Second Chance (2010)

Second Chance is the fifth studio album by American R&B singer and songwriter El DeBarge. It was released on November 30, 2010, by Geffen Records and Interscope Records. It is his first studio album in 16 years and the follow-up to Heart, Mind and Soul (1994). Production for the album took place at various recording studios and was handled by DeBarge and several other record producers, including Ron Fair, Mike City, Michael Angelo, and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.

The album debuted at number 57 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 21,000 copies in its first week. It remained on the chart for 12 weeks and produced two singles, "Second Chance" and "Lay With You". Upon its release, Second Chance received acclaim from music critics, who complimented its material and praised DeBarge's singing. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, set to be presented at the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012.

 The album is DeBarge's first studio release in 16 years, following a period of drug addiction and legal problems.^[2] After his release from prison in 2009,^[2] he was introduced by his manager, Pete Farmer,^[3] to music executives Ron Fair and Jimmy Iovine at Geffen and Interscope Records.^[4] DeBarge sang a cappella in his audition for the label.^[5] He later said of the meeting and audition, "we put a plan together and the minute I stepped into the studio I was so nervous, but I felt so much power just coming through me soon as I hit the microphone it was like, it was still there".^[4] He subsequently signed a recording deal with the label and began working on Second Chance.

 Recording sessions for the album took place at various recording studios, namely Capitol Studios, Flyte Tyme Studios, House of Music, MAS Sounds Studio, Mischkemusic Studios, No Excuses, Oceanway Studios, Redstar Recording, Shelter Studios, Sly Doggie Studios, Sounds Studio, The Boiler Room, The Boom Boom Room, and Unsung Studios.^[7] DeBarge co-wrote and co-produced the album, working with producers such as Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Mike City, Ron Fair, The Avila Brothers, and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, who had worked with him on his previous album Heart, Mind and Soul (1994).^[6] He also worked with guest artists 50 Cent, Faith Evans, and Fabolous.^[8] DeBarge said of the album's music, "There's music to dance to and make love to, music to cry to. I'm starting from scratch, coming fresh. But my sound still embodies the same soulful, intricate harmonies".

 

Second Chance was released by Geffen Records on November 30, 2010, in the United States.^[9] It debuted at number 57 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and sold 21,000 copies in its first week,^[12] the week ending December 18, 2010.^[13] It also entered at number 13 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.^[14] The album spent 12 weeks on the Billboard 200.^[13] In the United Kingdom, Second Chance was released on February 11, 2011.^[9] It was also released as a two-disc deluxe edition,^[15] packaged with a bonus disc of Christmas-themed songs.^[16]

DeBarge made several well-received performances and reintroduced himself to the public.^[17] On June 27, 2010,^[18] he made his first media appearance since his prison release as a surprise guest at the 2010 BET Awards, performing a medley of his earlier hit songs as a member of DeBarge and as a solo artist,^[2][19] including "Second Chance".^[6] Subsequently, he opened for recording artist Vivian Green and performed at the 2010 Essence Music Festival in July.^[6] Throughout October 2010,^[20] he opened for recording artist Mary J. Blige on her Music Saved My Life Tour.^[2] He also made promotional appearances on BET's 106 & Park, The Steve Harvey Morning Show, and The Wendy Williams Show,^[17][21] as well as signing events at CD retailers in New York City, Chicago, and Houston during the album's release week.^[22]

The album's lead single, "Second Chance", was released on August 17, 2010 as a digital download.^[23] It debuted the following week at number 84 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.^[17] It spent two weeks on the chart and peaked at number 41.^[24] "Second Chance" earned DeBarge two Grammy Award nominations, for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song, presented at the 53rd Grammy Awards in 2011.^[25] The album's second single, "Lay with You", features Faith Evans and was released on October 25, 2010.^[26] It reached number 20 and spent 14 weeks on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.^[24]

In promotion of Second Chance, DeBarge headlined an eight-date national tour in October, coinciding with concert dates for Blige's tour.^[8] In December, he toured with recording artist Fantasia and performed on The Mo'Nique Show and The View.^[25][27] He was scheduled to tour during the Spring in the United States with Kem and Ledisi, beginning February 17, 2011, but withdrew after checking himself into a rehabilitation center to address his drug abuse.^[28] Recording artist Musiq Soulchild served as his replacement on the tour.

 El DeBarge was away longer than he was around. The first DeBarge album and the last El DeBarge album were separated by 13 years, and then 16 years passed between Heart, Mind & Soul and Second Chance. Apart from a handful of guest appearances during the latter half of the ‘90s and early 2000s, El was (to put it mildly) out of commission. So it’s extraordinary that this, his fifth solo album, exists. It’s something else that he’s in top form. Working with an assortment of mostly complementary collaborators, including Ron Fair, Mike City, Jam & Lewis, and the Avila Brothers, El tends to stick to sweet love songs -- pleasurable, fresh updates of his tried and true approach. His voice remains capable of elevating substandard material, not that there is much of it here. The acrobatic falsetto and supple harmonies are as present as ever. While the first ten songs would have made for a strong return on their own, the final three put Second Chance over the top as one of the year’s best R&B albums. The rippling “Sad Songs” and the sparse “The Other Side,” two of the three songs written with Jam & Lewis, illustrate heartbreak while tapping into a vivid anguish that El had never before approached. They are both exceptionally poignant; anyone with the vaguest idea about the singer's struggles will hear them as more than just remorseful breakup songs. In this context, the closing “Second Chance” -- issued as the album’s lead single -- sounds nothing short of triumphant. [Initial copies of the album, released in late November 2010, came with a three-song, Christmas-themed bonus disc.]