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Imperial Blaze

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Untitled

Imperial Blaze is the fourth album by dancehall artist Sean Paul.[3] The album was released on August 18, 2009.[4]

Background

The album was originally scheduled to be released in the summer of 2007 under the name The Next Thing,[5][6] but was then pushed to November 2008.[7]

Sean Paul told MTV that he wants to be less focused on party songs such as Get Busy, We Be Burnin', and Temperature. He said he wants his songs to focus on youth violence in Jamaica,[6] however, the resulting album contained mainly up-tempo party songs. He subsequently released a mixtape which focused on the youth violence in Jamaica.

The album's title means "Kings Fire". Sean Paul commented on the title saying,[8]

"I'm not the king. I'm the fire, I'm the flame, I'm the energy."

In an interview with DJ Swerve, Sean Paul confirmed that he did 60 tracks for the album, with 19 tracks making the final cut.

On July 10, a song from the album, "Press It Up", was premiered on Sean Paul's official website.[9] A video was filmed for "Press It Up," which was directed by Jessy Terrero [10]

The album was put on pre-order on July 17, 2009. Those who pre-ordered will receive two digital track downloads to songs titled "She Wanna Be Down" and "Get With It Girl".[11] On the German iTunes Store "Imperial Blaze" was released on August 14, 2009.[12]

Sean Paul expressed delight regarding the progress of the album on the international stage. "It's a good feeling and I'm happy - very happy that people like the music, and that they've been going out and getting the album," he said.

"Number 1 in Japan is a big achievement for me. I'm especially proud of that, because outside of Jamaica, Japanese people are really the biggest consumers of dancehall music," he said.

Imperial Blaze was certified gold in France, debuting at #8 in that country, #7 in the United Arab Emirates, #5 in Canada, #4 in Switzerland, #15 in Belgium, #17 in Austria, and #17 in Germany.

It was also the first ever Jamaican album to debut atop the Billboard Rap Charts. The wholly Jamaican produced project debuted atop the Billboard Reggae Charts, #3 on the Hip Hop/R&B Album charts, #12 on the Billboard 200, #9 on the Digital Albums, and #20 on the European Albums chart.

As of January 2012, the album has sold 101,000 copies in United States.[13]

Singles

  • The first official single is "So Fine", peaking at #50 on the Billboard Hot 100.
  • The second official single is "Press It Up". It was released on August 4, 2009. The music video was released on September 9, 2009.[14]
  • The third single is "Hold My Hand" which features Keri Hilson. It was sent to U.S. radio on September 29, 2009.[2][15]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[16]
Entertainment Weekly(B+)[17]
NOW Magazine[18]
RapReviews(3/10)[19]
Rolling Stone[20]
Slant[21]
Toronto Star[22]
USA Today[23]
DJBooth.net[24]

Initial critical response to Imperial Blaze was average. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 44, based on five reviews.[25] The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album .

Track listing

  • Sean Paul Henriques co-wrote all of the songs on the album; additional writers are listed below.
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro: Chi Ching Ching"  0:50
2."Lace It"Stephen McGregorDi Genius2:51
3."So Fine"S. McGregor, Nigel StaffDi Genius3:30
4."Now That I've Got Your Love"S. McGregorDi Genius3:33
5."Birthday Suit"S. McGregorDi Genius3:25
6."Press It Up"S. McGregorDi Genius3:43
7."Evening Ride"Jeremy Harding, S. McGregorDi Genius3:56
8."Hold My Hand"Arif Cooper, Clayton MorrisonSupacoop3:26
9."She Want Me"J. Harding, S. McGregorDi Genius3:05
10."Daddy's Home"S. McGregorDi Genius3:30
11."Bruk Out"Craig ParksLeftside3:24
12."Pepperpot"S. Anderson, A. McIntyre, Jason HenriquesJigzag3:50
13."Wine Baby Wine"J. HardingMister Harding3:04
14."Running Out of Time"Donovan Bennett, J. HenriquesDon Corleon3:21
15."Don't Tease Me"S. McGregorDi Genius3:19
16."Lately"S. McGregorDi Genius3:06
17."She Wanna Be Down"S. McGregorDi Genius3:37
18."Straight from My Heart"A. Thompson, Delano Thomas, Dwayne Chin-Quee, M. Chin, Cezar CunninghamDelano Thomas, Supa Dups4:26
19."Private Party"Donovan Bennett, J. HenriquesDon Corleon3:34
20."I Know U Like It"J. HenriquesSean Paul3:07
Total length:66:49

Deluxe version

iTunes Bonus track

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
21."Agarra Mi Mano (Hold My Hand Spanish Version)"Arif Cooper, Clayton MorrisonSupacoop3:29

Charts

Charts (2009)[26] Peak
position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart 17
French Albums Chart 8
Netherlands Albums Chart 36
Swiss Albums Chart 4
Belgian Albums Chart [27] (Wallonia) 11
Belgian Albums Chart(Flanders) 31
U.S. Billboard 200[28] 12
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[29] 3
U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums[30] 1
Canadian Albums Chart[31] 5
U.S. Billboard Top Reggae Albums [32] 1
UK Albums Chart[33] 38
European Top 100 Albums 20
Germany Albums Top 50 17
Dutch Albums Top 100 36

References

  1. ^ "Press It Up (Album Version): Sean Paul: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
  2. ^ a b "®R&R :: Going For Adds™ :: Rhythmic". Gfa.radioandrecords.com. 2009-09-29. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
  3. ^ New Music: Sean Paul - ‘So Fine’ Rap-Up.'.' Retrieved April 25, 2009.
  4. ^ "So Fine" - Audio Detail All Sean Paul.'.' Retrieved April 25, 2009.
  5. ^ 19 januari 2008. "Sean Paul talks to paparazzi about new album". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2009-10-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b Sean Paul Hopes To Curb Youth Violence In Jamaica With Next LP. MTV.com'.' Retrieved June 29, 2008.
  7. ^ Sean Paul interviewed before concert. Youtube.com'.' Retrieved June 29, 2008.
  8. ^ TraceTV: Sean Paul Talks About His New Album "Imperial Blaze". All Sean Paul.
  9. ^ WORLD PREMIERE: Sean Paul - "Press It Up". All Sean Paul.
  10. ^ "Press It Up Songfacts". Songfacts.com. 2007-04-27. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  11. ^ Exclusive "Imperial Blaze" Pre-Order Bundles! All Sean Paul.
  12. ^ "iTunes Store - Sean Paul - Imperial Blaze (Deluxe Version)". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  13. ^ "Upcoming Releases". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
  14. ^ "Video: Sean Paul – 'Press It Up'". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  15. ^ "Radio1 - UK Forthcoming Singles". Radio1.gr. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  16. ^ Allmusic review
  17. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
  18. ^ NOW Magazine review
  19. ^ RapReviews review
  20. ^ Rolling Stone review
  21. ^ Slant review
  22. ^ Toronto Star review
  23. ^ USA Today review
  24. ^ DJBooth.net review
  25. ^ "Imperial Blaze reviews at Metacritic.com". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
  26. ^ Steffen Hung. "Sean Paul - Imperial Blaze". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  27. ^ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  28. ^ "Week Ending Aug. 23, 2009: Over 50 And Still On Top - Chart Watch". New.music.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  29. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/sean-paul/chart-history/322007?f=333&g=Albums
  30. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/sean-paul/chart-history/322007?f=335&g=Albums
  31. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/sean-paul/chart-history/322007?f=309&g=Albums
  32. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/sean-paul/chart-history/322007?f=336&g=Albums
  33. ^ "Sean Paul". Chart Stats. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
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