The Common Linnets (album)

The Common Linnets is the self-titled debut studio album by Dutch band The Common Linnets. The album was released on 9 May 2014 through Universal Music Group. The lead single, "Calm After the Storm", was released on 14 March 2014.

The Common Linnets
Studio album by The Common Linnets
Released	9 May 2014
Recorded	2013
Genre	Folk Country folk Bluegrass
Label	Universal Music Group
Producer	Ilse DeLange JB Meijers
The Common Linnets chronology
The Common Linnets (2014) II (2015)
Singles from The Common Linnets
"Calm After the Storm" Released: 14 March 2014 "Give Me a Reason" Released: 11 September 2014

Singles

"Calm After the Storm" was released as the lead single from the album on 14 March 2014. The song was chosen through an internal selection to represent the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark. In the first semi-final the producers of the show decided that the Netherlands would perform 14th, the song qualified from the first semi-final and competed in the final on 10 May 2014. "Give Me a Reason" was released as the second single from the album on 11 September 2014.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
NU.nl	[1]
De Volkskrant	[2]
Gazet van Antwerpen	[3]

Critical reception

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. NU.nl gave the album a positive review stating, "At the turning of the tide, the duo finished their first (and possibly only) album. On their self-titled record, the two musicians explore their love of country and folk further than they have done previously, often successfully. This is thanks to the collaboration with Daniel Lohues, JB Meijers and musicians from Nashville. Especially lovers of World Of Hurt, the highly successful debut of DeLange, will be pleased with traditional country songs like Still Loving After You, Hungry Hands, Sun Song and Broken But Home. The quiver in DeLange's voice has returned and mixes well with Waylon's timbre. With Time Has No Mercy, Arms Of Salvation and Lovers & Liars, the duo delivers upbeat songs, while Before Complete Surrender, sounding like a Carpenters song, shows a more sensitive side, as well as the Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash inspired Where Do I Go With Me, and DeLange's tribute to her father, Love Goes On. The soulful edge of Waylon's voice is rarely heard on this album, but it can be heard on the western song When Love Was King. Perhaps the two have to consider whether there is more future for The Common Linnets, because this is the best album in years for both artists." De Volkskrant also gave the album a positive review, stating, "The duo's success at the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday isn't the only proof that their formation was a masterstroke. Even though Calm After the Storm is without a doubt one of the most beautiful songs on their debut album, titled The Common Linnets, the duo show that they can produce a lot more gems. However, none of them share the aforementioned song's atmosphere, reminiscent of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Instead, traditional country and other americana styles prevail on this surprisingly strong album. On Still Loving After You, written with Daniel Lohues, Ilse DeLange sings again with a broken country heart, which she has showcased on too few occasions. And on Where Do I Go With Me, Waylon shows how well versed he is in the repertoire of George Jones. With the help of Lohues and JB Meijers (producer and composer), both Waylon and DeLange have been able to outdo themselves on this beautiful country album. It leaves us wanting more."

Commercial performance

On 17 May 2014 the album entered the Dutch Albums Chart at number 1. On 14 May 2014 the album was at number 27 on The Official Chart Update in the UK.[4] On 15 May 2014 the album entered the Irish Albums Chart at number 45. On 28 July, 2014, the official Facebook of the band, confirmed that the album sold over 150,000 copies of their debut album.[5][6]

Track listing

Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Calm After the Storm"	Ilse DeLange JB Meijers Rob Crosby Matthew Crosby Jake Etheridge	Ilse DeLange JB Meijers	3:32
2.	"Hungry Hands"	Ilse DeLange JB Meijers Matthew Crosby		3:52
3.	"Arms of Salvation"	Waylon Rob Crosby Jake Etheridge		2:29
4.	"Still Loving After You"	Ilse DeLange Daniël Lohues Rob Crosby Matthew Crosby Jake Etheridge		3:54
5.	"Sun Song"	Ilse DeLange Waylon JB Meijers Rob Crosby Matthew Crosby Jake Etheridge		2:46
6.	"Lovers & Liars"	Ilse DeLange Waylon Rob Crosby Daniël Lohues		3:36
7.	"Broken But Home"	Ilse DeLange Waylon Daniël Lohues Jake Etheridge		4:33
8.	"Before Complete Surrender"	Ilse DeLange Daniël Lohues Rob Crosby Matthew Crosby Jake Etheridge		4:43
9.	"Where Do I Go With Me"	Waylon		3:36
10.	"Time Has No Mercy"	Ilse DeLange JB Meijers Rob Crosby Matthew Crosby Jake Etheridge		2:48
11.	"Give Me a Reason"	Ilse DeLange JB Meijers Matthew Crosby Jake Etheridge		3:41
12.	"When Love Was King"	Ilse DeLange Waylon JB Meijers Matthew Crosby Jake Etheridge		4:06
13.	"Love Goes On"	Ilse DeLange		3:53
Total length:				47:35

