Down to Earth (Jem album)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2009) |
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| ArtofRhyme | (3.75/5)[2] |
| Billboard | (positive)[3] |
| Digital Spy | [4] |
| The Guardian | [5] |
| MusicOMH.com | [6] |
| Paste | (61/100)[7] |
| The Phoenix |  [8] |
| The Times | [9] |
Down to Earth is the second studio album by Jem, the follow-up to her successful 2004 debut, Finally Woken. The first single, "It's Amazing", was featured on the soundtrack to the Sex and the City movie. In August 2008, "Crazy" was released as a single on iTunes and other digital music outlets. By January 2009, "Keep on Walking" was distributed as a free iTunes download at US Starbucks stores.
The press release states that Jem co-wrote the album with a variety of people including Jeff Bass, Lester Mendez and Greg Kurstin and sings in Japanese on the track, "Aciiid!". The album also includes a collaboration with South African singer-songwriter and poet-activist Vusi Mahlasela on the track "You Will Make It" which was dedicated to the memory of D12 member Proof.[10][11] Although the collaboration never happened, Jem wanted to work with Eminem for the song, saying "The track is about losing someone and I wrote it the day after his friend Proof was murdered. I was in Detroit with Eminem's friends, who I happened to be recording with, when it happened".[12] The album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 43, selling 10,642 copies.
Jem wrote in her blog on 20 September 2008:
On this note, I'd like to apologize to everyone outside of the US as you might have noticed the album has not been released at the same time. It has been slightly delayed which was not intended and is not ideal but it's out of my hands (politics again, yawn…I probably shouldn't have called it my 'Empire Strikes Back' from the beginning, that's dark shit man..!)
Title
In September 2008, Jem's official website stated the following about the album title:
Down To Earth, also implies, Jem remains grounded. Perhaps that has something to do with her early experiences behind-the-scenes....,/But mostly, it stems from the fact that her prime motivation remains the joy of writing, recording, and performing music. Everything else is gravy./One last thought on that album title: No matter how rapturous a reception she receives, Jem shows no interest in the fame game.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Down to Earth" | Jem Griffiths, Jeff Bass, Justin Griffiths | Bass, Jem (add.) | 4:33 |
| 2. | "Crazy" | Jem, Bass | Bass, Jem (add.) | 3:39 |
| 3. | "I Want You To..." | Jem, Lester Mendez, Cut Chemist | Mendez, Jem (add.) | 3:38 |
| 4. | "It's Amazing" | Jem, Mendez | Mendez, Jem (add.) | 3:58 |
| 5. | "Keep on Walking" | Jem, Bass | Bass, Jem (add.) | 4:12 |
| 6. | "You Will Make It (featuring Vusi Mahlasela)" | Jem, J. Griffiths | Mike Bradford, Jem (add.) | 6:11 |
| 7. | "I Always Knew" | Jem, Mendez | Mendez, Jem (add.) | 3:09 |
| 8. | "Got It Good" | Jem, Bass | Bass, Jem (add.) | 4:26 |
| 9. | "Aciiid!" | Jem, Greg Kurstin | Kurstin, Jem (add.) | 2:56 |
| 10. | "How Would You Like It" | Jem, J. Griffiths | Bradford, Jem (add.) | 4:02 |
| 11. | "And So I Pray" | Jem, Kevin Beber | Bradford, Jem (assis.) | 2:42 |
| 12. | "On Top of the World" | Jem, Mendez | Mendez, Jem (add.) | 4:52 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Forever and a Day" | Jem, J. Griffiths, Joseph George | 3:49 |
Personnel
- Hiroko Aoyagi – vocals
- Jeff Atmajian – piano, string arrangements, piano arrangement
- Jeff Bass – bass, guitar, keyboards, producer, drum programming, tracked by
- Kevin Beber – drum programming
- Brian Berryman – engineer, fader engineer
- Mick Bolger – trombone, trumpet, euphonium, mellophonium, E flat cornet
- Mike Bradford – producer, string arrangements, instrumentation
- Del Casher – sounds
- Bryan Cook – engineer
- Nick Cuchinella – trombone
- Nabil Elderkin – photography
- Johnny Evans – saxophone
- Serban Ghenea – mixing
- Jem Griffiths – vocals, producer, vocal engineer, poetry reading
- Justin Griffiths – acoustic guitar
- John Hanes – mixing
- Mark Aaron James – design
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Shinobu Lee – vocals
- David Levita – acoustic guitar, guitar
- Lester Mendez – piano, producer, string arrangements, brass arrangement, instrumentation
- Monica Mendez – sound design
- Milan, Derrick & The Krew – chorus
- Eddie Miller – vocal engineer
- Rafael Padilla – percussion
- Phillip Ramos – studio assistant
- Tim Roberts – mixing assistant
- Ken Robinson – trumpet
- Sonus – strings
- Welsh Choir of Southern California – chorus
- Joe Wohlmuth – engineer
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 48 |
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
| UK Albums Chart[13] | 64 |
Release history
| Country | Date |
|---|---|
| United States | 16 September 2008 |
| Canada | |
| Japan | |
| Ireland | 30 January 2009 |
| United Kingdom | 2 February 2009 |
| Europe | |
| Sweden | 4 February 2009 |
| Portugal | 16 February 2009 |
| Poland | |
| Denmark | 23 February 2009 |
| Germany | 27 February 2009 |
| Austria | |
| Netherlands | |
| Switzerland | |
| Norway | 2 March 2009 |
| France | 3 March 2009 |
| Finland | 4 March 2009 |
| Greece | 6 March 2009 |
| Italy | 20 March 2009[a] |
References
- ^ Leahey, Andrew (16 September 2008). "Allmusic review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
- ^ "ArtofRhyme review". Artofrhyme.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Billboard review [dead link]
- ^ "Digital Spy review". Digitalspy.co.uk. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
- ^ Caroline Sullivan (30 January 2009). "The Guardian review". London: Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
- ^ "Jem – Down to Earth – review". Musicomh.com. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ "Paste review". Pastemagazine.com. 16 September 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
- ^ "The Phoenix review". Thephoenix.com. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
- ^ "The Times review". Entertainment.timesonline.co.uk. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
- ^ Raible, Allan. "Review: Jem's "Down To Earth". abcnews.com. ABC News. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ Jem - Down To Earth (CD liner notes). ATO Records. 88088-21630-2
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel. "Jem hopes to team up with Eminem". digitalspy.com. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ^ "Official UK Albums Chart". Theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ "Jem | The Official Website of Jem". Jem-music.net. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
Notes
- ^ Italy's release was originally planned for 6 march 2009, as announced on Jem's official MySpace, but it was later postponed.
External links
- Jem-Music.net — Jem official website
- Jem on MySpace
- "It's Amazing" official music video on YouTube