Sex Therapy (album)
Encyclopedia
Sex Therapy is the fourth studio album by American R&B
recording artist Robin Thicke
, released December 15, 2009 on Star Trak Entertainment
in the United States. Sex Therapy also features guest contributions by Jay-Z
, Game
, Jazmine Sullivan
, Kid Cudi
, Snoop Dogg
, Nicki Minaj
, and Estelle
. The album debuted at number 9 on the US Billboard 200
chart, selling 123,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, Sex Therapy received generally positive reviews from most music critics.
– Thicke explained: "I'm always gonna have the influence of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Al Green in my music. But with this 'Sex Therapy' album, I also wanted to show my HIP HOP side. I grew up listening to Run DMC and NWA and Biggie and Pac and Jay-Z... So I really wanted to make a record that represented how much that music has influenced me. Plus, because I'd been writing deep and sad songs for a while, I think I was just tired of wallowing in my own self-depression! So, in terms of overall feel, I definitely wanted this album to be lighter on its FEET!"
Other songs
’ The Freedom Tour
tour, kicking off on February 28, 2010 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with stops at Madison Square Garden and Staples Center. He will be performing material from Sex Therapy.
and at number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
, selling 123,000 in first week sales, selling at least half more units than his third album, Something Else
, which was his first album chart in the top five, peaking at number three, on the Billboard 200. In its second week, it fell at number thirty-one. In the third week, the album went ten places up on the charts, landing at number twenty-one on the Billboard 200, then the following week, the album went three places down to number twenty-four, as well as the week after, it went to number-twenty eight. The following week, the album re-entered at number thirty-five, and is currently at number forty-five, due to strong sales and airplay. The album has currently sold over 440,000 copies as of July 2010 US Billboard Charts.
. Allmusic writer Andy Kellman gave it 3½ out of 5 stars and praised Thicke's singing, calling his falsetto "one of the best voices in R&B". Entertainment Weekly
s Simon Vozick-Levinson gave Sex Therapy a B+ rating and wrote "Thicke takes a few more risks on his fourth album... slinging falsetto boasts and come-ons over futuristic electro-funk backdrops". Associated Content
writer Chris A. Sosa gave it an A rating and wrote that it "serves as Thicke's stepping out, finally embracing the simmering sexuality that's always lurked just barely below the surface of his soaring falsetto". Alex Thornton of HipHopDX gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and commended Thicke for his songwriting ability. Elysa Gardner of USA Today
gave the album 3 out of 4 stars and wrote that its songs are "better vehicles for Thicke and his collaborators' naughty wit and seductive grooves than they are for his silky croon". Newsday
s Glenn Gamboa gave Sex Therapy an A- rating and viewed that Thicke's attempt to incorporate other musical styles "sound as effortless as his Prince
ly falsetto". The Huffington Post
s Mike Ragogna wrote favorably of its sexual themes and called the album "a potent mix of r&b and rap with the soulful singer-songwriter channeling Marvin
and Smokey
on some of the more seductive songs". Jon Caramanica of The New York Times
lauded Thicke for dispensing with the "characteristic politesse" of his previous work, while calling it "the best album of his career, and also the most ridiculous".
The Washington Post
s Allison Stewart described it as "a gooey, goofy, occasionally great, obsessively carnal mix of '70s soul and mid-'00s computerized retro/futurist hip-pop", but perceived an "overemphasis on guest stars and superstar production" and found Thicke's songwriting "awkward". PopMatters
writer Tyler Lewis gave Sex Therapy a 6/10 rating and called it "a well-made album", but found its sexually-themed songs "cheeky, not sensual", writing "It is definitely more cartoonish than anything 70s soul men would have released, no matter how great some of the melodies are". Okayplayer
writer Kendred Spirit perceived Thicke's departure from his previous work's aesthetic as breaking his "artistic morality", stating "he simply does not sound right over the intrusive synths and fuzzy drum beats of today's pop". Q
gave the album 3 out of 5 stars and noted its "Prince-ly fixation with carnal knowledge" as "a touch of the absurd", but stated "Still, it's delivered with panache, thanks to Thicke's versatile pop-soul vocals and some slick production work". Los Angeles Times
writer August Brown gave the album 2½ out of 4 stars and wrote "his new randiness adds zip to an always-perfect falsetto". Despite having a mixed response towards its collaborational tracks, Mark Edward Nero of About.com
gave it 3½ out of 5 stars and commended Thicke for "expanding his horizons". The A.V. Club
s Joshua Alston gave it a B- rating and called it "admirable", stating "Sex Therapy is certainly not grown, nor particularly sexy, but it’s often great, sometimes because of its lover-boy goofiness, other times in spite of it".
