| The Evolution of Robin Thicke | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 3, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2005–2006 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 60:13 | |||
| Label | Star Trak,Interscope | |||
| Producer |
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| Robin Thicke chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Evolution of Robin Thicke | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Blender | [2] |
| Okayplayer | [3] |
| Slant Magazine | [4] |
| Yahoo! Music UK | [5] |
| Vibe | [6] |
The Evolution of Robin Thicke is the second album by the American singer-songwriterRobin Thicke. It was released on October 3, 2006, byStar Trak Records andInterscope Records. The production on the album was primarily handled by Pro J and Thicke himself with additional production bythe Neptunes. The album also featuresguest appearances fromFaith Evans,Lil Wayne andPharrell. In February 2007, adeluxe edition of the album was released, which included all three new bonus tracks.[7]
The Evolution of Robin Thicke was supported by two singles; "Wanna Love U Girl" and "Lost Without U". "Wanna Love You Girl" became an urban hit, while "Lost Without U" became a number-one hit on the USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The album received generally mixed reviews from music critics but despite that became asleeper hit. It debuted at number 45 on the USBillboard 200, selling 20,000 copies in its first week,[8] but it later peaked at number five on the chart.[9] In March 2007, the album was certifiedplatinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[10]
Robin Thicke described the album toBillboard as being about “a guy who's been stripped of everything. He doesn't have any money and is about to lose his house. His wife is off becoming a movie star and everyone else is pretty much leaving him. All the cool friends I'd had stopped inviting me to parties. I was all alone at home writing songs on my piano about what I was feeling. Thus came "Complicated", "Can U Believe", "I Need Love", "2 the Sky", and "Angels". All these songs were about brokenhearted loneliness and hopelessness; trying to still believe in myself.”[11]
Thicke toured withIndia.Arie and then opened forJohn Legend towards the end of 2006.[11] Notable performances in support of the album and its single, "Lost Without U", including at the2007's BET Awards, the2007's MOBO Awards,[12]American Idol,[13] and the2007's Soul Train Music Awards.[14] The song, "Angels", appeared onGeneral Hospital, which aired on November 22, 2006, duringLuke and Laura's goodbye scene. The song, "Shooter" was played duringJason andSonny's shootout scene from April 12 to April 13, 2007. The song, "Lost Without U", was played on October 2, 2007, during a love scene betweenSonny andKate.[15]
The album'slead single, titled "Wanna Love U Girl" featuringPharrell, was released on August 9, 2005, before the album was officially released. The single experienced chart success on urban radio in the United Kingdom. The remix to "Wanna Love You Girl" was released, adding to it was an American rapperBusta Rhymes. The album's second single, "Lost Without U" was released on January 30, 2007. The single began getting a lot of radio airplay in Urban & Rhythmic radio stations from 2006 to 2007. The song reached number 14 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and number 1 on theBillboard'sHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[16] As a result, Thicke became the first Caucasian male artist sinceGeorge Michael to top the R&B singles chart.
Thicke and his record label Interscope soon considered a potential track to be released as the album's third single. Thicke's preference was the track "Can U Believe" (released on April 12, 2007), which has peaked at number 15 on the USBillboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and at number 99 on theBillboard Hot 100.[17] On October 2, 2007, "Got 2 Be Down" was officially released to radio airplay as the album's fourth single.
The Evolution of Robin Thicke debuted at number 45 on the USBillboard 200, selling 20,000 copies in its first week.[8] After climbing the charts for five months, the album reached at a peak position at number five on the USBillboard 200 and sold 57,000 copies that week.[9] The album also reached a peak position at number one on the USTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[18] This became the first R&B number one album of Thicke's career. From February 24 to March 3, 2007, both his second single "Lost Without U" and his second albumThe Evolution of Robin Thicke simultaneously spent two consecutive weeks at number 1 on both the R&B single and album charts, respectively. On the March 3, 2007 issue ofBillboard magazine, Thicke simultaneously topped 4Billboard charts; including Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs,Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Hot Adult R&B Airplay. Due to the popularity of "Lost Without U", the sales of the album started to increase. On March 23, 2007, the album was certifiedplatinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million copies in the United States.[10]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Got 2 Be Down" (featuringFaith Evans) |
| 4:33 |
| 2. | "Complicated" | Thicke | 4:13 |
| 3. | "Would That Make U Love Me" | Thicke | 3:36 |
| 4. | "Lost Without U" |
| 4:14 |
| 5. | "Ask Myself" |
| 3:47 |
| 6. | "All Night Long" (featuringLil Wayne) |
| 3:41 |
| 7. | "Everything I Can't Have" |
| 3:23 |
| 8. | "Teach U a Lesson" |
| 4:28 |
| 9. | "I Need Love" | Thicke | 4:55 |
| 10. | "Wanna Love U Girl" (featuringPharrell) |
| 4:23 |
| 11. | "Can U Believe" |
| 4:51 |
| 12. | "Shooter" (featuring Lil Wayne) |
| 4:37 |
| 13. | "Cocaine" |
| 3:30 |
| 14. | "2 the Sky" |
| 6:05 |
| 15. | "Lonely World" | Thicke | 4:21 |
| 16. | "Angels" | Thicke | 8:35 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17. | "Superman" |
| 4:19 |
| 18. | "U Center Me" | Thicke | 4:15 |
| 19. | "Look at Me" | Thicke | 4:33 |
Credits adapted from album's liner notes.[19]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[28] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[10] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||