Addison Road (album)

Addison Road is the first album by Christian rock band Addison Road. It was released on March 18, 2008, and entered the Billboard 200 at #182. Three singles have been released off the album — "All That Matters", "Sticking with You" and "Hope Now". The first two singles were the 9th and 15th most-played songs on R&R magazine's Contemporary Christian Music chart for 2008.[2]

Addison Road
Studio album by
Addison Road
ReleasedMarch 18, 2008 (2008-03-18)
GenreChristian rock, pop
Length39:31[1]
LabelINO
ProducerChristopher Stevens
Addison Road chronology
Some Kind of Spark
(2006)		 Addison Road
(2008)		 Stories
(2010)

Music and lyrics

The band's musical style on Addison Road has been classified by many reviewers as a female-fronted mix of pop and alternative rock.[1][3][4] The first single, "All That Matters", has a driving, anthemic rock sound backed by a pop beat, drawing comparisons with Maroon 5.[1][5] "Sticking with You" has been described as synth-based with a pop/rock "dance-a-long feel".[1] The album's first track, the mid-tempo "This Could Be Our Day", has been compared to Leeland for being an "upbeat tune".[1] The record slows down in the last track with the ballad "What Do I Know of Holy", which Jesus Freak Hideout labeled as lyrically "bringing out a deeper side of the band that was previously unheard earlier on the debut".[1]

Release

In November 2007, Addison Road was originally scheduled to be released in the week of February 26, 2008.[6] It reached #182 on the Billboard 200 within its first few weeks of release on March 18, 2008.[7]

The album's first single, "All That Matters", was released early in January 2008, and quickly generated big success on Christian radio charts. It had reached the top ten on R&R's Christian chart by early February 2008, only five weeks later.[5] For the week of February 12–19, the song was available as a free Discovery Download on iTunes and was downloaded over 165,000 times.[5][8] "All That Matters" was given an exclusive stream on Napster's website for the week of March 10, 2008, and was featured on a handpicked Addison Road playlist of the band's favorite songs; this was unprecedented for a debut Christian music act.[5] It was the ninth most-played song on R&R magazine's Christian chart for 2008.[2]

The second single from the album, "Sticking with You", was released in mid-2008 and reached number two on R&R's Christian chart on October 17, 2008. The third hit single from the album, "Hope Now", was the theme song for the movie Letters to God. It ended 2008 as the fifteenth most-played song for the year on R&R magazine's Christian chart.[2]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[9]
CCM[10]
Christian Music Review91%[11]
Christianity Today[4]
Cross Rhythms[12]
Jesus Freak Hideout[1]
New Release Tuesday[13]
[14]
Soul Shine[15]

Addison Road received generally positive reception from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave it four stars writing that "At times, the group musters up enough energy and hooks to have a passing resemblance to Avril Lavigne, but this is hardly trash punk-pop: it's big music even at its quietest moments, and what's endearing about the group is that their utter sincerity is matched by a natural melodicism and sturdy songwriting, qualities that are easy to appreciate regardless of religious denomination."[9] At New Release Tuesday, Sarah Fine gave it four-and-a-half stars praising the "Fresh beats and the consistent message of hope running through the album are sure to leave any listener satisfied."[14] Kevin Davis also of New Release Tuesday rated it three-and-a-half stars noting that "Jenny Simmons has a nice voice and this is a promising debut album."[13] At Cross Rhythms, Julie Porter rated it eight out of ten noting "the finely crafted songwriting, tight musicianship and the beautiful, distinctive vocals of Jenny Simmons leave you wanting to have this album on repeat so you can capture every last drop!"[12] Liz Zelinski of Christian Music Review gave it a score of 91 percent, writing that "Addison Road has created an eclectic project, with wide-ranging rhythm that is entertaining and thoughtful."[11] At Soul Shine magazine, Lindsay Whitfield rated it four-and-a-half stars calling it "a seriously insightful and musically brilliant recording".[15]

