Piece by Piece (Kelly Clarkson album)

Piece by Piece
A five-faceted kaleidoscopic image of a blonde woman against a bright background; below, the wordmarks "Kelly Clarkson" and "Piece by Piece" are printed in stylized stencil typefaces.
Studio album by Kelly Clarkson
Released February 27, 2015
Recorded 2013–14
Genre
Length 50:31
Label
Producer
Kelly Clarkson chronology

  • Piece by Piece
  • (2015)
Singles from Piece by Piece
  1. "Heartbeat Song"
    Released: January 12, 2015

Piece by Piece is the seventh studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson. It was released on February 27, 2015, through RCA Records. The follow-up to her first Christmas album, Wrapped in Red (2013), it is her first studio album to completely contain original material since Stronger (2011) and her final studio album under her recording contract after winning the inaugural season of the television singing competition series American Idol in 2002.

Piece by Piece sees Clarkson reuniting with frequent collaborators Greg Kurstin, Jesse Shatkin, Jason Halbert, Eric Olson, and Chris DeStefano. Her pregnancy hurdled her efforts to write more than five songs for the album. As such, she gathered material from songwriters such as Sia, Matthew Koma, MoZella, Bonnie McKee, David Jost, Semi Precious Weapons lead singer Justin Tranter, and former Cobra Starship member Ryland Blackinton, among others. Inspired by the orchestral production on Wrapped in Red, Clarkson wanted for all the songs on Piece by Piece to resonate like its own film soundtrack, taking a cue from the soundtracks of the feature motion pictures Cruel Intentions (1999) and Love Actually (2003) and commissioning orchestral arrangements by Joseph Trapanese. The album is illustrated as a concept record telling a single story, using themes of heartbreak, personal struggles, peace, and empowerment. The music of Piece by Piece comprises electropop, orchestral pop, power pop and electronic dance music, marking a departure from the predominant pop rock sound of her previous studio albums. It also features guest vocals by John Legend.

Piece by Piece was released to positive reception by music critics, who applauded Clarkson's vocal performances. Criticism mainly targeted the album's production, as well as its belaboring on midtempo arrangements. Commercially, it became her third album to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 chart with 97,000 units sold. The album was preceded by the release of its lead single "Heartbeat Song", which became a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The record's supporting tour, the Piece by Piece Tour will commence on July 11, 2015.

Background and recording

A picture of a blonde haired woman, smiling while performing
Sia (pictured) co-wrote both the first song and the last track recorded for Piece by Piece, the former being co-written with Greg Kurstin, while the latter being co-written with Jesse Shatkin.[1][2]

In 2013, Clarkson released her first Christmas album, Wrapped in Red, which to her represented a beginning for a second phase for her career.[3] In the midst of recording it, she also collaborated with recording artists Robbie Williams, Martina McBride and Trisha Yearwood in their respective albums Swings Both Ways (2013), Everlasting (2014) and PrizeFighter: Hit After Hit (2014).[4][5] In an interview with Billboard magazine, she announced intentions to release a set of pop and country records, as well as a potential Broadway album, as a follow-up to Wrapped in Red.[3] RCA Records chief executive Peter Edge also revealed in their 2014 mid-year assessment that they were in a process of finding new music and directions for some of the their established acts — primarily with Clarkson.[6] Early stages of development for a follow-up studio album began as early as June 2012, with Clarkson commissioning Rodney Jerkins in recording a potential track.[7] She remarked, "We're already working. I'm constantly like that because you never know when you're going to find a song and so we're always working on the next thing."[7] The follow-up album would complete the terms of her recording contract with RCA Records and 19 Recordings, which was signed following her win on the inaugural season of the television competition American Idol in 2002.[2]

