| Unbroken | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Demi Lovato | ||||
| Released | September 20, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | July 2010–2011 | |||
| Genre | Pop, R&B,[1] dance-pop[2] | |||
| Length | 52:36 | |||
| Label | Hollywood | |||
| Producer | Jim Beanz, Toby Gad, Timbaland, Ryan Tedder, Rock Mafia, Dreamlab, Emanuel Kiriakou, Bleu, Joshua Alexander, Billy Steinberg | |||
| Demi Lovato chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Unbroken | ||||
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Unbroken is the third studio album by American recording artist Demi Lovato. It was released on September 20, 2011 through Hollywood Records. Lovato worked with a variety of popular producers and writers, including Timbaland, Ryan Tedder, Rock Mafia, Dreamlab, Toby Gad and more. Writing and recording for the album began as early as July 2010, but ended in late 2010 due to Lovato's rehabilitation. Production resumed in April 2011 after Lovato's treatment ended. Musically, Lovato has described the album as "more mature" and "a little more R&B/pop" than her previous material, quoting artists such as Rihanna and Keri Hilson as influences. While some of the album's lyrical content was heavily influenced by Lovato's personal struggles in late 2010, it also deals with lighter subjects, such as love, self empowerment and having fun.
The album received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics, who commended its ballad tracks and praised Lovato's vocals, but dismissed it as "immature" and criticized its amount of "party songs". The album was a commercial success in the United States, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard 200, with sales exceeding 96,000 copies in its first week of release.[3] Internationally, Unbroken charted within the top twenty of Australia, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand.
Its lead single, "Skyscraper", was released on July 12, 2011. It was a commercial success in the United States, debuting and peaking at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Lovato's second highest-charting single to date behind "This Is Me" featuring Joe Jonas. It was also certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making it Lovato's best-selling single to date. It also reached the top twenty of Brazil, Canada and New Zealand. It also received favorable reviews from music critics, who generally cited it as a highlight on the album. "Give Your Heart a Break" was announced as the second single, and is currently scheduled to be released sometime in January 2012.
Contents |
After the release and disclosure of her second album, Here We Go Again, in the second half of 2009, Lovato was dedicated to her acting career, with recordings for the series and movies Sonny with a Chance and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam and their soundtracks. Therefore, recording the first track on this album was made only in July 2010 with producer Dapo Torimiro.[4]
That same month, the singer gave an interview to MTV, in which she said she was "creating a new sound," it would be "fun. A little more R&B/pop."[5] Later, in conversation with AHN, quoted Rihanna and Keri Hilson as influences.[6] At the time, she revealed she planned to work in no hurry on this album, stating that "Every other album I haven’t had time to really take my time and craft it like I really wanted to do because I was finding spare time between a television show, and movies, and touring, and then all over again. I’ve worked on (the album) for the past year and really gone hard over the past few months, but you can definitely tell that I took my time with this record."[7]
In August 2010, Demi entered in the Camp Rock World Tour 2010 to release the movie Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam.[8] In November, she left the tour due to personal problems and was admitted to a clinic for three months. During this time, the recordings were interrupted.[9] Some time after leaving the clinic, the singer returned to work on the album, in April 2011, it was reported that she was also working with producers/songwriters Sandy Vee and August Rigo.[10] Later that month, was announced that she would leave Sonny with a Chance, in which she portrayed Sonny Munroe, the main character. She left the show because she wanted to focus on her music career more than acting.[11]
In July 2011, Demi described the album as "more mature" than their previous sound and more fun and light than her first single, "Skyscraper", while other tracks are more intense.[12] On August 11, 2011, Demi used her Twitter account and Facebook page to announce the title of her album "Unbroken".[13]
In August 2011, Lovato explained the song "All Night Long" which features Missy Elliott and Timbaland is actually the polar opposite of "Skyscraper" and said it is about "staying up all night long and singing it to the boy that you like, and it's flirty and fun and it's not too grown-up, but it's grown-up enough."[14]
Lovato's Vocal Range on this album spans nearly 3 Octaves. She sings D3 in harmony of "My Love Is Like A Star", Eb3 in "Give Your Heart A Break" as the lowest notes. Highest notes are G#5 in "You're My Only Shorty" and A5 "All Night Long" in full voice. Highest falsetto notes are C6 in "My Love Is Like A Star" and C#6 in "You're My Only Shorty". Vocal Range is D3 - C#6.
