The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 and topped the Independent Albums chart. In October 2007, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in the United States. Elliott Yamin spawned three singles, including "Wait for You", "One Word" and promotional single "Movin' On." To promote the record, Yamin went on a world tour across North America and Southeast Asia that consisted of clubs, small theatres and radio-station holiday shows.
Background and development
Yamin commented on the album that his "main thing was that I wanted to write some songs on this, and wanted to make sure that we got some music out to the vast fan base that I've established through Idol. A lot of people have been getting antsy, anticipating some music from me. We've really tried to focus on getting it out to the fans while not compromising any style or integrity.[2] He further described the CD as "a vocally driven mix of R&B/pop crossover material with hints of blues and a few club-bangers."[3]
Promotion
Previews of four songs were made available on AOL Music First Listen on February 13, 2007: pre-album promo single "Movin' On", a full version of his acclaimed cover of "A Song for You", a love song titled "You are the One", and "Find a Way".[2] The radio premiere of the first official single, "Wait for You", was on March 1, 2007, on KIIS-FM. The song was released to online music services, including iTunes, on March 13, 2007. Yamin promoted the album during 2007 with a nine-month tour of clubs, small theaters and radio-station holiday shows across the United States, plus shows in Canada, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
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The album was released in Japan on May 21, 2008, by Avex Trax. This version was retitled Wait for You and includes "In Love with You Forever" and "Believe" as bonus tracks.[5] On October 8, 2008, a Premium Edition of the album was released in Japan, including 2 more tracks: "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and "I'll Make You Dance", plus Yamin's cover of "Home", originally by Japanese singer Yusaku Kiyama, who recorded a Japanese version of "Wait for You" in return.[5]
Daniel Wolfe of About.com praised both the genre variety on the record's track list and Yamin's vocal talents over them, saying that, "Whether it is his transcendent vocal on the choir-backed "Free" or his show-stopping cover of Leon Russell's "A Song for You," Elliott Yamin proves on his debut album that he is one of the most talented recording artists American Idol has produced."[6] In a dual review with Paris Bennett's Princess P, Vibe writer Sean Fennessey noted how Yamin maintains his vocal identity when performing traditional tracks and the album's more "vibrant and modern" material.[10]Entertainment Weekly's Dave Karger explained that to get the most out of the record, you have to approach it like a different episode of American Idol.[8]
AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine was mixed about the album, noting how the tracks can be hit or miss at times with either misplaced styles or manufactured production but gave praise to Yamin's performance for having enough personality to sell the lyrics, saying that "He still sounds effortless and charming, which is why it's a shame he doesn't have the support he would have had if had won Idol: he would have had the biggest budget and the best collaborators, something that would help him make a record as distinctive as he is."[7] Elysa Gardner of USA Today found the album to be a typical Idol release with adequate but generic tracks that are competently performed by Yamin's technically sound delivery, saying that "To his credit, he apes Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway as adroitly as Taylor Hicks does Michael McDonald. If that passes for interpretive singing these days, we have Idol, and ourselves, to blame."[9]
