The Block (album)
2008 studio album by New Kids on the Block
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The Block is the sixth studio album by New Kids on the Block. The album was released on September 2, 2008, along with a deluxe edition that included four bonus tracks. It sold 95,000 copies in its first week of release and debuted at number one on the U.S. Top Pop Albums chart and at number two on the Billboard 200. Several artists collaborated on the album, such as Ne-Yo, Lady Gaga, The Pussycat Dolls, Akon, Teddy Riley and New Edition.
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| The Block | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 2, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2007–08 | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 45:40 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Producers | ||||
| New Kids on the Block chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Block | ||||
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The first official single from the album is "Summertime" and the song was released on May 13, 2008.[1] The second official single titled "Single" featuring Ne-Yo was released on August 12, 2008. The third single "Dirty Dancing" was released on December 19. The single was the album's most successful single in Europe and Canada, peaking at number 31 and reaching the number-one position on the CHUM Chart in Toronto on February 21, 2009, after twelve weeks on the chart. The album's fourth single, "2 in the Morning", was officially released February 23, 2009 in the United States and the United Kingdom.
It is the group's first studio album in fourteen years since Face the Music.
Release and reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 51/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| The A.V. Club | C+[4] |
| Digital Spy | [5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C−[6] |
| Los Angeles Times | [7] |
| The Observer | [8] |
| PopMatters | [9] |
| Slant Magazine | [10] |
| Virgin Media | [11] |
| Yahoo! Music UK | [12] |
The Block was released on September 2, 2008, and debuted at number one on the Billboard Pop Album Chart and at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 95,000 copies in its first week of release.[13] As of April 2013, the album had sold 332,000 copies in the United States.[14] On the Canadian Albums Chart, the album debuted at number one, becoming their first and only number-one album there. It sold 9,000 copies in its first week.[15] The Block has been certified gold in Canada.[16]
In honor of the album's 15th anniversary, the album was re-released as The Block Revisited. In addition to the main album, it compiles the bonus tracks from all previously released editions of the album as well as new remixes and a previously unreleased song, "Coming Home".
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Click Click Click" | Aliaune Thiam, Hakim Abdoulsamad, Nasri Atweh, Donnie Wahlberg | Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Hakim Abdoulsamad, Nasri Atweh, Adam Messinger | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Single" (with Ne-Yo) | Jamal Jones, Shaffer Smith | Polow da Don, Ne-Yo (co.) | 3:55 |
| 3. | "Big Girl Now" (featuring Lady Gaga) | RedOne, Lady Gaga, Wahlberg, Jordan Knight | RedOne | 3:28 |
| 4. | "Summertime" | Wahlberg, Abdulsamad, Atweh | Hakim Abdoulsamad | 3:22 |
| 5. | "2 in the Morning" | Emanuel Kiriakou, Kasia Livingston, Wahlberg, Zukhan Bey | Emanuel Kiriakou | 3:25 |
| 6. | "Grown Man" (featuring The Pussycat Dolls and Teddy Riley) | Dejanee Riley, Adida Kavarro, Richard Stanard, Tyler Thurmond, Don Covay | Teddy Riley, Adida Kavarro (co.) | 3:00 |
| 7. | "Dirty Dancing" | RedOne, Wahlberg, Joaquin Bynum | RedOne | 3:37 |
| 8. | "Sexify My Love" | RedOne, Wahlberg, Atweh | RedOne | 3:31 |
| 9. | "Twisted" | Timothy Mosley, Jerome Harmon, James Fauntleroy II | Timbaland, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon | 3:09 |
| 10. | "Full Service" (featuring New Edition) | RedOne, Wahlberg, Lady Gaga | RedOne | 3:56 |
| 11. | "Lights, Camera, Action" | Jones, Brian Kennedy, Cornell Haynes, Jasper Cameron, Lloyd Polite | Polow da Don | 3:05 |
| 12. | "Put It on My Tab" (featuring Akon) | RedOne, Wahlberg, Atweh, Thiam | RedOne | 3:55 |
| 13. | "Stare at You" | Atweh, Wahlberg, Adam Messinger, Knight | Nasri Atweh, Donnie Wahlberg, Adam Messinger | 3:33 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Close to You" | Atweh, Messinger, Joey McIntyre, Wahlberg | 3:34 |
| 15. | "Summertime" (RedOne remix featuring Jadakiss) (pre-order only bonus track) | Wahlberg, Abdulsamad, Atweh | 3:33 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "One Song" | Aaron Pearce, Atweh, Wahlberg | Aaron "AP" Pearce, Nasri (co.), Adam Messinger (co.) | 3:42 |
| 15. | "Don't Cry" | Fernando Garibay, Livingston | Fernando Garibay | 4:12 |
| 16. | "Officially Over" | Attozio Towns, Richardo Thomas | Rick Rock | 3:59 |
| 17. | "Looking Like Danger" | RedOne, Claude Kelly | RedOne | 3:08 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Close to You" | Atweh, Messinger, McIntyre, Wahlberg | 3:34 |
| 15. | "One Song" | Pearce, Atweh, Wahlberg | 3:42 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Close to You" | Atweh, Messinger, McIntyre, Wahlberg | 3:34 |
- "Grown Man" contains elements of the Aretha Franklin recording "Chain of Fools", as written by Don Covay. It also contains elements of "What Is Success" written and performed by Allen Toussaint.
Re-recordings
- "Lights, Camera, Action" was re-recorded with the Pussycat Dolls performing the primary vocals and is included on the deluxe edition of their Doll Domination album.
- "Lights, Camera, Action' was also re-recorded for Lloyd's mixtape Lessons in Love 2.0.
- The demo for "Single" appears as the third track on Ne-Yo's album Year of the Gentleman
- "Click Click Click" was originally a song written, produced, and recorded by Nasri.
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[28] | Gold | 40,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
