To the Sky

This article is about the album by Kevin Rudolf. For the song by Tijana Dapčević, see To the Sky (Tijana Dapčević song). For the song by Owl City, see Owl City.
To the Sky
Studio album by Kevin Rudolf
Released June 11, 2010
(see release history)
Recorded 2009-2010
Genre Pop rock, rap rock
Length 36:59
Label Cash Money, Universal Republic, Island[1]
Producer Bryan "Baby" Williams (exec.), Ronald "Slim" Williams (exec.), Kevin Rudolf, Dr. Luke, Rivers Cuomo, Cool & Dre
Kevin Rudolf chronology

In the City
(2008)		 To the Sky
(2010)
Singles from To the Sky
  1. "I Made It (Cash Money Heroes)"
    Released: February 2, 2010
  2. "You Make the Rain Fall"
    Released: September 14, 2010

To the Sky is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter and producer Kevin Rudolf. It was released on June 15, 2010 in the United States by Cash Money Records, Island Records and Universal Republic Records.[2][3]

Background

Rudolf has said that he embraced dance music saying, "it's like most of it up-tempo, most of it electropop rock hip-hop stuff".[2] The album features mostly guitar heavy beats.[4]

Guests

Kevin Rudolf confirmed collaborations from Birdman, Lil Wayne, Jay Sean, Rivers Cuomo from Weezer, and Three 6 Mafia in an interview with Rap-Up.[5] Kevin has stated that he wanted to do a duet with Jay-Z and Kanye West on the album.[5] Kevin stated Rivers Cuomo will be on one track and he has a special track with Lil Wayne besides "I Made It".[5] This song is "Spit in Your Face," a reworked version of a Lil Wayne song which had leaked about a year prior to the album's release. That song was original slated to be on Lil Wayne's album Rebirth. Wayne raps on all of the verses. He wanted Natasha Bedingfield to be on the album, but has yet to find the right song for her.[5] He explained saying "I don't want to waste it [by] throwing her on something that wasn't the right record for her and for me".[5] He also wanted to work with Sade on the album.[5] In an interview, Vibe also listed Flo Rida as a feature on the album.[6]

Production and songwriting

Kevin Rudolf was the primary producer and songwriter for all tracks except "Spit In Your Face," which was produced by Cool & Dre with co-production by Rudolf. Tracks "You Make the Rain Fall," "Whatchu Waiting For," "Must Be Dreamin'", and "Late Night Automatic" were co-produced by Dr. Luke. Rivers Cuomo of Weezer appeared on the track "Must Be Dreamin'" and provided additional production and songwriting. Three 6 Mafia co-wrote both tracks which they are featured on, "Watchu' Waiting For" and "Late Night Automatic," while Flo Rida co-wrote the track "You Make the Rain Fall", which features additional production by Kool Kojak.

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [7]
RapReviews [8]

To the Sky was met with mixed reviews from music critics. David Jeffries of Allmusic gave the album two and a half stars out of five, saying "Keeping the tedium at bay is Rudolf’s always dynamic production and his generally good songwriting -- the hackneyed “play guitar”/”go far” rhyme in “Big Timer” being a low point—along a guest list that calls upon Three 6 Mafia for some much-appreciated sleaze and Lil Wayne for some much-needed wordplay. Rivers Cuomo is here, too, but the Weezer frontman brings none of his usual wit to the rather everyday “Must Be Dreamin’.” A mixed bag for fans to sort through, but without a worthy “Let It Rock” successor, this is hard to recommend over his debut."[7] Steve Juon of RapReviews gave the album a seven out of ten, saying "Ultimately Rudolf is the same thing now that he's always been - a decent to somewhat above average singer with a little more access than most singer-songwriters have thanks to the label he's with. Intentionally or not though Rudolf has become more hip-hop in the process, and while I'm not saying he'll be rocking an iced out Cash Money pendant around his neck at his next concert, I'm not saying it would surprise me or be out of place. The swagger's been good to him, because not every R&B or rock album would meet with a hardcore hip-hop head's approval, but even without the numerous rap cameos I think "To the Sky" would have been a win to a hip-hop audience - they don't hurt either though. This is "In the City" evolved, with no pun intended, to a higher level."[8]

