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Coming Home (Lionel Richie album)

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Coming Home
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 12, 2006 (2006-09-12)
GenreR&B[1]
Length50:35
LabelIsland Def Jam
Producer
Lionel Richie chronology
Gold
(2006)
Coming Home
(2006)
Sounds of the Season
(2006)

Coming Home is the eighth studio album by American singer Lionel Richie. It was released by The Island Def Jam Music Group on September 12, 2006 in the United States. A breakaway from his previous albums and their adult contemporary sounds, Richie and executive producer Antonio "L.A." Reid recruited a number of sought-after producers and songwriters from the contemporary R&B and hip-hop genres to work with him on the album, including Dallas Austin, Jerry Duplessis, Jermaine Dupri, Sean Garrett, Wyclef Jean, Rodney Jerkins, and Norwegian duo Stargate.

The album earned a generally mixed reception from music critics, who either complimented or dismissed Richie's decision to update his sound. In the United States, Coming Home debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200, becoming his biggest hit album since 1986's Dancing on the Ceiling, while selling up to 449,000 copies. Elsewhere, it reprised the chart success of Renaissance (2000) and Just for You (2004), entering the top ten in Germany and Switzerland and going gold in the United Kingdom. Coming Home produced several singles, including "I Call It Love" and "Why."

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[2]
Okayplayer[3]
People[4]
Sacramento News & Review(unfavorable)[5]

Entertainment Weekly critic Michael Endelman felt that while "Richie collaborates with producers who are young enough to be his kids in a bid to update his quiet-storm sound for modern R&B ears [...] The move pays off, as Richie’s silky voice glides through tracks [...] But dentists of America, don’t fret: The ’80s soft-pop titan hedges his bets by also including plenty of his trademark banal ballads.[2] AllMusic editor Andy Kellman found that "too much of Coming Home is merely pleasant – particularly the adult contemporary fare, with the exception of "I Love You" – or too conscious of remaining with the times. While the likes of "Why" and "Up All Night" involved Richie's songwriting in some capacity, just about any twentysomething vocalist could be fronting them; the same goes for the Jermaine Dupri-produced "What You Are." The stab at emotionally cleansing reggae of the Bob Marley variety, "Stand Down," comes up short as well. That said, at least half the album should satisfy Richie's longtime followers."[1]

Chart performance

[edit]

In the United States, Coming Home debuted and peaked at number six on the Billboard 200.[6] It sold over 75,000 copies in its first week and marked Richie's first top 10 album debut of his career.[7] In February 2007, the album was certified gold for the shipment of 500,000 units, and in May 2012 it surpassed the 449,000 mark.[8]

Track listing

[edit]
Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Call It Love"Stargate3:18
2."Sweet Vacation"3:54
3."Why"
  • Richie
  • Booker
  • Garrett
4:00
4."What You Are"
  • Dupri
  • Seal
4:12
5."Up All Night"
  • Richie
  • Booker
  • Garrett
  • Richie
  • Booker
  • Garrett
3:35
6."I'm Coming Home"
  • Richie
  • Booker
4:18
7."All Around the World"
  • Richie
  • Roberto Sam Screnci
  • Richie
  • Screnci
  • Tone Depth[a]
3:33
8."Out of My Head"Richie
  • Richie
  • Booker
3:13
9."Reason to Believe"
Austin4:46
10."Stand Down"
  • Richie
  • Austin
Austin4:01
11."I Love You"Richie
  • Richie
  • Booker
4:11
European edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."I Apologize"
  • Jean
  • Duplessis
3:37
13."I'm Missing Her"Richie
  • Richie
  • Booker
3:57

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an assistant producer

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[23] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c AllMusic review
  2. ^ a b "Entertainment Weekly review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2009-05-29. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
  3. ^ "Okayplayer review". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
  4. ^ People review
  5. ^ Sacramento News & Review review
  6. ^ a b "Lionel Richie Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  7. ^ "Justin Sexes Up The Charts With First Solo #1 Debut". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  8. ^ Caulfield, Keith. "Lionel Richie's 'Tuskegee' Becomes Year's Second-Biggest Album". Billboard.com. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  9. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Lionel Richie – Coming Home" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  10. ^ "Ultratop.be – Lionel Richie – Coming Home" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  11. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lionel Richie – Coming Home" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  12. ^ "Lescharts.com – Lionel Richie – Coming Home". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Lionel Richie – Coming Home" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  14. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Lionel Richie – Coming Home". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  15. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Lionel Richie – Coming Home". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  16. ^ "Lionel Richie | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  17. ^ "Lionel Richie Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  18. ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2006" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  19. ^ "The Official UK Albums Chart (2006)" (PDF). Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  20. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  21. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  22. ^ "British album certifications – Lionel Richie – Coming Home". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2017-06-11.
  23. ^ "American album certifications – Lionel Richie – Coming Home". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2017-06-11.