Storms is the fourth full-length studio album by Canadian pop rock band Hedley. It was preceded by the release of two top-20 singles, including lead single "Invincible" in August 2011. The album was released in Canada on 8 November 2011 through Universal Music Canada.[2] A critical and commercial success, the album debuted at No. 2 on the Top Canadian Albums chart.[3] In May 2012, Storms was re-issued with a modified track listing that includes a third single and sixteenth track "Kiss You Inside Out".[4]
| Storms | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 8 November 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2010–2011 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:24 | |||
| Label | Universal Music Canada | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Hedley chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Storms | ||||
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Background
editOn May 5, 2011, Hedley confirmed that they were back in the studio recording a new album.[5] Around the time of recording, bassist Tommy Mac was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer. Mac managed to record his tracks for the album in between treatments and was later declared cancer-free.[6] According to the group, Mac's perseverance inspired the band to "create the kind of uplifting songs that might spur others to carry on through their own hard times."[6]
The sixth track "Beautiful" was first released on Hedley's live album Go With the Show in 2010.[7] It was performed at the Metro Centre in Halifax. A Jumbotron video was also recorded and can be seen on the DVD, as a special feature. In support of Storms, the band went on the 31 city Shipwrecked tour during early 2012.[8]
Composition
editThe group worked with producer Brian Howes and the album sees the group experimenting with elements of pop and electronic music to create their most musically diverse soundscape yet, as well as the one with most overt pop overtones. Jacob Hoggard described the album as their "most serious, polished album yet."[9] The last track, "I Won't Let You Go (Darling)" was produced by Hoggard and guitarist Dave Rosin and is their longest song ever recorded, at 8 minutes and 34 seconds. The song was originally supposed to be four minutes but the group improvised the last half and spent 30 takes to get the song right, according to the band.[10]
Singles
editThe album produced three top-20 singles. The lead single "Invincible", was released on 22 August 2011 and features guest vocals from rapper P. Reign.[11] The song peaked at number nine on the Canadian Hot 100 and was certified double platinum in Canada.[12][13] The album's second single "One Life", was released on 24 October 2011.[14] The song reached number 16 on the Canadian Hot 100.[12] The third single "Kiss You Inside Out" was released on 17 May 2012 and was featured in their re-issued release of Storms.[15] The song was met with critical acclaim, peaking at number two on the Canadian Hot 100 and was certified triple platinum in Canada.[12][13] The song also topped the Canada AC chart for two weeks.[16] The song earned a Juno Award nomination for Single of the Year in 2013.[17]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Critical
editJon O'Brien of AllMusic called the album "an enjoyably big, brash, and bombastic affair." He stated, "the follow-up to 2009's The Show Must Go always sounds more convincing when it embraces their boy band leanings, whether it's the heartfelt string-soaked balladry of 'Heaven's Gonna Wait' and 'Stormy'." However criticized the album's last track, "I Won't Let You Go (Darling)" calling the song unnecessarily long.[1]
Commercial performance
editThe album debuted at number two on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 23,000 copies.[3] This was the biggest debut of the week, behind Michael Bublé's holiday album Christmas.[3] On 23 November 2011, the album was certified Gold by Music Canada, and on 23 December of the same year, it was certified Platinum.[18] Storms won the Juno Award for Best Pop Album at the 2012 ceremony.[19]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One Life" | Jacob Hoggard, Matt Squire, Lucas Banker | Brian Howes | 3:33 |
| 2. | "Invincible" | Hoggard, Howes, Jason Van Poederooyen | Howes | 3:43 |
| 3. | "Heaven's Gonna Wait" | Hoggard, Howes | Howes | 4:07 |
| 4. | "We Are Unbreakable" | Hoggard, Howes, Gregg Wattenberg, Ryan Star, Derek Fuhrmann | Howes | 3:32 |
| 5. | "Young" | Hoggard, Howes, Poederooyen | Howes | 3:24 |
