Imperial Blaze

Imperial Blaze is the fourth album by dancehall artist Sean Paul.[3] The album was released on 18 August 2009.[4]

Imperial Blaze
Studio album by
Sean Paul
Released18 August 2009 (2009-08-18)
(Standard/Deluxe)
Recorded2006–2009
GenreDancehall, reggae, reggae fusion, R&B
Length66:49
LabelVP, Atlantic
ProducerStephen "Di Genius" McGregor
Don Corleon, Supacoop
Leftside, Jigzag
Delano Thomas
Supa Dups
Sean Paul chronology
The Trinity
(2005)		 Imperial Blaze
(2009)		 Tomahawk Technique
(2012)
Singles from Imperial Blaze
  1. "So Fine"
    Released: 2 June 2009
  2. "Press It Up"
    Released: 4 August 2009[1]
  3. "Hold My Hand"
    Released: 29 September 2009[2]

Background

The album was originally scheduled to be released in the summer of 2007 under the name The Next Thing,[5][6] but was then pushed to November 2008.[7]

Sean Paul told MTV that he wants to be less focused on party songs such as Get Busy, We Be Burnin', and Temperature. He said he wants his songs to focus on youth violence in Jamaica,[6] however, the resulting album contained mainly up-tempo party songs. He subsequently released a mixtape which focused on the youth violence in Jamaica.

The album's title means "Kings Fire". Sean Paul commented on the title saying,[8]

"I'm not the king. I'm the fire, I'm the flame, I'm the energy."

In an interview with DJ Swerve, Sean Paul confirmed that he did 60 tracks for the album, with 19 tracks making the final cut.

On 10 July, a song from the album, "Press It Up", was premiered on Sean Paul's official website.[9] A video was filmed for "Press It Up," which was directed by Jessy Terrero [10]

The album was put on pre-order on 17 July 2009. Those who pre-ordered will receive two digital track downloads to songs titled "She Wanna Be Down" and "Get With It Girl".[11] On the German iTunes Store "Imperial Blaze" was released on 14 August 2009.[12]

Sean Paul expressed delight regarding the progress of the album on the international stage. "It's a good feeling and I'm happy - very happy that people like the music, and that they've been going out and getting the album," he said.

"Number 1 in Japan is a big achievement for me. I'm especially proud of that, because outside of Jamaica, Japanese people are really the biggest consumers of dancehall music," he said.

Imperial Blaze was certified gold in France, debuting at #8 in that country, #7 in the United Arab Emirates, #5 in Canada, #4 in Switzerland, #15 in Belgium, #17 in Austria, and #17 in Germany.

It was also the first ever Jamaican album to debut atop the Billboard Rap Charts. The wholly Jamaican produced project debuted atop the Billboard Reggae Charts, #3 on the Hip Hop/R&B Album charts, #12 on the Billboard 200, #9 on the Digital Albums, and #20 on the European Albums chart.

As of January 2012, the album has sold 101,000 copies in United States.[13]

Singles
  • The first official single is "So Fine", peaking at #50 on the Billboard Hot 100.
  • The second official single is "Press It Up". It was released on 4 August 2009. The music video was released on 9 September 2009.[14]
  • The third single is "Hold My Hand" which features Keri Hilson. It was sent to U.S. radio on 29 September 2009.[2][15]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[16]
DJBooth.net[17]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[18]
Now[19]
PopMatters[20]
RapReviews(3/10)[21]
Rolling Stone[22]
Slant[23]
Toronto Star[24]
USA Today[25]

Initial critical response to Imperial Blaze was average. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 44, based on seven reviews.[26] The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album .

Track listing
  • Sean Paul Henriques co-wrote all of the songs on the album; additional writers are listed below.
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro: Chi Ching Ching"  0:50
2."Lace It"Stephen McGregorDi Genius2:51
3."So Fine"S. McGregor, Nigel StaffDi Genius3:30
4."Now That I've Got Your Love"S. McGregorDi Genius3:33
5."Birthday Suit"S. McGregorDi Genius3:25
6."Press It Up"S. McGregorDi Genius3:43
7."Evening Ride"Jeremy Harding, S. McGregorDi Genius3:56
8."Hold My Hand" (featuring Keri Hilson)Arif Cooper, Clayton MorrisonSupacoop3:26
9."She Want Me"J. Harding, S. McGregorDi Genius3:05
10."Daddy's Home"S. McGregorDi Genius3:30
11."Bruk Out"Craig ParksLeftside3:24
12."Pepperpot"S. Anderson, Andrew McIntyre, Jason HenriquesJigzag3:50
13."Wine Baby Wine"J. HardingMister Harding3:04
14."Running Out of Time"Donovan Bennett, J. HenriquesDon Corleon3:21
15."Don't Tease Me"S. McGregorDi Genius3:19
16."Lately"S. McGregorDi Genius3:06
17."She Wanna Be Down"S. McGregorDi Genius3:37
18."Straight from My Heart"Andrew Thompson, Delano Thomas, Dwayne Chin-Quee, Mitchum Chin, Cezar CunninghamDelano Thomas, Supa Dups4:26
19."Private Party"Donovan Bennett, J. HenriquesDon Corleon3:34
20."I Know U Like It"J. HenriquesSean Paul3:07
Total length:66:49
Japan bonus track[27]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
21."Get With It Girl"D. Bennett, D. LewisDonovan "Don Corleon" Bennett3:06
French bonus track[28]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
21."Hold My Hand" (featuring Zaho)Arif Cooper, Clayton Morrison, ZahoSupascoop3:26
Spotify & TTNET Müzik bonus track[29][30]
No.TitleLength
21."Right Time"3:24
iTunes Store deluxe edition bonus tracks[31]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
21."Agarra Mi Mano (Hold My Hand Spanish Version)"Arif Cooper, Clayton MorrisonSupacoop3:29
22."So Fine" (music video)  3:32

