# Evolution of a Man

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***Evolution of a Man*** is the eleventh studio album by [Brian McKnight](/source/Brian_McKnight). It was released by [E1 Music](/source/E1_Music) on October 27, 2009 in the United States. McKnight worked with singers [Jill Scott](/source/Jill_Scott_(singer)) and [Stevie Wonder](/source/Stevie_Wonder) on the album.[1] It received mixed reviews upon its release and peaked at number three on the US [Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums](/source/Top_R%26B/Hip-Hop_Albums) chart. The first single, "What I've Been Waiting For", was officially released on August 21, 2009.

## Critical reception

*Evolution of a Man* received positive reviews from critics. At [Metacritic](/source/Metacritic), which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 65 based on four reviews.[2] In his review for [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic), editor Andy Kellman described *Evolution of a Man* as "predominantly slow, sparse, and intimate," noting that while much of it offers familiar, comforting McKnight fare, some tracks take risks with minimal instrumentation, making the album "more a collection of loose sketches than a highly polished set" that may not hold up to repeated listening.[3] Gail Mitchell, writing for *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*, found that on *Evolution of a Man*, McKnight returned to his "original bread-and-butter gig" with a "mood-setting mix of midtempo cuts and ballads." She noted the album was "not groundbreaking" and included "two distracting interstitials," but concluded it shows McKnight "still has a way with the ladies."[4]

Nate Chinen wrote that on *Evolution of a Man*, Brian McKnight blends "smoldering sensuality and unguarded chivalry" with his "sleek and marvelously flexible" voice, delivering sincere, adult-contemporary R&B, though touches like Auto-Tune and club synths reveal minor flaws in an otherwise "impeccably polished" album.[5] *[Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly)'*s Mikael Wood wrote that the album was "far less crass" than its radio-show–themed opener, with McKnight expressing rare introspection on songs like "Just a Little Bit," though he "occasionally [...] could use some edge."[6] Melody Charles form *[SoulTracks](/source/SoulTracks)* wrote that *Evolution of a Man* was "perfectly pleasing, yet pedestrian." She concluded that "the smooth, formulaic R&B" lacked spontaneity or edge.[7]

## Commercial performance

*Evolution of a Man* debuted and peaked at number 20 on the US [*Billboard* 200](/source/Billboard_200), becoming McKnight's highest charting album since 2005's *[Gemini](/source/Gemini_(Brian_McKnight_album))*.[8] It also reached number three on *Billboard'*s [Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums](/source/Top_R%26B/Hip-Hop_Albums) chart, his eighth album to enter the chart's top ten.[9]

## Track listing

All tracks are produced by Brian McKnight.

## Charts

Weekly chart performance for Evolution of a Man Chart (2009) Peak position

## References

1. ["Evolution of a Man - Brian McKnight | Songs, Reviews, Credits"](https://www.allmusic.com/album/evolution-of-a-man-mw0001315743). *AllMusic*. Retrieved 2017-05-16.

1. ["Evolution of a Man by Brian McKnight"](https://www.metacritic.com/music/evolution-of-a-man/brian-mcknight/critic-reviews). [Metacritic](/source/Metacritic). Retrieved March 26, 2026.

1. Mitchell, Gail (October 16, 2009). ["Brian McKnight, “Evolution of a Man”"](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/brian-mcknight-evolution-of-a-man-1070722/). *[Billboard](/source/Billboard.com)*. Retrieved March 26, 2026.

1. Chinen, Nate (October 26, 2009). ["Critics' Choice: New CDs"](https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9A03E0DB103FF935A15753C1A96F9C8B63.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved March 26, 2026.

1. Wood, Mikael (October 23, 2009). ["Evolution of a Man"](https://ew.com/article/2009/10/23/evolution-man). *[Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20151125090043/https://ew.com/article/2009/10/23/evolution-man) November 25, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 26, 2026.

1. Charles, Melody. ["Evolution of a Man (2009)"](https://soultracks.com/review/brian-mckinght-evolution-of-a-man/). *[SoulTracks](/source/SoulTracks)*. Retrieved March 26, 2026.

1. Billboard200

1. BillboardRandBHipHop

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Evolution of a Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_a_Man) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_a_Man?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.