Renaissance (Lionel Richie album)

Renaissance is the sixth studio album by American singer Lionel Richie. It was released by The Island Def Jam Music Group on October 16, 2000 in the United States. A breakaway from his previous two albums Louder Than Words (1996) and Time (1998) which had been released after a decade-long hiatus and featured chief production from James Anthony Carmichael, Richie consulted a team of new collaborators to work with him, including Walter Afanasieff, Brian Rawling, Daryl Simmons, and Mark Taylor as well as Rodney Jerkins and his brother Fred.

Renaissance
Studio album by
Lionel Richie
ReleasedOctober 16, 2000
Genre
Length52:06 (standard)
LabelIsland Def Jam
Producer
Lionel Richie chronology
Time
(1998)		 Renaissance
(2000)		 Encore
(2002)

Upon release, Renaissance earned largely mixed reviews, with critics comparing it to other Eurodance-influenced, Taylor-produced albums such as Cher's Believe (1998), Enrique Iglesias' Enrique (1999), and Tina Turner's Twenty Four Seven (1999). Commercially, it became Richie's most successful album since Dancing on the Ceiling (1986), particularly in German-speaking Europe, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, where it entered the top ten of the albums charts and was certified gold or platinum, respectively. Lead single "Angel", a top ten hit throughout Europe, received a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Dance Recording.[2]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(48/100)[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]
Billboard(favorable)[1]
Entertainment WeeklyC[5]
Rolling Stone(favourable)[6]
Indianapolis Star(favourable)[7]

Upon release, Renaissance received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 48 based on 6 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[3] Billboard wrote that "equal parts Cher's Believe and Enrique Iglesias' Enrique, Renaissance finds Richie in an oh-so-contemporary setting, encompassing uptempo dance, Latin-hued and funky pop, and power ballads [..] While this may sound like a farfetched concept on paper, it works surprisingly well on disc – albeit without breaking any new ground."[1] Rolling Stone critic Richard Skanse called the album Renaissance "unabashedly slick adult contemporary fare – file between Eric Clapton's work with Babyface and the last Tina Turner album – but Richie can still write and sing the hell out of a get-you-right-there-where-it-hurts ballad [...] Richie scores a hit with it himself."[6]

Allmusic editor Liana Jonas found that Renaissance was "another post-Commodores album that misses the mark. Most of the songs don't particularly fit any radio format, with the exception of adult contemporary, but that's not the problem. Lacking a radio home doesn't make for a bad recording. It's the material on Renaissance, which is uninteresting, and Richie's voice is often out of place with the music [...] It's painful to hear such floundering work by a performer who listeners know can do better."[4] Entertainment Weekly critic Matt Diehl remarked that "on Reniassance, the soul slickster tries to get back on top with the help of superproducer Rodney Jerkins and by channeling Cher on the Eurodisco "Angel". But the sappy lyrics indicate he hasn’t ended his affair with romantic cliches, and the island rhythms of "Cinderella" call to mind Richie’s own 1983 smash "All Night Long". More a retread than a renaissance."[5]

Track listing
Standard version
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Angel" (Metro Mix Album Version)
4:15
2."Cinderella"
  • Richie
  • Joe Wolfe
  • Richie
  • Wolfe
3:42
3."Tender Heart"
  • Richie
  • Barry
  • Billy Lawrie
  • Rawling
  • Taylor
4:28
4."Dance the Night Away"
Afanasieff5:08
5."Tonight"
  • Jerkins
  • Daniels[a]
4:31
6."How Long"Richie
  • Richie
  • Wolfe
3:55
7."Don't You Ever Go Away[c]"
  • Richie
  • Lloyd Tolbert
  • Richie
  • Tolbert
4:13
8."Wasted Time"
  • Jerkins III
  • Daniels[a]
4:07
9."Piece of My Heart"
  • Richie
  • Wolfe
  • Richie
  • Wolfe
4:15
10."It May Be the Water"
Simmons4:56
11."Here Is My Heart"
  • Richie
  • Barry
  • Taylor
  • Rawling
  • Taylor
4:03
12."Don't Stop the Music"
  • Richie
  • Barry
  • Taylor
  • Rawling
  • Taylor
4:13
International version (bonus track)
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Angel" (Boogieman Remix Extended)
  • Richie
  • Barry
  • Taylor
  • Rawling
  • Taylor
  • Boogieman[b]
  • Island Bros[b]
4:03
European version
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
11."Just Can't Say Goodbye"
  • Richie
  • Barry
  • Taylor
  • Rawling
  • Taylor
4:08
12."Here Is My Heart"
  • Richie
  • Barry
  • Taylor
  • Rawling
  • Taylor
4:03
13."Don't Stop the Music"
  • Richie
  • Barry
  • Taylor
  • Rawling
  • Taylor
4:13
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies a vocal producer
  • ^[b] signifies a remixer
  • ^[c] On some editions, the track "Don't You Ever Go Away" is replaced by "I Forgot".

Charts

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[30] Gold 20,000*
Germany (BVMI)[31] Platinum 300,000^
Italy (FIMI)[32] Gold 50,000*
Netherlands (NVPI)[33] Platinum 80,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[34] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Platinum 300,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[36] Platinum 1,000,000*
Worldwide — 1,000,000[32]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Lionel Richie: Renaissance". Billboard Magazine. Archived from the original on April 21, 2001.
  2. "Lionel Richie". grammy.com.
  3. Critic reviews at Metacritic
  4. "Lionel Richie: Renaissance". allmusic.com.
  5. Entertainment Weekly review
  6. "Lionel Richie: Renaissance". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 30, 2007.
  7. "Lionel Richie: Renaissance". newspapers.com. Indianapolis Star.
  8. "Austriancharts.at – Lionel Richie – Renaissance" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  9. "Danishcharts.dk – Lionel Richie – Renaissance". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  10. "Dutchcharts.nl – Lionel Richie – Renaissance" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  11. "Ultratop.be – Lionel Richie – Renaissance" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  12. "Lescharts.com – Lionel Richie – Renaissance". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  13. "Offiziellecharts.de – Lionel Richie – Renaissance" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  14. "Italiancharts.com – Lionel Richie – Renaissance". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  15. "Norwegiancharts.com – Lionel Richie – Renaissance". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  16. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  17. "Swedishcharts.com – Lionel Richie – Renaissance". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  18. "Swisscharts.com – Lionel Richie – Renaissance". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  19. "Lionel Richie | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  20. "Lionel Richie Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  21. "Lionel Richie Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  22. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2000". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  23. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts (2000)". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  24. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2000". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  25. "Top 200 Albums of 2001 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on November 6, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  26. "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001". Jam!. January 8, 2002. Archived from the original on November 22, 2002. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  27. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2001". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  28. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts (2001)". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  29. "The Official UK Albums Chart (2001)" (PDF). Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  30. "Austrian album certifications – Lionel Richie – Renaissance" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  31. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Lionel Richie; 'Renaissance')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  32. "Lionel Richie: Renaissance". Billboard. April 14, 2001. p. 13. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  33. "Dutch album certifications – Lionel Richie – Renaissance" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved April 2, 2019. Enter Renaissance in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2001 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  34. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Lionel Richie; 'Renaissance')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  35. "British album certifications – Lionel Richie – Renaissance". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  36. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2001". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
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