Lovato said in her column in Seventeen Magazine, in early June 2011:
I love being back in the studio! It's been very therapeutic to be able to express my feelings and talk about who I really am, through my music. It also helps that I've been lucky enough to work with such talented people on the record so far! With my new album, I'm hoping to provide inspiration for girls everywhere who are going through the same issues I've faced. I think this will come through in a lot of the material. My first single is really special to me— to me it symbolizes my journey from the person I was to the happy healthy person I am today, and the fact that people are able to rise above anything, despite the odds. I'm so excited to share all of this with you guys! The experience has been amazing so far and I'm really enjoying the whole process. There are definitely a lot of emotions that go into making an album. I feel blessed, inspired, and nervous with anticipation, but mostly, I feel excited about the future, and about sharing this new record with my fans![15]
Around 20 tracks were recorded for the album, one of which is a duet with an R&B singer.[16] She also worked with Dreamlab,[17] Rock Mafia, Ryan Tedder and Kara DioGuardi.[7] About working with Lovato, Tedder commented, "Demi blew me out of the water vocally! I had no idea how good her voice is. She's one of the best singers I've ever worked with. Literally, that good... I mean, she's a Kelly Clarkson-level vocalist. And Kelly has a set of pipes". He also explained that the song they co-wrote together is much more upbeat than Skyscraper. "I think everybody wanted to hear her talk about that, and this is basically flipping it 180, saying, 'Oh, by the way, I'm still also just young and want to have fun.' There's even like a little rap feature on it."
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (59/100)[18] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Absolute Punk | (8.1/10)[19] |
| Allmusic | [20] |
| Artist Direct | [21] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B+)[22] |
| New York Times | (favorable)[23] |
| Rolling Stone | [24] |
| USA Today | [25] |
The album has received generally positive reviews from music critics. According to review aggregator Metacritic, the album has a score of 59 out of 100 based on 4 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[18] While some critics has praised Lovato's vocals and growth in musicianship compared to her previous two albums, as well as some of the album's ballad tracks, others dismissed it as "immature" and "confusing", referring to the album's amount of "party songs".
Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album a mixed review, scoring it 2 and a half stars, criticizing that the album is full of "party songs" that "act like nothing is wrong in her world at all". He also said that, "It’s hard to party knowing Lovato couldn’t quite handle the clubs, while it’s not easy to trust the melancholy flowing through the ballads knowing she’s ready to cut loose." Erlewine indicated "All Night Long", "Who's That Boy", "Fix a Heart", and "Skyscraper" as the AMG track picks.[20] Monica Herrera of Rolling Stone also gave the album a mixed review, scoring it 2 out of 5 stars, saying "She's grown into her voice. Now, if only her music would grow up too."[24]
However, Jon Caramanica of The New York Times gave the album a positive review, saying that it "represents the opportunity for Demi Lovato to wipe clean several slates, something she is well suited for."[23] Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly also gave a positive review, scoring it a B+, "Clearly it's been a tough year for Lovato. But as Rihanna could tell her, sometimes bad years make great songs."[22] Becky Brain of Idolator wrote Lovato has a "killer voice and the A-list material to put it to good use", adding, "It’s difficult for many young female pop stars to transition successfully from squeaky-clean Disney kid to respected adult recording artist. But so far, Demi’s doing a spectacular job, and she’s doing it without having to show some skin or sing about hooking up in a club."[26] Absolute Punk scored the album 81 out of 100, summarizing it by saying "Nothing, and nobody, is broken beyond repair, and Unbroken showcases that beautifully."[27]
"Skyscraper" is the first single from the album. It was released on July 12, 2011 and it was written by Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins and Estonian singer Kerli Kõiv, and produced by Gad. It reached a position of number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Elsewhere, the song peaked at number 18 on the Canadian Hot 100, nine in New Zealand, number 45 in Australia, eight in Brazil and 70 in Slovakia. It has topped the iTunes Top 100 Songs and Top 100 Music Videos. Critical reception of the song was extremely positive, with the majority of them praising Lovato's vocals and the inspirational lyrics. The music video was released on Lovato's VEVO page on July 13, 2011 and was directed by Mark Pellington. Lovato has performed "Skyscraper" many times, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Dancing With the Stars and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. It was originally announced that Lovato's second single would be "Who's That Boy" (which features Dev) but possibly because of Dev's pregnancy, Demi then changed the single to "Give Your Heart a Break" and announced it on Twitter. The song was written and produced by Josh Alexander and Billy Steinberg. The official audio was released on Lovato's official YouTube page on December 12, 2011 and on December 24, 2011 Lovato uploaded an official lyric video to the song on her official YouTube channel. It features the words, and the background features scenes of Lovato writing in a diary, in which the lyrics are printed onto. In the description of the video, it is said that the official music video will be released in 2012. She performed this song at the MTV New Year's Eve on December 31, 2011 and at the People's Choice Awards on January 12, 2012. Critical reception the song has received very positive reviews from music critics. It will officially impact Hot/Modern/AC radio on January 23, 2012 and Top 40/Mainstream radio on January 24, 2012.[28][29]
Many songs from the album charted on the iTunes Top 100 Singles chart prior to its release, which resulted with the songs "Fix a Heart" and "Unbroken" debuting at #69 and #98 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100.
