World Wide Open

World Wide Open
Studio album by Love and Theft
Released August 25, 2009
Genre Country
Label Carolwood
Producer Jeff Coplan
Robert Ellis Orrall
Love and Theft chronology

World Wide Open
(2009)		 Love and Theft
(2012)
Singles from World Wide Open
  1. "Runaway"
    Released: March 16, 2009
  2. "Dancing in Circles"
    Released: November 30, 2009
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Country Weekly [2]
The New York Times mixed[3]

World Wide Open is the debut album of the American country music band Love and Theft. It was released on August 25, 2009 (see 2009 in country music) via Carolwood Records, a sister label of Lyric Street Records. The album includes the single "Runaway", which is a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.

Content

At least one member of the band had a hand in co-writing every track on the album.[1] Co-writers include former RCA Records artist Robert Ellis Orrall, as well as Roger Springer and The Warren Brothers.[4] Lead-off single "Runaway", which Stephen Barker Liles co-wrote, has reached Top 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. Shortly after "Runaway" peaked, Carolwood was consolidated with Lyric Street Records. The second single is "Dancing in Circles." [5]

Critical reception

Todd Sterling gave four stars out of five in his Allmusic review, where he referred to the album as "teeming with tasty pop melodies and delicious hooks" and said that it should allow the band to compete with labelmates Rascal Flatts.[1] Chris Neal of Country Weekly magazine gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five. His review calls the album "surprisingly subdued" outside the lead-off single and makes note of the shared lead vocals among all three members, but also criticizes the vocals for not showing the members' personalities clearly.[2] The New York Times reviewer Jon Caramanica gave a mixed review, calling it "charmingly uncomplicated, a promising album from a band making the most of limited resources."[3]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "World Wide Open"  Eric Gunderson, Danny Orton 3:27
2. "Runaway"  Rob Blackledge, Canaan Smith, Stephen Barker Liles 3:50
3. "Dancing in Circles"  Liles, Robert Ellis Orrall, Roger Springer 3:07
4. "It's Up to You"  Orrall, Gunderson, Chris Carpenter 3:19
5. "You to Miss"  Brian Bandas, Jeff Coplan 4:04
6. "Can't Go Back"  Coplan, Gunderson, Orrall 3:31
7. "Don't Wake Me"  Coplan, Liles 3:23
8. "Freedom"  Liles, Jay Joyce, Brad Warren, Brett Warren 3:36
9. "Slow Down"  Bandas, Gunderson, Orrall 3:37
10. "Me Without You"  Coplan, Smith, Liles 3:41
11. "Drowning"  Coplan, Bandas, Gunderson, Liles 4:22

Personnel

Love and Theft
Additional musicians

Strings arrangements by David Hoffner.

Chart performance

Album

Chart (2009) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums 10
U.S. Billboard 200 36

Singles

Year Single Peak chart
positions
US Country US
2009 "Runaway" 10 65
"Dancing in Circles" 25 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sterling, Todd. "World Wide Open review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Neal, Chris (2009-08-31). "Reviews". Country Weekly 16 (29): 50.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Caramanica, Jon (2009-08-24). "New CDs: Love and Theft". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  4. ↑ "World Wide Open cut-by-cut". Roughstock. 2009-08-20. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
  5. ↑ Dancing In Circles Songfacts