Love Is
Studio album by
Ruben Studdard
ReleasedMay 19, 2009
Length47:52
Label
Producer
Ruben Studdard chronology
The Return
(2006)		 Love Is
(2009)		 Playlist: The Very Best of Ruben Studdard
(2010)
Singles from Love Is
  1. "Together"
    Released: March 26, 2009
  2. "Don't Make 'Em Like U No More"
    Released: December 2009

Love Is is the fourth studio album by America singer Ruben Studdard. It was released by Hickory Records on May 19, 2009. The album debuted and peaked at number 36 in the Billboard 200, with 15,000 copies sold in its first week of release. It featured production from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Stargate. The first single, "Together", was released on March 26, 2009. It exists a leaked demo - version of the song, which has caused a lot of debate. It's the writer of the song, Taj Jackson, who is singing it, and not Lee Carr or Ne-Yo.[1] The album features original songs but also includes a few covers, such as Michael Jackson's "I Can't Help It" and Extreme's "More Than Words".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [2]
Entertainment WeeklyB+ [3]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic reviewed, "These are songs of longtime relationships, not new love, and the music is appropriately settled, grounded in quiet storm but drifting into adult contemporary all of which helps give the album a bit of a retro-vibe... This could be called resignation, but it's really an acceptance of what Ruben Studdard's peculiar strengths are: he's a smooth soul singer... it's so relaxed it can sometimes be sleepy and Ruben's upper register, which he relies upon too much, can sometimes seem whiny—but as a whole this is the best recorded representation of Ruben's talents to date."[2]

Mikael Wood of Entertainment Weekly noted, "The bear-huggable American Idol champ is in predictably fine voice on his fourth studio set, a romance-themed mix of crafty originals and sturdy covers (including The Long and Winding Road). Yet Ruben Studdard also takes some unexpected stylistic chances here."[3]

Jonathan Takiff of the Philadelphia Daily News gave the disc a B+ grade, writing that "[p]roduced in understated fashion by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the set revels in a creamy, sunlit variant on quiet-storm music. Studdard often seems to be picking up where the late Luther Vandross left off, but occasionally he veers into a Ray-Charles-gone-country vein. His lilting, seemingly effortless vocals are consistently a treat on balmy originals like "More Than Words" and the big showpiece, "We Got Love (That's Enough)," plus familiars like "The Long and Winding Road" and the meanders-down-the-country-lane "My Love Is a Rock" and "For the Good Times.""[4]

Commercial performance

Love Is debuted and peaked at number 36 in the US Billboard 200, with 15,000 copies sold in its first week of release.[5] By June 2009, the album had sold 20,000 units in the US.[6]

Track listing

Love Is track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Together"
4:26
2."More Than Words"
4:24
3."Song for Her"
  • Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
  • J. Jackson[a]
3:49
4."How You Make Me Feel"
  • Eriksen
  • Hermansen
  • P. Jackson
  • Kleveland
  • Stargate
  • Martin
3:51
5."Don't Make 'Em Like U No More"
  • Getayveus Ealey
  • Reginald Perry
Syience3:18
6."I Can't Help It"
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis4:06
7."Just Because"Larry AddisonJ. Jackson4:11
8."My Love Is a Rock"
J. Jackson3:47
9."The Long and Winding Road"
3:41
10."For the Good Times"Kris Kristofferson
  • Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
  • J. Jackson[a]
4:50
11."We Got Love (That's Enough)"
  • Studdard
  • Barry Dean
  • Bill Luther
J. Jackson3:21
12."Footprints in the Sand"
Campbell3:57
Amazon bonus track[7]
No.TitleLength
13."Wet Pillow"3:56
Apple Music bonus tracks[8]
No.TitleLength
13."Love's in the Balance"3:11
14."Celebrate Me Home"3:46
15."Happy Feelin's"6:09
Target bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Someday We'll All Be Free" 
14."It's Your Love" 
Wal-Mart bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Heaven" 
14."One Day I'll Fly Away" 

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Love Is
Chart (2009) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[5] 36
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[9] 5
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] 8

References

  1. ↑ "Ruben Studdard Hopes New Album Reconnects with 'Idol' Fans". Billboard.
  2. 1 2 AllMusic review
  3. 1 2 Entertainment Weekly review
  4. ↑ "Ruben Studdard channels Vandross in 'Love'".
  5. 1 2 "Ruben Studdard Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Kellie Pickler, Daughtry Buck American Idol Sales Decline". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2009-06-07.
  7. ↑ "Love Is by Ruben Studdard". Amazon.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Love Is by Ruben Studdard". Apple Music (US). Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Ruben Studdard Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Ruben Studdard Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
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