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Battlefield (album)

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Untitled

Battlefield is the second studio album by American R&B and pop singer Jordin Sparks.[5] It was first released on July 17, 2009 in Australia and Ireland, July 20 in the UK and from July 21 worldwide, on Jive Records.[6] The album has debuted at number 7 in the US, number 11 in the UK, number 34 in Australia and top 20 in many territories.

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 new sounds with award-winning songwriters and producers such as Ryan Tedder, Dr. Luke and Lucas Secon. Upon its release, Battlefield received generally mixed to positive reviews from most music critics.

The first single is also called "Battlefield" and was produced and co-written by Ryan Tedder. The single was released in North America on May 12 reaching the top 5 in Canada and top 10 in the US, making it her 5th consecutive top 20 hit there. Internationally the single reached the top 10 in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, and the top 20 in most other territories. "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)" is the second single. "Don't Let It Go to Your Head", a cover of the single originally by Fefe Dobson was Sparks' third single to be released from the album. So far it has only been released in the UK on January 8, 2010. The album has so far sold over 600,000 copies worldwide.[7]

Background and production

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."[6]

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.

Music

On May 18, 2009 it was revealed so far Sparks had recorded 30 songs for the album but would select songs that fit well with the first single "Battlefield" since that was now also the name for the album.[8] Later in May during an interview with Digital Spy,[9] 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 Fergie, Justin Timberlake, and Alicia Keys.[9]

None of these collaborations materialized although Sparks did confirm in an interview that she had made a pact to record a duet with Lewis for her future album as she believes the duo could be the next "Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey". The reason cited for no duets on this album was a lack of time and tight deadlines.[10] As mentioned previously there are no vocal guests on the album although 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.[11] 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]

Release and promotion

The album was first announced to be released on July 14, 2009 in America by Sparks herself through Twitter and by Amazon.com.[16] 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.[6]

On May 10, Sparks went ahead with a planned photo shoot for the album's cover and future singles.[17] 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.[6]

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,[16] following in the footsteps of fellow label-mates Ciara and Britney Spears. In international markets "Tattoo" and "One Step at a Time" from her debut album have been included as bonus tracks to help promote the album. Both songs were successful in their own rights reaching top 20 in Japan, the UK and Australia with no promotion.

Singles

  • "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.[19] The song was released in Australia on September 4, 2009[20] and in the US on September 29, 2009[21] It was released in the UK on October 12, 2009.[22] The video was shot[23] in Los Angeles, California on August 10, 2009, with Chris Robinson serving as the director. He also worked with Sparks on the "No Air" music video.[24]
  • "Don't Let It Go to Your Head" is the third single to be released from the album. It was released as a digital download on January 8, 2010 in the UK only.[4] It was released as a digital download with "Landmines (Main Version)" as the B side.[25]

Tour

Main article: Battlefield Tour

On March 15, 2010 it was announced that Sparks was going on her first headlining tour, the Battlefield Tour in support of her second studio album of the same name.[26] The tour kicked off on May 1, 2010 in Uncasville, Connecticut and saw Sparks performing at 39 intimate venues across the U.S. such as theaters, ballrooms, amusement parks, and casinos. The tour ended on July 18, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[27]
Billboardfavorable[28]
The Boston Globeunfavorable[29]
Digital Spy[30]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[31]
The Guardian[32]
Jesus Freak Hideout[33]
Los Angeles Times[34]
The New York Timesfavorable[35]
NewsdayB+[36]
Rolling Stone[37]
Slant Magazine[38]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number seven on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 48,000 copies in its first week. It charted three spots higher, but with lower sales than her debut album. By July 2010, it had sold 177,000 copies in the United States.[39] Worldwide sales stand below the 600,000 mark as of July 2010.

Critical response

Upon its release, Battlefield received generally mixed to positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 63/100 from Metacritic.[40]

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."[41]

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'."[42]

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."[43]