Recording sessions for Piece by Piece began in while Clarkson is in the midst of the 2013 Honda Civic Tour with Maroon 5 and continuing on while being pregnant with her first child.[8] During its production, Clarkson had amassed over twenty songs for her to record.[9] Some of production team behind Wrapped in Red also returned on Piece by Piece, led by Greg Kurstin, whom Clarkson had first commissioned since Stronger.[10] Jesse Shatkin, who had first worked as an engineer under Kurstin on her last two studio albums, revealed that he had produced a couple tracks on the record. He described the transition into a more creative role as "especially poignant".[11] Sia, who was also a frequent collaborator of Kurstin and Shatkin, have announced intentions to submit recording materials to Clarkson.[12] Joseph Trapanese, who conducted arrangements in Wrapped in Red, confirmed that he had finished arranging and recording five of the album's songs with a full philharmonic orchestra.[13]

Composition

Theme and influences

Inspired by the production on Wrapped in Red, Clarkson wanted for all the tracks on Piece by Piece to sound like its own soundtrack, while also wanting every song to have a potential as a single.[8][9] Taking inspirations from the soundtracks of the feature films Cruel Intentions (1999) and Love Actually (2003),[8] she remarked, "I love soundtracks and I love how you can tell, "Oh, this should be in a soundtrack!" You can picture the movie. I definitely wanted the orchestral elements going on and I definitely wanted the intense factor going on." Clarkson illustrated the album as a concept record telling a single "awesome" story, using different pieces of her aspects, leading her to name the album Piece by Piece.[9] Citing the aspects of heartbreak and personal struggle as well as peace and empowerment in its lyrical content, she described the record as an album within an uplifting and reflective environment.[14][15] She recalled, "I'm 32 years old, I have pretty much run the gauntlet of pretty much every emotion you could possibly go through — especially being 19 (years old) and being thrust into the industry, and growing up really quickly."[15]

Song analysis

"Take You High" (2015)
One of the album's highlights, the splintered EDM sound of "Take You High" features orchestral strings balanced by the digital scribbles to Clarkson's vocals.[16][17][18][19]

Problems playing this file? See media help.

Clarkson shares five co-writing credits on Piece by Piece, citing that her pregnancy prevented her from writing more material.[20] She recalled, "It was the first time I didn't really feel inspired, because I was so sick, but I didn't feel like writing anymore. The big difference for this recording was collecting from other writers I'm inspired by."[20] The album opens with "Heartbeat Song", produced by Kurstin and written by Kara DioGuardi, Jason Evigan, Audra Mae, and Mitch Allan.[21] Clarkson described the track as a song that could have fit on Stronger but was a little more progressive, and that the track performs a bridge connecting Stronger to Piece by Piece.[15] Produced by Shatkin, "Invincible" follows as the second song of empowerment, written by Sia, Shatkin, Steve Mostyn, and Warren Felder.[2] Clarkson had originally intended the song to be recorded as a duet with Sia, but RCA ultimately decided to keep Sia' vocals uncredited to avoid competition with the her studio album 1000 Forms of Fear (2014) as both were on the same label.[2] The last song recorded for Piece by Piece, Shatkin sent the song to Clarkson saying, "Sia and I just wrote this song and you've gotta hear it. I know you're finished with the record but you've gotta hear it", in which she quickly agreed.[8] The third track, "Someone", is a non-apology apology song written by Matthew Koma and produced by Kurstin.[22] "Take You High", the fourth track, was produced by Shatkin which written with Mozella, which he described as "an electronic banger" and "a little left-of-center", but also having a haunting melody that he thought (Clarkson) was attracted to.[23]

