Illuminations (Josh Groban album)

Illuminations
Studio album by Josh Groban
Released November 15, 2010
Genre Operatic pop, classical
Label 143
Reprise Records
Producer Rick Rubin
Josh Groban chronology

A Collection
(2008)		 Illuminations
(2010)		 All That Echoes
(2013)
Singles from Illuminations
  1. "Hidden Away"
    Released: September 13, 2010
  2. "Voce Existe Em Mim"
    Released: October 12, 2010
  3. "Higher Window"
    Released: October 25, 2010
  4. "L'Ora Dell'Addio"
    Released: November 9, 2010
  5. "If I Walk Away"
    Released: January 12, 2012

Illuminations is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Groban, produced by Rick Rubin. Similar to his previous albums, Illuminations contains songs sung in a variety of languages, including his first take on a Portuguese song, "Você Existe Em Mim", which Groban co-wrote with Lester Mendez and Carlinhos Brown. The album was released on November 15, 2010.[1]

Album information

The official title and cover art for Illuminations was revealed in September 2010.[1][2] In addition to the regular release, a special fan edition of the album is available for purchase on Groban's website that contains the original CD, a "making-of" DVD, a 48 page color photo book filled with lyrics and pictures, and two bonus tracks (to be delivered digitally).[3]

The first single from the album, "Hidden Away", was released on September 13,[4] and was also available to download for free on Groban's website and Facebook from September 8–13.

Leading up to the album's release, iTunes released songs periodically from the album to download, which began on October 12 with the release of the album's Portuguese song "Você Existe Em Mim".[5] A third song, "Higher Window", was released on October 25. A fourth and final song, "L'Ora Dell'Addio", was released on November 9.

Beginning May 12, 2011, Groban embarked on a worldwide tour entitled the Straight to You Tour to promote the album.[6]

Reception

Critical reception

Metacritic gave the album a total rating of 79/100, based on four critical reviews.[7]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [8]
BBC Music positive[9]
The Boston Globe positive[10]
Entertainment Weekly (B+)[11]

Commercial reception

The album debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200, selling 190,000 copies in its first week and was certified platinum by the RIAA for shipping over a million copies.[12] The album has since sold over 800,000 copies in the US.[13] In Canada, the album debuted at #4 on the Canadian Albums Chart and was certified platinum for shipping over 80,000 copies.

Track listing

The following is the track listing for the regular album:[14][15]

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "The Wandering Kind (Prelude)"  Groban 2:28
2. "Bells of New York City"  Groban, Dan Wilson 3:50
3. "Galileo (Someone Like You)"  Declan O'Rourke, Seamus Cotter 3:22
4. "L'Ora Dell'Addio"  Groban, Walter Afanasieff, Marco Marinangeli 3:38
5. "Hidden Away"  Groban, Wilson 3:56
6. "Au Jardin des Sans-Pourquoi" (The Garden Without "Whys")"  Groban, Rufus Wainwright, Kate McGarrigle 3:32
7. "Higher Window"  Groban, Wilson, Thomas Salter 4:37
8. "If I Walk Away"  Groban, Wilson 3:52
9. "Love Only Knows"  Groban, Wilson 4:44
10. "Voce Existe Em Mim"  Groban, Lester Mendes, Carlinhos Brown 5:07
11. "War at Home"  Groban, Wilson 4:45
12. "London Hymn"  Groban, Marius de Vries 1:57
13. "Straight to You"  Nick Cave 4:10
Total length:
 51:21

Charts

Peak positions

Chart (2010) Peak position
Australian Albums Chart 21
Canadian Albums Chart 4
European Top 100 Albums[16] 33
Netherlands 10
Mexican Albums Chart[17] 99
Sweden 31
UK Albums Chart 30
US Billboard 200 4
US Top Digital Albums 9
US Top Tastemakers Albums 13

Year-end charts

Chart (2011) Position
Canadian Albums Chart[18] 20
Canadian Albums Chart[19] 24

Certifications and sales

Country Industry Certification Sales
Canada CRIA Platinum[20] 83,100[21]
United States RIAA Platinum[22] 1,000,000

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Josh Groban - New Album Illuminations Available Nov 15th
  2. ↑ Illuminations Album Cover Revealed | Official Josh Groban
  3. ↑ Join Friends of Josh Groban | Official Josh Groban
  4. ↑ Amazon.com: Hidden Away: Josh Groban: MP3 Downloads
  5. ↑ News tagged new song voce existe em mim available itunes tomorrow | Official Josh Groban
  6. ↑ "Josh Groban Announces 2011 "Straight To You" World Tour" (Press release). Marketwire. 14 February 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  7. ↑ Illuminations Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic
  8. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Review: Illuminations. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-11-25.
  9. ↑ BBC - Music - Review of Josh Groban - Illuminations
  10. ↑ "Josh Groban, 'Illuminations'". The Boston Globe. November 22, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Music Review: Illuminations, by Josh Groban". Entertainment Weekly.
  12. ↑ HITS Daily Double: Building Album Sales Chart
  13. ↑ "The Josh Groban Corner Pub > WORLDWIDE CD SALES for Josh- US Sales HIT 21 MILLION!!". Louiseannette.com. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
  14. ↑ Illuminations Tracklisting Revealed | Official Josh Groban
  15. ↑
  16. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/european-albums?tag=relcharts
  17. ↑ mexicancharts.com - Josh Groban - Illuminations
  18. ↑ "Billboard.BIZ". Billboard.BIZ. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
  19. ↑ "Billboard 200 Year-End 2011". Billboard.BIZ. 2011. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
  20. ↑ Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum
  21. ↑ John Williams (2011-01-19). "Groban TV skit drives his sales | Music | Entertainment". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
  22. ↑ "Twitter Feed | Official Josh Groban". Joshgroban.com. Retrieved 2012-02-24.

External links