Digital Spy also gave the album a generally mixed review, writing, "Nothing here is as irresistible as the single, a brilliant update of the '80s arena rock sound that deserves better than its middling chart performance, but several tracks aren't too far off. 'Don't Let It Go To Your Head' [and] 'Let It Rain'... offers lots of soft rock bombast." However, the reviewer also criticized the album for "sentimental mush in its final stretch, with Sparks delivering a series of threadbare clichés over dull, dated arrangements...The result is an album that improves upon Sparks' debut – it doesn't try so hard to cover all of the bases, and Sparks sounds more comfortable on the uptempo cuts – but has the same Achilles heel: a paucity of really memorable songs. Then again, faced with some tough choices and release date approaching, it's hard to blame Sparks – still only 19, lest we forget - for sticking a little too closely to the middle of the road."[44]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Walking on Snow"Frankie Storm, Jeremy Shaw, Lucas Secon, Olivia WaitheLucas Secon3:29
2."Battlefield"Louis Biancaniello, Ryan Tedder, Sam Watters, Wayne WilkinsRyan Tedder, The Runaways4:01
3."Don't Let It Go to Your Head"Josh Alexander, Fefe Dobson, Billy SteinbergHarvey Mason, Jr.4:10
4."S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)"Ed Chisolm, Mich Hedin Hansen, Keely Hawkes, David Kopatz, Lasse KramhøftCutfather, David Kopatz, Pilfinger3:34
5."It Takes More"Andrea Martin, Carsten Mortensen, SeconLucas Secon3:34
6."Watch You Go"Joshua Coleman, Lukasz Gottwald, Benjamin Levin, Faheem NajmAmmo, Benny Blanco, Dr. Luke3:52
7."No Parade"Anne Preven, Dapo Torimiro, Scott CutlerDapo Torimiro, Scott Cutler, Anna Preven3:31
8."Let It Rain"Lindy Robbins, Toby GadToby Gad3:45
9."Emergency (911)"Gad, Robbins, Jordin SparksToby Gad3:49
10."Was I the Only One"Christa Black, Sam Mizell, Sparks, Shane StevensSam Mizzell3:21
11."Faith"Gad, Robbins, SparksToby Gad3:23
12."The Cure"Carlos McKinney, Claude Kelly, SparksClaude Kelly, Los DaMystro4:16
Total length:44:45
iTunes Pre-order bonus track[45]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Vertigo"Gad, Robbins, SparksToby Gad3:40
International bonus tracks[46]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Tattoo"Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench, StarGateStargate3:54
14."One Step at a Time"Lauran Evans, Cutfather, Jonas Jeberg, Robbie NevilCutfather, Jeberg, Nevil3:26
15."Landmines" (Japanese bonus track[47])Gad, Robbins, Sparks 4:27

Deluxe Version

Additional tracks
[48]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Papercut"Gad, Robins, SparksGad3:37
14."Postcard"Vito Colapietro, Neely Dinkins, Walter Whitney, Brandon Williams, Shaunise Harris, Stephan JonesThe Co-Stars4:02
Total length:52:19
DVD contents
  1. "Hangin' With Jordin Sparks" — 11:39
  2. "Battlefield: Behind the Scenes" — 9:27
  3. "Battlefield Photo Shoot — 6:57
  4. "Battlefield Music Video" — 4:04

Personnel

Credits for Battlefield adapted from Allmusic.[49]

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian Albums[50] 34
Austrian Albums[51] 60
Canadian Albums[52] 10
Dutch Albums[53] 51
Irish Albums[50] 17
New Zealand Albums[54] 17
Polish Albums Chart[55] 39
Swiss Albums[56] 52
UK Albums Chart[50] 11
US Billboard 200[52] 7

Release history

Country Release date Label(s)
Netherlands[57] July 17, 2009 Sony Music Entertainment
Australia[1] Zomba, Sony Music
Ireland[1] RCA Records, Sony Music
United Kingdom[58] July 20, 2009
France[1] Jive Epic Records
Philippines[59] Zomba, Sony Music
Denmark[1]
Hong Kong[1]
Norway[1]
New Zealand[1]
Portugal[1]
Finland[1]
Colombia[1]
Costa Rica[1]
Czech Republic[1]
Canada[6] July 21, 2009 Jive Records, Zomba
United States[6]
Spain[1] Zomba, Sony Music
Sweden[1] July 22, 2009
Thailand[60] July 23, 2009
Germany[1] July 24, 2009
Austria[1]
Japan[61] August 12, 2009 Sony Music Japan
Belgium[1] August 24, 2009 Zomba, Sony Music
Poland[62] January 11, 2010 Sony Music

