The Reason is the fourth studio album

Studio album

A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 soul

Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

/R&B

Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...

 singer Lemar

Lemar

Lemar Obika , professionally known simply as Lemar, is an English recording artist. Obika has had a run of chart success in the UK, Europe and Australia...

. The album was released on 24 November 2008, and contains the singles, "If She Knew

If She Knew

"If She Knew" is a song by British R&B singer Lemar, released as the first single from his fourth album, The Reason.The song has been a further top 20 success for Lemar; it was C-listed on BBC Radio 1, entering the UK Singles Chart at #61 after just two full days of download sales, and then...

" and "Weight of the World

Weight of the World (Lemar song)

"Weight of the World" is the second and final single taken from British R&B singer Lemar's fourth studio album, The Reason."Weight of the World" is co-produced by Jim Jonsin and Louis Biancaniello, while Lemar and Sam Watters co-wrote the lyrics. "Weight of the World" was released on 2 March 2009....

".

Background

Eighteen months after the release of his single, "Tick Tock", Lemar returned in November 2008 with The Reason and its lead single "If She Knew

If She Knew

"If She Knew" is a song by British R&B singer Lemar, released as the first single from his fourth album, The Reason.The song has been a further top 20 success for Lemar; it was C-listed on BBC Radio 1, entering the UK Singles Chart at #61 after just two full days of download sales, and then...

".

The first single, "If She Knew", co-produced by SoulShock and Karlin, combines Lemar's heartfelt lyrics with layers of acoustic guitar. Lemar's signature balladry features on the album too, including the piano-driven 'Mayday'. He also ventures back to his soul roots with the infectious Over You and the funk-tinged uptempo 'Little Miss Heartbreaker', produced by Jim Beanz (Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado).

Speaking to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning 'Blues & Soul' in November 2008, Lemar explained the thinking behind titling his fourth album 'The Reason': "I called the album 'The Reason' because I wanted it to remind me of the reason why I became a musician in the first place. You know, I think the reason I became a recording artist was because the music I was listening to at the time was inspirational, exciting; it wasn't obvious... And that's what I wanted THIS album to be. I wanted to bring out a collection of songs that for me was inspiring, was thought-provoking, was current, and that hopefully came with an exciting, eclectic mix of styles."

Chart performance

The album entered the UK Albums Chart at #41 on the week closing 30 November 2008.

Singles

"If She Knew" was released for download at midnight on November 6. From two full days of download sales, the single debuted on the UK singles chart at #61. The following Monday two physical formats were released additionally and the song climbed to its peak of #14. The third week it fell to #19 and the fourth to #21.

The second single, "Weight of the World", was released on 2 March 2009.

Although it was not released as a single, "Mayday" was included on The Hits

The Hits (Lemar album)

The Hits is the first greatest hits collection by English soul/R&B singer Lemar. The album was released on March 8, 2010. The first single off the album is called "The Way Love Goes". The album also contains two other new songs plus a re-recorded version of "What About Love" with X Factor 2008...

 album, released on March 1, 2010.

Track listing

#	| Title	Length
1.	"The Reason"	3:31
2.	"Weight of the World Weight of the World (Lemar song) "Weight of the World" is the second and final single taken from British R&B singer Lemar's fourth studio album, The Reason."Weight of the World" is co-produced by Jim Jonsin and Louis Biancaniello, while Lemar and Sam Watters co-wrote the lyrics. "Weight of the World" was released on 2 March 2009.... " (Jim Jonsin Jim Jonsin James Scheffer, better known by his professional name, Jim Jonsin, is an American Grammy award winning record producer, songwriter, record executive, and entrepreneur... )	4:20
3.	"Little Miss Heartbreaker" (Jim Beanz Jim Beanz James David Washington, better known under his stage name Jim Beanz, is an American vocal producer, songwriter, musician, singer and record producer from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, now working out of Philadelphia, signed to Timbaland Productions and Sunset Entertainment Group... )	3:57
4.	"If She Knew If She Knew "If She Knew" is a song by British R&B singer Lemar, released as the first single from his fourth album, The Reason.The song has been a further top 20 success for Lemar; it was C-listed on BBC Radio 1, entering the UK Singles Chart at #61 after just two full days of download sales, and then... " (Claude Kelly, SoulShock, Karlin)	3:33
5.	"Trust Me" (Salaam Remi)	4:18
6.	"Over You"	3:48
7.	"Mayday"	3:37
8.	"Wait Forever" (Claude Kelly)	3:32
9.	"Not What You Say"	3:17
10.	"Black Tide"	3:36
11.	"Won't Walk Away" (iTunes Bonus Track) (Ryan Tedder, Savan Kotecha)	3:42
12.	"Fall Over" (iTunes Bonus Track)	4:06
13.	"Diamonds" (iTunes Bonus Track)	3:47

