Heroes & Thieves

Heroes & Thieves
Studio album by Vanessa Carlton
Released October 9, 2007
Genre Pop rock
Label The Inc., Universal Motown
Producer Irv Gotti, Linda Perry, Stephan Jenkins
Vanessa Carlton chronology

Harmonium
(2004)		 Heroes & Thieves
(2007)		 Icon: Best of Vanessa Carlton
(2011)
Singles from Heroes & Thieves
  1. "Nolita Fairytale"
    Released: July 17, 2007
  2. "Hands on Me"
    Released: February 19, 2008

Heroes & Thieves is the third album by Vanessa Carlton, released by The Inc. Records on October 9, 2007.[1] It is co-produced by Irv Gotti, Linda Perry and Third Eye Blind lead singer Stephan Jenkins, who produced Carlton's second album, Harmonium (2004), and Carlton co-wrote the tracks with Perry and Jenkins. It is Carlton's first album on The Inc. Records, after Irv Gotti signed her to a record deal there in late 2006, and Gotti has said that Heroes & Thieves is the first album on which he is acting as "co-pilot" rather than "dictator".[2]

The album itself was a commercial failure, becoming her first not to enter the Top 40 of the Billboard 200, selling just over 18,000 copies in its first week of release. As of 2011, the album has sold approximately 75,000 copies in the United States. Due to its commercial failure, the album only spawned two singles. The first, Nolita Fairytale, was a minor success for Carlton, having some radio success in the United States. The follow-up single, "Hands On Me", was more successful, reaching the Top 40 in Australia, as well as becoming her first song in five years to chart in New Zealand. Although it was a commercial failure in the US, it did receive minimal airplay on mainstream radio.

Despite minimal chart success, the album was a critical success, becoming Carlton's highest rated album on Metacritic, with a 78% approval rate. Allmusic awarded the album three and a half stars, while PopMatters rated the album an eight out of a possible ten. USA Today also praised the album, awarding it three out of four stars. Slant Magazine awarded the album three out of five stars, and the Philadelphia Daily News rated the album at a "B".

Background

In January 2005, two months after the release of Harmonium, Carlton co-wrote three songs with production team The Matrix: "It's Now", "Summer Child" (alternatively titled "Tuesday") and "Underneath".[3][4] In May 2005, in a post on her official site's forum, Carlton said to her fans that she would be releasing a third album in 2006, although she added "most people will know it as my second!" because of a perceived lack of commitment to Harmonium at her then-current label, A&M Records.[5] During her Harmonium tour, Carlton debuted three new songs in June 2005 at The Living Room in New York City: "Put Your Hands on Me", "This Time" (co-written with Linda Perry) and "The One".[6] (For the release of the album, the title of "Put Your Hands on Me" was shortened to "Hands on Me" because Joss Stone has a song with the original title on her 2007 album, Introducing Joss Stone.[7]) When on tour with rock singer Stevie Nicks in 2005 and 2006, Carlton premiered the songs "Best Behavior"[8] and "All Is Well". (Nicks recorded backing vocals for the track "The One".[9])

Production

In August 2005, Carlton said she was to enter the recording studio the following month with producer Linda Perry,[10] with whom she had previously collaborated after executives at A&M Records sent her into the studio to record a second single for Harmonium.[11] Carlton said of the album's creative pulsinator team,

“ I started enjoying myself with Linda, and not feeling like this was work, but like I was this bohemian artist. The Stephan sessions were super-intensive. He would say, 'Let's do a 50-piece choir here', or, 'I'm just gonna start whistling'. If Irv doesn't like something, he can't fake it, and he has impeccable ears. These people never follow the rules, which is like me. We're all contrarians in our own way.[12] ”

In December 2005, they completed half the album and experienced what Carlton described as a "whirlwind moment", during which they recorded five songs in two weeks. Carlton said on her website that Perry was "fantastic and genuine and really inspiring".[13][14] Mastering work on the album was proceeding by February 2006, when Billboard magazine quoted a spokesperson for Carlton as saying that Stephan Jenkins and several "departure producers" had contributed to the album.[15] According to Carlton, she recorded most of the album in a Victorian mansion with Jenkins in San Francisco.[16] She told her fans in September that she was writing songs in the city,[17] and the following month, after signing with The Inc. Records, she said she would return to the studio in Los Angeles to record more songs.[18] The head of The Inc., Irv Gotti, helped to produce the album and said that 7 Aurelius and Rick Rubin would also serve as co-producers,[19] though neither are credited in the album's liner notes.