| 6. | "Beautiful" | Hoggard, Dave Rosin | Howes, Hoggard | 3:23 |
| 7. | "Bullet for Your Dreams" | Hoggard, Howes, Poederooyen | Howes | 3:03 |
| 8. | "Hot Mess" | Hoggard, Ryan Petersen, Nolan Sipe | Howes | 3:06 |
| 9. | "Stormy" | Hoggard, Babyface | Howes | 3:41 |
| 10. | "Last Call" | Hoggard, John Feldmann | Howes | 3:30 |
| 11. | "I Won't Let You Go (Darling)" | Hoggard, Rosin | Howes, Hoggard | 8:34 |
| Total length: | 43:24 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Hiding Place" | ||
| 13. | "Carry On" | ||
| 14. | "Heaven's Gonna Wait" (Acoustic Mix) | Hoggard, Howes | |
| 15. | "All You Get Is Sound" (Pre-order only) |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One Life" | Hoggard, Squire, Banker | Howes | 3:33 |
| 2. | "Kiss You Inside Out" | Brandyn Burnett, Lauren Christy, Adrian Newman | Newman | 3:37 |
| 3. | "Invincible" | Hoggard, Howes, Poederooyen | Howes | 3:43 |
| 4. | "Heaven's Gonna Wait" | Hoggard, Howes | Howes | 4:07 |
| 5. | "We Are Unbreakable" | Hoggard, Howes, Wattenberg, Star, Fuhrmann | Howes | 3:32 |
| 6. | "Young" | Hoggard, Howes, Poederooyen | Howes | 3:24 |
| 7. | "Beautiful" | Hoggard, Rosin | Howes, Hoggard | 3:23 |
| 8. | "Bullet for Your Dreams" | Hoggard, Howes, Poederooyen | Howes | 3:03 |
| 9. | "Hot Mess" | Hoggard, Petersen, Sipe | Howes | 3:06 |
| 10. | "Stormy" | Hoggard, Babyface | Howes | 3:41 |
| 11. | "Last Call" | Hoggard, Feldmann | Howes | 3:30 |
| 12. | "I Won't Let You Go (Darling)" | Hoggard, Rosin | Howes, Hoggard | 8:34 |
| Total length: | 47:01 | |||
Personnel
editCredits adapted from album's liner notes.[20]
|
Hedley
|
Production
|
Charts
editCertifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[18] | Platinum | 80,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
edit| Country | Date | Format | Edition | Label(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 8 November 2011[2] | CD, digital download | Standard, deluxe | Universal Music Canada |
| 22 May 2012[4] | Re-issue |
References
edit- ^ a b c O'Brien, Jon. "Storms Review by Jon O'Brien". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ a b Universal Music Canada. "Studio Album #4 for Canada's Multiplatinum Hit-makers". Facebook. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
- ^ a b c Williams, John. "Michael Buble hits No. 1". Jam!. CANOE. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c "Storms – Album by Hedley". iTunes. Archived from the original on 29 January 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ @Hedleyonline (5 May 2011). "Who's excited?? :) -TH RT @TommyMac1: Studio for new Hedley cd soon!!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b "Hedley turns some bad news into a gold record". Red Deer Advocate. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Go with the Show – Hedley". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Not Only is Hedley Hitting Up Much... Their Ticket Presales Start Tomorrow Too!". 8 November 2011. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Surviving the storm: Juno-nominated Hedley is back in groove". Ottawa Citizen. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Hedley gets serious in 4th album 'Storms'". CityNews. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "New Hedley Single "Invincible"". UMC Media Press Release. Universal Music Canada. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "Hedley Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Canadian certifications – Hedley". Music Canada. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ @Hedleyonline (24 October 2011). "Happy Hedley pre-order day!! Pre-order #storms on iTunes + instantly receive the awesome great track 'One Life'!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Hedley Are Back With A Brand New Single "Kiss You Inside Out"". Universal Music Canada. 17 May 2012. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "Hedley Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ Alex Ballingall (18 April 2013). "Juno Single of the Year: Story behind Hedley's Kiss You Inside Out". Toronto Star. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Canadian album certifications – Hedley – Storms". Music Canada.
- ^ "Juno Awards 2012: Full list of winners". Toronto Star. 1 April 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ Storms (booklet). Hedley. Universal Music Canada. 2011.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Hedley Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Canadian Albums: 2012 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 16 August 2023.