Star is the third studio album from American R&B group 702. It was originally scheduled to be released on November 19, 2002 by Motown,[4] but was later delayed to March 25, 2003. In the United States. The album peaked at number forty-five on the US Billboard 200 and produced the singles “Star” and "I Still Love You".
Andy Kellman of Allmusic rated the album two and a half stars out of five and gave the work a rather dismissive review, stating that "it continues in the group's tradition of being able to deliver a couple of solid singles surrounded by middling to fair album tracks."[5]PopMatters thought the album was dated and "trapped in a time warp" and that "It wants to be pre-Mary J. Blige hip-hop and R&B with some notable exceptions".[8] Overall, they praised both Mario Winans and the Neptunes contributions to the album, and felt they managed "to create some haphazard hits here, lack of creativity aside".[8]
Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine was mixed in his review.[6] Cinquemani praised the albums first half of material, while disapproving of the second half calling it "a bit less successful".[6] Nonetheless, he declared, "702 comes closest to capturing the buttery warm harmonies of Diana Ross and the Supremes—Destiny’s Child be damned. Star exists to prove that surprises can indeed be pleasant".[6]Vibe editor Craig Seymour called the album "a sassy throwback" and added: "Star might have been garbage, given that the group recently reformed after a three-year recording hiatus [but] it manages to be a rare, pleasant surprise in today’s R&B world. Blame much of the set’s success on the beats, which are as tight and lean as a Kenyan runner."[7]
Chart performance
The album peaked at forty-five on the US Billboard 200 and reached the twenty-second spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[9][10] The album sold 21,000 copies in its first week.[10]
assistant – Vincent Alexander, Mike Butler, Vadim Chislov, Stephen Glicken, Dion Peters, Alexis Seton, Rich Tapper, Javier Valverde, Jeff Vereb, Artese Williams
composing – R. Bell, G. Brown, J.J. Jackson, L. Jackson, P.J. Jackson, E. Jordan, S.K. Russell, Mario Winans
creative direction – Sandy Brummels
design – Chris Kornmann
drums – Pharrell Williams
engineering – Wayne Allison, Ted Bishop, Ben Briggs, Dru Castro, Andrew Coleman, Larry Ferguson, Eliud "Lou" Ortiz, Hernán Santiago, Mike Tocci, Darren Venbitti
executive production – Kedar Massenburg, Shante Paige, Todd Russaw
guitar – Greg Charley
instrumentation – Charles Farrar
keyboards – Ted Bishop, Dave Hunter, Tevin Thomas
mastering – Chris Gehringer
mixing – Ben Arrindell, Kevin "KD" Davis, Duro, Larry Ferguson, Rich Keller, Phil Tan
photography – Albert Sanchez
production – Ted Bishop, Mike City, Charles Farrar, Mario Winans
programming – Ted Bishop, Charles Farrar, Pharrell Williams
