Identified
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Identified is the second studio album by Vanessa Hudgens. The album was released via Hollywood Records July 1, 2008 in the U.S.[1] and June 24, 2008 in Japan. "Identified" received generally positive reviews from music critics. The New York Times gave the album a positive review, praising the song "Gone with the Wind" as Hudgens' best vocal performance.[2]
Singles
"Sneakernight" was the album's first single, released first to Radio Disney on April 11, 2008, followed by the release of the video on June 13, 2008. Though it didn't manage to stay on the Hot 100 for long weeks unlike her past two singles, Come Back to Me and Say OK, it was a top 10 hit as it stays on the Hot Dance Club Play for 9 weeks and peaked at #8. It is used as a promotion for Eckō sneakers.[3]
Critical reception
Identified has received generally favorable reviews.[4] Billboard said that the album "panders to the preteen demo with stop-start pop that ranges from pleasant (the title track) to dull ("Amazed") to off-putting ("Hook It Up"). But for little girls, this is one nonstop sing-along."[5]The New York Times said that "a handful of songs like this would have sufficed to help mature her image, and yet "Identified" is far more interesting and unexpected."[6] They noted that, when the album leans on Ms. Hudgens's vocals, it proves foolish — her Christina Aguilera impression on "Sneakernight" fizzles — and in places the songwriting is startlingly simple."[6]Entertainment Weekly said that "Identified, her second CD, stints on her HSM character's sweetness in favor of dance beats and sensual lyrics — while stopping short of anything risqué enough to recall last year's photo scandal."[7] However, Rolling Stone claimed that "Hudgens can't really sing, so her producers handle the heavy lifting." They also said that Hudgens sounds like a little girl who took a wrong turn and ended up in T-Pain's fun house. [8]
Blender gave it a three stars out of five, and claimed that her "voice was made to rip, and when she lets go just a little, the coyness turns sultry—proof that she might just have a life after high school." [9] allmusic asserted that Identified isn't drastically different from V . Hudgens still sings about love, dancing, and hanging with her girls, and once again, the production outclasses the songs and the singing. [10] "However, strangely for an album named Identified, these songs skip from sound to sound, hoping that some of them will stick." The track "Paper Cut" was compared to Leona Lewis’ chart-topping single, Bleeding Love, claiming that "Paper Cut" was as though a "Disneyfied" version of Lewis’ song.
Variety said that Identified "shows that the High School Musical veteran is definitely ready to graduate. The better parts of the album find her reaching for a more mature sound, but she hedges her bets with large portions of treacly teen-pop. On the plus side are "Hook It Up", a frisky, bubbly come-on produced by the production team Rock Mafia that sounds like a drum majorette's version of "Hips Don't Lie"; the sleek synthesized pop of "Party On The Moon"; and the aching piano ballad, "Gone With the Wind", where she tells an ex-boyfriend or possibly fans of the younger Vanessa, "the girl that you knew/well, she's gone with the wind." Less successful are "Sneakernight", an attempt to match Christina Aguilera in pipes and attitude that falls on its face and "Paper Cut", a tune as thin as the title. The weakest link in most of the songs is Hudgens thin, piping voice. Still, her attempt to shift gears and segue into more adult concerns is laudable."
Track listing
# | Song title | Writers and Producers | Featured Guests | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Last Night" | S. Nymoen, S. Jacoby | 3:10 | |
2 | "Identified" | L. Gottwald, C. Dennis, M. Martin | 3:21 | |
3 | "First Bad Habit" | L. Gottwald, C. Dennis | 3:02 | |
4 | "Hook It Up" | A. Armato, T. James, D. Karaoglu | Rock Mafia | 2:52 |
5 | "Don't Ask Why" | L. Gottwald, C. Dennis, B. Dozier | 3:10 | |
6 | "Sneakernight" | S. Nymoen, J. Rotem | 2:59 | |
7 | "Amazed" | L. Gottwald, C. Dennis, B. Levin, N. Kirkland | Lil Mama | 2:59 |
8 | "Don't Leave" | A. Armato, T. James, J. McCartney | 3:08 | |
9 | "Paper Cut" | Johnny Vieira | 2:48 | |
10 | "Party on the Moon" | C. Rojas, N. Atweh, A. Messinger | 3:50 | |
11 | "Did It Ever Cross Your Mind" | Johnny Vieira | 3:10 | |
12 | "Gone with the Wind" | M. Yourself, K. DioGuardi, W. Afanasieff, E. Kiriakou, Z. Bey, B. Howard | 3:28 |
Bonus tracks
- Japanese Edition
# | Title | Writers and Producers | Featured Artist | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "Set It Off" | Klas Åhlund; Lukasz "Doctor Luke" Gottwald; Max Martin | Windy Wagner | 3:04 |
14. | "Committed" | Antonina Armato, Tim Price | Rock Mafia | 2:35 |
15. | "Vulnerable" | Nick Scapa, Tim James, John Fasse, Antonina Armato | Rock Mafia | 3:11 |
- iTunes Edition
# | Title | Writers and Producers | Featured Artist | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "Vulnerable" | Nick Scapa, Tim James, John Fasse, Antonina Armato | Rock Mafia | 3:11 |
Chart performance
