Voicenotes

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Voicenotes
Digital and vinyl cover
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 11, 2018 (2018-05-11)
RecordedLate 2015–2018
Studio
  • A (Los Angeles, California)
  • Charlie Puth's home (Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length44:31
Label
Producer
Charlie Puth chronology
Nine Track Mind
(2016)
Voicenotes
(2018)
Charlie
(2022)
Alternative cover
CD cover
Singles from Voicenotes
  1. "Attention"
    Released: April 21, 2017
  2. "How Long"
    Released: October 5, 2017
  3. "Done for Me"
    Released: March 15, 2018
  4. "Change"
    Released: March 26, 2018
  5. "The Way I Am"
    Released: July 24, 2018

Voicenotes is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth. Almost entirely produced by Puth himself,[3] the album was released by Artist Partner Group and Atlantic Records on May 11, 2018. Five singles have been released from the album, including "Attention" and "How Long". "Attention" peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "How Long" peaked at number 21.

Puth delayed the album from an early 2018 release date to "perfect" it, including reshooting the album cover.[3] He announced on social media that he would release the album cover and the song "The Way I Am" on May 3.[4] Puth embarked on the Voicenotes Tour in support of the album in North America throughout July and August 2018.[5]

Upon release, the album was commercially successful, peaking at number four on the Billboard 200, and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the mature songwriting and Puth's performance; many felt it was an improvement upon Puth's debut album Nine Track Mind. The album received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

Music[edit]

Puth described the sound of the album as "like walking down a dirt road and listening to New Edition in 1989 – and being heartbroken, of course."[3] He also remarked that he wanted a sound akin to the late 1980s "dark R&B" of Babyface, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Teddy Riley.[3] Puth also stated the album will have no love ballads, explaining he wished to distance himself from the sound of his first album, which was "people nudging [me] in a direction that I didn't want to go in."[6]

Promotion[edit]

Singles[edit]

"Attention", released as the first single from the album on April 21, 2017, was met with commercial success, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100.[7] "How Long", released as the album's second single on October 5, 2017, peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 20 in several markets.[7] "Done for Me", the third single, was released on March 15, 2018, and features Kehlani. "Change" featuring James Taylor was released as the fourth single on March 26, 2018.[8] "The Way I Am" was released as the album's fifth single on July 24, 2018.[9]

Promotional singles[edit]

"If You Leave Me Now", featuring Boyz II Men, was released as the album's first promotional single on January 5, 2018, after Puth delayed the album.[10] "The Way I Am" was released as the second promotional single on May 3, 2018, along with the new album cover.[11]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic67/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Newsday[14]
NME[15]
Rolling Stone[2]
Us Weekly[16]

Voicenotes received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 67 based on five reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12] In a positive review of the album, Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic called Voicenotes a "guilty pleasure" and noted that Puth is not aiming for Ed Sheeran "everyguy relatability".[17] Taylor Weatherby of Billboard named Voicenotes the album of the week, praising Puth's rawness, and the collaborations included on the album.[18] Mark Kennedy of The Washington Post praised the album, calling it "perfect pop", and stating that Puth has a fantastic career in front of him.[1] In another positive review of the album, Nicholas Hautman of Us Weekly called the album "perfect for the summer", and called it "perfectly crafted".[16]

In a mixed review of the album, Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars, saying "…while [Puth’s] efforts on Voicenotes are valiant, he still has a bit more work to prove he can cut his teeth with the Justin Timberlakes and the Nick Jonases of that over-saturated world.[2]"

Commercial performance[edit]

Voicenotes debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 with 58,000 album-equivalent units of which 39,000 were pure album sales.[19] On May 14, 2018, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States.

In 2018, Voicenotes was ranked as the 130th most popular album of the year on the Billboard 200.[20]

Track listing[edit]

Credits adapted from liner notes [21]

All tracks are produced by Charlie Puth, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Way I Am"3:06
2."Attention"
  • Puth
  • Kasher
3:31
3."LA Girls" (producers: Puth, Evigan[b])3:17
4."How Long"
3:20
5."Done for Me" (featuring Kehlani)3:00
6."Patient"
  • Puth
  • Kasher
  • Benjamin Johnson
  • Fraser Churchill
3:10
7."If You Leave Me Now" (featuring Boyz II Men)
4:03
8."BOY"
  • Puth
  • Kasher
4:23
9."Slow It Down"3:10
10."Change" (featuring James Taylor) (producers: Puth, Carlsson[a])3:37
11."Somebody Told Me" (producers: Puth, Carlsson[a])
  • Puth
  • Kasher
  • Carlsson
3:36
12."Empty Cups" (producers: Puth, Göransson)
2:50
13."Through It All"
3:26
Total length:44:29

