The Reason (Lemar album)
The Reason is the fourth studio album by English soul/R&B singer Lemar. The album was released on 24 November 2008, and contains the singles, "If She Knew" and "Weight of the World".
| The Reason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 24 November 2008 (UK) | |||
| Recorded | 2007–2008 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:57 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Lemar chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Reason | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| DSD |  |
| The Guardian | Favorable link |
| The Observer |  |
| Orange | |
| The Times | |
| 95.8 Capital FM | Positive link |
Background
Eighteen months after the release of his single, "Tick Tock", Lemar returned in November 2008 with The Reason and its lead single "If She Knew".
The first single, "If She Knew", co-produced by SoulShock and Karlin, combined Lemar's heartfelt lyrics with layers of acoustic guitar. Lemar's signature balladry features on the album too, including the piano-driven "Mayday". He also ventures back to his soul roots with the infectious Over You and the funk-tinged uptempo "Little Miss Heartbreaker", produced by Jim Beanz.
Speaking to the UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul in November 2008, Lemar explained the thinking behind titling his fourth album The Reason: "I called the album The Reason because I wanted it to remind me of the reason why I became a musician in the first place. You know, I think the reason I became a recording artist was because the music I was listening to at the time was inspirational, exciting; it wasn't obvious... And that's what I wanted THIS album to be. I wanted to bring out a collection of songs that for me was inspiring, was thought-provoking, was current, and that hopefully came with an exciting, eclectic mix of styles."
Chart performance
The album entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 41 on the week closing 30 November 2008.
Singles
"If She Knew" was released for download at midnight on 6 November. From two full days of download sales, the single debuted on the UK singles chart at No. 61. The following Monday two physical formats were released additionally and the song climbed to its peak of No. 14. The third week it fell to No. 19 and the fourth to No. 21.
The second single, "Weight of the World", was released on 2 March 2009.
Although it was not released as a single, "Mayday" was included on The Hits album, released on 1 March 2010.
Track listing
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Reason" | 3:31 |
| 2. | "Weight of the World" (Jim Jonsin) | 4:20 |
| 3. | "Little Miss Heartbreaker" (Jim Beanz) | 3:57 |
| 4. | "If She Knew" (Claude Kelly, SoulShock, Karlin) | 3:33 |
| 5. | "Trust Me" (Salaam Remi) | 4:18 |
| 6. | "Over You" | 3:48 |
| 7. | "Mayday" | 3:37 |
| 8. | "Wait Forever" (Claude Kelly) | 3:32 |
| 9. | "Not What You Say" (Jack Splash) | 3:17 |
| 10. | "Black Tide" | 3:36 |
| 11. | "Won't Walk Away" (iTunes Bonus Track) (Ryan Tedder, Savan Kotecha) | 3:42 |
| 12. | "Fall Over" (iTunes Bonus Track) | 4:06 |
| 13. | "Diamonds" (iTunes Bonus Track) | 3:47 |
Charts
| Charts (2008) | Peak position[1] |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart | 41 |
The Reason Tour 2009
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 March 2009 | Carlisle | England | Carlisle Sands Centre |
| 17 March 2009 | Liverpool | Philharmonic Hall | |
| 20 March 2009 | Margate | Winter Gardens | |
| 21 March 2009 | Bournemouth | Bournemouth International Centre | |
| 23 March 2009 | Brentwood | Brentwood Leisure Centre | |
| 24 March 2009 | Ipswich | Regent Theatre | |
| 25 March 2009 | Preston | Preston Guildhall | |
| 27 March 2009 | Birmingham | O2 Academy | |
| 28 March 2009 | Brighton | The Brighton Centre | |
| 29 March 2009 | Oxford | New Theatre | |
| 31 March 2009 | Plymouth | Plymouth Pavilions | |
| 1 April 2009 | Swindon | Oasis Leisure Centre | |
| 4 April 2009 | Cardiff | Wales | Cardiff International Arena |
| 5 April 2009 | Portsmouth | England | Portsmouth Guildhall |
| 6 April 2009 | Cambridge | Corn Exchange | |
| 8 April 2009 | Southend-on-Sea | Southend Cliffs Pavilion | |
| 9 April 2009 | London | Royal Albert Hall | |
| 10 April 2009 | Nottingham | Nottingham Royal Centre | |
| 12 April 2009 | Newcastle | Newcastle City Hall | |
| 13 April 2009 | Sheffield | Sheffield City Hall | |
| 14 April 2009 | Harrogate | Harrogate International Centre | |
| 16 April 2009 | Glasgow | Scotland | Clyde Auditorium |
| 17 April 2009 | Manchester | England | Manchester Apollo |
- Notes
- The Reading Concert was cancelled.
- Concerts after 27 March were supported by JLS.
References
- "Lemar – The Reason – Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 7 January 2012.