Composition

According to Carlton, the album is "the best batch of songs I've ever written".[2] She described it as "pretty uplifting" and as having "a lot of layers ... [There are] very complex arrangements but everything just makes me feel good and not in a simplistic way." She also called it her most honest album, and the only one of hers that she considers "a body of work" as opposed to a collection of songs. "I think that shows", she said. "It really does feel like a real album."[20] Carlton says that the concept of the album is "about personal evolution and finding joy through hardships. Every song is like a different chapter in a book".[21] According to her, the lyrics are "far better written" and build on her greater life experience, which she says produces "a more interesting perspective through song" and lyrics more adults can listen to than previously, when she was writing from the point of view of a seventeen-year-old girl rather than "more of a fully formed person".[22]

Carlton said she was inspired by the atmosphere of her New York City loft apartment, including the view from her window, and by her thoughts during long walks around the Nolita neighborhood — "I was very inspired by the vibe here ... There really is a very deep, underlying connection between this space and my record."[23] Another inspiration was metaphors in German fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, the theme of which she said she adapted for the album: "The moral of that story is to never stray from the beaten path or you'll get eaten by a wolf. And, of course, in the past few years, I've really strayed from the beaten path and reaped the rewards. Instead of being eaten by the wolf, I've tamed the wolf, and it does what I say."[24] The album was influenced by Carlton's breakup with its co-producer, Stephan Jenkins, and Carlton said that one of the reasons they remained friends was that "nothing took precedence over the music ... No matter what was going on in the emotional realm, all we cared about was the album. It created this kinetic environment that was kind of like Fleetwood Mac. It made for better music."[25]

Carlton said the song "Nolita Fairytale" is about her life in Nolita, and in her words, "the series of revelations I have had over the past few years."[9] She called the song "Heroes & Thieves" "a song about assessing, to put it in a dramatic way, the Heroes and Thieves in your life"; it is about her personal evolution, and her deciding how she wants to lead her life and the people with whom she wants to share it.[9] The fourth song, "My Best", has been described by Carlton as "one of the most level-headed responses to a broken relationship [...] no matter what crimes are committed in any relationship that fell apart, you kind of always keep your promise to that person, those people in your past. If you were to serendipitously cross paths with them again, you would always be the best version of yourself and offer them your best."[26] The track "The One", which features Stevie Nicks, was inspired by conversations Carlton had with Nicks about relationships and the search for one true love.[27] According to Irv Gotti, the ballad "Home" (which Carlton said she felt sad singing) was written about Stephan Jenkins, Carlton's partner at the time of its writing, although he added that "Vanessa's found home in her music, and home can be anything for people: a boyfriend, husband, child, mother ... what home can represent makes it such an enormous record. That record is very special to me."[24] The closing track, "More Than This", documents a relationship in which Carlton felt the other party "can never have enough. It's like if they don't want peace, it would just be peaceful. The song is saying how you could experience euphoria if, in this moment, you decided you didn't need any more than this. But I don't know ... Maybe it's hard to actively make that decision."[24]

Release and promotion

According to the News-Times, the album was originally scheduled for release in early 2007.[28] Entertainment Weekly reported in June 2007 that the album was to be released on October 9, that the first single was "Nolita Fairytale", and that the second single may be "Hands on Me".[1] Heroes & Thieves is also Carlton's first album on the Universal Motown music label, after she parted ways with A&M Records in 2004. In a November interview with Vibe magazine, Irv Gotti said of the response to Carlton's signing with the predominantly R&B and hip hop label The Inc.:

