The Point of It All

The album's lead single "Cool" featuring David Banner, and it peaked at number 74 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number 19 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

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Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	72/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	[2]
AllMusic	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B[4]
The Phoenix	[5]
PopMatters	8/10[6]
Rolling Stone	[7]
Spin	[8]
USA Today	[9]

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The Point of It All received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 72, based on nine reviews.^[1] Vibe editor Erika Ramirez wrote that "there are no true missteps on this set, although he does veer a bit left with the upbeat, almost cheerful content, but the turn is not aggressive enough to lose the fans following behind him. The joyful arrangement in The Point of It All enhances Hamilton's storytelling abilities, serving as a lovely mixer to his lyrical depth and sensual, rich voice. All the tools were present and properly used to create this masterpiece."^[10] Andy Kellman of AllMusic felt that "at least a third of the album's contents would have to be part of any representative introduction to Hamilton. In fact, this puts a cap on a three-album run as remarkable as any other in 2000s R&B."^[3]

Mike Joseph of PopMatters viewed Hamilton as "an artist capable of filling the void created when Gerald LeVert and Luther Vandross passed away.^[6] Mike Joseph of PopMatters wrote, "His raspy tone has drawn comparisons to everyone from Bill Withers to Bobby Womack, [...] he's proven himself to be one of the few current artists capable of sounding like an authentic throwback (as opposed to a pale facsimile) and completely contemporary at the same time."^[6] Entertainment Weekly's Greg Kot felt that the siner "avoids slavish retro-ism with a smart mix of programmed beats and churchy keyboards, and a voice that bridges seduction and gospel fervor. Though Anthony Hamilton sings about adult relationships with nuance and intensity, there is a drawback: He tends to keep his pleas at a midtempo simmer."^[4]

Jon Pareles from The New York Times noted that "Hamilton won't place himself in the niche of gospel. He's a contender in the secular realm of R&B who sings hooks for hip-hop songs between his own albums, and he's determined to reach current radio audiences without jettisoning his roots."^[11] In his review for The Washington Post, Bill Friskics-Warren wrote: "Though rooted in tradition (both the streets and the church), Hamilton's latest is thoroughly contemporary, from the bumping grooves of the mid-tempo ballads to the record's mix of programmed and live beats."^[12] The New Yorker″s Ben Greenman found that "the album’s overall emotional heft reduces [some] complaints to quibbles and magnifies its charms into considerable achievements."^[13] USA Today editor Steve Jones found noted that Hamilton was "one of the genre’s rare singers who finds joy in life’s small pleasures and appreciates relationships that are built to last. That's really keeping it real."^[9]

The Point of It All debuted and peaked at number twelve on the US Billboard 200 and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with first week sales of 133,000 units,^[14] becoming Hamilton's highest-charting album yet.^[14] On May 27, 2010, The Point of It All was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments figures in excess of 500,000 copies.^[15]

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer