21 (Omarion album)

21 is the second studio album by American R&B singer Omarion. It was released on December 12, 2006, by Epic Records and Sony Urban Music. The album was produced by Timbaland, The Neptunes, Eric Hudson and Bryan-Michael Cox and saw Omarion co-write every song on the album.[2] The album's title was inspired from when Omarion turned 21 years old months before the album's release.

For other uses, see 21 (disambiguation).

21
An image of a man wearing a navy blue suit with the top button opened, standing in front of a curtain with the silhouette of a woman beside him. Both the artist's name and album title are colored white.
Studio album by
Omarion
ReleasedDecember 12, 2006 (2006-12-12)
Recorded2005–06
Studio
Various
  • Maddhouse Recording Studios (Los Angeles)
  • Larrabee Sound Studios (Los Angeles)
  • Brandon's Way (Los Angeles)
  • The Boom Boom Room (Burbank)
  • South Beach Studios (Miami)
  • Record Plant (Los Angeles)
  • The Underlab (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length45:15
Label
Producer
Omarion chronology
O
(2005)		 21
(2006)		 Face Off
(2007)
Singles from 21
  1. "Entourage"
    Released: July 3, 2006
  2. "Ice Box"
    Released: October 31, 2006
  3. "Beg For It"
    Released: May 1, 2007

The album spawned two singles: "Entourage" and "Ice Box". Exclusively at Walmart, 21 was packaged with a bonus DVD titled BET Presents Omarion (2006). The DVD features BET and performance highlights, and music videos from Omarion's solo career.[3] 21 also received mildly positive reviews from critics, who saw it as an improvement over his debut record O (2005). The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 119,000 copies in its first week.

The European edition add a bonus track: "Man Up", featuring Korean singer Rain.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[4]
AllMusic[5]
DJBooth[6]
Entertainment WeeklyB[7]
Stylus MagazineB+[8]

21 received mildly positive reviews from music critics. Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave it an "Album Pick" title, praising the production throughout and Omarion for putting more input as a songwriter and performer, saying that he "truly surpassed his status as the former member of a boy band."[5] DJ Z of DJBooth commented on the lyricism feeling mature and the production showing more sophistication, saying that "Omarion's second album is a welcome addition to his musical catalog and should appeal to both his fan base and a more adult crowd."[6] Thomas Inskeep of Stylus Magazine also praised the album for its production and having a good ratio of solid-to-great songs. Putting it alongside Ciara's The Evolution for "best straight-up R&B album" he said that "the pair leave plenty of encouragement about the future of the genre."[8]

Damien Scott of Vibe gave a mixed review, saying that Omarion lacked range in his performance and that he's "never fully in charge."[9] Mark Edward Nero of About.com was also mixed towards the album, praising the first two singles but found the other tracks above-average at best, in terms of production and vocal quality that "range from average ("Obsession," Made For TV,") to fair ("Midnight," "Beg For It")." He concluded with: "Although O's taken a step forward in establishing himself as an adult solo artist, he still hasn't completely arrived yet. But at only 21 years of age, he's still got plenty of room to grow."[4]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 119,000 copies in its first week.[10] This became Omarion's first US number one debut and his second US top-ten album.[10] In its second week, the album dropped to number ten on the chart, selling an additional 42,000 copies.[11] As of November 2008, the album has sold over 390,000 copies in the United States.[12]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Entourage"
Hudson4:58
2."Ice Box" (featuring Timbaland)
5:15
3."Electric"
  • Granberry
  • Hudson
  • Merritt
Hudson3:25
4."Made for TV"
4:46
5."Just Can't Let You Go"
  • Cox
  • Shropshire
3:03
6."Obsession"Pharrell WilliamsThe Neptunes4:13
7."Midnight"
3:58
8."Just That Sexy"
  • Dawkins
  • Dixon
  • Grandberry
  • Mason, Jr.
  • Russell
  • Thomas
  • Dawkins
  • The Underdogs
3:48
9."Beg for It"
  • Spivery
  • Logan
  • Timbaland
2:56
10."Do It"
  • Dawkins
  • Dixon
  • Grandberry
  • Mason, Jr.
  • Russell
  • Thomas
  • Dawkins
  • The Underdogs
3:54
11."Been With a Star"
  • Grandberry
  • Hudson
  • Merritt
Hudson3:18
12."What Are We Doing?"
  • Grandberry
  • Rufus Moore
Rufus Blaq3:53
European edition
No.TitleLength
13."Man Up" (featuring Rain)3:20
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer

Personnel

Adapted from the 21 liner notes.[13]

Charts

See also

References
  1. "21 - Omarion | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. Reid, Shaheem (June 20, 2006). "Boy To Man: Omarion Grows Up On The 'Personal' 21". MTV. Retrieved September 23, 2006.
  3. "Omarion BET Presents Bonus DVD". Walmart.
  4. Nero, Mark Edward. "Review: Omarion – "21"". About.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2007. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  5. Kellman, Andy. "21 – Omarion". AllMusic. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  6. DJ Z (December 21, 2006). "Omarion – 21". DJBooth. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  7. Vozick-Levinson, Simon (January 22, 2007). "21". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  8. Inskeep, Thomas (April 13, 2007). "Omarion – 21 – Review – Stylus Magazine". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  9. Scott, Damien (November 2006). "Omarion '21'". Vibe. Vibe Media. 14 (11): 164. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  10. Chris Harris (January 3, 2007). "OMARION GETS LATE CHRISTMAS GIFT — #1 DEBUT — AS OVERALL SALES SLIDE". MTV. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  11. Chris Harris (January 10, 2007). "AFTER FIVE-WEEK CLIMB, 'DREAMGIRLS' IS #1 AS ALBUM SALES SLUMP". MTV. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  12. Grein, Paul (November 21, 2008). "Chart Watch Extra: What A Turkey! The 25 Worst-Selling #1 Albums". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on September 26, 2009. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
  13. 21 (booklet). Omarion. Epic. Sony Urban Music. 2006. 82876 81068 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  15. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  16. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  17. "Omarion Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  18. "Omarion Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
  19. "Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums – 2007". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  20. "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – 2007". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 19, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
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