Jukebox (Priscilla Renea album)

Jukebox
Studio album by Priscilla Renea
Released	December 1, 2009
Recorded	2008-2009
Genre	Pop, synthpop, soul
Length	36:26
Label	Capitol
Producer	Brian Kidd, Soulshock & Karlin, Benny Blanco, Lil' Ronnie
Priscilla Renea chronology
Hello My Apple (2009) Jukebox (2009)
Singles from Jukebox
"Dollhouse" Released: August 18, 2009 "Lovesick" Released: March 2, 2010

Jukebox is the debut studio album by American pop singer-songwriter Priscilla Renea. It was released on December 1, 2009 and sold 1,200 records in its first week. It failed to reach the Billboard 200 but reached number twenty-three on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, where it stayed for one week.^[1] It has since sold 5,000 copies worldwide. Though it hasn't received commercial success, it was critically acclaimed. The album spawned two singles: "Dollhouse", which garnered mild success, and "Lovesick", which failed to chart altogether.

Background

Six out of the eleven songs on the album were solely written by Renea. Renea wrote many songs like stories, by beginning with the verses and working on a chorus later, in order to make the songs more soulful and heartfelt.^[2] Renea performs many of the guitar and piano pieces of her songs herself.^[3] The album was originally due for an October 20, 2009 release but it was delayed by over a month for additional recording to occur for the album.

Commercial performance

The record sold 1,200 copies in its first week in the U.S. and failed to reach the Billboard 200. However, it did reach number twenty-three on the Billboard Heatseekers album charts, staying on the chart for one week.^[1] The album has sold 3,000 copies to date in the U.S. and 5,000 copies to date worldwide.

Critical reception

The album received generally positive reviews from critics. Ivan Mitchell of Prefixmag called the album "abstract" stating: "lead single 'Dollhouse' is the kind of sassy, exuberant pop/rock/R&B hybrid that Rihanna would have probably done earlier in her career". He goes on to say that "'Fixing My Hair' finds common ground with the flashy torch soul productions of the 1980s".^[5] Latifah Muhammad of ConcreteLoop stated that the album was "a delightful hybrid of poetic expression garnished with life lessons". She goes on to say that "the theme of Jukebox revolves around the old saying 'you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar' in that it manages to get a point across in a softer tone rather than boisterous and overbearing. Even though nothing really manages to ride above a steady boil, that's not always a bad thing. Jukebox is a pretty smooth ride null of any huge potholes or blunders, which is admirable and worth a good listen".^[6]

Promotion

Renea promoted the album by releasing an EP before the album. Hello My Apple was released on March 31, 2009 for digital download. However, Renea never performed live to promote the album, and only promoted the album with singles. However, Renea did release videos via YouTube to give her fans a sneak peek of the album's songs before its release.

Singles

• "Dollhouse" was released as the lead single from the album on August 18, 2009. The single failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100 but did reach number eleven on the Heatseekers singles chart,^[7] number thirty-one on the Hot Dance Club Songs ^[8] chart and number thirty-four on the Pop Songs,^[8] becoming a mild chart success. A video was released in September 2009 and received critical acclaim.
• "Lovesick" was released as the second and final single from the album on March 2, 2010. The single failed to chart at all.^[9] The single was promoted with videos of Renea singing the song with fans.^[9]

Track listing

References