Battlefield (album)
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Battlefield [4] is the second studio album by American Idol Season 6 winner, R&B and pop artist Jordin Sparks. It was released July 17 in Australia and Ireland, July 20 in the UK and from July 21, 2009 worldwide through Jive and RCA, under license to Zomba Music Group and distributed through Sony Music.[5]
The album is a mixture of contemporary R&B and pop although many critics have cited dance-pop and pop-rock influences. For the album Sparks was reunited with previous producers and hitmakers Harvey Mason, Jr. and Claude Kelly as well as experimenting with new sounds with award-winning songwriters and producers such as Ryan Tedder, Dr. Luke and Toby Gad.
The first single is also called "Battlefield" and was produced and co-written by Tedder. The single was released in North America on May 12 reaching top 25 in Both Canada and the US. Internationally the single debuted on May 18, 2009 reaching top 10 in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, and top 20 in most other territories. "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)" will be released as the second single.
Conception
Album title
In several interviews Sparks confirmed that the album would take the themes from the first single "Battlefield". Then it was announced through the official press release that the album would be name after the first single Battlefield because it was central to the themes and other recordings for the album. Speaking of the lead song Sparks said
"To me, the title 'Battlefield' is about strength and perseverance, things can go from good to bad in an instant, it could be family, friendship or work; and my favorite line in the song is, 'you better go and get your armor,' because it's telling you to be prepared for that time so that you can overcome it." [5]
Recording and production
Sparks spoke to Billboard Magazine about how the recording process was much different to that of her previous album. Her debut had been recorded in approximately 20 days due to the huge appetite that fans had for her music.[2] On the new album Sparks took her time meaning that not only could she write some of the songs but also had time to make the sound more mature or reject records which she felt unhappy with. [2] Writing for the album began in the middle of 2008.
On May 18, 2009 it was revealed so far Sparks had recorded 30 songs for the album but would select songs that fitted well with the first single "Battlefield" since that was now also the name for the album.[6] Later in May during an interview with Digital Spy Sparks revealed that she has been involved in writing songs for the album, in total contributing to about 12 of approximately 30 recorded songs. She also revealed that although the album had at that time produced no duets she was hopeful to collaborate with Leona Lewis for a powerful ballad. When asked who else she would like to collaborate with she said Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake.[7]
None of these collaborations materialized and it is now confirmed that there are no vocal guests on the album although Ryan Tedder can be heard single backing vocals and ad-libs on the album's title song "Battlefield". Originally the album was intended to feature one guest in the form of T-Pain who had produced and appeared on the song "Watch You Go" with his signature vocoder (singing autotune), but for unspecified reasons this version of the song was omitted and replaced with a solo version featuring just Spark's vocals.[8] Furthermore of the 12 songs she has penned four have made the final version of the album ("Emergency (911)", "Was I the Only One", "Faith and "The Cure") whilst a further two are being used as promotional songs (bonus tracks "Vertigo" and "Papercut"). All together between 30 and 40 songs had been short-listed for inclusion in the album, from which the final track list was selected and mastered.[2]
Promotion and release
Promo performances
Sparks is set to perform on:
- Good Morning America on July 20.
- On July 21 she is set to perform on Live with Regis and Kelly, with further performances scheduled on Entertainment Tonight and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
- July 22 on The Today Show, July 23 on It's On with Alexa Chung[9] and July 24 on The Wendy Williams Show. [10]
- Appearing at Teen Choice Awards on August 9.[11]
Release
The album was first announced to be released on July 14, 2009 in America by Sparks herself through Twitter and by Amazon.com.[12] However it was then later confirmed through the official press release from Jive Records that the album would in fact be released a week later instead on July 21, 2009.[5]
On May 10, Sparks went ahead with a planned photo shoot for the album's cover and future singles.[13] A picture from the photo shoot was released in the aforementioned press release which shows Sparks wearing a partially buttoned denim jacket over a white dress, seen leaning against a big fan with stage lights shining through.[5]
Amazon.com has confirmed that Sparks will be releasing a two disc deluxe edition featuring two bonus tracks at the same time as the standard edition.[12] This follows much the same formula as the recent albums from fellow label-mates Ciara and Britney Spears.
