Love After War

For the song, see Love After War (song).

Love After War
Studio album by Robin Thicke
Released	December 6, 2011
Recorded	2010–11
Genre	R&B blue-eyed soul[1]
Length	61:40
Label	Star Trak Geffen
Producer	André Harrell (exec.) Neil Jacobson Pro-J Kam Sangha Robin Thicke (also exec.)
Robin Thicke chronology
Sex Therapy: The Session (2009) Love After War (2011) Blurred Lines (2013)
Singles from Love After War
"Love After War" Released: October 11, 2011 "Pretty Lil' Heart" Released: November 8, 2011 "All Tied Up" Released: April 10, 2012

Love After War is the fifth studio album by American R&B recording artist Robin Thicke. It was released on December 6, 2011, by Star Trak Entertainment in the United States. Love After War also features guest contributions by American rapper Lil Wayne.[2]

Singles

The album's lead single and the title track "Love After War", was released on October 11, 2011. It officially impacted U.S. Urban radio on October 18, 2011. The music video was released on November 21, 2011.[3] It impacted Smooth Jazz radio on November 22, 2011.[4]

The album's second single "Pretty Lil' Heart" featuring Lil Wayne, was released on November 8, 2011. It impacted Urban and Urban Mainstream radio on November 21 and November 22, 2011. The music video was released on March 2, 2012.[5]

"All Tied Up" was released as the album's third single. It impacted Urban Adult Contemporary radio on April 10, 2012. The music video was released on June 7, 2012.[6]

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[7]
Entertainment Weekly	(B+)[8]
The New York Times	(mixed)[1]
Rolling Stone	[9]
Slant Magazine	[10]
USA Today	[11]

Allmusic editor Andy Kellman commented that "Thicke has settled into a suave, and even more swashbuckling, sound" and wrote of its second half of seductive ballads, "They don’t offer much in the way of development from Thicke’s recent past [...] but they should get the job done."[7] Slant Magazine's Matthew Cole "Thicke spends most of Love After War singing in full voice, with mixed results", adding that "since Love After War stretches its seduction routine out for 17 tracks, the weight of its throwaway songs starts to add up."[10] Nate Chinen of The New York Times wrote that Thicke "ask[s] you to admire his tasteful slickness without delving much deeper than the surface."[1] Rolling Stone writer Jody Rosen stated, "Thicke spends a lot of time pondering romantic turmoil, but he's at his best when he reverts to classic loverman form: squeezing gentle bossa nova chords on his acoustic guitar, and letting his feathery upper register do the dirty work."[9]

Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly complimented Thicke's "creamy voice" and stated, "At 17 tracks, his loverman act grows a little exhausting, but perhaps he's just giving wannabe lotharios a seduction time frame to aspire to."[8] Elysa Gardner of USA Today wrote that the album "can find him self-consciously smooth at times, suggesting too much artful foreplay. Still, this is a consistent showcase for his dextrous singing, which evokes pop/R&B icons from Marvin Gaye to Michael McDonald," complimenting "his ability to serve old-school textures with a fresh and not-too-shiny finish."[11]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 22 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 41,000 copies in the United States.[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Robin Thicke, except where noted

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"An Angel on Each Arm"		4:12
2.	"I'm an Animal"		4:05
3.	"Never Give Up"	Thicke, M. Garcia	2:37
4.	"The New Generation"		3:59
5.	"Love After War"		3:16
6.	"All Tied Up"		3:53
7.	"Pretty Lil' Heart" (featuring Lil Wayne)		3:35
8.	"Mission"		2:46
9.	"Tears on My Tuxedo"		5:14
10.	"Boring"		3:28
11.	"Lovely Lady"		2:05
12.	"Dangerous"		3:42
13.	"Full Time Believer"	Thicke, Bobby Keyes	4:03
14.	"I Don't Know How It Feels to Be U"		5:30
15.	"Cloud 9"	Thicke, Bobby Keyes	2:57
16.	"The Lil' Things"		2:47
17.	"What Would I Be?"		3:23

Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)

No.	Title	Length
18.	"Stupid Things"	4:54
19.	"Compass or Map"	3:55
20.	"We a Family"	3:35

Sample credits

• "Never Give Up" contained a sample of José Pablo Moncayo's 1941 piece Huapango.[7]

Personnel

Credits for Love After War adapted from Allmusic.[13]

Sarah Alminawi – marketing coordinator Beau Benton – publicity Al Branch – management Moses Burdon – design John Codling – cover painting Larry Cox – bass, Fender Rhodes, organ, piano, strings DJ Mormile – A&R Tiffany Ferguson – A&R Michael "Mike Banga" Gahadia – engineer M. Garcia – composer Karen Goodman – marketing Nick J. Groff – A&R Bernie Grundman – mastering Lamar Guillory – horn Andre Harrell – executive producer Justin Hergett – mixing assistant Stephanie Hsu – creation Neil Jacobson – executive producer, management Bobby Keyes – bass, composer, guitar, soloist Joe "Dr. Soose" Liemberg – horn Anthony Mandler – photography

Garnett March – promoter Tony Maserati – mixing Justine Massa – creation Jarius Mozee – bass, guitar Jason Nower – photography Jennifer Paola – A&R Pro-Jay – bass, bells, drums, engineer, flute, guitar, horn, instrumentation, organ, producer, strings Furqan Raschke – A&R Brenda Reynoso – publicity Gee Roberson – management Jamie Roberts – legal counsel Kate Rosen – publicity Kam Sangha – producer Amanda Silverman – publicity Chris Tabron – mixing assistant Matty Taylor – bass Anna Tes – design Robin Thicke – art direction, bass, composer, drums, executive producer, Fender Rhodes, piano, producer, vocals Jeanne Venton – A&R Tracey Waples – management

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2011–12) Peak position US Billboard 200[14] 22 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] 6

Year-end charts Chart (2012) Position US Billboard 200[16] 199 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[17] 34

References

1. Chinen, Nate (December 6, 2011). "New Music - Amy Winehouse, Robin Thicke and T-Pain". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
2. Daw , Robbie. "Robin Thicke’s ‘Love After War’ Album Cover, Tracklist Revealed." Idolator. http://idolator.com/6064962/robin-thicke-love-after-war-album-cover-tracklist (accessed November 17, 2011).
3. "Video: Robin Thicke – 'Love After War'". Rap-Up.com. 2011-11-21. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
4. "®R&R :: Going For Adds™ :: Smooth Jazz ®". Gfa.radioandrecords.com. 2011-11-22. Archived from the original on 2014-09-12. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
5. "Robin Thicke Channels James Dean in 'Pretty Lil' Heart' Video". Rap-Up.com. 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
6. "Video: Robin Thicke – 'All Tied Up'". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 2014-03-01.
7. Kellman, Andy (December 4, 2011). "Love After War - Robin Thicke". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Review. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
8. Anderson, Kyle (November 30, 2011). "Love After War review - Robin Thicke Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
9. Rosen, Jody (December 6, 2011). "Love After War". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
10. Cole, Matthew (December 6, 2011). "Robin Thicke: Love After War". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
11. Gardner, Elysa (December 5, 2011). "Listen Up: Robin Thicke, The Roots, T-Pain, Nils Lofgren album reviews". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
12. Jacobs, Allen (2011-12-14). "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 12/11/2011 | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
13. "Love After War - Robin Thicke". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Credits. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
14. "Robin Thicke Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
15. "Robin Thicke Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
16. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
17. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2020.

External links

• Love After War at Metacritic