Charts
Charts (2009)[32] Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart 17
French Albums Chart 8
Netherlands Albums Chart 36
Swiss Albums Chart 4
Belgian Albums Chart [33] (Wallonia) 11
Belgian Albums Chart(Flanders) 31
U.S. Billboard 200[34] 12
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[35] 3
U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums[36] 1
U.S. Billboard Top Reggae Albums [37] 1
Canadian Albums Chart[38] 5
UK Albums Chart[39] 38
European Top 100 Albums 20
Germany Albums Top 50 17
Dutch Albums Top 100 36
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gollark: Pi and Tau only.
gollark: Best page: https://osmarks.tk/joe/index.html

References
  1. "Press It Up (Album Version): Sean Paul: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  2. "®R&R :: Going For Adds™ :: Rhythmic". Gfa.radioandrecords.com. 29 September 2009. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  3. "New Music: Sean Paul - 'So Fine'". Rap-Up. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  4. "So Fine" - Audio Detail Archived 13 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine All Sean Paul.'.' Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  5. "Sean Paul talks to paparazzi about new album". 19 January 2008. Archived from the original on 30 June 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2009 – via YouTube.
  6. Sean Paul Hopes To Curb Youth Violence In Jamaica With Next LP. MTV.com. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
  7. Sean Paul interviewed before concert on YouTube. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
  8. "TraceTV: Sean Paul Talks About His New Album "Imperial Blaze"". Archived from the original on 29 May 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009.CS1 maint: unfit url (link). All Sean Paul.
  9. WORLD PREMIERE: Sean Paul - "Press It Up". All Sean Paul. Archived 15 July 2009 at Archive.today
  10. "Press It Up Songfacts". Songfacts.com. 27 April 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  11. Exclusive "Imperial Blaze" Pre-Order Bundles! All Sean Paul. Archived 21 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  12. "iTunes Store - Sean Paul - Imperial Blaze (Deluxe Version)". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  13. "Upcoming Releases". HITS Daily Double. Archived from the original on 29 January 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  14. "Video: Sean Paul – 'Press It Up'". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  15. "Radio1 - UK Forthcoming Singles". Radio1.gr. Archived from the original on 23 February 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  16. Sendra, Tim (18 August 2009). "Imperial Blaze - Sean Paul". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  17. Nathan S. "Sean Paul - Imperial Blaze". DJBooth. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  18. Vozick-Levinson, Simon (21 August 2009). "Imperial Blaze Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  19. Richards, Jason (19–26 August 2009). "Sean Paul: Imperial Blaze (VP/Atlantic)". Now. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  20. Miller, Michael (4 February 2010). "Sean Paul: Imperial Blaze". PopMatters. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  21. Padania, Jesal "Jay Soul" (25 August 2009). "Sean Paul :: Imperial Blaze :: Atlantic Records". RapReviews. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  22. Hoard, Christian (31 August 2009). "Imperial Blaze : Sean Paul : Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  23. Cataldo, Jesse (17 August 2009). "Sean Paul: Imperial Blaze". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  24. Infantry, Ashante (18 August 2009). "Imperial Blaze: Sean Paul". Toronto Star. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  25. Jones, Steve (19 August 2009). "Listen Up: Paul pours dancehall gas on 'Imperial Blaze'". USA Today. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  26. "Critic Reviews for Imperial Blaze". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  27. http://wmg.jp/artist/SeanPaul/WPCR000013621.html
  28. https://listen.tidal.com/album/35051732
  29. https://play.spotify.com/album/4IX8op5M9BbxU1jYi22DXW
  30. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  31. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/imperial-blaze-deluxe-version/id327047071
  32. Hung, Steffen. "Sean Paul - Imperial Blaze". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  33. "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  34. "Week Ending Aug. 23, 2009: Over 50 And Still On Top - Chart Watch". New.music.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  35. "Sean Paul Album & Song Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  36. "Sean Paul Album & Song Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  37. "Sean Paul Album & Song Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  38. "Sean Paul Album & Song Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  39. "Sean Paul". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
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