Open Invitation is the fifth studio album by American singer Tyrese Gibson. It was released on November 1, 2011, through his own label, Voltron Recordz, with distribution handled by EMI. His first release under Voltron following his departure from J Records, the album features production from a range of producers, including Brandon Hodge, David Banner, and Lil' Ronnie, among others. It also includes guest appearances by Rick Ross, Ludacris, T.I., Jay Rock, Big Sean, Busta Rhymes, and Faith Evans.
Critics viewed Open Invitation as a confident return for Tyrese, blending classic R&B elements with both praise for its charm and critique of its lyrical excesses. In 2012, it earned him a nomination for Best R&B Album at the 55th Grammy Awards. A commercial success, the album debuted and peaked at number nine on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 76,000 copies in its first week, making it Tyrese's second top 10 album.
Background
In 2006, Tyrese released
Alter Ego, his second studio album with
J Records.
The album debuted at number 23 on the US
Billboard 200 chart, selling 116,000 copies in its first week,
but became his lowest selling-album by then.
Finding himself with increasingly less say over his projects, while also feeling neglected ober his decision to experience with rap on
Alter Ego,
he ended his four-year, two-album relationship with J in 2006 and he primarily focused on his acting career, taking on roles in the
Transformers franchise and 2011's action sequel
Fast Five.
Eager to regain creative control, Tyrese pursued a label deal that would allow him to retain ownership of his masters.
Promotion
The album's lead single "Stay" was released for digital download in the United States on August 16, 2011.
The song missed the US
Billboard Hot 100 chart, but peaked at number 11 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
s second single "Too Easy" featuring
Ludacris was released for digital download on August 30, 2011.
It peaked at number 38 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart dated October 15, 2011.
A music video for the song was released on October 12, 2011. The album's third single "Nothing On You" peaked at number 61 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart dated June 9, 2012.
Critical reception
Washington Post critic Sarah Godfrey described the project as "great, straightforward R&B" and a "sweet album of love songs." She concluded: "Considering the man is a
New York Times bestselling author, a blockbuster actor and, thanks to this latest album, once again an R&B force to be reckoned with, it's a pretty generous offer."
editor Andy Kellman found that on
Open Invitation, Tyrese "flits between sub-R. Kelly exaggerated forms of lechery and chivalry."
noted that "if the singer/actor/author’s musical cachet has diminished as a result of his hiatus, you can't tell from this self-released effort ... Tyrese makes admiring lyrical reference to Kelly’s 1993 classic
12 Play. "I swear I make it look too easy," he brags elsewhere, and indeed, there's some truth to that."
Commercial performance
Open Invitation debuted at number nine on the US
Billboard 200 and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 76,000 copies in its first week of release.
This became Tyrese's second US top-ten debut on the chart.
In its second week, the album fell to number 18 on the chart with 33,000 additional copies sold,
and in the third week, it dropped to number 28, selling another 21,000 copies.
By June 2015, the album had sold 375,000 copies in the United States.
Track listing
- Notes
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signifies a co-producer
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signifies a vocal producer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
