Round 2 (J. Holiday album)
Round 2 is the second studio album by American recording artist J. Holiday, it was released on March 10, 2009, by Music Line Group and Capitol Records. It is the follow-up to his debut album, "Back of My Lac'", which was released in 2007. This record would later be his final studio release with Capitol. The album was supported by the lone single, "It's Yours", which achieved moderate chart success. Upon release, "Round 2" received mixed reviews from music critics, who complimented its production and songwriting and was considered to be an improvement  from his previous album. Singles. The first single "It's Yours", was released on December 16, 2008. The song had achieved minor chart success, debuting at number 25 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and also debuting at number 33 on the Japan Hot 100 chart. A music video was released and directed by Jonathan Mannion. The second single that was supposed to be released was Fall, but due to label problems it was canceled like "Come Here" on his previous album. Commercial performance. The album sold 55,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number 4  on the "Billboard" 200. The album has sold 300,000 copies in the United States. Critical reception. "Round 2" received mixed reviews from music critics. Andy Kellman of AllMusic said, "Holiday instead delivers a second album that is not a retread. It's not a reinvention, either, but the roster of collaborators is almost completely different, and Holiday all but eliminates the tough guy and stoner talk." Mark Edward Nero of About.com said "Round 2" is a well-sung, well-written, well-produced album, but the one negative is that it's a little bland and leans too much on love  songs. Nathan Slavik of DJBooth stated that "Round 2" finds Holiday shifting away from "Lac’"s harder-edged image in favor of a smoother sound, resulting in a well-crafted album that shows that while Holiday’s got a ways to go before he reaches elite status, no one will ever be able to call him a one-hit wonder again. Personnel. Credits for "Round 2" adapted from Allmusic.