Clarkson described the fifth and the titular track "Piece by Piece" as her most personal song on the album.[24] Produced by Kurstin, She co-wrote the song with him after a conversation she had with her sister about their family life.[25] The sixth song, "Run Run Run", features American recording artist John Legend.[8] Produced by Jason Halbert, it was written by Tim James, Antonina Armato, Joacim Persson, Ry Cuming, David Jost.[8] Clarkson and Legend had previously worked together on the short-lived American television program Duets in 2012.[8] Originally deemed as a solo record, Clarkson invited him to turn the track as a duet after recording her part during the 2013 Honda Civic Tour, in which Legend responded within ten minutes saying "Oh my god, I'd love to do it. Send me the file!"[8][25] "Run Run Run" was also recorded by the German rock band Tokio Hotel for their fifth studio album Kings of Suburbia (2014), which Clarkson was previously unfamiliar with until releasing her version.[8] Produced by Kurstin, Clarkson co-wrote the seventh track "I Had a Dream" with him after lamenting with her friends about the dichotomy that exists between expectations and reality of how her generation has become.[8] Featuring a gospel chorus, Clarkson bemoaned, "I don't understand why we're still struggling with these basic, asinine issues (Gay, straight, black, and white). It bothers me. So I ended up writing this whole song about it and I had a dream that we were more."[8][22]

Co-written with Sia, Kurstin produced the eighth track, "Let Your Tears Fall".[1] It was the first song Clarkson recorded for Piece by Piece, which she had recorded while still touring with Maroon 5.[1] The song was finished just as Sia and Kurstin had completed work for 1000 Forms of Fear, in which Clarkson fell in love with the song's lyrical message of "having that person in your life—or people in your life—who can be a shoulder to cry on."[1] Co-written with Clarkson, Kurstin also produced the ninth song "Tightrope".[26] Originally penned as a piano ballad, she wrote the song about being stumped no matter how one proves oneself, while Kurstin added an orchestral element with its production.[26] Produced by Halbert, the tenth track, "War Paint", was written by Julia Michaels, Joleen Belle, and Sir Nolan. Clarkson described the song as a record about letting someone's guard down, saying "We build this wall but at our core we all want the same thing—you want to be loved, and you want to be a part of something."[27] Produced by Kurstin, Dan Rockett wrote the eleventh track "Dance with Me".[28] Originally intended to be included on Greatest Hits – Chapter One (2012), Clarkson deemed the song was too progressive to be included on it.[29] Rockett also revealed that he imagined the track as a David Bowie/Lady Gaga duet while presenting the song to Polow da Don, who then pitched the song to Clarkson.[28] Written by Justin Tranter, Ryland Blackinton, Dan Keyes, and Vaughn Oliver, the twelfth track "Nostalgic" was produced by Halbert. An uptempo electro rock song, Clarkson recorded the song as an ode to the 1980s.[30] The closing track on the standard edition, "Good Goes the Bye" was written by Shane McAnally, Natalie Hemby, and Jimmy Robbins.[31] Originally deemed as a country demo, Clarkson remarked that Halbert produced the record to resonate a Eurythmics-style song.[31] In addition, two tracks were also included in the deluxe edition of the album: the fourteenth, "Bad Reputation", written by Clarkson, Kelly Sheehan, Kurstin, and Bonnie McKee, was produced by Kurstin.[32] The fifteenth track, "In the Blue", was produced by Shatkin, which he co-wrote with Clarkson, Anjulie Persaud, and Fransisca Hall.[32] Produced by Chris DeStefano, "Second Wind" closes the album as the final track, which he had co-written with McAnally and Maren Morris.[32]

Release

Piece by Piece was first released in Europe and Oceania on February 27, 2015 by RCA Records through its parent company Sony Music Entertainment.[33] On March 3, 2015, it was released in the Americas by RCA and 19 Recordings.[34][35] That same day, a limited edition box set was released, containing a deluxe edition of the album and 17-piece lyric card puzzle housed in a customized holographic foil stamped box to correspond each track.[36] An exclusive pre-sale ticket code for a concert tour supporting the album is also hidden in each box set.[36] A double LP pressing of Piece by Piece followed the CD release on March 24, 2015.[37]

