Chapter V (Trey Songz album)

Chapter V is the fifth studio album by American R&B recording artist Trey Songz, released on August 21, 2012, by Atlantic Records. It was produced by several record producers, including Troy Taylor, Eric Hudson, Rico Love, and Benny Blanco, among others. Recording sessions for the album took place at several recording studios in Miami—Circle House Studios and Songbook Miami Studios—and New York City—Downtown Music Studios, Engine Room Audio, Icon Studio, Lotzah Matzah Studios, and Premier Digital—as well as Stanley House Studios in London.[2]

Chapter V
Studio album by Trey Songz
Released	August 21, 2012 (2012-08-21)
Recorded	2010–12
Genre	R&B pop[1]
Length	65:31
Label	Songbook Atlantic
Producer	Trey Songz (exec.) Rico Love Troy Taylor (also exec.) J-Kits Benny Blanco Eric Hudson John "SK" McGee E. Miles A-Wall Darhyl Camper Josh Garrison C4 Ty$
Trey Songz chronology
Inevitable (2011) Chapter V (2012) Trigga (2014)
Singles from Chapter V
"Heart Attack" Released: March 26, 2012 "2 Reasons" Released: June 12, 2012 "Simply Amazing" Released: August 12, 2012 "Never Again" Released: November 23, 2012

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 135,000 copies in its first week. It was promoted with four singles, including the Grammy nominated hit "Heart Attack" UK hit "Simply Amazing" and US hit 2 Reasons. Upon its release, Chapter V received generally positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its sound and Songz' singing, although some were ambivalent towards its songwriting and themes.

Release and promotion

Chapter V was released on August 21, 2012, by Atlantic Records, and on August 17 as a digital download.[3] Trey Songz toured in promotion of the album on his Anticipation 2our, a tour spanning from February 9 to March 11, 2012, in North America.[4] Rapper Big Sean was the tour's supporting act.[4] Music videos for "Hail Mary" and "Dive In", directed by Justin Francis, were released, on August 20 and October 7, respectively.[5][6][7]

The album's lead single, "Heart Attack", was released as a digital download on March 26, 2012.[8] It charted at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100,[9] and number 28 on the UK Singles Chart.[10] Its music video was released on May 4 and featured Kelly Rowland playing Songz' love interest.[11] The second single "2 Reasons" was released on June 12.[12] Its video was premiered on June 12 by BET's 106 & Park.[13] "Simply Amazing" was released in the United Kingdom on August 12.[14] It charted at number eight in the UK.[10] Its music video, directed by Justin Francis, was released on July 23.[15] "Never Again" was released as a single in the UK in November.[16] Its music video was released on November 21.[17]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	68/100[18]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[19]
The Guardian	[1]
Los Angeles Times	[20]
Newsday	B–[21]
Rolling Stone	[22]

Chapter V received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 68, based on eight reviews.[18] Allmusic's Andy Kellman commended Songz for "singing about what [he] can do for — rather than to" his female subjects and stated, "Those who tire of the coarse metaphors, disrobing scenes, and 'panty wetter' talk can get lost in the sleek, layered work of Troy Taylor and his associates. The snaking rhythms are just as remarkable as the hypnotic synthesizer textures."[19] Sarah Godfrey of The Washington Post complimented Songz' "signature blend of soft-core imagery and sweet nothings" and wrote that the album "highlights Songz’s unique role in R&B: He bridges the gap between sexless boy bands and unromantic raunchy singers, between young guys who sing shallow songs about strip clubs and old guys who sing heavy songs about their divorces."[23] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times dubbed it "one of his most consistently strong albums" in spite of the potential "conundrum" of drawing on R. Kelly and Usher as influences.[24]

In a mixed review, Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times was ambivalent towards its boudior-themed songs and felt that Songz "might be R&B's most single-minded star".[20] Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone found it to be "full of big ballads and bigger club beats that take dead aim at the pop mainstream", but added that "Songz is at his best playing to his R&B base".[22] BBC Music's Natalie Shaw viewed that Songz does not "reveal a deeper side to his songwriting" until track nine.[25] Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe felt that it "could use editing", but wrote that "throughout this he sings with urgency and expressiveness."[26] Although he viewed that Songz lacks "natural charisma", Alex Macpherson of The Guardian commended Troy Taylor for making the album "admirably cohesive" and Songz for "mov[ing] into traditional R Kelly territory", writing that it "helps to reinforce Songz's status as the formidable understudy of R&B."[1]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first week sales of 135,000 copies.[27] It was Songz' first album to top the chart.[27] Chapter V was also Songz' first album to chart in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 10 on the UK Albums Chart.[10] As of October 3, 2012, the album has sold 238,400 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[28] In August 2016, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and streaming equivalent units of over 500,000 units.[29]

