The Return (Ruben Studdard album)

The Return is the third studio album by American R&B artist Ruben Studdard and was released on October 17, 2006, by J Records. The first single, "Change Me", was released on July 31, 2006. The album was met with mixed reviews from critics who complained about the production and Ruben's performance. The Return debuted and peaked at number 8 but sales were low and it was the last album that Ruben released under J Records.

The Return
Studio album by
Ruben Studdard
ReleasedOctober 17, 2006 (2006-10-17)
Recorded2005–06
GenreR&B, soul
Length50:19
LabelJ, 19
ProducerScott Storch
Shea Taylor
Stargate
The Underdogs
Ruben Studdard chronology
I Need An Angel
(2004)		 The Return
(2006)		 Love Is
(2009)

Controversy

Sony Music was accused of the unauthorized use of Louis Vuitton's copyrighted Toile as part of the disc's design. An undisclosed settlement was reached between Sony and LVMH, the parent company of Louis Vuitton.[1]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB[3]
People[4]

The album received mixed reviews from music critics. AllMusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found Studdard's performance throughout the album to be lazy with no melodies guiding him, concluding that "when combined with the dull productions, the results are deadly boring."[2] About.com's Mark Edward Nero was also critical of Studdard's voice, saying that it had "no potency much of the time and almost sounds as generic as the vocals that accompany elevator music."[5] Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly was more positive, saying that "The production's bland, but his sweet singing carries the day."[3]

Commercial performance

The album debuted and peaked at number eight in the Billboard 200, with 71,000 copies sold in its first week of release.[6] The album sold only 237,000 copies in the U.S. It subsequently became his last album with J Records, having been dropped from their line-up in December 2007.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Return (Of the Velvet Teddy Bear)"
  • Lilly
  • Cates
4:14
2."Change Me"
The Underdogs3:50
3."Make Ya Feel Beautiful"
Taylor3:27
4."Get U Loose"
  • Mason, Jr.
  • Thomas
  • Russell
  • Boyd
  • Tank
Russell3:54
5."Our Story"
Poyser3:50
6."One Side"
  • Lilly
  • Mikkel S. Eriksen
  • Tor Erik Hermansen
  • Stargate
  • Lilly (co.)
3:55
7."What tha Business Is"
  • Storch
  • Boyd (co.)
3:26
8."Rather Just Not Know"
  • Smith
  • Nathan Perez
  • Steve-O Valdez
Happy Perez3:38
9."Ain't No Party"
Lilly3:40
10."Listen to Ya Heart"
Vudu3:35
11."I'm Not Happy"
Jim Jonsin4:09
12."To Da Crib"
  • Studdard
  • Cates
  • Johnathan Effinger
Cates3:33
13."Blow Ya Mind"
  • Studdard
  • Michael "Flyte" Stuckey
Stuckey3:02
14."If Only for One Night" (Bonus Track)Brenda RussellStuddard3:46

 • (co.) Co-producer

Notes
  • Track 2, "Change Me", features additional background vocals by Steve Russell and Tank
  • Track 4, "Get U Loose", features additional background vocals by Steve Russell and Tank
  • Track 8, "Ain't No Party", features additional background vocals by Mocha
Sample credits
  • "The Return (Of the Velvet Teddy Bear)", samples "You're The Reason Why", performed by The Ebonys, written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff
  • "Listen to Ya Heart", contains a portion of "Foe tha Love of $", performed by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony featuring Eazy-E, written by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Eazy-E

Personnel

Adapted from The Return liner notes.[7]

Charts
Chart (2006) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[8] 8
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] 2

References
  1. "Counterfeit Chic". Counterfeit Chic. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  2. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "The Return - Ruben Studdard". AllMusic. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
  3. Jody Rosen (October 20, 2006). "The Return Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  4. Chuck Arnold; Ralph Novak (November 6, 2006). "Picks and Pans Review: Ruben Studdard (The Return)". People. Time Inc. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  5. Mark Edward Nero. "Review: Ruben Studdard's 'The Return'". About.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2007. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
  6. Katie Hasty (October 25, 2006). "Diddy Scores First No. 1 Album In Nine Years". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 16, 2007.
  7. The Return (booklet). Ruben Studdard. J Records. 2006.CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. "Ruben Studdard Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  9. "Ruben Studdard Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
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