Promotion

In January 2015 Clarkson shared excerpts of lyrics of nine songs from the album on her website.[38] From February 23, 2015 to February 27, 2015, RCA released "Invincible", "Piece by Piece", "Run Run Run", "Take You High", and "Someone" as promotional singles, respectively.[15] Clarkson commented on the campaign, "I can't remember who came up with it, but it's the most genius idea. The album as a whole, it's such a singles world, it's nice to have some way of building anticipation around the full album. It's just nice that they're getting to hear a little bit of the whole record, and then they can make an assessment of the album not based on just one single."[15] From February 26, 2015 to March 2, 2015, RCA, The Hershey Company and Viacom Media Networks launched a campaign to premiere the tracks "Let Your Tears Fall", "Tightrope", "War Paint", "Dance with Me", and "Good Goes the Bye" on Viacom's music channels MTV, VH1, and CMT.[39]

On the eve of its street date, Piece by Piece was prefaced by an album release party at the iHeartRadio Theater in New York City, a part of which was also simulcasted live on all iHeartRadio hot adult contemporary and contemporary hit radio stations across the United States.[40] Clarkson has also performed "Heartbeat Song" in live televised performances, debuting it on the television program The Graham Norton Show on February 20, 2015,[41] and continuing on the programs Loose Women and the The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on March 2, 2015,[42][43] and on Good Morning America on March 3, 2015.[44] During her appearance on Good Morning America, Clarkson announced the first thirty-eight tour dates of her Piece by Piece Tour to support the album, which will begin in Hershey, Pennsylvania on July 11, 2015.[45]

Singles

"Heartbeat Song", the lead single from Piece by Piece, was released on January 12, 2015.[46] Receiving a positive response in its initial release, music critics described the track as a celebration of Clarkson's return to mainstream pop music.[10][15][47] "Heartbeat Song" became a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as attaining a Top 40 position in over seven region, including a top 10 position on the Official UK Singles Chart.[48][49] Clarkson had also announced plans for "Invincible" to follow up as the album's second single, as well as intentions to commission dance remixes for "Take You High" and "Dance with Me".[50][51]

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 63/100[52]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [53]
Billboard [54]
The Guardian [55]
Idolator [56]
New York Daily News [57]
Newsday B[58]
The Observer [17]
PopMatters [59]
Rolling Stone [60]
Slant Magazine [18]

Piece by Piece has received a fairly positive response from music critics, who lauded Clarkson's vocal performances, but were also overwhelmed by the album's production and excessive midtempo anthems. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 63, based on 12 reviews, indicating a "generally favorable reviews".[52] AllMusic's senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the record a three star rating, writing that instead of settling to the assured mature pop of Stronger, the album piles on EDM affectations and finding her singing cuts co-written by successful contemporary pop hit-makers as enters the second phase of her career.[53] Despite praising her vocal performance as "powerfully as ever", he also lamented that the record's emphasis on sound (instead of song) tends to submerge Clarkson at times, even noting her receding songwriting presence the album.[53] Nevertheless, He lauded the tracks "Let Your Tears Fall", "Good Goes the Bye", "Nostalgic", and the title track as giving a right balance of Clarkson's indomitable character and the album's fresh electronic beats.[53] Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine also gave it a similar rating, citing that the welcomed imperfections apparent in Clarkson's voice on Wrapped in Red have sadly been spit-polished away in Piece by Piece.[18] She observed that the tight and shiny execution as found in "Heartbeat Song" was the album's biggest flaw of having a lack of human fault whatsoever. In addition, noting its retro cover art and occasional nods to '80s power pop, she also venerated the tracks "Invincible", saying that if anyone could do justice to a Sia-penned power ballad, it's the American Idol champ; as well as "Take You High", which she described as "chopped up to an exhilarating, operatic effect".[18] The New York Post gave the record a two-and-a-half star rating, saying that "Trying to keep up with the kids has been the undoing of many 30-something pop stars, but on her seventh album, Clarkson maintains her dignity as she dips her toe into dance music."[19] While Idolator's Jonathan Riggs gave it a three-and-a-half star review, that that overall,Piece by Piece is good, of course — like a familiar suburban chain restaurant, a Clarkson album always delivers comfortably and consistently — but here the more basic cuts pale in comparison to several remarkable tracks that hopefully point to a deepening in her songcraft.[56]

