Ain't Nothin' Like Me: Difference between revisions

Ain't Nothin' Like Me
Ain't Nothin' Like Me
Studio album by Joe
Released	April 24, 2007
Length	60:51
Label	Jive
Producer	Joe (also exec.); Kedar Massenburg (exec.); Tim & Bob; Cool & Dre; Bryan-Michael Cox; Gregory Curtis; Kendrick Dean; Sean Garrett; Ricky "Ric Rude" Lewis; Oak; Mark Pitts; The Smith Brothers; Stargate; Tank; Joshua P. Thompson; The Underdogs;
Joe chronology
Singles from Ain't Nothing Like Me
	"Where You At"; Released: June 13, 2006; "If I Was Your Man"; Released: July 13, 2007; "My Love"; Released: September 8, 2007;

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Ain't Nothin' Like Me is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Joe, released by Jive Records after several delays on April 24, 2007 in the United States. A breakaway from previous projects, Joe co-wrote five songs on the album but left most of the writing and producing to his collaborators, including Bryan Michael Cox and Tank as well as production teams Tim & Bob, Cool & Dre, Stargate, and The Underdogs. Rappers Papoose, Nas, Fabolous, Young Buck, and Tony Yayo appear as guest vocalists.

Upon release, Ain't Nothin' Like Me received generally positive reviews from music critics. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 and on top of the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, selling 98,000 copies in its first week, while marking his highest-charting album since My Name Is Joe (2000), which had reached the same position of both charts. In support of the album, three singles were released, including lead single "Where You At" and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs top 20 hit "If I Was Your Man."

Background

In 2003, Joe released his fifth studio album And Then. Produced by Joe's labelmate R. Kelly along with Roy "Royalty" Hamilton, Kevin "Shekspere" Briggs, Carvin & Ivan, and others, the album reached number 26 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, selling 121,000 copies in its first week of release. It produced the R&B top thirty single "More & More" and "Ride wit U" and was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[1]

Soon after, Joe started work on his sixth full-length album. Aiming for a new direction, while maintaining the romantic, gospel-influenced R&B style mixed in hip-hop elements, the singer collaborated with a different range of writers and producers to create the bulk of the album, including Bryan Michael Cox, Cool & Dre, Sean Garrett, The Smith Brothers, and Tim & Bob.^[2] Although he co-wrote five songs on the album, Joe decided to leave most of the writing and producing to his collaborators: “I look at what the record ultimately needs [...] It’s about making a great record, not about how many songs I have on the album. A lot of artists get into writing too much, and the album starts to sound the same. I like working with several different producers who can bring their own sound to the record. It gives the album more variety and dimension.”^[2]

In an interview with Jet, Jeo further noted: "The only thing different on this album is the tempo. The rhythm of the songs; it's more uptempo than the past albums I put out."^[3] The singer named “If I Was Your Man” and “It’s Me” as two of his favorite songs on the album; both tracks were written by the Norwegian duo Stargate. Commenting on their work, Joe elaborated, that "it was a blast working with [them]. They are doing something great for R&B, creating strong midtempo and uptempo songs and tracks. There’s normally a lot of slow ballads in R&B, but they bring in more uptempo grooves and sounds.”^[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	^[4]
AllMusic	^[5]
Entertainment Weekly	B−^[6]
People	^[7]
PopMatters	6/10^[8]

Upon release, Ain't Nothin' Like Me received generally positive reviews from music critics. Andy Kellman from AllMusic wrote that "contemporary as ever, Joe seeks production and songwriting assistance from a number of ubiquitous heavyweights and up-and-comers [...] While a very basic name, a lack of flashiness, and sizeable gaps of inactivity have only gotten in the way of his popularity, Joe has maintained relevant and reliable since he debuted."^[5] Mark Edward Nero, writing for About.com, felt that with Ain't Nothin' Like Me the singer "doesn't vary much from the tone and image he established for himself on previous albums; there's the same emotional ballads, the same sexy bedroom music, the same obligatory guest appearances by rappers. Joe's approach on the album seems to be if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And the approach works; Ain't Nothing Like Me is a solid, if unspectacular, album that should be appealing to the women and men who are fans of Joe's earlier work."^[4]

