21 (Omarion album)

Critical reception

21 received mildly positive reviews from music critics. Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave it an "Album Pick" title, praising the production throughout and Omarion for putting more input as a songwriter and performer, saying that he "truly surpassed his status as the former member of a boy band." DJ Z of DJBooth commented on the lyricism feeling mature and the production showing more sophistication, saying that "Omarion's second album is a welcome addition to his musical catalog and should appeal to both his fan base and a more adult crowd." Thomas Inskeep of Stylus Magazine also praised the album for its production and having a good ratio of solid-to-great songs. Putting it alongside Ciara's The Evolution for "best straight-up R&B album" he said that "the pair leave plenty of encouragement about the future of the genre."

Damien Scott of Vibe gave a mixed review, saying that Omarion lacked range in his performance and that he's "never fully in charge." Mark Edward Nero of About.com was also mixed towards the album, praising the first two singles but found the other tracks above-average at best, in terms of production and vocal quality that "range from average ("Obsession," Made For TV,") to fair ("Midnight," "Beg For It")." He concluded with: "Although O's taken a step forward in establishing himself as an adult solo artist, he still hasn't completely arrived yet. But at only 21 years of age, he's still got plenty of room to grow."

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 119,000 copies in its first week. This became Omarion's first US number one debut and his second US top-ten album. In its second week, the album dropped to number ten on the chart, selling an additional 42,000 copies. As of November 2008, the album has sold over 390,000 copies in the United States.

Track listing

;Notes

• signifies a co-producer

Personnel

Adapted from the 21 liner notes.

• Chris Stokes, Omari Grandberry, Kawan 'KP' Prather, Ketrina 'Taz' Askew, Marques Houston and Henley 'Jr.' Regisford: executive producers
• Brian "Big Bass" Gardner: mastering (Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA)
• Chris "Tek" O'Ryan: sound engineer
• The Ultimate Group: management
• Kenny Meiselas, Esq. (Grubman, Indursky, PC) and Tabetha D. Plummer, Esq. (The Plummer Law Group): legal representation
• Kawan Prather: A&R, Sony Urban Music
• Jennifer Gray: A&R Operations, Sony Urban Music
• David "Touch" Wright: A&R Coordinator, Sony Urban Music
• Amberdawn Alexander: marketing, Sony Urban Music
• Michelle Holme and Erwin Gorostiza: art direction
• Eric Ogden: photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

References

1. "21 - Omarion | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic".
2. Reid, Shaheem. (June 20, 2006). "Boy To Man: Omarion Grows Up On The 'Personal' 21". [[MTV]].
3. "Omarion BET Presents Bonus DVD". Walmart.
4. Nero, Mark Edward. "Review: Omarion – "21"".
5. Kellman, Andy. "21 – Omarion". [[AllMusic]].
6. DJ Z. (December 21, 2006). "Omarion – 21".
7. Vozick-Levinson, Simon. (January 22, 2007). "21".
8. Inskeep, Thomas. (April 13, 2007). "Omarion – 21 – Review – Stylus Magazine".
9. Scott, Damien. (October 13, 2006). "Omarion - 21 (T.U.G./Sony Urban/Epic)". [[Vibe Media Group.
10. Chris Harris. (January 3, 2007). "OMARION GETS LATE CHRISTMAS GIFT — #1 DEBUT — AS OVERALL SALES SLIDE".
11. Chris Harris. (January 10, 2007). "AFTER FIVE-WEEK CLIMB, 'DREAMGIRLS' IS #1 AS ALBUM SALES SLUMP".
12. Grein, Paul. (November 21, 2008). "Chart Watch Extra: What A Turkey! The 25 Worst-Selling #1 Albums". [[Yahoo! Music]].
13. (2006). "21". [[Epic Records.
14. "Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums – 2007".
15. "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – 2007".