“ It's all good. They'll see it over the course of time. They'll see that we're both music people and that basically the approach that we're taking with Vanessa's album is... This is the first album that I don't have any pressures on the first week of her release. The whole thing with albums like that – when you look at Corinne Bailey Rae [Corinne Bailey Rae], Amy Winehouse [Back to Black], Nickelback [All the Right Reasons] – all of these albums are albums that you could work for like 18 months or 24 months and that's what I wanted to do and create with Vanessa. It's funny to me. It's the first time where maybe in the 20th week of her release, we'll catch fire. (Laughs) Like, you don't get that in hip hop! You don't get that in R&B! (Laughs) But this is something I can get. She's a singer-songwriter like you wouldn't believe.[29] ”

It was reported in October 2007 that Carlton would embark on a concert tour, the Haunted Club Tour, from November 2 (Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.) to November 24 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada).[30] Carlton said that a guitarist and a violinist would accompany her.[31] During the tour, she said that the music video for the second single, "Hands on Me", would be filmed in December, after which she would undertake a larger scale tour with a full band.[32] Also by December, she was playing a series of live shows in association with radio stations.[33] "Hands on Me" gained promotional support when it was prominently featured in promotional commercials for the CW show Gossip Girl. A stripped down version of the album track "More Than This" appears on the compilation Songs for Tibet.

Singles

The album's lead single was "Nolita Fairytale". Released on July 17, 2007 the single was met with generally favorable reviews. The single was a commercial failure however, failing to chart on any major charts. It did, however, appear on the Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks, peaking at number 26. The video premiered on AOL Music on August 22.[34] It debuted at number eleven on VH1's television show VSpot Top 20 Countdown, and peaked at number five. "Hands On Me" was released as the album's official second single. The single was as unsuccessful as her previous single, only peaking at number 30 on the US Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic link
Billboard (Positive) link
Blender link
Entertainment Weekly (B) link
PopMatters (8/10) link
Philadelphia Daily News B+ link
Slant Magazine link
USA Today link

Heroes & Thieves has become the most critically successful album of Carlton's career. In Metacritic, The album received a 79/100 score based on 8 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[35] Allmusic praised the album, stating "Given this sophomore slump, it's not entirely surprising that for her third album, 2007's Heroes & Thieves, she's elected for a compromise between the two extremes: embracing the soft pop that brought her fame without rejecting the confessionals that distinguished her second. Some of this is merely straightforward heartache -- after the 2004 release of Harmonium, Carlton parted ways with Stephan Jenkins, the Third Eye Blind leader who produced the album -- but there are other matters on her mind, as evidenced by the mother-daughter saga "Spring Street" and the line about losing her record deal on the album's opening song and single, "Nolita Fairytale." True, she's moved from A&M to the rap-identified The Inc., but this isn't as drastic a change as it seems: the two labels are within the Universal umbrella, and Carlton has hardly gone hip-hop here. Instead, Heroes & Thieves delivers the expected, even more so than her second album: sweeping gusts of piano, sounds that feel dramatic but not weighty. Like on Be Not Nobody, there's a sense of lightness to Carlton's writing—even if things get a little sad here, they're not gloomy—which not only makes her accessible, it means that it's as easy to take this as mood music as it is for introspection. That Carlton doesn't quite provide incentive to dig deeper could be called a flaw—her voice is too sweet and girlish to command, her melodies mellifluous but not grabbing—but Heroes & Thieves flows easily, and it's a nice return to the strengths of her debut."[36]

PopMatters also praised the album, commenting "Heroes & Thieves isn’t a perfect album and sometimes gets too idiosyncratic and precious for its own good. It’s already spawned its share of detractors, specifically reviewers who question whether Carlton has the vocal goods to pull off some of the more complicated numbers. I think her imperfect singing keeps her sounding human and give her props for not messing with a pitch correction program. And if you feel the same, well, maybe you too should start thinking you might have a problem with ‘Nessa addiction. See you at the next ‘Nessaholics meeting."[37] Slant Magazine gave the album a mixed review in their review, saying "Carlton's voice continues to mature (there's a gritty quality to her vocals on songs like "Fools Like Me," and the earthiness of guest Stevie Nicks's alto harmonies on the country-leaning "The One" tempers Carlton's more reedy lead vocal), but the material in general isn't exactly what you'd expect from an artist who left the nest in search of creative freedom and appreciation, making Heroes & Thieves somewhat less rewarding than her last album."[38]