Laura Checkoway from Vibe felt that the "album, though heavy on cheese, is surprisingly pleasant, especially as there is a deficit right now of true grown-man R&B. Joe stays young with A-list production and rap cameos."^[9] Less empathic Entertainment Weekly's Simon Vozick-Levinson wrote that the "album is most entertaining when New York City MCs like Nas and Papoose drop by for lively guest spots. Joe's solo ballads, however, make the disc's title seem like a cruel joke: His voice is consistently easy on the ears, sure, but contemporary R&B is full of also-rans who sound exactly like him."^[6] People magazine wrote that "the title of Joe's latest CD seems to attest to his singular abilities as a loveman. But on these slow jams and hip-hoppish midtempo numbers he doesn't sound much different from fellow R&B Romeos like R. Kelly ("Go Hard"), Brian McKnight ("Feel for You") and Usher ("Let's Just Do It")." The magazine rated the album two out of four stars.^[7] New York Times critic Kelfa Sanneh cited "Just Relax" and "Feel for You" as highlights and wrote: "Joe is best when he's whiny."^[10] DJ Booth gave the album four out of five spins.^[11]

Commercial performance

Following its release, it debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 and on top of the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, selling about 98,000 copies in its first week.^[12] It marked his highest-charting album since My Name Is Joe, which reached the same position of both charts.^[12] By July 2007, it had sold 224,823 copies in the United States.^[12]

Track listing

*Ain't Nothin' Like Me* track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Get to Know Me" (featuring Nas)	Joe L. Thomas Sixto Diaz Rodriguez Nasir Jones Tim Kelley Paul Mitchell Bob Robinson	Tim & Bob	4:03
2.	"If I Was Your Man"	Tor Hermansen Phillip Jackson Mikkel Eriksen	Stargate	3:52
3.	"If I Want Her"	Ricky Lewis Sean Garrett	Ric Rude Garrett^[a]	3:50
4.	"Where You At" (featuring Papoose)	Warren Felder Garrett	Oak Garrett	4:15
5.	"My Love"	Gregory Gerard Curtis Johnta Austin Bryan Michael Cox	Cox Curtis Dean^[a]	4:04
6.	"Go Hard"	Cox Austin Kendrick Dean	Cox Dean^[a]	3:39
7.	"Ain't Nothin' Like Me" (featuring Young Buck & Tony Yayo)	Harvey Mason, Jr. David Brown Marvin Bernard Durrell Babbs Steven L. Russell Eric D. Dawkins Antonio Dixon Damon Thomas	The Underdogs Tank	3:47
8.	"It's Me"	Hermansen Jackson Eriksen	Stargate	3:45
9.	"Let's Just Do It" (featuring Fabolous)	Marcello Valenzano John Jackson Andre Lyon	Cool & Dre	4:19
10.	"Feel for You"	Cox Austin Dean	Cox Dean^[a]	4:06
11.	"Just Relax" (featuring Dre of Cool & Dre)	Malik Izaak Taylor Ali Shaheed Muhammad Kamaal Ibn John Fareed Valenzano Lyon	Cool & Dre Mark Pitts^[a]	3:46
12.	"Love Is Just a Game"	Shannon Douglas Jones	Smith Bros.	3:16
13.	"You Should Know Me"	Michele Williams Thomas Jolyon W. Skinner	Cox Thomas	5:15
14.	"Life of the Party"	Thomas Skinner	Joshua Thompson Thomas	4:30

Circuit City exclusive bonus
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
15.	"That's What I Like"	Thomas Kelley Robinson	Tim & Bob	4:15

UK bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Run It Back"	Cox Austin Dean	Cox Dean^[a]	4:34

Notes

^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer

Sampling credits

"Get to Know Me" samples from "You're Da Man" by Nas and "Sugar Man" by Sixto Rodriguez.
"Just Relax" contains samples from "Electric Relaxation" by A Tribe Called Quest & "Mystic Brew" by Ronald Foster.
"Love Is Just a Game" samples from "I Do" by Boyz II Men.

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *Ain't Nothin' Like Me*
Chart (2007)	Peak position
French Albums (SNEP)^[13]	101
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[14]	60
UK Albums (OCC)^[15]	25
UK R&B Albums (OCC)^[16]	2
US Billboard 200^[17]	2
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[18]	1

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for *Ain't Nothin' Like Me*
Chart (2007)	Position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[19]	50

