Set the Tone (Nate James album)

Set the Tone is the debut studio album by American-British soul singer Nate James, released on 8 August 2005, by Universal Music Group.

Set the Tone
Studio album by Nate James
Released	8 August 2005
Genre	Soul R&B
Label	Universal
Producer	David Brant Jaz Rogers Shux Peter-John Vettese Eg White
Singles from Set the Tone
"Set the Tone" Released: 2005 "Universal" Released: 2005 "The Message" / "Get This Right" Released: 2005 "Pretend" Released: 2006 "Justify Me" Released: 2006

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The Independent	[1]

Reception to the album was largely mixed. Andy Gill of The Independent rated the album three stars out of five, appreciating its modern R&B style that echoes 1970s funk. He notes that the album's sound is reminiscent of Stevie Wonder's work, although it lacks meaningful messages, focusing instead on typical themes of dancing and romantic skirmishes. Though he found the album "slick" and "engaging", he felt that it failed to present "big ideas that move hearts and minds."^[1]

Tony Heywood of MusicOMH felt that the album fell short of delivering authentic soul music, arguing that James's rural background disconnects him from the urban experiences and political issues essential to the genre. He described the album as "watered down Jamiroquai, third-hand Stevie Wonder, completely anonymous flat pack soul", and felt that it lacks wit, boldness, and passion. Heywood described the album as "crushingly dull" and compared it unfavorably to other British artists such as Justin Timberlake, Craig David, Roots Manuva, and Dizzee Rascal.^[2]

Track listing

Set the Tone – Standard version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Said I'd Show You"	Andreas S. Jensen Nate James	Peter-John Vettese	4:34
2.	"The Message"	James David Sneddon Jake Gosling James Mein	Vettese	3:22
3.	"Get This Right"	James, Peter Martin	Vettese	3:56
4.	"Pretend"	Colin Emmanuel James	Jaz Rogers	4:24
5.	"Universal"	Eg White James	White	3:38
6.	"Set the Tone"	David Brant Dawn Joseph James	Brant	3:31
7.	"Funky Love" (featuring Carmen Reece)	Alan Glass Brant James	Brant	4:05
8.	"Justify Me"	Jamie Hartman Ryan Shaw	Vettese	3:41
9.	"I Don't Wanna Fight"	Brant James	Brant	3:49
10.	"I'll Decline" (featuring Dawn Robinson)	James Brant Dawn Joseph Robinson	Vettese	3:40
11.	"Impossible"	Brant James Ron St. Louis	Brant	3:27
12.	"Can't Stop"	Emmanuel Jamesh	Brant	3:49
13.	"Shake Out"	James Vettese	Vettese	5:39
14.	"Still On My Own" (Sway featuring Nate James)	Sway	Shux	3:50

Charts

Chart performance for Set the Tone

Chart (2005)	Peak position
French Albums (SNEP)[3]	68
Italian Albums (FIMI)[4]	43
UK Albums (OCC)[5]	96
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[6]	33
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[7]	39

Release history

List of release dates, showing region, formats, editions, and label

Region	Date	Format(s)	Edition(s)	Label
United Kingdom	8 August 2005	CD digital download	Standard edition	Island Records
Japan	13 February 2006
United Kingdom	12 June 2006		Reissue