Open Letter (Case album)

Open Letter is the third studio album by American R&B singer Case. It was released by Def Soul, the R&B division of Def Jam Recordings, on April 24, 2001 in the United States. The album peaked at number five on the US Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[1] It was preceded by the Tim & Bob-produced single "Missing You", which earned Case a nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 44th Grammy Awards in 2002. Open Letter was Case's last album on Def Soul and Def Jam Recordings.

Open Letter
Studio album by
Case
ReleasedApril 24, 2001
GenreR&B
Length60:00
Label
Producer
Case chronology
Personal Conversation
(1999)		 Open Letter
(2001)		 The Rose Experience
(2009)
Singles from Open Letter
  1. "Missing You"
    Released: February 20, 2001
  2. "Not Your Friend"
    Released: 2001

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Blender[3]
Vibe[4]

Vibe contributor David Thigpen gave note of the "earthier, more robust brand of R&B" that Case performs throughout the record, saying his songwriting resembles the "strong melodies and complex, rich arrangements" of R. Kelly and found tracks like "Love of My Life" and "Shine" containing influences of "late '70s Stevie Wonder-style soul." He concluded that, "Case is no dusty retro-soulstar, though. Draped in old-school rhythms, his earnestly romantic messages still sound fresh."[4] Neil Drumming of Blender said that Case lacked conviction in delivering sexual lyrics but that the overall vibe of the songs help mask it, concluding that "Fortunately, the romance here outweighs the horizontal hula roughly five to one. So there is a place for Case — just not in the bedroom."[3] Jon Azpiri of AllMusic criticized the album for containing generic R&B compositions and Case for lacking emotion in his performance, concluding that "For his third album, Case fails to create even one original moment; perhaps this Open Letter should have never been written."[2]

Track listing
Open Letter — Standard edition[5]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Missing You"
Tim & Bob4:45
2."Shine"
Redhead4:33
3."A Song for Skye"
  • Woodard
  • Ray Watkins
Watkins6:13
4."Not Your Friend"
  • Woodard
  • Kelley
  • Robinson
Tim & Bob4:34
5."Driving"
Watkins4:35
6."Sex Games"
  • Woodard
  • Kelley
  • Robinson
Tim & Bob4:34
7."Conversate"
  • Woodard
  • Kelley
  • Robinson
Tim & Bob4:28
8."Love of My Life"
  • Woodard
  • Guppy
  • Roberson
Redhead4:18
9."Wishful Thinking"
  • Woodard
  • Guppy
  • Roberson
Redhead3:33
10."Crooked Letter"
  • Tonee MccClinton
  • Karylton Clanton
MccClinton3:36
11."Already Have"
Montell Jordan4:45
12."No Regrets"
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis5:31
13."Even Though"
  • Woodard
  • Kelley
  • Robinson
Tim & Bob4:27

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[6]

  • Keyboards and Drum Programming: Tim Kelley, Bob Robinson, Ray Watkins, Redhead, Shep Crawford, Arvel McClinton, Harold Edgar
  • Bass: Daryl Edgar
  • Guitar: Steve Estiverne, Andeas Panagapolous
  • Background vocals: Case, Gromyko Collins, David Guppy, Eric Roberson, Larry "Jazz" Anthony, Eritza Laues, Shep Crawford, Montell Jordan, Charlie Wilson
  • Recording engineer: Jan Fairchild, Giz, Mike T., Stephen George, Andy Heller, Eddie Hudson, Annie Catalino
  • Mixing: Jan Fairchild, Serban Ghenea, Stephen George, Jan Fairchild
  • Executive producer: Case, JoJo "Bangs" Brim, Kevin Liles
  • Art direction & design: Akisia Grigsby

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[1] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "American album certifications – Case – Open Letter". Recording Industry Association of America.
  2. Azpiri, Jon. "Open Letter - Case". AllMusic. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  3. Drumming, Neil. "Case - Open Letter". Blender. Alpha Media Group. Archived from the original on October 13, 2001. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  4. Thigpen, David (May 2001). "Case 'Open Letter'". Vibe. Vibe Media. 9 (5): 161–62. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  5. "Case - Open Letter". tracklisting. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  6. "Case - Open Letter". album credits. allmusic.com. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  7. "Case Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  8. "Case Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  9. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  10. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
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