MTV Unplugged (Katy Perry album)
| MTV Unplugged | ||||
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| Live album by Katy Perry | ||||
| Released | November 17, 2009 (U.S); November 27, 2009 (Brazil) |
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| Recorded | July 22, 2009 in New York City |
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| Genre | Acoustic, lounge music | |||
| Length | 29:36 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Katy Perry chronology | ||||
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MTV Unplugged is the first live album by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry, and was released by Capitol in the United States on November 17, 2009. The two disc CD/DVD package comprises stripped-down songs performed by Perry for MTV on July 22, 2009, in New York City as part of the MTV Unplugged series. The album features rearranged takes on Perry's hit songs like "I Kissed a Girl", "Waking Up in Vegas", and "Thinking of You," as well as two brand-new songs, Perry's version of Fountains of Wayne's "Hackensack" and an original song, "Brick by Brick." The DVD also features exclusive interview footage.[1]
Contents |
Background [edit]
In 2009 MTV decided to relaunch its Unplugged music performance series with a series of exclusive monthly performances, including Katy Perry. [2] After releasing her breakthrough album, One of the Boys, Perry felt MTV Unplugged was the perfect medium for her to show off who she really is as an artist and share the stories behind her songs with an audience.[3]
Composition [edit]
Unplugged opens with a jazz and lounge music rendition of "I Kissed a Girl",[4] which emphasizes heavy bass-lines throughout the song, and has been noted to resemble Cabaret performances.[5][6] "Ur So Gay" is "tasseled in billowy jazzy horns".[5] "Hackensack" contains country music influences and explores the use of a string section.[7] "Thinking of You" is a downtempo ballad "decorated in swirls of orchestral strings" according to Susan Frances of Hybrid Magazine,[5][4] and has received comparisons to Sarah MacLachlan.[6] "Lost" is a country music ballad that incorporates elements of americana music in its production,[5] "Brick By Brick" is a folk song reminiscent of the 1960's,[6] and utilizes sparsely chained chords, giving the song a "torchlight ambience".[5]
Critical reception [edit]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [8] |
Allmusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album three out of five stars, pointing out the album's weaknesses, but praising Katy for being a hard working music act and "seeming more likeable here than she did on her debut".[8]
Track listing [edit]
The CD/DVD comes in a standard jewel case. The same tracks are on the DVD and the CD.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Kissed a Girl" | Katy Perry, Łukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Cathy Dennis | 4:12 | |
| 2. | "Ur So Gay" | Perry, Greg Wells | 4:26 | |
| 3. | "Hackensack" | Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger | 3:04 | |
| 4. | "Thinking of You" | Perry | 4:41 | |
| 5. | "Lost" | Perry, Ted Bruner | 5:01 | |
| 6. | "Waking Up in Vegas" | Perry, Desmond Child, Andreas Carlsson | 3:33 | |
| 7. | "Brick by Brick" | Perry, Wells | 4:39 |
Charts [edit]
The album debuted at number 168 on the Billboard 200 chart on week dated December 5, 2009 but dropped out of chart the following week and of current, remains outside the chart.[9]
| Charts (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Albums Chart[10] | 192 |
| Swiss Albums Chart[10] | 82 |
| U.S. Billboard 200[11] | 168 |
References [edit]
- ^ Katy Perry's MTV Unplugged Album Will Feature Two New Songs
- ^ "MTV Plugs In 'Unplugged' Again With Adele - 2009-05-14 18:01:34 | Multichannel News". Multichannel.com. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
- ^ Posted 11/16/09 (2009-11-16). "Why Unplugged? | Video". MTV. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
- ^ a b "Review: Katy Perry Unplugged". News Weekly. Bauer Media Group. December 17, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Frances, Susan (November 17, 2009). "Katy Perry: MTV Unplugged". Hybrid Magazine. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Katy Perry: MTV Unplugged: Review". Action Recon. Action Recon Ltd. November 29, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
- ^ Salza, Susie (February 18, 2010). "MTV Unplugged CD/DVD". All Access Magazine. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
- ^ a b Thomas, Stephen (2009-11-17). "MTV Unplugged - Katy Perry". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (2009-11-25). "John Mayer 'Battles' To Top With Second No. 1 Album". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
- ^ a b Steffen Hung. "Katy Perry - MTV Unplugged". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
- ^ "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
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