It was written by Static Major, Benjamin Bush, and Timbaland for his second studio album 100% Ginuwine (1999), while production was helmed by the latter. The song describes the narrator anxiously waiting on his lover all night to return his calls so that she can meet him for romance. Released as the album's third single, "So Anxious" became Ginuwine's second top 20 pop hit. It also reached number two on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The music video was directed by Chris Robinson.
"The Best Man I Can Be" is a 1999 song for the film The Best Man. It features four R&B singers: Ginuwine, RL of Next, Tyrese and Case.
"There It Is" is a song by American singer Ginuwine. It was co-written by Harold Garvin, Cliff Jones, Bobby Terry, Jerry Vines, and Curtis Williams for his third studio album The Life (2001), while production was helmed by Jones and Vines for Big Dog Productions, with Ginuwine credited as a co-producer. The song was released as the album's lead single in January 2001 and peaked inside the Top 20 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The narrator describes how he works hard and pays the bills to provide a lifestyle for his live-in lover who does not have a job, but she does not show appreciation for what he does. Due to the content of the song, a clean version tailor-made for radio play although only the original content was released on the album.
"Stingy" is a song by American R&B singer Ginuwine. It was written by Johnta Austin, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Jason Perry and recorded by the singer for soundtrack of the American comedy-drama film Barbershop (2002), then included on his fourth album The Senior the following year. Production on the song was helmed by Cox, with co-production from Perry. Released as the lead single from the Barbershop soundtrack, "Stingy" peaked at number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top ten of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"Last Chance" is a song by American singer Ginuwine. It was written by Wayne Wells, Adonis Shropshire, and Bryan-Michael Cox for his sixth studio album A Man's Thoughts (2009), with production helmed by the latter. Ginuwine commented that the song "reflects the maturity of my personal growth over the past few years." "Last Chance" was digitally released as the album's lead single on March 31, 2009. It debuted at number 84 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming his first entry on this chart since "Love You More" in 2003, and eventually peaked at number 63, while also reaching number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Imagination is the tenth studio album by American R&B/soul vocal group the Whispers, released on November 30, 1980, by SOLAR Records.
"Take Away" is a song by American rapper Missy Elliott. It was written by Elliott and Timbaland for her third studio album, Miss E... So Addictive (2001), while production was helmed by the latter, with Elliott and Craig Brockman served as co-producers. The downtempo track features guest vocals from R&B singer Ginuwine. While the album version of "Take Away" credits background vocals by 702 member, Kameelah Williams, the single version replaces Williams's vocals with then-newcomer, Elliott's former protégée Tweet.
PartyNextDoor Two is the debut studio album by Canadian recording artist PartyNextDoor. It was released on July 29, 2014, by OVO Sound and Warner Records. The record was supported by the promotional singles: "Her Way" and "Recognize" featuring Drake, which were respectively released on June 13 and July 15, 2014.
Calling All Lovers is the fourth studio album by American R&B singer Tamar Braxton. It was released on October 2, 2015, by Epic Records and Streamline Records. The album was preceded by the release of two singles — "Let Me Know" and "If I Don't Have You".
Return of the Tender Lover is the eighth studio album from American R&B singer Babyface. It was released December 4, 2015, on Def Jam Recordings. The album pays homage to his classic 1989 album, Tender Lover and serves as the follow-up to his last album Grown & Sexy (2005). It is his first solo album of new studio material in 10 years.
Face the Music is the seventh studio album by American singer Avant. Released on February 1, 2013 in the United States, it marked his debut released on his own label Mo-B Entertainment. Distribution was overseen by Caroline Distribution and EMI Records. The album features collaborations with J'Lyn, Kriss "Kajun" Johnson and singer Keke Wyatt. As of August 2015, Face the Music has sold over 77,000 copies in the United States.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)