''Back 2 Life'' is the third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by Jamaican-American singer

Sean Kingston Kisean Paul Anderson (born February 3, 1990), better known by his stage name Sean Kingston, is an American-Jamaican singer and rapper. He is known for his hit songs " Beautiful Girls", "Fire Burning", " Take You There", and his collaboration wit ...

. The album was released on September 10, 2013. The album was supported by the single "

Beat It "Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, '' Thriller'' (1982). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. Jones encouraged Jackson to include a rock song on the album. Jackson l ...

" which peaked at number 52 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album features

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...

s from T.I.,

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 200 ...

, Wale,

Yo Gotti Mario Sentell Giden Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. In 1996, Gotti released his debut album ''Youngsta's On a Come Up'' under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to re ...

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

and

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, al ...

Singles

On July 23, 2010, the first promotional single, produced by Paul A., "

Letting Go (Dutty Love) "Letting Go (Dutty Love)" is a song by American recording artist Sean Kingston. It was produced by Stargate, and features rapper Nicki Minaj. The song was originally released as the second single from Kingston's third studio album, ''Back 2 Life ...

" featuring

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

, was released. On August 3, the music video was released. On September 7, the second promotional single "Dumb Love" was released. On December 21, the third promotional single "

Party All Night (Sleep All Day) "Party All Night (Sleep All Day)" is a song by American-Jamaican recording artist Sean Kingston. The song was originally released as the fourth single from Kingston's third studio album, '' Back 2 Life'', but was taken off for unknown reasons. It ...

" was released, followed by its music video on December 23. On June 5, 2012, the album's lead single "

Back 2 Life (Live It Up) "Back 2 Life (Live It Up)" is a reggae fusion, R&B and hip hop song by American recording artist Sean Kingston, featuring vocals from American rapper, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur T.I. The song was released on June 5, 2012 as the lea ...

" featuring T.I. and produced by Paul A. was released. A music video followed on June 8, 2012. On November 16, the fourth promotional single "

Rum and Raybans "Rum and Raybans" is a song by American recording artist Sean Kingston, featuring vocals from British singer Cher Lloyd. Written by Cameron Forbes and produced by " The Elev3n", the song was originally released as the second single from Kingston's ...

" featuring

Cher Lloyd Cher Lloyd (born 28 July 1993) is an English singer. She finished fourth place in the seventh series of ''The X Factor'' in 2010. Following the seventh series finale, Lloyd was signed to Syco Music. Her debut single, " Swagger Jagger", was r ...

was released, with its music video released on November 18. On April 15, 2013, the second single "

" featuring

and

was released. On April 29, 2013, the music video was released. On September 10, 2013, the music video was released for "Seasonal Love" featuring Wale.

Critical response

''Back 2 Life'' was met with generally mixed reviews from

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...

s. David Jeffries of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

gave the album four out of five stars, saying "Previewed by the

Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven " Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four " Back to ...

-sampling single 'Back 2 Life (Live It Up)' featuring T.I., plus the cool and slow 'Beat It' with special guests Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa, Sean Kingston's third album is a slick, wide-reaching affair with production coming from the likes of J.R. Rotem, Nic Nac, and RedOne. Besides the names above, the guest list reads like an all-star roster with 2 Chainz, Wale, Busta Rhymes, and Yo Gotti all lending a hand, but it's the mature Kingston who is in control and going it alone on the more sweet and sincere highlights." Brent Faulkner of

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

gave the album a four out of ten, saying Ultimately, ''Back 2 Life'' relies too heavily on sex and partying for its inspiration. Sure, Kingston's celebration is completely understandable, but the lack of substance beyond drinks, smoking, and hooking up truly hurts this album. Even if rationalized as a 'guilty pleasure' upon an initial listen, the 'pleasure' part of the description is most definitely arguable."

Track listing

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2013 albums Sean Kingston albums Albums produced by J. R. Rotem Epic Records albums