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Teen Choice Awards | "Choice Summer: Song" | "Skyscraper" | Won[30] |
| J-14 Teen Icon Awards | "Iconic Song" | "Skyscraper" | Won | |
| Youth Rock Awards | "Music Video of the Year" | "Skyscraper" | Won | |
| Capricho Awards | "Music Video international" | "Skyscraper" | Won |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "All Night Long" (featuring Missy Elliott and Timbaland) | Timothy Mosley, Jim Beanz, Jerome Harmon, Missy Elliot,Lyrica Anderson, Nire, Garland Mosley, Demi Lovato, Joseph Angel | Timbaland, Jerome Harmon* | 3:14 |
| 2. | "Who's That Boy" (featuring Dev) | Ryan Tedder, Noel Zancanella, Devin Tailes | Ryan Tedder, Noel Zancanella | 3:12 |
| 3. | "You're My Only Shorty" (featuring Iyaz) | Antonina Armato, Tim James | Rock Mafia, Devrim Karaoglu^, Thomas Armato Sturges^ | 3:06 |
| 4. | "Together" (featuring Jason Derülo) | T. Mosley, Beanz, Anderson, Tiyon Mack, Lovato, G. Mosley | Jim Beanz, Timbaland | 4:33 |
| 5. | "Lightweight" | T. Mosley, Beanz, G. Mosley, Shanna Crooks, Frankie Storm | Jim Beanz, Timbaland | 4:01 |
| 6. | "Unbroken" | Daniel James, Leah Haywood, Lovato | Dreamlab | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Fix a Heart" | Emanuel Kiriakou, Priscilla Renea | Emanuel Kiriakou | 3:13 |
| 8. | "Hold Up" | James, Haywood, Lovato, Ross Golan, Aston Merrygold | Dreamlab | 2:50 |
| 9. | "Mistake" | James, Haywood, Shelly Peiken | Dreamlab | 3:33 |
| 10. | "Give Your Heart a Break" | Josh Alexander, Billy Steinberg | Josh Alexander, Bill Steinberg | 3:25 |
| 11. | "Skyscraper" | Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins, Kerli Kõiv | Toby Gad | 3:42 |
| 12. | "In Real Life" | Bleu, Lindsey Ray | Bleu | 2:57 |
| 13. | "My Love Is Like a Star" | Gad, James Morrison | Toby Gad | 3:50 |
| 14. | "For the Love of a Daughter" | William Beckett, Lovato | Toby Gad | 4:00 |
| 15. | "Skyscraper" (Wizz Dumb Remix) | Gad, Robbins, Kõiv | Toby Gad, Wizz Dumb | 3:42 |
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Total length:
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52:36 | |||
| International Edition bonus track | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | |||||
| 16. | "Rascacielo" (Skyscraper - Spanish Version) | Gad, Robbins, Kõiv | Edgar Cortázar | 3:43 | |||||
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Total length:
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56:17 | ||||||||
(*) denotes co-producer
(^) denotes additional producer
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| Country | Release Date | Record Label |
|---|---|---|
| US | September 20, 2011 | Hollywood records |
| Australia | September 20, 2011 | Hollywood records |
| Japan | January 18, 2012 [32] | AVEX group |
| UK | March 5, 2012[33] | Hollywood Records |
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart[34] | 20 |
| Canadian Albums Chart[35] | 4 |
| Dutch Albums Chart [36] | 63 |
| Mexican Albums Chart[37] | 9 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart[38] | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard 200[3] | 4 |
| Country | Certifications | Shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil[39] | Gold | ^ 20,000 |
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 187 |
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