Critical reception

Reviews for the album were mixed. Allmusic editor Heather Phares gave it three out of five stars, praising some of the songs like his duet with Gwyneth Paltrow on "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" for its melody for giving "his voice more to do than most of the by-the-numbers contemporary pop here" and "It's Over" for being "one of the truest expressions of his talent". But felt that the best moments - his duets with Sting and Elton John - feels like "it gives the impression that he can't carry a song without someone else". She concluded saying: "Ultimately, Matthew Morrison is more scattered and less fresh-feeling than the fare he sings week in and week out on Glee. Though it has plenty of appealing moments, it just doesn't capitalize on Morrison's star and vocal power". Jody Rosen

Jody Rosen

Jody Rosen is an American journalist and author. He is the music critic for the online magazine Slate, and the author of White Christmas: The Story of an American Song....

 of Rolling Stone gave it two-and-a-half out of five stars saying, "Verdict: a mildly charming, sometimes gawky LP that will please Gleeks and befuddle everyone else. Prediction: It'll be a huge hit."

Slant Magazine

Slant Magazine

Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...

 writer Jonathan Keefe gave it two out of five stars, giving criticism to the producer-driven songs which are in "the most middlebrow and indistinct brand of pop that is never less than competent, but is never even the slightest bit innovative or noteworthy" and the original songs for being "just as unmemorable", but gave positive insight on his singing voice saying: "It isn't that Morrison's a poor singer: He actually has a pure, pleasant tenor that's as limber and expressive as that of any seasoned stage performer."

Album

Chart (2011)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...	61
UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...	63
US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...	24

Singles

Year	Single	Peak positions
		US AC
2011	"Summer Rain Summer Rain (Matthew Morrison song) "Summer Rain" is the debut single by American actor and singer Matthew Morrison. The song was written by Morrison and Claude Kelly, and co-written and produced by Espionage.-Promotion:... "	16

Personnel

• Vocals: Matthew Morrison
  Matthew Morrison
  Matthew James "Matt" Morrison is an American actor, director, musician, and singer-songwriter. He is best known for starring in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including his portrayal of Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway, and most notably for his Emmy and Golden Globe nominated...
  
  , Elton John
  Elton John
  Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
  
  , Gwyneth Paltrow
  Gwyneth Paltrow
  Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
  
  , Sting
• Producer: Rob Mathes
  Rob Mathes
  Rob Mathes is an American record producer, music arranger, composer, songwriter, and performer. He also writes bluesy spiritual-pop music.-Background:Born in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, Mathes showed interest and skill in music at a very early age...
  
  , Matt Squire
  Matt Squire
  Matt Squire is an American multi-platinum music producer and writer. He has produced, engineered, or written tracks for One Direction, 3OH!3, Good Charlotte, New Boyz, Selena Gomez, David Archuleta, Taking Back Sunday, HIM, The Used, All Time Low, Panic! at the Disco, Boys Like Girls, The Cab,...
  
  , Marc Shaiman
  Marc Shaiman
  Marc Shaiman is an American composer, lyricist, arranger, and performer for films, television, and theatre. He is perhaps best known for writing the music and co-writing the lyrics for the Broadway musical version of the cult John Waters film Hairspray, for which Shaiman won Tony and Grammy...
  
  , Kristian Lundin
  Kristian Lundin
  Kristian Carl Marcus Lundin is a Swedish composer, music producer and songwriter.-Biography:Beginning his career as a member of the Swedish duo Amadin , Kristian's writing and production talents were quickly recognized by music industry icon Denniz PoP, who invited him to join the Cheiron Studios...
  
  , Steve Kipner
  Steve Kipner
  Steve Kipner is a multi-platinum-selling songwriter and record producer with hits spanning over a 40 year history, including chart-topping songs such as Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", Chicago's Grammy-nominated "Hard Habit to Break", "Genie In A Bottle" by Christina Aguilera, for which he won an...
  
  , Andrew Frampton
  Andrew Frampton
  Andrew James Ker Frampton is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back and who also has the ability to play at full-back. He currently plays for Gillingham.-Early career:...