Entertainment Weekly praised the album, stating "With a youthful voice and a predilection for flowery lyrics, the 27-year-old still comes off as an angst-afflicted teenager adapting her diary into song — even though she's now rhapsodizing about adult stuff like rent-controlled apartments (Nolita Fairytale) and temp work (Hands on Me). This can be surprisingly touching and personal, as on the exuberant title track, or simply pretentious, as on Come Undone, where she muses, I'm a sycophantic courtier with an elegant repost. However precious her poetry can be, Carlton always pins it to melodies that morph and expand evocatively. Heroes climaxes grandly in the soaring ballad Home, followed by the choral volcano that is More Than This. As sappy as this combination is, the orchestral one-two punch is also inescapably moving. And it's the kind of thing Carlton does best — no matter what label she's on." The reviewer later awarded the album a "B" rating.[39]

Commercial performance

Accompanied by minimal press coverage, it debuted at number forty-four on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 18,200 copies in its first week of release.[40][41] As of June 2011, the album has sold approximately 75,000 copies in the United States and 203,000 worldwide.

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Nolita Fairytale"  Vanessa Carlton, Stephan Jenkins 3:28
2. "Hands on Me"  Vanessa Carlton, Stephan Jenkins 3:01
3. "Spring Street"  Vanessa Carlton, Linda Perry 4:10
4. "My Best"  Vanessa Carlton 3:00
5. "Come Undone"  Vanessa Carlton, Stephan Jenkins 4:35
6. "The One" (featuring Stevie Nicks)Vanessa Carlton, Stephan Jenkins, Linda Perry 4:05
7. "Heroes & Thieves"  Vanessa Carlton 3:47
8. "This Time"  Vanessa Carlton, Linda Perry 3:49
9. "Fools Like Me"  Vanessa Carlton 3:10
10. "Home"  Vanessa Carlton, Stephan Jenkins 5:38
11. "More than This"  Vanessa Carlton 4:48

Charts

Chart (2007) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[42] 44
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[43] 8

