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Album II (Kem album)

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Album II

| type = studio

| artist = Kem

| cover = AlbumII.jpg

| border = yes

| alt =

| released = May 17, 2005

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio =

| genre =

| length = 50:51

| label = Motown

| producer =

  • Kem
  • Carlos Gunn

| prev_title = Kemistry

| prev_year = 2003

| next_title = Intimacy: Album III

| next_year = 2010

}}

Album II is the second studio album American singer Kem. It was released by Motown Records on May 17, 2005, in the United States. The album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 with first-weeks sales of 140,000 copies, also topping the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. In 2014, it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Album II spawned the single "I Can't Stop Loving You" which became a hit on adult contemporary R&B radio stations, reaching number 20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Critical reception

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = Allmusic

| rev1score = {{rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/album-ii-mw0000655586|title=Album II|website=AllMusic |accessdate=September 20, 2020 |last=Kellman|first=Andy}}

}}

Andy Kellman, writing for Allmusic, found that Kem's "kind of R&B is kicked-back with sparse arrangements made elegantly rich with starlit keyboards, subtle guitar flicks, and feminine vocals. Understated but assured, his vocals exhibit a lot of range despite almost always remaining at the volume of a bedroom whisper. So he's really out place in the early 2000s, not stylistically disparate from what you'd hear late at night on a soul station in the late '70s or early '80s. On Album II, there's no stab taken at finding a younger or different audience."

Chart performance

Album II debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 with 140,000 copies sold in the first week released.{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/62790/system-of-a-down-mezmerizes-album-chart |title=System Of A Down 'Mezmerizes' Album Chart |publisher=Billboard.com |date= |accessdate=2011-11-19}} Two months later, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) with an excess of 500,000 copies sold. In 2014, the album was certified platinum.{{cite web|url=http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Kem |title=Recording Industry Association of America |publisher=RIAA |accessdate=2011-11-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924151606/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1 |archivedate=2015-09-24 }}

Track listing

All songs written by Kem except where noted.

  1. "Find Your Way (Back in My Life)" – 4:34
  2. "Heaven" – 6:23
  3. "Into You" – 5:04
  4. "I Can't Stop Loving You" – 5:25
  5. "Without You" – 4:10
  6. "Set You Free" – 4:28
  7. "I'm in Love" – 4:34
  8. "True Love" – 4:27
  9. "Each Other" – 3:46
  10. "You Might Win" – 3:48
  11. "I Get Lifted" (Richard Finch, Harry Wayne Casey) – 4:05

Production

  • Produced By Kem & Carlos Gunn (co-produced vocals)
  • Engineers: Carlos Gunn, Eric Morgeson
  • Assistant Engineers: Isaiah Abolin, Brian Russell
  • Mixing: Ray Bardani
  • Mastering: Chris Gehringer

Personnel

  • Kem: Keyboards, Lead & Backing Vocals
  • Brian O'Neal: Keyboards, Synthesizers
  • Quentin Baxter, Reggie McTaw: Guitars
  • David McMurray: Saxophone
  • Stevie Wonder: Harmonica
  • Fred Robinson, Al Turner: Bass
  • Ron Otis: Drums
  • Marlon Curry: Percussion

Charts

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"| Chart (2005)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{album chart|Billboard200|5|artist=Kem|rowheader=true|accessdate=September 20, 2020|refname="Billboard200"}}
{{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|1|artist=Kem|rowheader=true|accessdate=September 20, 2020|refname="BillboardRandBHipHop"}}

{{col-2}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
Chart (2005)

!Position

scope="row"| US Billboard 200{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2005/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2005|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=September 20, 2020}}

|align="center"|112

scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2005/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2005|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=September 20, 2020}}

|align="center"|22

Chart (2006)

!Position

scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2006/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2006|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=September 24, 2020}}

|align="center"|80

{{col-end}}

Certifications

{{certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album |region=United States |artist=Kem |title=Album II |award=Platinum |certyear=2014|relyear=2005 |access-date=September 20, 2020}}

{{Certification Table Bottom| nosales=true}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.discogs.com/Kem-Album-II/release/555702 Kem – Album II (CD) at Discogs]

{{Kem}}

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Category:Kem (singer) albums

Category:2005 albums

Category:Motown albums