Track listing

Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Chapter V"	Tremaine Neverson Troy Taylor Najja McDowell Ezekiel Lewis Edrick Miles	Taylor Miles	1:54
2.	"Dive In"	Neverson Taylor McDowell Josh Garrison	Taylor Garrison	4:12
3.	"Panty Wetter"	Neverson Taylor Eric Hudson	Taylor Hudson	3:50
4.	"Heart Attack"	Neverson Richard Butler, Jr. Benjamin Levin	Benny Blanco Rico Love^[a]	3:53
5.	"Playin Hard"	Neverson Taylor McDowell Lewis Jerren Spruill	Taylor J-Kits	3:54
6.	"2 Reasons" (featuring T.I.)	Neverson Taylor McDowell Clifford Harris, Jr. Kyle Stewart Menardini Timothee	Taylor	3:17
7.	"Hail Mary" (featuring Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne)	Neverson Taylor Lewis Dwayne Carter, Jr. Jay Jenkins Adam Crask	Taylor Skyy Stylez	3:55
8.	"Don't Be Scared" (featuring Rick Ross)	Neverson Taylor William Roberts II Alex Neverson	Taylor A-Wall	3:46
9.	"Pretty Girl's Lie"	Neverson Taylor McDowell Lewis Spruill Darhyl Camper	Taylor J-Kits Hey DJ	3:47
10.	"Bad Decisions"	Neverson Butler Dwayne Nesmith	Rico Love D-Town	4:33
11.	"Forever Yours"	Neverson Taylor McDowell Lewis Miles	Taylor Miles	4:14
12.	"Inside Interlewd"	Neverson Taylor John McGee	$K J-Kits^[b]	1:41
13.	"Fumble"	Neverson Taylor Tyrone Griffin Darius Barnes Janice Fyffe Chuck Gibson Alagy Sanneh Nate Welch	Buddah Shampoo Phonix Beats Taylor^[b] Ty$^[b]	3:57
14.	"Without a Woman"	Neverson Taylor McDowell Lewis Hudson Sean Fenton	Taylor Hudson	4:04
15.	"Interlude4U"	Neverson Taylor Spruill	Taylor J-Kits	1:37
16.	"Simply Amazing"	Neverson Taylor McDowell	Taylor	3:59
17.	"Never Again"	Neverson Teemu Brunila James Abrahart Curtis Mayfield Matt Prime	Prime	3:49
18.	"Check Me Out" (featuring Diddy and Meek Mill)	Neverson Taylor Spruill Brandon Green Robert Williams	Taylor J-Kits	4:59 (physical version) 3:34 (digital version)

Physical Copies Hidden Track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
19.	"Chapter V (Outro)"	Neverson Taylor McDowell Lewis Miles	5:31
Total length:			70:52

iTunes deluxe edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
19.	"Ladies Go Wild"	Neverson	Neverson	3:42
20.	"Almost Lose It"	Neverson Umana	C4	4:19
21.	"Heart Attack" (music video)		Benny Boom	4:14
22.	"2 Reasons" (featuring T.I.) (music video)		Benny Boom	3:22

Notes

• ^{^[a]} – co-production
• ^{^[b]} – additional production

Personnel

Credits for Chapter V adapted from Allmusic.[30]

• Diego Avendaño – assistant
• Darius Barnes – producer
• Edgar Bautista – assistant
• Nick Bilardello – art direction, design
• Benny Blanco – engineer, instrumentation, producer, programming
• Jo Jo Brim – management
• Darhyl Camper – producer
• Angelo Caputo – assistant engineer
• Joseph Caravalho – assistant
• Mike Caren – A&R
• Chris Celestine – general manager
• Cameron Chambers – guitar
• Mark B. Christensen – mastering
• Talia Coles – stylist
• Philip Cook – programming
• Anthony Daniel – engineer
• Diddy – featured artist
• Jimmy Fontaine – photography
• Lanre Gaba – A&R
• Josh Garrison – producer
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• Chuck Gibson – guitar
• John Hanes – engineer
• Dionne Harper – marketing
• Trehy Harris – assistant
• Benoit Holliger – assistant
• Jean-Marie Horvat – mixing
• Matt Huber – assistant
• Eric Hudson – producer
• Jaycen Joshua – mixing
• Lil Wayne – featured artist
• Kevin Liles – management
• Rico Love – background vocals, producer, vocals
• Andrew Luftman – assistant
• Robert Marks – mixing
• Thurston McCrea – engineer
• John McGee – producer
• Pierre Medor – engineer
• Meek Mill – featured artist
• Edrick Miles – producer
• Dwayne Nesmith – keyboards, producer, programming
• Alex Neverson – producer
• Phillip Peterson – strings
• Matt Prime – guitar, keyboards, producer, programming
• Tony Rey – vocal engineer
• Rick Ross – featured artist
• Alagy Sanneh – producer
• Phil Seaford – assistant
• Sevyn – vocals
• Jerren "J-Kits" Spruill – additional production, producer
• Zach Steele – engineer
• Skyy Stylez – producer
• T.I. – featured artist
• Troy Taylor – additional production, bass, executive producer, keyboards, percussion, piano, producer
• Sean Thompson – assistant
• Carolyn Tracey – package production
• Trey Songz – executive producer, primary artist, vocals
• Ty$ – additional production, guitar
• Christopher Umana – producer
• Scott "Yarmov" Yarmovsky – production coordination
• Young Jeezy – featured artist

