The album earned mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Special Occasion debuted at number 3 on the US Billboard 200, selling about 92,000 copies in its first week. It also peaked at the top of the BillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. By mid-2009, the album had sold approximately 270,000 copies in the US. Special Occasion produced two singles, including lead single "Turn the Page" and follow-up "Anonymous" featuring Timbaland, the latter of which reached the top 20 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Promotion
Special Occasion's first official single was the Rodney Jerkins-produced track "Turn the Page." A ballad that features Valentino singing about trust and taking risks in a relationship, it peaked at number 63 on US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming his lowest-charting single by then.[3] Follow-up single "Anonymous," produced and featuring Timbaland, reached number 49 on the US Billboard Hot 100, but was more successful on both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 17 and number 25, respectively.[3]
Vibe editor Damien Scott called Special Occasion a "cohesive collection of modern ballads. Valentino carves his own lane – a fusion of early ’90’s R&B; with new millennium aesthetics, like Tevin Campbell with a sidekick. As a result, Occasion is light on club-tailored tracks, and thankfully so."[9]AllMusic editor Sharon Mawer described the abum as a "slice of modern urban R&B [...] which was a series of 16 songs with Bobby making love to the microphone over a sensual beat and even more sexual strings."[4]Billboard remarked: "On his re-created sophomore set, the DTP crooner returns with heartfelt ballads and midtempo tunes full of superlative production."[10]
Blender critic Ben Sisario felt that while "none of the songs on this second album are particularly memorable, Valentino’s actorly dedication keeps it appealing. Playing the pickup artist with mirrored shades and a dry, cool tenor, Bobby never breaks character or loses the vibe — it’s a cheesy role, but a seductive one as well."[5]Entertainment Weekly's Simon Vozick-Levinson found that he "oozes suave confidence on his second set of romantic whispers, but Bobby Valentino's self-assured attitude isn't always enough to sell these songs. He gets a boost early on from a pair of effervescent Timbaland co-productions, "Anonymous" and "Rearview (Ridin');" as soon as the tempos slow, though, Valentino's vocals start losing pep. By the disc's halfway point, he's reached a soporific low."[8]
Commercial performance
Special Occasion was set to be released on December 12, 2006, but was delayed until May 8, 2007. It eventually debuted at number 3 on the US Billboard 200 in the week of May 26, 2007, selling 92,000 copies in its first week, just over one-half of his previous album's first-week sales.[11]Special Occasion also peaked at the top of the BillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, becoming his second consecutive album to do so.[12] By mid-2009, the album had sold approximately 270,000 copies in the US.[13]
