The Return (Ruben Studdard album)
The Return is the third studio album by American R&B artist Ruben Studdard and was released on October 17, 2006, by J Records. The first single, "Change Me", was released on July 31, 2006. The album was met with mixed reviews from critics who complained about the production and Ruben's performance. "The Return" debuted and peaked at number 8 but sales were low and it was the last album that Ruben released under J Records. Controversy. Sony Music was accused of the unauthorized use of Louis Vuitton's copyrighted Toile as part of the  disc's design. An undisclosed settlement was reached between Sony and LVMH, the parent company of Louis Vuitton. Critical reception. The album received mixed reviews from music critics. AllMusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found Studdard's performance throughout the album to be lazy with no melodies guiding him, concluding that "when combined with the dull productions, the results are deadly boring." About.com's Mark Edward Nero was also critical of Studdard's voice, saying that it had "no potency much of the time and almost sounds as generic as the vocals that accompany elevator music." Jody Rosen of "Entertainment  Weekly" was more positive, saying that "The production's bland, but his sweet singing carries the day." Commercial performance. The album debuted and peaked at number eight in the "Billboard" 200, with 71,000 copies sold in its first week of release. The album sold only 237,000 copies in the U.S. It subsequently became his last album with J Records, having been dropped from their line-up in December 2007. Track listing. (co.) Co-producer Personnel. Adapted from "The Return" liner notes.