The Letter (Avant album)

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The Letter
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 21, 2010
GenreR&B[1]
Length40:31
LabelVerve Forecast
Producer
  • The Avila Brothers
  • Berris Bolton
  • Coop the Truth
  • Mike City
  • Kajun
  • Marshall Leathers
  • The Pentagon
Avant chronology
Avant
(2008)
The Letter
(2010)
Face the Music
(2013)
Singles from The Letter
  1. "Kiss Goodbye"
    Released: September 21, 2010
  2. "Your Body is the Business"
    Released: March 2011
  3. "Graduated"
    Released: June 13, 2011

The Letter is the sixth studio album by American singer Avant. It was released by Verve Forecast Records on December 21, 2010 in the United States.[2] The singer worked with The Avila Brothers, Mike City, duo The Pentagon, and others on The Letter which debuted and peaked at number 119 on the US Billboard 200, becoming his lowest-charting album to date. It produced three singles, including "Kiss Goodbye", "Your Body is the Business" and "Graduated."

Background[edit]

Speaking in January 2011 to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis, assistant editor of Blues & Soul, Avant described his reasons for titling the album The Letter as being because it represents "a letter from me to my fans, to tell them what's going on in my life, what's going through my head, and my struggles as a man."[3]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Andy Kellman from Allmusic rated the album two and a half stars out of five. He wrote that "to put it lightly, none of these songs deserve placement in a best-of-Avant playlist. Otherwise, The Letter offers another ballad-heavy round of smooth, sophisticated, and occasionally raunchy R&B songs [...] for the thirty and up crowd. It's not one of the singer's best albums, but those who can wade through the miscues will have an EP's worth of solid Avant."[1]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
1."Graduated"
  • Myron Avant
  • Cooper McGill
Coop the Truth3:25
2."Hot 16"
The Pentagon3:55
3."Kiss Goodbye"
  • Avant
  • Dawkins
  • Dixon
The Pentagon3:48
4."Had Enough"
  • Avant
  • Kriss Johnson
Kajun3:38
5."Body Police"
  • Kajun
  • The Avila Brothers
4:03
6."Nightlife"Mike City3:05
7."Your Body is the Business"
  • Avant
  • Berris Bolton
  • A. Crawford
  • Aaron Sledge
Bolton3:49
8."Wake Up"
The Pentagon3:50
9."That Dude"
  • Avant
  • Leathers
Marshall Leathers3:33
10."Where Did We Go?"
  • Avant
  • Dawkins
  • Dixon
The Pentagon3:18
11."Walking On Water"
The Pentagon4:02
12."Africa" (Bonus track)The Pentagon4:24
iTunes edition[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Never Give Up the Fight"
  • Avant
  • Brian Culbertson
Culbertson4:28

Charts[edit]

Chart (2010) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[5] 114
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[6] 19

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Kellman, Andy Review: Avant. Allmusic. Retrieved on June 25, 2020.
  2. ^ "Avant Artist Page". Verve Music Group. October 5, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  3. ^ Avant interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' February 2011
  4. ^ "The Letter on Apple Music". iTunes (US). iTunes. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  5. ^ "Avant Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  6. ^ "Avant Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2020.