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
recording artist Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke
Robin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
, released December 15, 2009 on Star Trak Entertainment
Star Trak Entertainment
Star Trak Entertainment is a record label, founded by record producers Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams in 2001. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Interscope Records.-Beginnings:...
in the United States. Sex Therapy also features guest contributions by Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Game
The Game (rapper)
Jayceon Terrell Taylor , better known by his stage name Game, formerly The Game, is an American rapper and actor. As a member of G-Unit, he rose to fame in 2005 with the success of his debut album, The Documentary, which earned him two Grammy Award nominations...
, Jazmine Sullivan
Jazmine Sullivan
Jazmine Marie Sullivan is an American recording artist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is also the protégé of rapper Missy Elliott. Her debut single "Need U Bad" reached number one on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, while her second single, "Bust Your Windows" peaked at number four...
, Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi , better known by his stage name Kid Cudi , sometimes stylized KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the...
, Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
, Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
, and Estelle
Estelle (musician)
Estelle Fanta Swaray commonly known as Estelle, and formerly as Est'elle, is an English R&B singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer.-Early Life:Estelle was born 18 January 1980 in Hammersmith, London, England...
. The album debuted at number 9 on the 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...
chart, selling 123,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, Sex Therapy received generally positive reviews from most music critics.
Background
Speaking in March 2010 to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis – Deputy Editor of the award-winning Blues & SoulBlues & Soul
Blues & Soul is a British music magazine covering black music. Genres covered include soul, R&B, jazz, hip hop, reggae and world music. It was first published in 1966 and is known for first using the term Northern Soul....
– Thicke explained: "I'm always gonna have the influence of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Al Green in my music. But with this 'Sex Therapy' album, I also wanted to show my HIP HOP side. I grew up listening to Run DMC and NWA and Biggie and Pac and Jay-Z... So I really wanted to make a record that represented how much that music has influenced me. Plus, because I'd been writing deep and sad songs for a while, I think I was just tired of wallowing in my own self-depression! So, in terms of overall feel, I definitely wanted this album to be lighter on its FEET!"
Release and promotion
There are two different versions of the album. The regular version is called Sex Therapy: The Session. The deluxe version, released on the same day, is called Sex Therapy: The Experience and has five additional tracks. Unlike most other special editions, where the bonus tracks are all at the end, the extra tracks on The Experience are mixed in with the regular Session tracklisting.Singles
- The album's first single, "Sex TherapySex Therapy (song)"Sex Therapy" is a song by American R&B singer Robin Thicke. The R&B ballad is the lead single from his album Sex Therapy.The song was released to the radio on October 20, 2009...
", was released on October 20, 2009. It reached number 54 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsHot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart.
- The official second single outside of the US is "Rollercoasta" featuring EstelleEstelle (musician)Estelle Fanta Swaray commonly known as Estelle, and formerly as Est'elle, is an English R&B singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer.-Early Life:Estelle was born 18 January 1980 in Hammersmith, London, England...
. The music video was filmed in February 2010. The video premiered on March 19, 2010. The single was released to the France, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Italy, and Australian iTunes stores on March 22, 2010. It was released in the UK on April 18, 2010.
- The second US single was "It’s in the Mornin featuring Snoop DoggSnoop DoggCalvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
instead of "Rollercoasta". A music video for the single was shot in March 2010 with The Price Is RightThe Price Is Right (U.S. game show)The Price Is Right is an American game show which was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Contestants compete to identify the pricing of merchandise to win cash and prizes. The show is well-known for its signature line of "Come on down!" when the announcer directs newly selected contestants to...
s Manuela ArbeláezManuela ArbeláezManuela Arbeláez Correa is a Colombian-born, naturalized American model and actress perhaps best known for her work on the television game show The Price Is Right....
playing his love interest. The video premiered on May 9, 2010.
Other songs
- "Meiplé", a collaboration with rapper Jay-ZJay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, was released to iTunes on December 1, 2009 as a promo single prior to the release of the album. It impacted Italian radio in January 2010 and peaked at number No. 63 on the airplay chart.
- "Shakin' It 4 Daddy" featuring Nicki MinajNicki MinajOnika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
was set to be the third US single released from the album but the release was later cancelled. He performed the song numerous times, including on BETBetBet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
's 106 & Park106 & Park106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...
in December 2009 and on The Late Show with David Letterman in February 2010 which led to extreme popularity among both artists.. A remix of the song, Shakin' It 4 Daddy" (Manon Dave Remix), was released as a digital download to the iTunes store on February 8, 2010.
