Star (702 album)

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Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[5]
Blender	[6]
Slant Magazine	[7]
Vibe	[8]

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Andy Kellman of Allmusic rated the album two and a half stars out of five and gave the work a rather dismissive review, stating that "it continues in the group's tradition of being able to deliver a couple of solid singles surrounded by middling to fair album tracks."^[5] PopMatters thought the album was dated and "trapped in a time warp" and that "It wants to be pre-Mary J. Blige hip-hop and R&B with some notable exceptions".^[9] Overall, they praised both Mario Winans and the Neptunes contributions to the album, and felt they managed "to create some haphazard hits here, lack of creativity aside".^[9]

Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine was mixed in his review.^[7] Cinquemani praised the albums first half of material, while disapproving of the second half calling it "a bit less successful".^[7] Nonetheless, he declared, "702 comes closest to capturing the buttery warm harmonies of Diana Ross and the Supremes—Destiny’s Child be damned. Star exists to prove that surprises can indeed be pleasant".^[7] Vibe editor Craig Seymour called the album "a sassy throwback" and added: "Star might have been garbage, given that the group recently reformed after a three-year recording hiatus [but] it manages to be a rare, pleasant surprise in today’s R&B world. Blame much of the set’s success on the beats, which are as tight and lean as a Kenyan runner."^[8]

The album peaked at forty-five on the US Billboard 200 and reached the twenty-second spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.^[10][11] The album sold 21,000 copies in its first week.^[11]

Notes

• ^{^[a]} denotes co-producer

Sample credits

• "Trouble" contains excerpts from the compostition "Jungle Boogie" as performed by Kool & The Gang.
• "Come & Knock on My Door" contains an interpolation of "I Like I" as performed by DeBarge.
• "Reality" contains a sample of "Too Late" as performed by Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek.
• "Better Day (Ghetto Girl)" contains a sample from "Could It Be Magic" as performed by The Waters.

Information taken from Allmusic.^[12]

• a&r – Nina Freeman, Kedar Massenburg, Shante Paige, Marsha Reid
• arranging – Ted Bishop
• art direction – Chris Kornmann
• assistant – Vincent Alexander, Mike Butler, Vadim Chislov, Stephen Glicken, Dion Peters, Alexis Seton, Rich Tapper, Javier Valverde, Jeff Vereb, Artese Williams
• composing – R. Bell, G. Brown, J.J. Jackson, L. Jackson, P.J. Jackson, E. Jordan, S.K. Russell, Mario Winans
• creative direction – Sandy Brummels
• design – Chris Kornmann
• drums – Pharrell Williams
• engineering – Wayne Allison, Ted Bishop, Ben Briggs, Dru Castro, Andrew Coleman, Larry Ferguson, Eliud "Lou" Ortiz, Hernán Santiago, Mike Tocci, Darren Venbitti
• executive production – Kedar Massenburg, Shante Paige, Todd Russaw
• guitar – Greg Charley
• instrumentation – Charles Farrar
• keyboards – Ted Bishop, Dave Hunter, Tevin Thomas
• mastering – Chris Gehringer
• mixing – Ben Arrindell, Kevin "KD" Davis, Duro, Larry Ferguson, Rich Keller, Phil Tan
• photography – Albert Sanchez
• production – Ted Bishop, Mike City, Charles Farrar, Mario Winans
• programming – Ted Bishop, Charles Farrar, Pharrell Williams
• rapping – Clipse
• vocals – 702, Pharrell Williams