The Futurist (Robert Downey Jr. album)

The Futurist
Studio album by Robert Downey Jr.
Released	November 23, 2004
Recorded	2004 Elias Arts Santa Monica, CA The Village Recorder Los Angeles, CA
Genre	Jazz, folk
Length	42:47
Label	Sony Classical
Producer	Jonathan Elias, Mark Hudson
Singles from The Futurist
"Man Like Me" Released: 2005

The Futurist is the debut studio album by American actor Robert Downey Jr., produced by Jonathan Elias and Mark Hudson, and released on November 23, 2004 through Sony Classical. The album debuted at number 121 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 16,000 copies in its first week.^[1][2]

The album received mixed reviews, but Downey stated in 2006 that he probably will not do another album, as he felt that the energy he put into doing the album was not compensated. "Broken" plays during the end credits to Downey's 2005 film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

Recording and composition

The Futurist consists of eight pop ballads written by Downey, as well as two cover songs: "Smile", a Charlie Chaplin composition; and "Your Move", the first half of the song "I've Seen All Good People" by Yes.^[3] The song "Hannah" is an allusion to Downey's 2000 film Wonder Boys.^[4]

The album was produced by Jonathan Elias and Mark Hudson, with Downey playing on the piano on some of the tracks.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
USA Today	[6]

AllMusic's Matt Collar rated the album 3.5/5, and called Downey's lyrics "obtuse". However, he praised his interpretations of other musicians' work, such as "Your Move" by Yes and Charlie Chaplin's "Smile", and called the album "unpredictably moving as the best of Downey's film work."^[5]

Elysa Gardner of USA Today wrote that the vibe on Downey's album "can seem pretentious or simply dull after a while, but there is a moody musicality to tracks such as 'Man Like Me' and 'Details'."^[6]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Man Like Me"	Robert Downey Jr., Jenny Harding-Morris	2:56
2.	"Broken"	Downey, Mark Hudson	5:12
3.	"Kimberly Glide"	Downey	4:53
4.	"The Futurist"	Downey, Hudson	5:00
5.	"Little Clownz"	Downey	3:47
6.	"5:30"	Downey	4:11
7.	"Your Move"	Jon Anderson	4:11
8.	"Details"	Downey	3:59
9.	"Hannah"	Downey	4:50
10.	"Smile"	Charlie Chaplin, Geoffrey Claremont Parsons, James Phillips	3:48

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.^[7]

Robert Downey Jr. – lead and background vocals, piano, keyboards, Wurlitzer, percussion, photography, CD art adaptation Jon Anderson – background vocals on "Your Move" Charlie Bisharat – violin Alan Broadbent – piano Jeff Bunnell – fluglehorn Tom Canning – Hammond B3 Jim Cox – Hammond B3, piano Gregg Bissonette – drums Vinnie Colaiuta – drums Chad Wackerman – drums Alec Puro – drums Armand Sabal-Lecco – bass Nat Williamson - violin Jenny Hardnig-Morrislesbian – guest writer - "Man Like Me" James Woods-Tickton - bass arrangements Lawrence Schwartz – string arrangements Cameron Stone – cello Jimmy Haun – electric guitar Charlie Haden – bass guitar Reggie Hamilton – bass Sarah Hudson – background vocals Steve Dudas – balalaika, acoustic guitar, electric guitar

Jonathan Elias – production, Hammond organ, photography Mark Hudson – production, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion, background vocals, photography Kevin Churko – engineering Doug Reid – engineering Vicenzo LoRusso – engineering, production, photography Bruce Sugar – engineering Lior Goldenberg – mixing Dave Way – mixing Bernie Grundman – mastering Ghian Wright – engineering assistant Vasilia Hughes – production assistant Carles Sanchez – production assistant Mark Valentine – assistant Amy Galland – photography, production coordination Jimmy "Sprünge" LaRiccio – photography Augustine Dei Wojogbe – art direction, design Davis Factor – cover art Indio Falconer Downey – CD art adaptation Robert Wilson – portraits Russell Nachman

In other media

In the 2016 Marvel Studios film, Captain America: Civil War, Clint Barton mockingly refers to Tony Stark (played by Downey) as "The Futurist".

Chart performance

Album Chart (2004) Peak position US Billboard 200[8] 121 US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[9] 1

"Man Like Me" Chart (2005) Peak position US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[10] 39

References

1. D'Angelo, Joe (December 1, 2004). "U2's Atomic Bomb Explodes Onto Albums Chart, Taking #1 Spot". MTV. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
2. "U2's 'Bomb' lights fire at top of charts.(soundtracks)". Daily Variety. December 2, 2004.
3. De Vries, Hillary (November 21, 2004). "Robert Downey Jr.: The Album". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
4. Bottomley, C. (January 1, 2005). "Robert Downey Jr.: One Future at a Time". VH1. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008.
5. Collar, Matt. "The Futurist - Robert Downey Jr.". AllMusic. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
6. Gardner, Elysa (November 22, 2004). "A solo Stefani is fun, No Doubt about it". USA Today. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
7. "The Futurist – Robert Downey Jr. | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
8. Illegal name entered Robert Downey Jr./Robert+Downey+Jr./chart?f=305 "Robert Downey Jr. – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Robert Downey Jr.. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
9. "Illegal name entered Robert Downey Jr./Robert+Downey+Jr./chart?f=324 Robert Downey Jr. – Chart history" Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums for Robert Downey Jr.. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
10. "Robert Downey, Jr. – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Robert Downey, Jr.. Retrieved February 9, 2014.