References

^ Lavigne Remains No. 1 As Joe Debuts High
^ ^a ^b ^c Kawashima, Dale. "Hit R&B/Pop Artist Joe Discusses The Making Of His Album, Ain't Nothin' Like Me". Singeruniverse.com. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
^ Waldron, Clarence (May 28, 2007). "R&B Singer Joe Returns With Hit CD; Tours With Brian McKnight". Jet. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Nero, Mark Edward (2012-10-16). "Joe, "Ain't Nothing Like Me": A Solid Sixth". About.com Guide. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Ain't Nothin' Like Me at AllMusic
^ ^a ^b Vozick-Levinson, Simon (April 20, 2007). "Music Review — Ain't Nothin' Like Me (2007)". Entertainment Weekly / CNN. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
^ ^a ^b Arnold, Chuck; Novak, Ralph (May 7, 2007). "Picks and Pans Review: Quick Cuts". People. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
^ Joseph, Mike (June 5, 2007). "Joe: Aint Nothin Like Me". PopMatters. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
^ Checkoway, Laura (April 24, 2007). Music Revolutions. Vibe. Archived from the original on November 1, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
^ "New CDs". New York Times. May 7, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
^ "Ain't Nothin' Like Me Reviews". Archived from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c Hasty, Katie (2007-07-02). "Lavigne Remains No. 1 As Joe Debuts High". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
^ "Joe – Ain't Nothin' Like Me". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
^ "Joe – Ain't Nothin' Like Me". dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^ "Joe Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
^ "Joe Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2018.

[1] Lavigne Remains No. 1 As Joe Debuts High

[singeruni-2] Kawashima, Dale. "Hit R&B/Pop Artist Joe Discusses The Making Of His Album, Ain't Nothin' Like Me". Singeruniverse.com. Retrieved 2012-08-15.

[3] Waldron, Clarence (May 28, 2007). "R&B Singer Joe Returns With Hit CD; Tours With Brian McKnight". Jet. Retrieved July 11, 2023.

[about-4] Nero, Mark Edward (2012-10-16). "Joe, "Ain't Nothing Like Me": A Solid Sixth". About.com Guide. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2023.

[allmusic-5] Ain't Nothin' Like Me at AllMusic

[EW_Review-6] Vozick-Levinson, Simon (April 20, 2007). "Music Review — Ain't Nothin' Like Me (2007)". Entertainment Weekly / CNN. Retrieved July 3, 2007.

[People_Review-7] Arnold, Chuck; Novak, Ralph (May 7, 2007). "Picks and Pans Review: Quick Cuts". People. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2023.

[popmatters-8] Joseph, Mike (June 5, 2007). "Joe: Aint Nothin Like Me". PopMatters. Retrieved July 11, 2023.

[Vibe_Review-9] Checkoway, Laura (April 24, 2007). Music Revolutions. Vibe. Archived from the original on November 1, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2023.

[10] "New CDs". New York Times. May 7, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2016.

[11] "Ain't Nothin' Like Me Reviews". Archived from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2016.

[bb1-12] Hasty, Katie (2007-07-02). "Lavigne Remains No. 1 As Joe Debuts High". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-10-16.

[13] "Joe – Ain't Nothin' Like Me". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2014.

[14] "Joe – Ain't Nothin' Like Me". dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 20, 2013.

[ac_UK2_-15] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2018.

[ac_UKR&B_-16] "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[ac_Billboard200_Joe-17] "Joe Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2014.

[ac_BillboardRandBHipHop_Joe-18] "Joe Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2014.

[19] "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2018.

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v t e Joe
Discography
Studio albums	Everything All That I Am My Name Is Joe Better Days And Then... Ain't Nothin' Like Me Joe Thomas, New Man Signature Home Is the Essence of Christmas The Good, the Bad, the Sexy Doubleback: Evolution of R&B Bridges My Name Is Joe Thomas
Compilation albums	Greatest Hits
Extended plays	Make Sure You're Home for Christmas
Singles	"I'm in Luv" "The One for Me" "All or Nothing" "All the Things (Your Man Won't Do)" "Don't Wanna Be a Player" "The Love Scene" "Good Girls" "No One Else Comes Close" "All That I Am" "I Wanna Know" "Treat Her Like a Lady" "Stutter" "Let's Stay Home Tonight" "What If a Woman" "More & More" "Ride wit U" "Where You At" "If I Was Your Man" "My Love" "E.R. (Emergency Room)" "I'd Rather Have a Love² "Love & Sex, Pt. 2" "If You Lose Her" "So I Can Have You Back" "Lean Into It"
Featured singles	"Still Not a Player" "Wanna Get to Know You" "Curious" "More Than a Woman" "Through the Rain" "Thank God I Found You" "Big Rich Town"