Reviewing for Billboard, Jamieson Cox gave the album a three-and-a-half star review, she wrote that Clarkson has largely abandoned the spiky pop rock in favor of fluffy midtempo arrangements and swollen ballads, resulting to some drab moments.[54] But also added that when Clarkson forges a real emotional connection — like on the raw, personal title track— the album transcends the hammier, more hackneyed moments in between.[54] The Guardian '​s Caroline Sullivan gave Piece by Piece a three star rating, praising Clarkson's voice as a reminder that her amiable, Texas-girl exterior encases one of pop’s most forceful voices, despite her Mariah-like ability to deliver songs with maximum melismatic drama shows itself less often this time around.[55] While reviewing The Guardian '​s sister paper The Observer, features editor Michael Cragg gave it a four star rating, describing it as loaded with a laser-guided, heartfelt pop music.[17] He also commended the record's "chinks of experimentation", rhapsodizing the tracks Phoenix-esque "Nostalgic", the pulsating urgency of "Dance With Me", Clarkson’s pin-sharp vocal on to a billowing, chest-clenching backdrop of "Invincible", and the title track's salvaging of broken relationships with typical candour.[17] Reviewing for PopMatters, Colin McGuire gave the album a seven out of ten grade, saying that Piece by Piece showcases a brand new Clarkson all the while staying true to what makes her an artist that continually finds ways churn out really good pop records.[59] Instilling to remember that she is now a mother and a wife, he remarked that she applies a more perspective on life and a knowledge in a way that makes her appear fresh again.[59]

Writing for Time, Katherine St. Asaph praised Clarkson's voice as having "some of the best pipes in pop", but lamented the album's gamut of midtempo arrangements. Praising the tracks "Take You High", “Bad Reputation”, and “Run Run Run”, she described that at its best, Piece by Piece sounds like a victory lap from an artist who’s earned about five; but at its worst, it evokes the umpteenth hour of an American Idol finale with no victory in sight.[61] Jon Pareles of The New York Times also gave a similar appraisal for Clarkson's vocals, saying that it can sail through just about any arrangement: rock, ballad, arena-country and, most often at the moment, anthems pumped with dance beats. He also observed the album's music as "huge and glossy, technical tour de force", but woed that every song aims for the monumental—a strategy that’s competitive for radio play but wearying over the course of a whole album.[22] Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe expressed her agreement with the same sentiment, saying that the cumulative effect of all that bigness can be wearing by album's end.[62] She further added that the swelling strings, shimmering synths, and soaring vocals make almost all of the record's songs sound as if they are on a feverish quest for that grandiose final scene of a romantic drama to score before the credits start rolling.[62] Newsday '​s Glenn Gamboa gave Piece by Piece as "B" rating, remarking that Clarkson's successful home life seems to have quenched much of the fire that fueled her previous successes, resulting to a much calmer, less excited Clarkson.[58] He also added that if that's the new plateau she is reaching for, it will be well worth it, saying that "she often comes up a little short on Piece by Piece, offering good, but not great."[58]

Reviewing for Rolling Stone, Chuck Arnold gave Piece by Piece a three star rating, lauding Clarkson's homage to 80s pop music, saying that when Clarkson hits that money note toward the end, "big hair wins again".[60] Giving the album a "C" for The A.V. Club, Annie Zaleski wrote in her review that the album's music doesn't play to her strengths,[16] further adding that the record could also stand to be a little less conventional, especially since Clarkson is the rare pop star who sounds most comfortable when she's not playing it safe.[16] Praising the songs "Nostalgic" and "Take You High", she wrote that Piece By Piece sounds energized during these looser moments, saying "it's hard to shake the feeling the album would've been far better had it taken a few more risks".[16] Jim Farber of the New York Daily News gave the record a two star rating, despite praising her voice, he expressed despondency that the album doubles-down on Stronger '​s over-heated production, remarking that Piece By Piece piles on the gloss and glop. It's a fat sounding recording that fights with, rather than enhances, Clarkson's to-the-rafters vocals.[57]