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "'Battlefield' Album Release Dates". albumrelease. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  2. ^ a b c d Graff, Gary. "Jordin Sparks At Peace With 'Battlefield'". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
  3. ^ "allmusic Jordin Sparks Battlefield Standard Edition Track listing, Composers and song lengths". tracklisting.
  4. ^ a b "Don't Let It Go To Your Head (Main Version) by Jordin Sparks From the Album Don't Let It Go To Your Head". Amazon.co.uk. 2010-01-08. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  5. ^ "Q100 Interview Sparks after Idol Performance" (webcast). radio interview. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "prnewswire: press release about Sparks and "Battlefield" album". press-release. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  7. ^ +popline. "It's On: Os 10 flops que moram no nosso coração - Parte I | Nathalia Ferrari lista os álbuns mais injustiçados do pop | PortalPOPLine.com.br". Popline.mtv.uol.com.br. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  8. ^ "Ryan Seacrest Interviews Sparks regarding new album" (webcast). radio interview. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  9. ^ a b "Digital Spy: Interview with Sparks". interview. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  10. ^ "Digital Spy: Sparks and Lewis make duet pact". interview. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  11. ^ "Yahoo Report on Jordin's new album and collaborations". newsreport. Retrieved 2009-06-21. [dead link‍]
  12. ^ "It's On with Alexa Chung". MTV. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  13. ^ "JS's official website confirms new appearances and events". official website. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
  14. ^ "Jordin Sparks' new album 'Battlefield' in stores July 21". Sawfnews.com. 2009-07-20. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  15. ^ "Episode Detail: Regis and Kelly - Regis and Kelly". TV Guide.
  16. ^ a b "Amazon: Battlefield Deluxe Edition". pre-order listing. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  17. ^ "Jordin Tweets about Photoshoot". official twitter. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  18. ^ "UK Top 40 Hit Database>search by Artist name". EveryHit.com. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  19. ^ "Fresh 1027: Interview with sparks". radio interview. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  20. ^ "Buy Sos (Let The Music Play) Jordin Sparks, Rock/Pop, CD Singles". Sanity. 2009-09-04. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  21. ^ "All Access: Future Releases". listing. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  22. ^ "Music - Singles Release Diary: 2008/09 Archive". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
  23. ^ Gottlieb, Steven (2009-08-17). "SHOT: Jordin Sparks - Chris Robinson, director". video STATIC. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  24. ^ "Twitter / Jordin Sparks: Thanks 2 Chris Robinson (N". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  25. ^ Don't Let It Go To Your Head by Jordin Sparks Amazon.co.uk. 2010-01-08. Retrieved on 2010-01-21.
  26. ^ http://www.sparkstown.com/news/news.php?uid=72
  27. ^ Allmusic Review
  28. ^ Billboard Review
  29. ^ The Boston Globe Review
  30. ^ Digital Spy Review
  31. ^ Entertainment Weekly Review
  32. ^ The Guardian Review
  33. ^ Jesus Freak Hideout Review
  34. ^ Los Angeles Times Review
  35. ^ The New York Times Review
  36. ^ Newsday Review
  37. ^ Rolling Stone Review
  38. ^ Slant Magazine Review
  39. ^ "Idols maintain chart presence with guest appearances, compilations". USA Today. 2010-12-08.
  40. ^ "Music: Battlefield (album) by Jordin Sparks". review. Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
  41. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (2009-07-17). "Guardian: Review of "Battlefield", 3/5 stars". review. London. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  42. ^ "Slant Magazine: Review of "Battlefield", 3/5 stars". review. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  43. ^ Slezak, Michael (2009-07-15). "Music Review Battlefield (2009)Jordin Sparks'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  44. ^ Levine, Nick. "Music Review Battlefield (2009)Jordin Sparks'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
  45. ^ "iTunes Pre-order Jordin Sparks Battlefield". pre-order listing. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  46. ^ "Amazon UK tracklisting for Battlefield". albumlisting. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
  47. ^ "cdjapan tracklisting for Battlefield". albumlisting. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
  48. ^ "allmusic Jordin Sparks Battlefield Deluxe Edition Track listing, composers and song lengths". tracklisting.
  49. ^ "allmusic Jordin Sparks Battlefield Standard Edition, Credits". Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  50. ^ a b c "Jordin Sparks - Battlefield - Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  51. ^ "oe3.ORF.at / Woche 31 / 2009". Charts.orf.at. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  52. ^ a b Billboard, Battlefield (Album) - Jordin Sparks (2009)
  53. ^ Steffen Hung. "Jordin Sparks - Battlefield". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  54. ^ "Top 40 Albums Chart - chart #1679 - Monday 27 July 2009". RIANZ. 2009-07-27. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  55. ^ "Official Retail Sales Chart - Top 100". Polish Music Charts (in Polish). ZPAV. Retrieved 2011-10-20.
  56. ^ Steffen Hung. "Jordin Sparks - Battlefield". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  57. ^ "iTunes".
  58. ^ "Amazon: UK Release of Battlefield". pre-order listing. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
  59. ^ "Sony Music (Philippines) Reveals Track-listing". albumlisting. Retrieved 2009-06-17. [dead link‍]
  60. ^ Jordin Sparks - Battlefield Sonymusic Thailand
  61. ^ "AllMusic: Japanese Album Details". albumlisting. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
  62. ^ "Sony Music Poland | Facebook". Sonymusic.pl. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
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