Lost and Found (Will Smith album)

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Lost and Found
Lostandfound.jpg
Studio album by Will Smith
Released March 29, 2005 (2005-03-29)
Recorded
Genre Hip hop
Length 55:05
Label Interscope
Producer
Will Smith chronology
Greatest Hits
(2002)Greatest Hits2002		 Lost and Found
(2005)
Singles from Lost and Found
  1. "Switch"
    Released: February 15, 2005
  2. "Party Starter"
    Released: August 2, 2005

Lost and Found is the fourth solo studio album by American rapper Will Smith. Recorded with a range of producers, including The Freshmen and Omarr "O. Banga" Rambert, it was released on March 29, 2005 by Interscope Records. The album reached number 6 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Making this Smith's third overall top ten album following Willennium in 1999 and his second gold-selling album following Born to Reign in 2002. The album also reached the top 20 on the UK Albums Chart. "Switch" and "Party Starter" were released as singles.

Recording and production

The majority of recording for Lost and Found took place at The Boom Boom Room in Burbank, California, with additional sessions at The Studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Cutting Room in New York City, New York, 1020 Sound Studios in Philadelphia, and Crescent Moon Studios in Miami, Florida.[1] Almost all songs on the album were produced or co-produced by The Freshmen, or individual member Troy "Treezah" Johnson, with executive producer Omarr "O. Banga" Rambert producing much of Smith's vocals; DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kwamé, and more also contributed to production.[1]

Promotion and release

The release of Lost and Found was preceded by the single "Switch" in February 2005, which gave Smith his first US Billboard Hot 100 top ten since "Wild Wild West" in 1999.[2] "Switch" was also successful internationally, reaching the top ten on a number of regional charts including the UK Singles Chart.[3] "Party Starter" was the second and final single released from the album, reaching the top 20 in the UK.[3]

Composition

Writing a review of the album for the website AllMusic, Andy Kellman claimed that the lyrics on Lost and Found contribute to "the least party-oriented album Smith has made", blaming the poor sales performance of previous album Born to Reign and criticism by other rappers and radio personalities for making Smith "a little bitter".[4] PopMatters writer Mike Schiller identifies a similar tone on the album, noting that Smith is "surprisingly confrontational" on much of the record, targeting subjects such as rap radio and other hip hop artists.[5] Rolling Stone writer Christian Hoard noted that the lyrics on the album feature "lots of self-deprecating humor".[6]

Critical reception

Commercial

Lost and Found enjoyed some commercial success. The album peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200,[7] and reached number four on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[8] Outside of the US, it reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart, and also reached the top 20 in Germany.[9]

Critical

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic[4] 3/5 stars
Blender[10] 2/5 stars
Entertainment Weekly[11] B+
The Guardian[12] 2/5 stars
PopMatters[5] 7/10
Rolling Stone[6] 2/5 stars
The Village Voice[13] Unfavorable

Media response to Lost and Found was mixed; aggregating website Metacritic reports a normalized rating of 50, based on 10 critical reviews, indicating "Mixed or average reviews".[12] Entertainment Weekly awarded the album a B+ rating, describing it as "packed with the sort of undeniable pleasures only the most churlish thug could deny".[11] Andy Kellman of AllMusic described it as "an entertaining and thoughtful album for young kids and their parents to listen to and talk about",[4] while PopMatters' Mike Schiller praised Lost and Found as a return to form for Smith, but noted that his audience had likely dwindled by the time of the album's release.[5]

Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone noted that while the album features "plenty of up-to-date beats", Lost and Found is let down by the fact that Smith does not have "a commanding presence" on many of the songs, which Hoard claimed made the rapper "utterly unconvincing" and "fast running out of steam".[6] A review in The Guardian simply concluded that "[Smith's] decision to stray from his usual blend of impish party tunes and extended jingles for the latest summer blockbuster constitutes one of the most ill-advised career moves since MC Hammer went gangsta".[12] Greg Tate of The Village Voice dubbed Lost and Found "the lamest album that'll be released this year", describing Smith's style as "imitation hip-hop".[13]

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Here He Comes" (performed by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince)
2:20
2. "Party Starter"  
4:09
3. "Switch"  
  • Kwamé
  • Banga[b]
 3:17
4. "Mr. Niceguy"  
  • Smith
  • Johnson
  • The Freshmen
 2:21
5. "Ms. Holy Roller"  
  • The Freshmen
 3:39
6. "Lost & Found"  
  • Smith
  • Johnson
  • Ronald Jackson
  • D. Lewis
  • The Freshmen
  • Banga[b]
 4:16
7. "Tell Me Why" (featuring Mary J. Blige)
  • Smith
  • Armique Wyche
  • Johnson
  • Jae Staxx
  • Banga
 4:29
8. "I Wish I Made That/Swagga"  
  • "I Wish I Made That": Smith
  • Johnson
  • "Swagga": Smith
  • Johnson
  • Jackson
  • Omarr Rambert
  • Bennett
  • "I Wish I Made That": The Freshmen
  • JYP[a]
  • "Swagga": The Freshmen
  • Banga[b]
 4:16
9. "Pump Ya Brakes" (featuring Snoop Dogg)
  • The Freshmen
  • Banga
 3:34
10. "If U Can't Dance (Slide)" (featuring Nicole Scherzinger)
  • Smith
  • Johnson
  • The Freshmen
  • Banga[b]
 4:03
11. "Could U Love Me"  
  • Smith
  • George Archie
2:50
12. "Loretta"  
  • Smith
  • Johnson
  • The Freshmen
 4:55
13. "Wave Em Off"  
  • DJ Twinz
 3:31
14. "Scary Story"  
  • Hotrunner
  • Eleet Beats
  • Treezah[c]
 3:39
15. "Switch" (...R&B remix, featuring Robin Thicke)
  • Smith
  • Holland
  • Bennett
  • Co P
  • Banga
 4:45
16. "Switch" (...Reggae remix, featuring Elephant Man (hidden track))
  • Smith
  • Holland
  • Bennett
  • Banga
 3:51
Total length:
 55:05
Notes[1]
  • ^a signifies a co-producer
  • ^b signifies a vocal producer
  • ^c signifies an additional producer
  • "Party Starter" features vocals by Jorge Maciel.
  • "Tell Me Why" features vocals by Tye Tribbett and G.A.
  • "Pump Ya Brakes" features vocals by O. Banga.
  • "Could U Love Me" features vocals by Andre Merritt.
  • "Loretta" features vocals by Kelli Price.
  • "Scary Story" features vocals by Willow Smith.
  • "Coming to the Stage" and "We Won't" feature vocals by DJ Kool.
Sample credits[1]

Personnel

Personnel credits adapted from liner notes.[1]

Chart positions

Chart Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[14] 30
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15] 44
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[16] 76
French Albums (SNEP)[17] 103
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] 14
Italian Albums (FIMI)[15] 31
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[15] 92
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 35
UK Albums (OCC)[3] 15
US Billboard 200[7] 6
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] 4

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Will Smith | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Will Smith – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Will Smith. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Will Smith – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Will Smith. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Will Smith – Lost And Found" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "Ultratop.be – Will Smith – Lost And Found" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2015. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "FLA" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "FLA" defined multiple times with different content
  16. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Will Smith – Lost And Found" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Will Smith – Lost And Found". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Will Smith – Lost And Found". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2015.

External links

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