Commercial performance

Prior it its release in the United States, music commercial analysts predicted that the album would likely sell at least 90,000 of album equivalent units in its first week of release in the region.[63] Opening with 83,000 copies of traditional album sales, Piece by Piece debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart with 97,000 units, which included track equivalent albums and streaming equivalent albums.[64] It is her first Billboard 200 number one album in six years since All I Ever Wanted (2009) and her third overall.[64] The album has sold 153,000 copies in the US as of April 2015.[65]

Internationally, the album debuted on the top ten of ARIA Albums Chart, IRMA Artist Albums Chart and on the top twenty of the Dutch Mega Album Top 100 chart and on the Official New Zealand Albums Chart.[66] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted on the Official UK Albums Chart at number six with over 14,000 copies, making it her fifth top ten album and her first since Stronger (2011).[67][68]

Impact

Piece by Piece fulfilled the recording contract Clarkson had signed as part of winning American Idol '​s first season in 2002 with 19 Recordings and RCA Records, making her a free agent and the first American Idol contestant to successfully complete the feat.[69] In a report published by Billboard, Clarkson is currently in early stages to directly sign a contract with RCA in contrast to her previous arrangement where 19 Recordings kept phonographic rights licensed to RCA.[69] Despite RCA's advantage, Billboard argues that the Big Machine Label Group could be a serious contender following Clarkson's history with Clive Davis, RCA's former chief executive and Sony's current chief creative officer.[69] Billboard also reported that Piece by Piece '​s debut at the top of the Billboard 200 earned her a leverage, with one prominent talent manager saying, "That's a good time to mention you're a free agent, when you have a No. 1 album."[69] Music industry analysts also divulged that compared to her previous contract with a US$500,000 (US$655,597 adjusted for inflation) advance per album, Clarkson could receive up to US$1–3 million advance per album in a new term.[69] However, Clarkson's manager, Narvel Blackstock, asserted that the probability of Clarkson re-signing with RCA is too soon to tell.[69]

Track listing

Piece by Piece Standard edition[33][70]
No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Heartbeat Song"  
3:18
2. "Invincible"  
  • Shatkin
  • Steve Mostynb
  • Oakb
3:58
3. "Someone"  Matthew Koma
  • Kurstin
  • Halbert[a]
3:39
4. "Take You High"  
  • Shatkin
  • Maureen "Mozella" McDonald
Shatkin 4:20
5. "Piece by Piece"  
Kurstin 4:17
6. "Run Run Run" (featuring John Legend)Halbert 4:32
7. "I Had a Dream"  
  • Clarkson
  • Kurstin
Kurstin 3:58
8. "Let Your Tears Fall"  
  • Furler
  • Kurstin
Kurstin 3:55
9. "Tightrope"  
  • Clarkson
  • Kurstin
Kurstin 3:32
10. "War Paint"  
Halbert 3:44
11. "Dance with Me"  Dan RockettKurstin 4:20
12. "Nostalgic"  Halbert 3:37
13. "Good Goes the Bye"  
  • Halbert
  • Eric Olson
3:21
Total length:
50:31
Notes

Credits and personnel

Credits lifted from the album's liner notes.[32]

Recorded and engineered at
  • Los Angeles, California (EastWest Studios, Echo Studio, The Rib Cage)
  • Nashville, Tennessee (The Attic, The Dressing Room, The Listening Station, Ocean Way Studios, Starstruck Studios, Sub-Level 03 Studios)
  • New York City, New York (Germano Studios)

Performance credits

Instruments

  • BassGreg Kurstin, Jason Halbert, David Labruyere, Tony Lucido, Eric Olson, Erick Serna, Jesse Shatkin
  • Drums – Lester Estelle, Greg Kurstin, Miles McPherson
    • Drum programming – Jesse Shatkin
  • Guitars – Aben Eubanks, Greg Kurstin, Jerry McPherson, Tim Pierce, Erick Serna
  • Horns – The Regiment

