In a radio interview, American Idol host Ryan Seacrest, remarked of Guarini, "Following his season, there was a huge hype surrounding Justin and no one could believe the hysteria. But, everything was new and they weren't quite sure what to do. With a show like American Idol the window of opportunity is very, very small. Also, Justin had creative conflicts with his record company as far as the direction of the album that additionally aided in putting him past that window of opportunity. After the first season, they learned to capitalize on the window of opportunity for non-winners keeping them in the public eye with singles, videos, rushed CDs, etc., something that didn't happen for Justin".
In an interview with MTV, Guarini spoke of the experience saying, "It really has been just Music Industry Education 101. I learned a lot from it ... And it's not a finger-pointing issue to me; I take as much responsibility as I can."[1]
Originally the song "Sorry" was planned as the first single release from the album, but later it was decided that there would be two "first" singles. "Sorry" was released to MTV and pop radio, while his cover version of "Unchained Melody" was sent to R&B and adult contemporary stations.[2]
AllMusic's Heather Phares wrote: "In the end, this album isn't as surprising or diverse a debut as Thankful was, but its solid quality proves that the forces behind American Idol want their winners to make good pop albums, as opposed to one mega-hit single backed by 11 throwaway tracks. Justin Guarini might be calculated, but it's not cynical."[3] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine was critical of the "drab balladry" and "predictable R&B material" throughout the record but felt it was "a more cohesive effort" than Clarkson's Thankful.[5] Henry Goldblatt of Entertainment Weekly gave the album an overall D+ grade, saying: "Even his most rabid fans will recognize Guarini's innocuous, focus-grouped, you-know-you-wanna-love-me ballads as songs that should be greeting Kmart shoppers."[4]
Justin Guarini debuted at number twenty on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 57,000 units.[7] As of December 2, 2003 it has sold 143,000 copies in the United States.[8]