Identified debuted at #23 on the Billboard 200 charts with a sales of 22,000 copies sold in its first week, 12,000 less than her first album, V.[11] Identified spent a total of 8 weeks in the Billboard 200. As of September 6, 2008 the album dropped out.[12]
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian Albums Chart | 37[13] |
U.S. Billboard 200 | 23 |
ARIA Australian Hitseekers album chart | 15[14] |
Release history
Region | Date | Label |
---|---|---|
Japan | June 24, 2008 | Hollywood Records |
United States | July 1, 2008 | |
Latin America | July 19, 2008 | |
Brazil | August 5, 2008 | |
Philippines | October 11, 2008 | |
Australia | October 19, 2008 | |
Taiwan | October 21, 2008 | Hollywood Records/Universal Music |
Identified Summer Tour
Tour by Vanessa Hudgens | |
Associated album | V Identified Another Side |
---|---|
Start date | August 1, 2008 |
End date | September |
No. of shows | 27 |
Vanessa Hudgens concert chronology |
Identified Summer Tour is Vanessa Hudgens' first ever tour as a solo performer inorder to promote her first album, V and her latest one, Identified. She had Rooney, Corbin Bleu, Drew Seeley and Mandy Moore as her opening acts in her tour. The tour had 24 shows at State Fairs.[15]
Tour dates
Date | State | City | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
August 1, 2008 | Alabama | Bessemer | Alabama Adventure |
August 2, 2008 | Louisiana | Baton Rouge | Dixie Landin |
August 5, 2008 | Wisconsin | West Allis | State Fair |
August 8, 2008 | Michigan | Jackson | County Fair |
August 9, 2008 - Canceled due to weather | New York | Hamburg | County Fair |
August 10, 2008 | West Virginia | Lewisburg | State Fair |
August 12, 2008 | Michigan | Midland | County Fair |
August 14, 2008 | Iowa | Des Moines | State Fair |
August 15, 2008 | Kentucky | Louisville | State Fair |
August 18, 2008 | Pennsylvania | Meadville | Crawford County Fairgrounds |
August 22, 2008 | California | Sacramento | State Fair |
August 23, 2008 | Oregon | Salem | State Fair |
August 24, 2008 | British Columbia | Vancouver | Pacific National Exhibition |
August 27, 2008 | New York | Syracuse | State Fair |
August 28, 2008 | Ohio | Canfield | Mahoning County Fairgrounds |
August 29, 2008 | Michigan | Detroit | State Fair |
August 30, 2008 | Illinois | Illinois | Davis Memorial Park |
September 9, 2008 | New Mexico | Albuquerque | Tingley Coliseum State Fair |
Set List
- Sneakernight[16]
- Come Back to Me
- Don’t Ask Why
- Identified
- Last Night
- Say OK
- Never Underestimate a Girl
- First Bad Habit
- Amazed
- Gotta Go My Own Way
- Let Go
- Let's Dance
- Hook It Up
- Encore
- Let's Dance
Album personnel
The following people contributed to Identified[17]
- Vocals - Vanessa Hudgens
- Background vocals - Vanessa Hudgens, Cathy Dennis, Kara DioGuardi, Leah Haywood, Nasri, Ashley Valentin, Rock Mafia, Christopher Rojas
- Keyboards - Lukasz Gottwald, Christopher Rojas
- Bass - Jack Daley
- Guitar - Tyrone Johnson, Scott Jacoby
Production
- Executive Producers: Jonathan "J.R." Rotem, Dr. Luke, Christopher Rojas, Emanuel Kiriakou, Devrim Karaoglu, Daniel James, Scott Jacoby, Antonina Armato, Matt Beckley
- Vocal Producers:
- Mastering: Chris Gehringer
- Mastering Assistant: Nick Banns
- Engineers: Jason Recon Coons, Matty Green, Steve Hammons, Scott Jacoby, Emily Wrighy
- A&R: Jon Lind, Mio Vukovic
- Photography: Miranda Penn Turin
References
- ^ Vanessa Hudgens 'Identified' Vanessa Hudgens releases her second album, 'Identified'. (July 1, 2008) Retrieved July 1, 2008.
- ^ 'Identified review''Gone With The Wind' is Hudgens best vocal performance on 'Identified'
- ^ Sneakernight on Hot Dance Club Play. 9 straight weeks on the chart.
- ^ "Identified". Metacritic. CNET Networks.
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(help) - ^ Kerri Mason. "Identified". Billboard. Nielsen Company.
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(help) - ^ a b Jon Caramanica (2008-06-30). "Vanessa Hudgens' 'Identified'". New York Times.
- ^ Chris Willmann. "Identified". Entertainment Weekly.
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(help) - ^ "Identified". Rolling Stone.
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(help) - ^ "Identified". Blender.
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Identified". allmusic.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Vanessa Hudgen's New Identified CD Sales: 22,000 Copies Sold in First Week. Wow, looks like High School Musical queen Vanessa Hudgens’ new CD is bombing in record sales. "Identified", which debuted this week, has only sold 22,000 copies. This is Vanessa Hudgens’ second CD release (her first CD debuted with sales of 34,000 during the first week).Accessed 2008-09-23.
- ^ 'Identified' drops Identified is Gone With The Wind
- ^ Vanessa Hudgens - Identified - Canada Albums Chart
- ^ http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20081120-0000/issue974.pdf
- ^ Identified Summer Tour Dates
- ^ Identified Summer Tour Setlist
- ^ Creditsallmusic