Better Days (Joe album)

Better Days is the fourth studio album by American R&B singer Joe. It was released by Jive Records on December 11, 2001, in the United States. The album reached number 32 on the US Billboard 200 and number four on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It spawned three singles, including "Lets Stay Home Tonight", which reached number 18 on the US R&B chart; "What If a Woman", which reached number 13 on the US R&B chart, and "Isn't This the World". Better Days became Joe's second album to receive a Grammy Award nomination in the Best R&B Album category, while "Let's Stay Home Tonight" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. On August 7, 2002, a Japanese limited version of the album was released together with "Joe Video Collection: I Wanna Know and More Video" content, named "Better Days & The Video Collection".

Background
In a 2001 interview with Billboard, Joe disclosed that Better Day was inspired by a conversation that he had with a journalist overseas. He said: "We were talking about the state of R&B music. He thought that it was too risqué and that it didn't have much substance, R&B music needs to have a growth process."

Critical reception
AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier praised "Let's Stay Home Tonight" and "Ghetto Child" as highlights and Joe for carrying the record, but was critical of the track listing repeating various "songwriting techniques" and love story "motifs", concluding that "if you're looking for a few quality singles rather than a consistent album, you should find this to be an engaging album, even if its rushed and ultimately thin on original ideas." Vibe contributor Dimitri Ehrlich gave praise to Joe's musical inventiveness in utilizing instrumentation, "lyrical wit" and telling stories from a woman's perspective, concluding with: "Better Days is mostly a one-man show, a nice surprise in an era when few artists seem brave enough to resist all-star guests."

Billboard found that Joe "takes a message-oriented stance on Better Days" which "showcases the singer's sociopolitical side [...] A balance of positivity and soul, Better Days is the deft work of a true career artist – one who knows what it means to grow and evolve." In a negative review, Dorian Lynskey from The Guardian wrote: "This is everyman R&B, a little like Craig David minus the pop pizzazz, a little like D'Angelo without the sexual heat, but mostly thuddingly dull. Even the guest stars succumb to Joe's tractor beam of tedium [...] only the CD booklet, in which Joe poses thoughtfully in expensive jackets, provides some fun, albeit of the unintentionally comic variety."

Chart performance
The album debuted and peaked at number 32 on the US Billboard 200 in the week ending December 29, 2001. A considerable drop from his previous effort My Name Is Joe (2000) which had opened at number two on the chart, it was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 11, 2002. By that time, Better Days had sold 510,000 units in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Track listing
Notes Sample credits
 * undefined signifies additional producer(s)
 * undefined signifies remix producer(s)
 * "Better Days" contains a portion of "O-o-h Child" written by Stan Vincent, performed by the Five Stairsteps.
 * "Isn't This the World" contains portions of "Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind" by John Williams.
 * "Here She Comes" contains a portion of "Maneater" written by Daryl Hall, John Oates and Sara Allen, performed by Hall & Oates.

Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Better Days.


 * Musicians
 * Marlene Rice – violin (1, 2, 11)
 * Nioka Workman – cello (1, 2, 11)
 * Judith Insell-Staack – viola (1, 2, 11)
 * Hart Hollman and The Motown Romance Orchestra – orchestra (6)
 * The Lord's Church Children's Cathedral Choir – choir (6)


 * Production
 * Andy Brooks – assistant engineer (1, 4, 7, 8, 12)
 * Steef Van DeGevel – assistant engineer (2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 13)
 * Tim Roberts – assistant engineer (5)
 * Tony Flores – assistant engineer (6)
 * Allen "Allstar" Gordon – mixing (1, 4, 7, 8, 12)
 * Andy Blakelock – mixing (1, 4, 7, 8, 12)
 * Stephen George – mixing (2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 13)
 * Serban Ghenea – mixing (5)
 * Peter Mokran – mixing (6)
 * Tom Coyne – mastering (Sterling Sound)


 * Imagery
 * Denise Trotman – art direction and design
 * Jonathan Mannion – photography
 * Wendall Haskins – stylist
 * Andrea Richter – grooming