Let Yourself Be Loved is the fifth studio album by German soul singer Joy Denalane. It was released by Nesola, the label of Denalane and her husband Max Herre, in association with Vertigo Berlin and Motown Records on September 4, 2020.[1] Produced by Roberto Di Gioia, it marked the first project by a German artist to be released by Motown as well as Denalane's third English language album following Born & Raised (2006) and the reissue of Maureen (2011). Let Yourself Be Loved debuted and peaked at number five on the German Albums Chart.[2]

Let Yourself Be Loved
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 4, 2020 (2020-09-04)
Length37:01
LanguageEnglish
Label
ProducerRoberto Di Gioia
Joy Denalane chronology
Gleisdreieck
(2017)
Let Yourself Be Loved
(2020)
Willpower
(2023)
Singles from Let Yourself Be Loved
  1. "I Believe"
    Released: July 10, 2020

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Laut.de     [3]
Musikexpress      [4]
Pop Magazine     [5]
Rolling Stone     [6]

Sven Kabelitz from Laut.de noted that "stories about the different facets of [love] connect the songs. She authentically resurrects the Motown era in all its different orientations, but incorporates enough Denalane everywhere so that it doesn't fail as a copy."[3] Similarly, Musikexpress editor Thomas Winkler called Let Yourself Be Loved a "very monothematic album" and concluded: "A retro record, yes, but not a boring copy."[4] Rolling Stone critic Markus Schneider wrote: "The best thing about these completely successful eleven songs is how artistically decisive, cohesive and self-confident they sound here."[6]

Chart performance

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Let Yourself Be Loved debuted and peaked at number five on the German Albums Chart in the week of September 11, 2023. It became her highest-charting album since Born & Raised (2006) and marked Denalane's fifth consecutive top ten album in Germany.[2] Elsewhere, it peaked at number 22 on the Swiss Albums Chart.[7] Let Yourself Be Loved failed to chart in Austria.[7]

Track listing

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All songs produced and arranged by Roberto Di Gioia.[8]

Let Yourself Be Loved track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Wounded Love"
  • Sékou Neblett
  • Chris Soper
  • Jesse Singer
  • Joy Denalane
  • Nick Banns
3:00
2."Be Here in the Morning" (featuring C.S. Armstrong)
  • Chauncy S. Armstrong
  • Soper
  • Singer
  • Denalane
  • Banns
  • Sway Clarke
4:04
3."I Believe" (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid)
2:51
4."The Ride"
  • Neblett
  • Soper
  • Singer
  • Denalane
  • Banns
  • Roberto Di Gioia
3:05
5."I Gotta Know"
  • Neblett
  • Soper
  • Singer
  • Denalane
  • Banns
3:03
6."Hey Dreamer"
  • Neblett
  • Soper
  • Singer
  • Denalane
  • Banns
  • Clarke
3:39
7."Stand"
  • Neblett
  • Soper
  • Singer
  • Denalane
  • Banns
3:17
8."Love Your Love"
  • Soper
  • Singer
  • Denalane
  • Banns
  • Clarke
3:42
9."Top of My Love"
  • Soper
  • Singer
  • Denalane
  • Banns
  • Clarke
3:19
10."Let Yourself Be Loved"
  • Neblett
  • Soper
  • Singer
  • Denalane
  • Banns
  • Di Gioia
3:16
11."Put in Work"
  • Neblett
  • Soper
  • Singer
  • Denalane
  • Banns
3:41
Total length:37:02
Deluxe edition – disc 2[9]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Use Me"Bill Withers3:49
2."Still It Ain't You"
  • Soper
  • Singer
  • Denalane
  • Banns
  • Clarke
2:51
3."The Show"
  • Soper
  • Singer
  • Denalane
  • Banns
  • Clarke
  • Di Gioia
2:43
4."Forever"
  • Soper
  • Singer
  • Denalane
  • Banns
  • Clarke
4:20
5."Give and Take"
  • Neblett
  • Soper
  • Singer
  • Denalane
  • Banns
  • Di Gioia
4:36
Total length:55:22

Charts

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Chart performance for Let Yourself Be Loved
Chart (2020) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[2] 5
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[7] 22

Release history

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Let Yourself Be Loved release history
Region Date Edition Format(s) Label Ref.
Various September 4, 2020 Standard
[1]
September 3, 2021 Deluxe [9]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Let Yourself Be Loved". iTunes.Apple (DE). Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Offiziellecharts.de – Joy Denalane – Let Yourself Be Loved" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Kabelitz, Sven. "Joy Denalane - Let Yourself Be Loved". Laut.de. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Winkler, Thomas (September 4, 2020). "Joy Denalane - Let Yourself Be Loved". Musikexpress. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  5. ^ Neale, Sophie (September 13, 2020). "Review: Joy Denalane – Let Yourself Be Loved". Pop Magazine. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Schneider, Markus (September 7, 2020). "Joy Denalane - Let Yourself Be Loved". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c "Swisscharts.com – Joy Denalane – Let Yourself Be Loved". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  8. ^ Let Yourself Be Loved (Media notes). Joy Denalane. Nesola Records. 2020.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ a b "Let Yourself Be Loved (Deluxe Edition)". Spotify (DE). Retrieved September 28, 2023.
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