Credits and personnel

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Vozick-Levinson, Simon. "Irv Gotti and Vanessa Carlton, together at last". Entertainment Weekly. June 1, 2007. Retrieved June 25, 2007.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rodriguez, Jayson. "Yeah, Irv Gotti Knows Who Vanessa Carlton Is — He Just Signed Her". MTV News. November 2, 2006. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
  3. ↑ "The Projects That Time Forgot". MTV News. January 31, 2005. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  4. ↑ BMI repertoire search: "It's Now" (work no. 7532078), "Summer Child"/"Tuesday" (work no. 7532080), "Underneath" (work no. 7532079).
  5. ↑ "harmonium". VanessaCarlton.com. May 7, 2005. Retrieved September 16, 2006.
  6. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal. "Vanessa Carlton: A Pop Princess in Her Living Room". Slant. June 14, 2005. Retrieved September 16, 2006.
  7. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal. "Vanessa Carlton: A Rent-Controlled Life". Slant. 2007.
  8. ↑ Laszewski, Caiti. "Stevie Nicks Summer 2005 FAN REVIEWS - 7/6/05 Target Center Minneapolis, MN". The Nicks Fix (official Stevie Nicks website).
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Brill, Lauren. "One On One With Vanessa Carlton". WNBA.com. July 11, 2007.
  10. ↑ Carlton, Vanessa. "next chapter". vanessacarlton.com (official Vanessa Carlton website) via NESSAholics.com. August 2, 2005.
  11. ↑ Sclafani, Tony. "Don't Call It a Comeback: Vanessa Carlton". Express. November 20, 2007.
  12. ↑ Getlen, Larry. "Vanessa Carlton - The 'Thousand-Mile' Piano Woman Channels Stevie Nicks". New York Post. October 7, 2007.
  13. ↑ MusicMan. "Vanessa Carlton Midway Thru Recording New Album". popdirt.com. January 1, 2006.
  14. ↑ Staff. "For The Record: Quick News On Madonna, Jessica Simpson, Avenged Sevenfold, Nine Inch Nails, David Lee Roth & More". MTV News. January 4, 2006.
  15. ↑ Hasty, Katie. "Billboard Bits: Pearl Jam, Vanessa Carlton, Don Caballero". Billboard. February 24, 2006.
  16. ↑ Stout, Gene. "Classically trained pianist Vanessa Carlton plays and sings her way across genres". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. November 8, 2007.
  17. ↑ MusicMan. "Vanessa Carlton's Music Recommendations". popdirt.com. September 22, 2006.
  18. ↑ MusicMan. "Vanessa Carlton Returns To The Recording Studio This Month". popdirt.com. October 3, 2006.
  19. ↑ Reid, Shaheem. "Irv Gotti Maps Out Inc. Comeback With Vanessa Carlton, Lloyd, Ja Rule". MTV News. November 28, 2006. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
  20. ↑ Benson, John. "Carlton Links With The Inc. For Third Album". Billboard. June 26, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  21. ↑ Cheung, Nadine. "Vanessa Carlton Dodges Looming Question". AOL Music PopEater. July 10, 2007.
  22. ↑ Rowland, Marijke. "Acoustic Christmas - Carlton Brings new life to show". The Modesto Bee. December 27, 2007.
  23. ↑ Getlen, Larry. "Once upon a Time". New York Post. October 11, 2007.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 "Desert Rose". Giant. August 2007, pg. 120–4.
  25. ↑ Vaziri, Aidin. "POP QUIZ: Vanessa Carlton". San Francisco Chronicle. November 4, 2007.
  26. ↑ Nome, Valerie. "OK! Interview: Vanessa Carlton". OK! (U.S.). November 28, 2007.
  27. ↑ Halperin, Shirley. "On the Scene: Vanessa Carlton and special guest at L.A.'s Roxy". Entertainment Weekly PopWatch Blog. July 26, 2007.
  28. ↑ Friedman, David. "Third Eye Blind planning to test new songs in Hartford". News-Times. October 27, 2006.
  29. ↑ Murphy, Keith. "Get it Gotti: Irv Gotti Spills All on 50 Cent, Ashanti, more". Vibe. November 1, 2007.
  30. ↑ Universal Motown. "Vanessa Carlton Announces 'Haunted Club Tour' in Support of Highly Anticipated New Album, Heroes & Thieves". Business Wire. October 8, 2007.
  31. ↑ Barth, Lauren. "A True Lady in Red...". GlamScene. September 21, 2007.
  32. ↑ Beck, Marilyn and Jenel, Stacy. "Vanessa Carlton - Stephan Jenkins Romance Over, Still Making Music". The National Ledger. November 12, 2007.
  33. ↑ Gray Streeter, Leslie. "My Exclusive Q&A with Vanessa Carlton!". Palm Beach Post. December 1, 2007.
  34. ↑ Cheung, Nadine. "Video Premiere: Vanessa Carlton's 'Nolita Fairytale'". AOL Music PopEater. August 22, 2007.
  35. ↑ "Heroes & Thieves by Vanessa Carlton". Metacritic.
  36. ↑ Thomas, Stephen (2007-10-15). "Heroes & Thieves - Vanessa Carlton". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  37. ↑ Sclafani, Tony. "Vanessa Carlton: Heroes & Thieves < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  38. ↑ "Vanessa Carlton: Heroes & Thieves | Music Review". Slant Magazine. 2007-10-04. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  39. ↑ Neil Drumming (2007-10-12). "Heroes & Thieves Review | Music Reviews and News". EW.com. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  40. ↑ Tebben, Susan. "Carlton doesn't sell out for music industry". The Post. November 5, 2007.
  41. ↑ Harris, Chris. "Kid Rock's Jesus Overpowers Bruce Springsteen's Magic On Billboard Chart". MTV News. October 17, 2007.
  42. ↑ "Vanessa Carlton Album & Song Chart History" Billboard 200 for Vanessa Carlton. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  43. ↑ "Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Digital Albums for Vanessa Carlton. Retrieved April 30, 2014.