Charts

Charts (2008)	Peak position
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...	41

The Reason Tour 2009

Date	City	Country	Venue
16 March 2009	Carlisle City of Carlisle The City of Carlisle is a local government district of Cumbria, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Carlisle, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Brampton and Longtown, as well as outlying villages...	England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...	Carlisle Sands Centre
17 March 2009	Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...		Philharmonic Hall
19 October 2009	Reading Reading, Berkshire Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....		The Hexagon The Hexagon The Hexagon is a multi-purpose arts venue and theatre with a capacity of 1,200 in central Reading, Berkshire, England. It is named for its shape....
20 March 2009	Margate Margate -Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....		Winter Gardens
21 March 2009	Bournemouth Bournemouth Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...		Bournemouth International Centre Bournemouth International Centre The Bournemouth International Centre in Bournemouth, Dorset, is one of the primary venues for conferences, exhibitions, entertainment and events in southern England...
23 March 2009	Brentwood Brentwood, Essex Brentwood is a town and the principal settlement of the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex in the east of England. It is located in the London commuter belt, 20 miles east north-east of Charing Cross in London, and near the M25 motorway....		Brentwood Leisure Centre
24 March 2009	Ipswich Ipswich Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...		Regent Theatre Regent Theatre (Ipswich) The Regent Theatre is a theatre, in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The theatre holds just over 1,700 people, making it East Anglia's largest theatre....
25 March 2009	Preston		Preston Guildhall
27 March 2009	Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...		O2 Academy
28 March 2009	Brighton Brighton Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...		The Brighton Centre The Brighton Centre The Brighton Centre is a conference centre located in Brighton, England. The capacity of the main hall for conferences is 4,500 people and 5,100 for standing concerts.It also has smaller rooms for weddings, banquets etc....
29 March 2009	Oxford Oxford The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...		New Theatre New Theatre Oxford The New Theatre Oxford is the main commercial theatre in Oxford, England and has a capacity of 1,800 people....
31 March 2009	Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...		Plymouth Pavilions Plymouth Pavilions Plymouth Pavilions is an entertainment and sports complex in Plymouth, Devon, England. It has a Fun Pool, Ice Rink, Live Cafe and arena. The arena is used for corporate hire and as an entertainment venue....
1 April 2009	Swindon Swindon Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...		Oasis Leisure Centre
4 April 2009	Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...	Wales Wales Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...	Cardiff International Arena Cardiff International Arena The Cardiff International Arena was opened on 10 September 1993, by Shirley Bassey, in front of 5,500 fans. On 1 March 2011, the Cardiff International Arena was officially renamed Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, after the car sales company with a branch in Newport bought the naming rights to the Cardiff...
5 April 2009	Portsmouth Portsmouth Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...	England	Portsmouth Guildhall
6 April 2009	Cambridge Cambridge The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...		Corn Exchange Cambridge Corn Exchange The Cambridge Corn Exchange is a concert venue in Cambridge, England. It is also used as an examination hall for students at Cambridge University.-Building the venue:...
8 April 2009	Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...		Southend Cliffs Pavilion
9 April 2009	London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...		Royal Albert Hall Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
10 April 2009	Nottingham Nottingham Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...		Nottingham Royal Centre Nottingham Royal Concert Hall The Royal Concert Hall in the English city of Nottingham, is part of the city's Royal Centre, which also incorporates the Victorian Theatre Royal...
12 April 2009	Newcastle		Newcastle City Hall Newcastle City Hall Newcastle City Hall is a concert hall, located in Newcastle upon Tyne which has hosted many popular music and classical artists throughout the years, as well as standup and comedy acts. Opened in 1927, the City Hall was built as a part of a development which also included the adjacent City Pool...
13 April 2009	Sheffield Sheffield Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...		Sheffield City Hall Sheffield City Hall Sheffield City Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Sheffield, England, containing several venues, ranging from the Oval Concert Hall which seats over 2,000 people to a ballroom featuring a sprung dance floor...
14 April 2009	Harrogate Harrogate Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...		Harrogate International Centre Harrogate International Centre The Harrogate International Centre is a convention and exhibition centre in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.It was first opened in 1982 and was notable as the host of the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest and had expanded overtime to include a 2,000 seat conference auditorium and eight exhibition...
16 April 2009	Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...	Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...	Clyde Auditorium Clyde Auditorium The Clyde Auditorium, familiarly known as "The Armadillo", is an iconic concert venue in Glasgow, Scotland. The building sits on the site of the now infilled Queen's Dock on the River Clyde, adjacent to the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre....
17 April 2009	Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...	England	Manchester Apollo Manchester Apollo O2 Apollo Manchester is a concert venue in Manchester, England. Locally known as The Apollo, it is a listed building, with a capacity of 3,500 ....

External links

• Lemar interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' December 2008

Notes:

• The Reading Concert was cancelled.
• Concerts after March 27 were supported by JLS.