Round 2 (J. Holiday album)

Round 2 is the second studio album by American recording artist J. Holiday, it was released on March 10, 2009, by Music Line Group and Capitol Records.[1] It is the follow-up to his debut album, Back of My Lac', which was released in 2007. This record would later be his final studio release with Capitol. The album was supported by the lone single, "It's Yours", which achieved moderate chart success.

Round 2
Studio album by
J. Holiday
ReleasedMarch 10, 2009[1]
Recorded2008–2009
Studio
Various
  • Carrington House and Christian Boy Studios in Atlanta
  • Signature Sound Studios, The Red Room and The Music House in Sherman Oaks
Genre
Length47:04
Label
Producer
J. Holiday chronology
Back of My Lac'
(2007)		 Round 2
(2009)		 Guilty Conscience
(2014)
Singles from Round 2
  1. "It's Yours"
    Released: December 16, 2008

Upon release, Round 2 received mixed reviews from music critics, who complimented its production and songwriting and was considered to be an improvement from his previous album.

Singles

The first single "It's Yours", was released on December 16, 2008. The song had achieved minor chart success, debuting at number 25 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and also debuting at number 33 on the Japan Hot 100 chart. A music video was released and directed by Jonathan Mannion.

The second single that was supposed to be released was Fall, but due to label problems it was canceled like "Come Here" on his previous album.

Commercial performance

The album sold 55,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200.[2] The album has sold 300,000 copies in the United States.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Album of the Year65/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[4]
AllMusic[5]
Associated Press(favorable)[6]
DJBooth[7]
PopMatters6/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Vibe(mixed)[10]

Round 2 received mixed reviews from music critics. Andy Kellman of AllMusic said, "Holiday instead delivers a second album that is not a retread. It's not a reinvention, either, but the roster of collaborators is almost completely different, and Holiday all but eliminates the tough guy and stoner talk."[5] Mark Edward Nero of About.com said Round 2 is a well-sung, well-written, well-produced album, but the one negative is that it's a little bland and leans too much on love songs.[4] Nathan Slavik of DJBooth stated that Round 2 finds Holiday shifting away from Lac’s harder-edged image in favor of a smoother sound, resulting in a well-crafted album that shows that while Holiday’s got a ways to go before he reaches elite status, no one will ever be able to call him a one-hit wonder again.[7]

Track listing
Round 2 track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"Nahum GrymesJ. Holiday0:36
2."It's Yours"
  • Cameron
  • Grymes
4:06
3."Fall"
  • Gibbs
  • Chesser
  • Austin
  • Smith
  • Wright
  • Green
The Platinum Brothers3:32
4."Don't Go"
Chuck Harmony3:31
5."Wrong Lover" (featuring Rick Ross)
4:12
6."Run into My Arms"
  • Gibbs
  • Chesser
  • Austin
  • Cherry
  • Grymes
The Platinum Brothers4:04
7."Sing 2 U"
  • Grymes
  • Bowen
  • Hamlet
Reginald Hamlet3:15
8."Lights Go Out"
  • Grymes
  • Bowen
  • Gordon
Allstar3:52
9."Make That Sound"
  • Gibbs
  • Chesser
  • Cherry
  • Antoine
  • Grymes
  • Brown
4:07
10."Forever Ain't Enough"
  • Grymes
  • Jean
  • Orom
  • Wolfson
4:22
11."Fly"
  • Babbs
  • Grymes
  • Dinkins Jr.
  • Colapietro
The Co-Stars4:17
12."Homeless"
  • Grymes
  • Scantlebury
  • Austin
State of Emergency3:43
13."I Tried"
  • Grymes
  • Scantlebury
  • Austin
State of Emergency3:49
iTunes bonus track[11]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Magic Man"
  • Austin
  • Grymes
  • Scantz
Donnie Scantz3:18
Japanese edition (bonus tracks)[12]
No.TitleLength
14."Holiday"4:16
15."Bed (Haji & Emanuel Remix)"3:31
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies an co-producer
Sample credits
  • "Wrong Lover" contains interpolations from the composition "Hurry Up This way Again" written by Cynthia Biggs & Dexter Wansel.

Personnel

Credits for Round 2 adapted from Allmusic.[13]

Charts
Chart performance for Round 2
Chart (2009) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[14] 54
US Billboard 200[15] 4
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] 2

References
  1. "J. Holiday Returns For 'Round 2'". Rap-Up. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
  2. "Kelly Clarkson Tops Billboard 200". Billboard. 18 March 2009.
  3. "J. Holiday - Round 2 - Reviews - Album of the Year". Album of the Year. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  4. Nero, Mark Edward. "Holiday In Love". About.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  5. Kellman, Andy. "Round 2 - J. Holiday". AllMusic. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  6. https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090309/ap_en_re/music_review_j_holiday
  7. Slavik, Nathan (March 11, 2009). "J Holiday - Round 2". DJBooth. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  8. Lewis, Tyler (November 10, 2009). "J. Holiday: Round 2". PopMatters. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  9. Rollingstone
  10. Garraud, Tracy (March 10, 2009). "J. Holiday: Round 2". Vibe. Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on March 15, 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  11. "Itunes - J. Holiday - Round Two". Itunes Mp3 (Apple Inc). 2009-03-10.
  12. "J. Holiday – Round 2 (2009, CD)". Discogs.
  13. "Round 2 - J. Holiday | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  14. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2009-03-23" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  15. "J. Holiday Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  16. "J. Holiday Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
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