Production

  • A&RKeith Naftaly
  • ArrangementJoe Trapanese
    • Additional arrangement – Jason Lazarus
    • String arrangement – Oliver Kraus
    • Background vocal arrangement – Greg Kurstin, Fred Martin
  • Art director – Meghan Foley
  • Creative director – Erwin Gorostiza
  • Conductor – Joe Trapanese
  • Engineers – Jason Angel, Christopher Dye, Greg Kurstin, Satoshi Noguchi, Alex Pasco, Jesse Shatkin, Todd Tidwell
    • Additional engineers – Julian Burg, John Denosky, Ryan Gore, Rachel Orscher, Alex Pasco, Jesse Shatkin, Todd Tidwell, Robert Venable, Justin Womble
      • Assistant engineers – Shawn Daugherty, Jeremy Miller, Todd Tidwell
    • Additional vocal session engineers – Chris Dye, John Denosky, Kenta Yonesaka
  • Manager – Narvel Blackstock
  • Mastering – Chris Gehringer
  • MixerSerban Ghenea
    • Engineering for mix – John Hanes
  • Music Preparation – Booker White, The Walt Disney Music Library
  • Orchestra contractor – Gina Zimmitti
  • Production coordinators – Lani Crump, Dave Steunebrink

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[73] 5
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[74] 27
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[75] 39
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[76] 90
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[77] 4
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[78] 18
French Albums (SNEP)[79] 123
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[80] 30
Greek Albums (IFPI)[81] 29
Irish Albums (IRMA)[82] 8
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[83] 190
Korean Albums (Gaon)[84] 32
New Zealand Albums (Recorded Music NZ)[85] 12
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[86] 44
Scottish Albums (OCC)[87] 5
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[88] 22
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[89] 29
UK Albums (OCC)[90] 6
US Billboard 200[91] 1

Release formats

The limited edition box set includes:[92]

Release history

List of release dates, showing region, formats, label, editions, catalog number and reference
Region Date Format(s) Label Edition(s) Catalog number Ref
Australia February 27, 2015 Sony Music Deluxe 88875070862
[71]
Europe Standard 88875070852
[33]
Europe Deluxe 88875070862
[71]
New Zealand
Asia March 2, 2015
[93]
Denmark
France
Greece
Hungary
Norway
Spain
United Kingdom RCA
Canada March 3, 2015 Sony Music Standard 88875070852
[34]
Canada Deluxe 88875070862
[35]
Italy
Japan Sony Music Japan
Latin America Sony Music
Portugal
United States
Standard 88875070852
[34]
Deluxe 88875070862
[35]
Box set Limited edition N/A
[92]
Brazil March 10, 2015 CD Sony Music Deluxe 88875070862
[94]
United Kingdom March 23, 2015 LP RCA Deluxe 88875070861
[95]
United States March 24, 2015
  • RCA
  • 19
[94]
Japan March 25, 2015 CD Sony Music Japan Japanese edition SICP-4400
[72]
March 31, 2015 2×LP Deluxe 88875070861
[96]
Europe April 10, 2015 Sony Music
[97]

See also

References

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  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Mansfield, Brian (March 2, 2015). "Clarkson's ready to grow in a 'Heartbeat'". USA Today. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on March 5, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Fox, Marisa (October 18, 2013). "Kelly Clarkson in the Red Zone With 'Wrapped in Red': The Billboard Cover Story". Billboard (Prometheus Global Media) 125 (41). ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 7, 2014. (subscription required)
  4. Daw, Robbie (November 19, 2013). "Robbie Williams & Kelly Clarkson's "Little Green Apples": Listen To The Pair's Duet". Idolator. SpinMedia. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  5. Wass, Mike (March 27, 2014). "Kelly Clarkson And Martina McBride Join Forces On 'In The Basement': Listen". Idolator. SpinMedia. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
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Further reading

External links