Reception
Critical response
Early reviews have generally been positive with most critics picking being able to praise individual tracks such as "No Parade" which is described as 'breaking your heart even before she gets to the bruising chorus.'[14] Some reviews expressed negativity at the lack of R&B tracks on the album[15] stating that more songs like "Watch You Go" could have recast Sparks 'as an R&B temptress'[14] and improve her career's longevity.[16]
The Guardian writes "The 2007 hit 'No Air' gave you the breathy, cleancut gist; this second album employs the same tricks - almost literally, in the case of 'Let It Rain', which has a tremulous build-up and heroic chorus ("Let it rain, wash me clean," she commands). Squelchy electronics and a relatively earthy lyric ("Look in her eyes, she's mentally undressing him") give 'S.O.S.' an urban hue, and the clattering 'Let It Rain' is modern R&B worthy of Rihanna. Regrettably, though, Sparks sounds more comfortable with power ballads such as 'No Parade'; and there's an inner Pat Benatar struggling to get out on the title track. OK if you like this kind of thing."[15]
Slant Magazine writes "Sparks is a pop artist and makes no bones about it here. Much of the album's running time is filled with the kind of soggy adult contemporary pulp that weighed down both the singer's self-titled debut and Leona Lewis's Spirit, and the addition of two paper-themed bonus tracks, "Papercut" and "Postcard," on the deluxe version of Battlefield doesn't help matters. one wonders if it would have been a smarter move in terms of career longevity to try to build on the urban audience she started to cultivate with 'No Air'."[16]
Entertainment Weekly said "Battlefield certainly delivers on the artistic end: It's packed with more hooks than a fisherman's tackle box, none better than on the gorgeous title track, which sports a soaring chorus. Resistance is futile when Sparks, showing heretofore unseen vocal dexterity, takes to the dance floor to ward off a vixen who's barking up the wrong boyfriend. There is actually enough potential hits to keep the singer in heavy rotation until well into Idol's 10th season."[14]
Singles
- "Battlefield" is the first single from the album. Sparks appeared on the semi-finals of the eighth season of American Idol with Ryan Tedder for the first live performance of the song. Philip Andelman had directed and produced the music video in Los Angeles.[17] The song has peaked at number twenty-five on the Billboard Hot 100, number twenty-three on the Canadian Hot 100, and number twelve on the Mainstream Top 40. Internationally the song reached number three on the New Zealand Singles Chart, number nine in Ireland, and number six on the Australian Singles Chart and number eleven the UK Singles Chart. The single is expected to peak much higher as more promotion is planned nearer and following the album's release.
- "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)" was confirmed to be lined up as the second single by Jordin Sparks on a radio interview with New York's Fresh 102.7.[18]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Walking on Snow" | Lucas Secon, Jeremy Shaw, Frankie Storm, Olivia Waithe | 3:29 |
| 2. | "Battlefield" | Wayne Wilkins, Louis Biancaniello, Sam Watters, Ryan Tedder | 4:01 |
| 3. | "Don't Let It Go to Your Head
| Josh Alexander, Fefe Dobson, Harvey Mason Jr, Billy Steinberg | 4:10 |
| 4. | "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)
| Chris Barbosa, Ed Chisolm, Mich Hedin Hansen, Keely Hawkes, David Kopatz, Lasse Kramhøft | 3:34 |
| 5. | "It Takes More" | Andrea Martin, Carsten Mortensen, Lucas Secon | 3:35 |
| 6. | "Watch You Go" | Joshua Coleman, Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Benjamin Levin, T-Pain | 3:52 |
| 7. | "No Parade" | Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, Dapo Torimiro | 3:31 |
| 8. | "Let It Rain" | Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins | 4:00 |
| 9. | "Emergency (911)" | Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins, Jordin Sparks | 3:51 |
| 10. | "Was I the Only One" | Christa Black, Sam Mizell, Jordin Sparks, Shane Stevens | 3:21 |
| 11. | "Faith" | Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins, Jordin Sparks | 3:22 |
| 12. | "The Cure" | Claude Kelly, Carlos McKinney, Jordin Sparks | 4:17 |
| 13. | "Vertigo (iTunes Pre-Order Only)[19]" | Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins | 3:40 |
- International bonus tracks [20]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Tattoo" | Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen | 3:54 |