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer
  • "Boy" is stylized in all uppercase

Sample credits

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from liner notes.[21]

Musicians

  • Charlie Puth – vocals, bass (track 2), instruments (tracks 5, 8-10, 13)
  • Kehlani – featured vocals (track 5)
  • Boyz II Men – featured vocals (track 7)
  • James Taylor – featured vocals (track 10)
  • Jan Ozveren – guitar (tracks 1-4, 6, 11)
  • Dmitry Gorodetsky – bass (track 4)
  • Carl Falk – bass (track 9)
  • Johan Carlsson – instruments (track 10)

Production

  • Charlie Puth – production (all tracks)
  • Rickard Göransson – production (track 12)
  • Jason Evigan – additional production (track 3)
  • Johan Carlsson – co-production (tracks 10, 11)

Technical personnel

  • Charlie Puth – recording (tracks 1-6, 8-13) ,mixing
  • Ryan Gladieux – Kehlani vocals recording (track 5)
  • Manny Marroquin – mixing
  • Chris Galland – mixing assistance
  • Jeff Jackson – mixing assistance
  • Dave Kutch – mastering
  • Carolyn Tracey – project manager

Artwork

  • Alex R. Kirzhner – design
  • Jimmy Fontaine – photography
  • Billy Walsh – styling
  • Michael Kanyon – grooming
  • Madison Blue – grooming

Charts[edit]

Certifications and sales[edit]

Certifications and sales for Voicenotes
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[51] Gold 40,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[52] Gold 30,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[53] Gold 7,500
Poland (ZPAV)[54] Gold 10,000
Singapore (RIAS)[55] 2× Platinum 20,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[56] Silver 60,000
United States (RIAA)[57] Platinum 1,000,000

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Kennedy, Mark (May 10, 2018). "Review: Charlie Puth makes astonishing, glistening pop". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 13, 2018.[dead link]
  2. ^ a b c Spanos, Brittany (May 11, 2018). "Review: Charlie Puth's 'Voicenotes'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d Milzoff, Rebecca (February 1, 2018). "Charlie Puth on 'Attention': 'I Didn't Feel Like an Artist Until It Came Out'". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  4. ^ Puth, Charlie (April 30, 2018). "Charlie Puth on Twitter: "i'll show you 5/3 and TWIA"". Retrieved May 2, 2018 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Whitemore, Laura (April 2, 2018). "Charlie Puth Debuts Video for 'Done For Me (Featuring Kehlani)'". Parade. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  6. ^ Ferrer, William Robert (July 5, 2017). "There's more to Charlie Puth than love songs". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Charlie Puth Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  8. ^ Rolli, Bryan (May 14, 2018). "Charlie Puth's 'Voicenotes' Is Already Eligible For A Gold Certification In The U.S." Forbes. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  9. ^ "Top 40/M Future Releases". AllAccess. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  10. ^ ""The Album Is Not Perfect" – Charlie Puth Drops Some Bad News About His Upcoming Album, 'Voicenotes'". 95–106 Capital FM. January 4, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  11. ^ Goncalves, Julien (May 6, 2018). ""The Way I Am" : Charlie Puth s'impose sur un nouveau titre soul entêtant". chartsinfrance.net. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Critic reviews for Voicenotes". Metacritic. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  13. ^ Kellman, Andy (May 11, 2018). "Voicenotes – Charlie Puth". AllMusic. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  14. ^ Gamboa, Glenn (May 9, 2018). "'Voicenotes' review: Charlie Puth is the real deal". Newsday. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  15. ^ Mylrea, Hannah (May 18, 2018). "Charlie Puth – 'Voicenotes' Review". NME. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  16. ^ a b Hautman, Nicholas (May 11, 2018). "Charlie Puth Proves He's 'Here for the Long Haul' on Poppy 'Voicenotes' Album: Review". Us Weekly. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  17. ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (May 11, 2018). "Charlie Puth's 'Voicenotes' Is a Dorky Pleasure: Review". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  18. ^ Weatherby, Taylor (May 10, 2018). "Album of the Week: Charlie Puth's 'Voicenotes'". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
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  20. ^ "Billboard 2018 Year End Charts". Billboard.
  21. ^ a b Voicenotes (Media notes). Charlie Puth. Atlantic Records. 2018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  27. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 20.Týden 2018 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
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  31. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Charlie Puth – Voicenotes" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
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  40. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  41. ^ "Gaon Album Chart – Week 19, 2018". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved May 17, 2018.
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  46. ^ Caulfield, Keith (May 20, 2018). "Post Malone's 'Beerbongs & Bentleys' Nets Third Straight Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
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  52. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type Charlie Puth in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Voicenotes in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  53. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Charlie Puth – Voicenotes". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  54. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2019 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
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