Something Else is the third studio album by R&B singer Robin Thicke, released on September 30, 2008.[1] It is a follow up to Thicke's highly successful second album The Evolution of Robin Thicke and features a guest appearance by Lil Wayne.[2]
[edit] Background
After Robin Thicke finished up and his tour for The Evolution of Robin Thicke album ended, he immediately got into the studio to start recording the album.[3] The album features production from Thicke and Pro J. Thicke conducted a listening party in Los Angeles on April 14, 2008, where he described the album as "wine and bubbly" type music.
"Tie My Hands" was also on Lil Wayne's multi-platinum Tha Carter III.
Speaking in October 2008 to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning Blues & Soul, Thicke explained the lyrical background to 'Something Else': "With me I think there's always been a little bit of self-examination, spirituality and love in the music. But, where the last album was more me sitting around my house with my piano writing all these songs to make MYSELF feel better, this time I've started talking more about OTHER PEOPLE'S experiences, rather than just my own. The feeling I had while writing these songs was that I wanted to embrace people, and that I wanted to BE embraced."[4]
[edit] Critical reception
The album received positive reviews from the critics and compare his voice and style to Marvin Gaye.[6]
- Rolling Stone Magazine gave a positive review to the album, giving 3 out of 5 stars saying:
"Robin Thicke offers a vanilla alternative. (No pun intended.) His largely self-produced third album picks up where his big 2007 hit "Lost Without U" left off, with Thicke cooing in an airy falsetto that holds promises of honesty, fidelity and long nights in the boudoir focused solely on Her Pleasure. The music is a lush, louche swirl of strings, congas and Fender Rhodes that flaunts its debts to Marvin Gaye ("You're My Baby"), classic disco ("Something Else") and Philly soul ("Magic"). As a utilitarian background soundtrack, it'll do nicely — lots of babies will be made to ballads like "Cry No More." But Thicke's songwriting teeters into self-parody, and his mixed metaphors — "We're just spaceships in the night/Ripping the clothes off of the past/Making a new path" — could break the mood of the randiest couples".[7]
[edit] Chart Performance and Sales
The album debuted #3 on the Billboard 200 selling 136,944 copies the first week.[8] In its second week, the album fell to #12, selling 38,577 copies, but rose back up to #11 the next week. As of April 2009, the album has shifted over 435,000 units in the U.S.
[edit] Charts
[edit] Track listing
| 1. |
"You're My Baby" |
4:16 |
| 2. |
"Sidestep" |
4:11 |
| 3. |
"Magic" |
3:53 |
| 4. |
"Ms. Harmony" |
4:47 |
| 5. |
"Dreamworld" |
4:39 |
| 6. |
"Loverman" |
4:42 |
| 7. |
"Hard on My Love" |
3:36 |
| 8. |
"The Sweetest Love" |
3:55 |
| 9. |
"Something Else" |
3:16 |
| 10. |
"Shadow of Doubt" |
3:27 |
| 11. |
"Cry No More" |
4:18 |
| 12. |
"Tie My Hands" (featuring Lil Wayne) |
5:21 |
| 13. |
"Everybody's a Star" |
2:55 |
| 14. |
"Ebb and Flow" |
4:20 |
| 15. |
"I'm Coming Home" |
2:55 |
| 16. |
"Magic Touch" (Moto Blanco Remix) (featuring Mary J. Blige) |
7:32 |
[edit] Singles
- Dreamworld - A video for the song, directed by Anthony Mandler was released on February 11, but no further information shows that the song will be released officially.
- You're My Baby was released to Urban Adult Contemporary stations as a radio-only single.
[edit] References
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| Studio albums |
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| Singles |
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| Featured singles |
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| Related articles |
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2008