At CCM magazine, Lizza Connor Bowen gave it three stars stating that the music uses too many rote metaphors and calling the lyrics simplistically direct in the "upbeat anthems of exhortation and encouragement."[10] Garrett DeRossett of Jesus Freak Hideout gave it three stars commenting that the band had "produced a fine debut", but only "If they had attempted to step outside the box just a bit more, it would've made a world of difference."[1] At Christianity Today, Christa Banister rated it two stars cautioning that "Addison Road plays it much too safe to really make much of a memorable impact. Instead of embracing the scrappy and creative underdog spirit of a band who's fought so hard to make it, Addison Road takes the well-traveled road, making their debut just another so-so effort with a positive message. They're capable of much more than this."[4]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."This Could Be Our Day"Ryan Gregg, Rob Hawkins, Travis Lawrence, Jenny Simmons, Ryan Simmons3:51
2."All That Matters"Gregg, Sam Mizell, J. Simmons3:27
3."Sticking with You"Gregg, Aaron Rice, J. Simmons3:27
4."Hope Now"Gregg3:44
5."Start Over Again"Gregg5:34
6."It Just Takes One"Gregg, Lawrence, J. Simmons, R. Simmons3:37
7."Always Love"Matthew Caws, Ira Elliot, Daniel Lorca3:27
8."Casualties"Gregg, Lawrence, J. Simmons, R. Simmons3:38
9."Run"Lawrence, Simmons4:11
10."What Do I Know of Holy"Alli Rogers4:35
Total length:39:31

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.[16]

  • Jenny Simmons – lead vocals
  • Ryan Gregg – guitar, vocals
  • Ryan Simmons – guitar, keyboard, backing vocals
  • Travis Lawrence – bass guitar, backing vocals, cover design
  • Jeff Sutton – drums, percussion
  • Christopher Stevens – producer, mixing
  • Kevin Powell – assistant engineer
  • Chris Stevens – keyboard, programming
  • Hannah Schroeder – cello
  • Justin York – guitar
  • Tec Petaja – photography
  • Emily Thomas – wardrobe
  • Dana Salsedo – wardrobe
  • Megan Thompson – make-up, hair stylist

Charts
Chart (2008) Peak position
US Billboard 200[17] 182
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[18] 11
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[19] 8
gollark: That isn't even a solution. You're just bad.
gollark: The correct method is to just restate whatever they said in an ambiguously sarcastic way.
gollark: This is a bad method.
gollark: No personal experience whatsoever, obviously.
gollark: Instead of joining the army, you should simply not do so.

References
  1. DeRossett, Garrett (March 2, 2008). "Addison Road, "Addison Road" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Archived from the original on November 2, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  2. 2008 Year End Charts/Top Christian CHR songs Archived 2009-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, R&R magazine, Retrieved January 15, 2009
  3. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Addison Road review". Allmusic. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
  4. Banister, Christa (March 18, 2008). "Addison Road: Addison Road". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on March 11, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  5. "Addison Road Yields Unparalleled Success With March Release". CCM. February 2008. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
  6. "December Upcoming Releases". CCM. November 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
  7. "Addison Road – Addison Road". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
  8. "Building 429 Headlines 30-City Truth, Hope & Love Tour This Fall". BREATHEcast.com. September 18, 2008. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  9. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (March 18, 2008). "Addison Road - Addison Road". Allmusic. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  10. Connor Bowen, Lizza (March 1, 2008). "Addison Road: Addison Road (INO)" (PDF). CCM. p. 42. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 10, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  11. Zelinski, Liz (February 18, 2008). "Addison Road ['Addison Road']". Christian Music Review. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  12. Porter, Julie (June 5, 2008). "Review: Addison Road - Addison Road". Cross Rhythms. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  13. Davis, Kevin (October 13, 2008). "Nice Major Label Debut". New Release Tuesday. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  14. Fine, Sarah (August 17, 2009). "Fresh Beats and Hope". New Release Tuesday. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  15. Whitfield, Lindsay (March 18, 2008). "Addison Road, Addison Road: Album Review". Soul Shine Publishing. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  16. "Addison Road credits". Allmusic. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  17. "Addison Road Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  18. "Addison Road Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  19. "Addison Road Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
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