Third Strike (album)

Third Strike
Studio album by Tinchy Stryder
Released 15 November 2010 (2010-11-15)
Recorded 2010
Genre Electro hop, Electro house,
hip house, alternative hip hop, alternative rock, R&B & grime
Length 51:38
Label Takeover Entertainment Ltd & Universal Island Records
Producer Kwasi Danquah III
(Co-Record executive & Composer)
Fraser T. Smith
(Co-Record executive)
iSHi-2Stripes
(Sound engineer)
Taio Cruz , Ayak Thiik, Israel Cruz
(Lyricists)
TMS
(Mixing engineers)
Nathan Retro & Naughty Boy
(Mastering engineers)
Tinchy Stryder chronology
Street Anthems
(2009)
Third Strike
(2010)
Full Tank
(2012)
Singles from Third Strike
  1. "In My System"
    Released: 8 August 2010
  2. "Second Chance"
    Released: 2 November 2010
  3. "Let It Rain"
    Released: 24 January 2011

Third Strike is the third solo studio album from Ghanaian British recording artist Tinchy Stryder, and his second studio album with Universal Island Records. It was released in the United Kingdom on 15 November 2010. Prior to the release of Third Strike, Stryder featured on the grime collective Roll Deep's first compilation album, Street Anthems, which was released on October 19, 2009. Third Strike was preceded by a free downloadable extended play (EP), III EP.

Contents

Background

The album is the follow-up to Styder's album Catch 22. Tinchy began recording his third studio album shortly after he completed his previous album, and would release a single from the album a whole year straight from the day he released his second studio album. He began working with Fraser T. Smith who also worked on his second studio album. Taio Cruz produced the largely, along with Fraser T. Smith. The album title was picked as Stryder thought the album would be a smash hit, so he thought he would rip off the title of Street Fighter III 3rd Strike which was also a massive success.

Collaborations

Third Strike features several artists, including, Amelle, who he collaborated with on his second studio album Catch 22 on the single "Never Leave You" where the pair gained a number one in the UK. The album features Taio Cruz who also featured on the Stryder's last album. The album also features artists affiliated with Roc Nation. Artists such as Melanie Fiona "Let It Rain", Alexis Jordan, and Bridget Kelly "Take The World". The song "Game Over" features six different artists, Example, Professor Green, Giggs, Devlin, Tinie Tempah and Chipmunk. Stryder also collaborated with Bluey Robinson on the song "Tomorrow". Eric Turner also featured on the album, who gained a number one single after featuring on Tinie Tempah's "Written in the Stars".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Metro [2]

The Metro.co.uk stated that the album was "stick to an uninspiring but winning formula of cheesy dance beats and soaring female vocals." while following on to say that the album "The dubsteppy breakdown on epic pop song Tomorrow signals the mainstream’s embrace of certain initially fringe urban sounds." and later awarding the album three out of five stars.[3] NME said that "opener Take the World proves that Tinchy Stryder is a good rapper, but the song is ruined by a sugary-sweet female chorus." However, they gave praise to the songs "In My System" and "Gangsta?". "In My System" features Tinchy rapping the grime equivalent of a Hallmark card over woozy keyboards and futuristic synths. "Gangsta?", finds him boasting, over turgid beats and cyber-synths, about his Twitter feed "f***ing with some anthems" and "having meetings with the president", a line which he bellows at every opportunity. They gave the album 5 out of 10. David Jefrries from Allmusic gave it a 3.5/5 and stated that "the album throws so much polish at the listener that the sheen is blinding, but when it comes to short bursts of well-dressed swagger, Third Strike provides Flo Rida-sized results".

Commercial Performance

Third Strike charted poorly when released, only peaking at 48 in the UK Album Charts despite his previous album Catch 22 peaking at 2. However, Third Strike peaked at 2 in the UK Dance Chart.

Singles

Track listing

No. Title Producer Length
1. "Take The World" (feat. Bridget Kelly) TMS 4:23
2. "In My System"   Fraser T. Smith 3:33
3. "Famous"   Israel Cruz 4:01
4. "Tomorrow" (feat. Bluey Robinson) Nathan Retro 3:42
5. "Gangsta?"   TMS 2:33
6. "Stereo Sun" (feat. Eric Turner) iSHi-2Stripes 3:16
7. "Second Chance" (feat. Taio Cruz) Fraser T. Smith 3:28
8. "Never Know"   Nathan Retro 3:34
9. "Game Over" (feat. Example, Professor Green, Giggs, Devlin, Tinie Tempah, Chipmunk) iSHi-2Stripes 5:20
10. "Let It Rain" (feat. Melanie Fiona) Nathan Retro 3:40
11. "Remember"   Nathan Retro 3:31
12. "Together" (feat. Alexis Jordan) Fraser T. Smith 3:42
13. "Til the End" (feat. Amelle Berrabah) Naughty Boy 3:22
14. "My Last Try" (feat. Eric Turner) iSHi-2Stripes 3:33

Chart performance

Chart (2010) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart[5] 48
UK Download Chart[6] 16
UK Dance Chart[7] 2

Release history

Region Date Format Label
United Kingdom 15 November 2010[8][9] CD, Digital Download Takeover Entertainment Ltd &
Universal Island Records

References

  1. ^ David, Review: Third Strike. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2011-02-07.
  2. ^ Tinchy Stryder, Third Strike: Album review. Metro.co.uk (2010-11-07). Retrieved on 2010-11-25.
  3. ^ Metro.co.uk dicusses Tinchy Stryder's Third Strike his follow-up album from Catch 22
  4. ^ Gangsta official charting
  5. ^ Third Strike: The Official Charts Company. UK Singles Chart.
  6. ^ Album Download Chart. Theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved on 2010-11-25.
  7. ^ Dance Albums Chart. Theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved on 2010-11-25.
  8. ^ Third Strike: Tinchy Stryder: Amazon.co.uk: Music. Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on 2010-11-25.
  9. ^ Third Strike by Tinchy Stryder - Download Third Strike on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2010-11-15). Retrieved on 2010-11-25.