Commercial performance

To the Sky debuted on the Billboard 200 at #78. The album has sold 20,000 copies in the US.[9]

Singles

The first single released is "I Made It (Cash Money Heroes)". The song features Lil Wayne, Birdman and Jay Sean. The song received chart success in Australia, Canada and the United States.[10][11] The second single is "You Make the Rain Fall". It is the theme song for the third season of "WWE NXT". It was released to Mainstream radio September 14, 2010 and features Flo Rida.[12]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "I Made It (Cash Money Heroes)" (featuring Birdman, Jay Sean & Lil Wayne)Kevin Rudolf, Dwayne Carter, Brian Williams, Kamaljit Jhooti, Robert Larow, Jerome SkallerKevin Rudolf 4:10
2. "You Make the Rain Fall" (featuring Flo Rida)Kevin Rudolf, Lukasz Gottwald, Allan Grigg, Tramar Dillard, Jacob Kasher, Jeff Halavacs, Eric EstradaKevin Rudolf, Dr. Luke, Kool Kojak 2:54
3. "Don't Cry"  Kevin Rudolf, Jacob KasherKevin Rudolf 2:52
4. "Whatchu Waitin' For" (featuring Three 6 Mafia)Kevin Rudolf, Lukasz Gottwald, Jacob Kasher, Paul Beauregard, Jordan HoustonKevin Rudolf, Dr. Luke 3:16
5. "Big Timer"  Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Eric EstradaKevin Rudolf 3:19
6. "I Belong to You (LANY)"  Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Jeff HalavacsKevin Rudolf 3:14
7. "Must Be Dreamin'" (featuring Rivers Cuomo of Weezer)Kevin Rudolf, Lukasz Gottwald, Jacob Kasher, Rivers CuomoKevin Rudolf, Dr. Luke, Rivers Cuomo 3:03
8. "Spit in Your Face" (featuring Lil Wayne)Kevin Rudolf, Dwayne Carter, Jacob Kasher, Marcello Valenzano, Andre LyonCool & Dre 4:36
9. "What Do U Got"  Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Jeff HalavacsKevin Rudolf 3:30
10. "Late Night Automatic" (featuring Three 6 Mafia)Kevin Rudolf, Lukasz Gottwald, Jacob Kasher, Paul Beauregard, Jordan HoustonKevin Rudolf, Dr. Luke 2:47
11. "Crashing Down"  Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Jeff HalavacsKevin Rudolf 3:26

Release history

List of release dates, with country released and format
Country Date Format(s)
Australia[1] June 11, 2010 CD, LP
United Kingdom[1] June 14, 2010
United States[1] June 15, 2010

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "To the Sky at UK Amazon store". Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Exclusive Interview: Kevin Rudolf Embracing Dance Music in 'To the Sky'". Ace Show Biz. 2010-04-19. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  3. ↑ Hanna, Mitchell (2010-04-27). "Tuesday Rap Release Dates: 8Ball & MJG, PackFM, Plies". Hip-hop DX. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  4. ↑ "Kevin Rudolf: To the Sky (New Album)". prefixmag. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "Kevin Rudolf Reaches ‘To the Sky’ with June Album Release". Rap-Up. 2010-04-25. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  6. ↑ "A Short Convo With... Kevin Rudolf". Vibe. 2010-04-25. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jeffries, David. "Review: To The Sky". Allmusic. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Juon, Steve. "Review: To The Sky". RapReviews. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
  9. ↑ "Kevin Rudolf Music News & Info". Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  10. ↑ "I Made It (Cash Money Heroes) - Kevin Rudolf". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  11. ↑ "Australia Singles Top 50". aCharts. 2010-04-05. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  12. ↑ http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=16691