Glee: The Music, Volume 2

Glee: The Music, Volume 2
Soundtrack album by Glee Cast
Released December 4, 2009 (2009-12-04)
Recorded 2009
Genre Pop, rock, R&B, soundtrack
Length 58:19
Label Columbia
Producer Dante Di Loreto (exec.), Brad Falchuk (exec.), Adam Anders, Peer Åström, Ryan Murphy
Glee Cast chronology
Glee: The Music, Volume 1
(2009)
Glee: The Music, Volume 2
(2009)
Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna
(2010)

Glee: The Music, Volume 2 is the second soundtrack album by the cast of the American musical television series Glee, featuring songs from episodes nine to thirteen of the show's first season. It was first released on December 4, 2009 in Australia by Columbia Records. It has been certified platinum in Canada and Australia, and gold in the United Kingdom and the United States. Volume 2 received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the vocals of cast members Lea Michele, Amber Riley, and Kevin McHale, but felt the album was weak in arrangements and similar to a collection of karaoke tracks. All tracks were released as singles and performed on the series, with the exception of "Don't Make Me Over"—only an instrumental version was used.

Contents

Production and songs

Each of songs included on the album were released as singles, available for download.[1] "True Colors" charted highest in all regions except America, reaching number 15 in Ireland,[2] number 35 in the United Kingdom,[3][4] number 38 in Canada,[5][6] and number 47 in Australia.[7] In America, the best-performing single was "Lean on Me", which charted at number 50.[6][8] The only songs which failed to chart in any region were "(You're) Having My Baby" and "Don't Make Me Over". Karaoke versions of "Lean on Me", "My Life Would Suck Without You" and "True Colors" were also released,[1] based on fan–demand and the popularity of karaoke tribute videos to the series.[9]

Yoko Ono was hesitant about allowing Glee the rights to "Imagine". Series music supervisor P.J. Bloom explained: "It was very difficult to convince Yoko Ono that it was the right thing to do. She needed to truly understand how the music was going to be used. The added component of us wanting to have a deaf choir signing the song made for this incredibly poignant moment. ...It really took a lot of convincing to get her on board and realize that it was a great, great moment, and a tribute to John and his song."[10] While a full version of "Don't Make Me Over" is included on the album, only an instrumental version was used in the show.[11]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [12]
Entertainment Weekly (A-)[13]
IGN 7.3/10[14]

The album has received mixed reviews from critics. Whitney Pastorek of Entertainment Weekly felt that there was much about the album that should not work, including "sickly-sweet vocals", "theme-park-level arrangements" and "cheesy song choices". Despite this, she commented: "When the Glee kids nail something—like a version of Van Halen's "Jump" that made my cheeks sore from smiling—the title of this joyful franchise could not be more apt."[13] Allmusic's Andrew Leahey observed that the soundtrack felt "a bit rushed" due to its release four weeks after Volume 1 and the fact it features songs from half as many episodes as the first album. He criticized: "As before, this album sometimes strays away from choral arrangements and sounds more like a collection of karaoke recordings."[12] Overall, however, Leahey believed that returning fans would find the album enjoyable.[12]

Christopher John Farley of The Wall Street Journal commented that Michele, Riley and McHale have "the most distinctive voices" of all the Glee cast members, suggesting that Michele's rendition of "Don't Rain on My Parade" would "have some listeners hoping she'll be sharing her talents with Broadway again soon."[15] IGN's Brian Linder recommended the album to Glee fans only, opining that "only two or three tracks will be of interest to the non-hardcore fan. Unlike the first installment in the show's soundtrack series, Glee – The Music, Vol. 2 isn't going to win over any skeptics."[14]

Track listing

Personnel

Source: allmusic.[16]

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[7] 8
Canadian Albums Chart[17] 5
US Billboard 200[17] 3
US Billboard Soundtracks[18] 1
Chart (2010) Peak
position
Belgian (Wallonia) Albums Chart[19] 44
Dutch Albums Chart[20] 16
Irish Albums Chart[2] 1
Mexican Albums Chart[21] 39
New Zealand Albums Chart[22] 1
UK Albums Chart[3] 2
Chart (2011) Peak
position
Belgian (Flanders) Albums Chart[23] 77
French Albums Chart[24] 74
Italian Compilations Chart[25] 20

Year-end charts

Chart (2009) Position
Australian Albums Chart[26] 71
Chart (2010) Position
Australian Albums Chart[27] 41
Canadian Albums Chart[28] 29
New Zealand Albums Chart[29] 29
US Billboard 200[30] 26
US Billboard Soundtracks[31] 3

Certifications

Country Certification
Australia Platinum[32]
Canada Platinum[33]
Ireland 2x Platinum[34]
New Zealand Gold[35]
United Kingdom Gold[36]
United States Gold[37]
Order of precedence
Preceded by
Brother by Boyzone
Irish Albums Chart number-one album
25 March 2010 - 7 April 2010
Succeeded by
My Worlds by Justin Bieber
Preceded by
I Dreamed a Dream by Susan Boyle
New Zealand Albums Chart number-one album
1 February 2010 - 7 February 2010
Succeeded by
I Dreamed a Dream by Susan Boyle

Release history

Region Release date
Australia December 4, 2009[38]
Canada December 8, 2009[39][40]
United States
Japan December 15, 2009[41]
New Zealand January 11, 2010[42]
Mexico March 2010[21]
Ireland March 12, 2010[43]
United Kingdom March 15, 2010[44]
Taiwan April 20, 2010[45]
Italy January 26, 2011[46]

References

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  3. ^ a b "UK Top 40 Database > Search". everyhit.com. http://everyhit.com. Retrieved February 25, 2010. 
  4. ^ "Chart Stats – Glee Cast". Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=12473. Retrieved February 25, 2010. 
  5. ^ "Glee Cast Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. http://www.billboard.com/artist/glee-cast/1131447#/artist/glee-cast/chart-history/1131447?f=793&g=Singles. Retrieved February 25, 2010. 
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