Tour
Thicke been added as a supporting act on Alicia KeysAlicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
’ The Freedom Tour
The Freedom Tour
The Freedom Tour was the fourth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys in support of her fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom. The tour commenced at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa on February 26, 2010. The tour continued onto North America visiting Europe as well...
tour, kicking off on February 28, 2010 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with stops at Madison Square Garden and Staples Center. He will be performing material from Sex Therapy.
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number nine on the U.S. Billboard 200Billboard 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...
and at number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
, selling 123,000 in first week sales, selling at least half more units than his third album, Something Else
Something Else (Robin Thicke album)
-Singles:*Magic*The Sweetest Love*Dreamworld - A video for the song, directed by Anthony Mandler was released on February 11, but no further information shows that the song will be released officially....
, which was his first album chart in the top five, peaking at number three, on the Billboard 200. In its second week, it fell at number thirty-one. In the third week, the album went ten places up on the charts, landing at number twenty-one on the Billboard 200, then the following week, the album went three places down to number twenty-four, as well as the week after, it went to number-twenty eight. The following week, the album re-entered at number thirty-five, and is currently at number forty-five, due to strong sales and airplay. The album has currently sold over 440,000 copies as of July 2010 US Billboard Charts.
Critical response
Upon its release, Sex Therapy received generally positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 71/100 from MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Allmusic writer Andy Kellman gave it 3½ out of 5 stars and praised Thicke's singing, calling his falsetto "one of the best voices in R&B". Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Simon Vozick-Levinson gave Sex Therapy a B+ rating and wrote "Thicke takes a few more risks on his fourth album... slinging falsetto boasts and come-ons over futuristic electro-funk backdrops". Associated Content
Associated Content
Associated Content is a division of Yahoo that focuses on online publishing. Yahoo's Associated Content distributes a large variety of writing through its website and content partners, including Yahoo News.-History:...
writer Chris A. Sosa gave it an A rating and wrote that it "serves as Thicke's stepping out, finally embracing the simmering sexuality that's always lurked just barely below the surface of his soaring falsetto". Alex Thornton of HipHopDX gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and commended Thicke for his songwriting ability. Elysa Gardner of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
gave the album 3 out of 4 stars and wrote that its songs are "better vehicles for Thicke and his collaborators' naughty wit and seductive grooves than they are for his silky croon". Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
s Glenn Gamboa gave Sex Therapy an A- rating and viewed that Thicke's attempt to incorporate other musical styles "sound as effortless as his Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
ly falsetto". The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
s Mike Ragogna wrote favorably of its sexual themes and called the album "a potent mix of r&b and rap with the soulful singer-songwriter channeling Marvin
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and Smokey
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
on some of the more seductive songs". Jon Caramanica of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
lauded Thicke for dispensing with the "characteristic politesse" of his previous work, while calling it "the best album of his career, and also the most ridiculous".
The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
s Allison Stewart described it as "a gooey, goofy, occasionally great, obsessively carnal mix of '70s soul and mid-'00s computerized retro/futurist hip-pop", but perceived an "overemphasis on guest stars and superstar production" and found Thicke's songwriting "awkward". PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
writer Tyler Lewis gave Sex Therapy a 6/10 rating and called it "a well-made album", but found its sexually-themed songs "cheeky, not sensual", writing "It is definitely more cartoonish than anything 70s soul men would have released, no matter how great some of the melodies are". Okayplayer
Okayplayer
Okayplayer.com is an online hip-hop and alternative music website and community, described by Rolling Stone as a "tastemaker" and "an antidote to dull promotional Web sites used by most artists". The group was co-founded by The Roots' drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson as a loose musical...
writer Kendred Spirit perceived Thicke's departure from his previous work's aesthetic as breaking his "artistic morality", stating "he simply does not sound right over the intrusive synths and fuzzy drum beats of today's pop". Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
gave the album 3 out of 5 stars and noted its "Prince-ly fixation with carnal knowledge" as "a touch of the absurd", but stated "Still, it's delivered with panache, thanks to Thicke's versatile pop-soul vocals and some slick production work". Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
writer August Brown gave the album 2½ out of 4 stars and wrote "his new randiness adds zip to an always-perfect falsetto". Despite having a mixed response towards its collaborational tracks, Mark Edward Nero of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
gave it 3½ out of 5 stars and commended Thicke for "expanding his horizons". The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
s Joshua Alston gave it a B- rating and called it "admirable", stating "Sex Therapy is certainly not grown, nor particularly sexy, but it’s often great, sometimes because of its lover-boy goofiness, other times in spite of it".
Track listing
Chart history
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK R&B Albums UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
8 |
| 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... |
9 |
| US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
2 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| 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... |
68 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| United States | December 15, 2009 | Interscope |
| United Kingdom | April 26, 2010 | Interscope |
External links
- Sex Therapy at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Sex Therapy at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
- Album Review at About.comAbout.comAbout.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....