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2012) Peak position Australian Albums Chart[31] 18 Australian Urban Albums Chart[32] 3 Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[31] 156 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[31] 100 Canadian Albums Chart[33] 13 Dutch Albums Chart[31] 6 French Albums Chart[31] 64 New Zealand Albums Chart[31] 36 UK Albums Chart[34] 10 UK R&B Albums Chart[35] 1 US Billboard 200[27] 1 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[36] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2012) Position US Billboard 200[37] 99 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[38] 20 Chart (2013) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[39] 55

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[40]	Gold	500,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Regions	Dates	Format(s)	Label(s)
United States	August 17, 2012	Digital download[41]	Atlantic Records
	August 21, 2012	CD[42]

References

1. Macpherson, Alex (August 16, 2012). "Trey Songz: Chapter V – review". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media Limited. section G2, p. 16. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
2. "Trey Songz - Chapter V CD Album". CD Universe. Muze. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
3. "Chapter V - Trey Songz : Release Information, Reviews and Credits". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
4. "Trey Songz Announces "Anticipation 2our" with Big Sean". TrueExclusives.com. January 7, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
5. "IN PRODUCTION: Trey Songz - Justin Francis, dir". videostatic.com. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
6. "New Music: Trey Songz f/ Lil Wayne & Young Jeezy – 'Hail Mary' [Snippet]". rap-up.com. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
7. "Watch the WORLD PREMIERE of "Dive In" on MTV! - Trey Songz Latest News". treysongz.com. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
8. "Heart Attack". Retrieved 25 March 2017 – via Amazon.
9. "Trey Songz Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
10. "Trey Songz". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
11. "Video: Trey Songz – 'Heart Attack'". rap-up.com. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
12. "2 Reasons (feat. T.I.) [Explicit]: Trey Songz: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
13. "Trey Songz Sets 'Chapter V' Release Date". Rap-Up. June 8, 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
14. "Capital FM". capitalfm.com. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
15. "Video: Trey Songz – 'Simply Amazing'". rap-up.com. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
16. "UK Forthcoming Singles". Radio1 Rodos Greece. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2012-09-29.
17. "Video: Trey Songz – 'Never Again'". rap-up.com. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
18. "Chapter V Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
19. Kellman, Andy. "Chapter V - Trey Songz". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
20. Wood, Mikael (August 20, 2012). "Trey Songz's 'Chapter V' aims for seduction: Review". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles: Tribune Company. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
21. Gamboa, Glenn (August 20, 2012). "Trey Songz, 'Chapter V' aims to please". Newsday. Melville. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
22. Rosen, Jody (September 10, 2012). "Chapter V". Rolling Stone. New York. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
23. Godfrey, Sarah (August 20, 2012). "'Chapter V' by Trey Songz". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
24. Caramanica, Jon (August 21, 2012). "CD's by Trey Songz, Bloc Party and Six Organs of Admittance". The New York Times. New York: The New York Times Company. p. C1. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
25. Shaw, Natalie (August 20, 2012). "Review of Trey Songz - Chapter V". BBC Music. BBC. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
26. Capobianco, Ben (August 20, 2012). "Trey Songz, 'Chapter V'". The Boston Globe. Boston: The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
27. Caulfield, Keith (2012-08-29). "Trey Songz Gets First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
28. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2012-10-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
29. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-12-07. Retrieved 2014-05-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
30. "Chapter V - Trey Songz : Release Credits". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
31. "Trey Songz – Chapter V". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
32. "ARIA Australian Top 40 Urban Albums Chart – 03/09/2012". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
33. "Canadian Albums: Week of September 8, 2012". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
34. "Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive – 01/09/2012". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
35. "Top 40 Official UK R&B Albums Archive – 01/09/2012". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
36. "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Week of September 8, 2012". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
37. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
38. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
39. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
40. "American album certifications – Trey Songz – Chapter V". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
41. "Chapter V [Explicit]: Trey Songz: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
42. "Trey Songz - Chapter V CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved November 9, 2012.

External links

• Chapter V at Discogs