| 15. | "One Step at a Time" | Robbie Nevil, Lauren Evans, Jonas Jeberg, M. Hansen | 3:26 |
Japanese Bonus Track
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Landmines[21]" | TBA | TBA |
Deluxe Edition
- Bonus tracks[22]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Papercut" | Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins, Jordin Sparks | 3:37 |
| 15. | "Postcard" | Vito Colapietro, Neely Dinkins, Shaunise Harris, Stephan Jones, Whitney Walter, Brandon Williams | 4:02 |
- DVD contents
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hangin' With Jordin Sparks" | 11:39 |
| 2. | "Battlefield Behind the Scenes" | 9:27 |
| 3. | "Battlefield Photo Shoot" | 6:57 |
| 4. | "Battlefield (music video)" | 4:00 |
Release history
| Country | Release date | Label(s) | Format(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia [1] | July 17, 2009 | Zomba, Sony Music | Standard Edition (CD) Deluxe Edition (CD + DVD) |
| Ireland [1] | RCA, Sony Music | ||
| United Kingdom [23] | July 20, 2009 | ||
| Philippines [24] | Zomba, Sony Music | ||
| Denmark [1] | |||
| France [1] | |||
| Hong Kong [1] | |||
| Norway [1] | |||
| New Zealand [1] | |||
| Portugal [1] | |||
| Brazil [1] | |||
| Finland [1] | |||
| Colombia [1] | |||
| Costa Rica [1] | |||
| Czech Republic [1] | |||
| United States & Canada [5] | July 21, 2009 | Jive, Zomba | |
| Spain [1] | Zomba, Sony Music | ||
| Sweden [1] | July 22, 2009 | ||
| Germany [1] | July 24, 2009 | ||
| Austria [1] | |||
| Japan [25] | August 18, 2009 | Sony Music Japan | |
| Belgium [1] | August 24, 2009 | Zomba, Sony Music | |
| Netherlands [1] |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "'Battlefield' Album Release Dates" (web). albumrelease. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
- ^ a b c d Graff, Gary. "Jordin Sparks At Peace With 'Battlefield'". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ a b "allmusic Jordin Sparks Battlefield Standard Edition Track listing, Composers and song lengths" (web). tracklisting.
- ^ "Q100 Interview Sparks after Idol Performance" (webcast). radio interview. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
- ^ a b c d e "prnewswire: press release about Sparks and "Battlefield" album" (web). press-release. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ "Ryan Seacrest Interviews Sparks regarding new album" (webcast). radio interview. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
- ^ "Digital Spy: Interview with Sparks" (web). interview. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
- ^ "Yahoo Report on Jordin's new album and collaborations" (web). newsreport. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
- ^ http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/alexa_chung/schedule.jhtml
- ^ "JS's official website confirms new appearances and events" (web). official website. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- ^ http://www.sawfnews.com/Entertainment/58971.aspx
- ^ a b "Amazon: Battlefield Deluxe Edition" (web). pre-order listing. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
- ^ "Jordin Tweets about Photoshoot" (web). official twitter. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
- ^ a b c "Entertainment Week;y: Review of "Battlefield", A-" (web). review. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
- ^ a b "Guardian: Review of "Battlefield", 3/5 stars" (web). review. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
- ^ a b "Slant Magazine: Review of "Battlefield", 3/5 stars" (web). review. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
- ^ "Video Static reveals Sparks' new video details" (web). press release. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
- ^ "Fresh 1027: Interview with sparks" (web). radio interview. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
- ^ Template:Cite web url=http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPreorder?i=321028779&id=321028652&s=143441
- ^ "Amazon UK tracklisting for Battlefield" (web). albumlisting. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
- ^ "cdjapan tracklisting for Battlefield" (web). albumlisting. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
- ^ "allmusic Jordin Sparks Battlefield Deluxe Edition Track listing, composers and song lengths" (web). tracklisting.
- ^ "Amazon: UK Release of Battlefield" (web). pre-order listing. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
- ^ "Sony Music (Phillipines) Reveals Track-listing" (web). albumlisting. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
- ^ "AllMusic: Japanese Album Details" (web). albumlisting. Retrieved 2009-07-18.