Special Edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Broken But Home" (Acoustic)	Ilse DeLange Waylon Daniël Lohues Jake Etheridge	4:38
2.	"Calm After the Storm" (Acoustic)	Ilse DeLange JB Meijers Rob Crosby Matthew Crosby Jake Etheridge	3:33
3.	"Time Has No Mercy" (Acoustic)	Ilse DeLange JB Meijers Rob Crosby Matthew Crosby Jake Etheridge	2:50
4.	"Hungry Hands" (Acoustic)	Ilse DeLange JB Meijers Matthew Crosby	3:54
5.	"Still Loving After You" (Acoustic)	Ilse DeLange Daniël Lohues Rob Crosby Matthew Crosby Jake Etheridge	4:07
6.	"Christmas Around Me"		2:59

Personnel

• Ilse DeLange – mandolin, background vocals
• Jerry Douglas – resonator guitar
• Shannon Forrest – drums, percussion
• Larry Franklin – fiddle
• Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar
• JB Meijers – piano, mandolin, lap steel guitar, guitar, bass, banjo, background vocals
• Metropole Orchestra – strings
• Jimmy Nichols – piano
• Michael Rhodes – bass
• Adam Schoenfeld – guitar
• Ilya Toshinsky – mandolin, guitar, banjo
• Bart Vergoossen – drums, percussion

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (2014) Peak position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] 3 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[8] 12 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[9] 52 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[10] 12 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] 1 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] 11 Irish Albums (IRMA)[13] 45 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[14] 42 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 16 UK Albums (OCC)[16] 40

Year-end charts Chart (2014) Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[17] 12 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] 113 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] 1 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 55 Chart (2015) Position Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] 51

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[22]	Platinum	15,000^*
Germany (BVMI)[23]	Gold	100,000^^
Netherlands (NVPI)[24]	2× Platinum	100,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
Netherlands	9 May 2014[25] (Standard edition)	Digital download CD LP	Universal Music Group
	14 November 2014[26] (Special Edition)

References

1. "Albumrecensie: The Common Linnets – The Common Linnets" (in Dutch). NU.nl. 8 May 2014.
2. "'The Common Linnets hebben zichzelf met dit album overtroffen (****)'" (in Dutch). De Volkskrant. 14 May 2014.
3. "CD: The Common Linnets-The Common Linnets (****)" (in Dutch). Gazet van Antwerpen. 26 May 2014.
4. Moss, Liv (2014-05-14). "Michael Jackson's posthumous album Xscape set to debut at Number 1". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
5. "The Common Linnets". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
6. "The Common Linnets on Twitter: "We've reached TRIPLE PLATINUM status!!!! Amazing!!!! Thank you all so much for the support! New songs in the making!". Twitter.com. 2014-07-28. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
7. "Austriancharts.at – The Common Linnets – The Common Linnets" (in German). Hung Medien.
8. "Ultratop.be – The Common Linnets – The Common Linnets" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
9. "Ultratop.be – The Common Linnets – The Common Linnets" (in French). Hung Medien.
10. "Danishcharts.dk – The Common Linnets – The Common Linnets". Hung Medien.
11. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Common Linnets – The Common Linnets" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
12. "Officialcharts.de – The Common Linnets – The Common Linnets". GfK Entertainment Charts.
13. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 20, 2014". Chart-Track. IRMA.
14. "Spanishcharts.com – The Common Linnets – The Common Linnets". Hung Medien.
15. "Swisscharts.com – The Common Linnets – The Common Linnets". Hung Medien.
16. "The Common Linnets | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
17. "Ö3 Charts". Oe3.orf.at. Archived from the original on 2015-01-04. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
18. "Jaaroverzichten 2014". Ultratop. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
19. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2014". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
20. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
21. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2015". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
22. "Austrian album certifications – The Common Linnets – The Common Linnets" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
23. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Common Linnets; 'The Common Linnets')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
24. "Dutch album certifications – The Common Linnets – The Common Linnets" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter The Common Linnets in the "Artiest of titel" box.
25. "iTunes – Muziek – 'The Common Linnets' van The Common Linnets". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
26. "iTunes – Muziek – 'The Common Linnets (Special Edition)' van The Common Linnets". Itunes.apple.com. 2014-11-14. Retrieved 2015-05-15.