The Outsiders (Needtobreathe album)

The Outsiders is the third album from the American rock band Needtobreathe, released August 25, 2009 through Atlantic Records.[3] It debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 21,000 copies in its first week.[4]

The Outsiders
Studio album by Needtobreathe
Released	August 25, 2009
Recorded	2008–2009[1][2]
Studio	Plantation Studios (Charleston, SC)[2] Black Dog Sound (Atlanta, Georgia) Plyrz Studios (Santa Clarita, California)
Genre	Alternative rock Christian rock Southern rock CCM
Length	48:49
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Needtobreathe John Alagía Rick Beato Jim Scott
Needtobreathe chronology
The Heat (2007) The Outsiders (2009) The Reckoning (2011)
Singles from The Outsiders
"Lay 'Em Down" Released: June 2009 "Something Beautiful" Released: August 2009

Background

The album was recorded from the end of 2008 through April 2009.[5] The Outsiders was co-produced by the band along with Jim Scott, John Alagía, and Rick Beato, who produced portions of their previous album, The Heat.[6][7] The studios used while recording the album were Plantation Studios in Charleston, South Carolina, Black Dog Sound in Atlanta, Georgia and Plyrz Studios in Santa Clarita, California.[2]

Release

The album's first single, "Lay 'Em Down", was released to Christian radio at the beginning of June 2009 and was released on iTunes on June 16.[8] The next single from the album, "Something Beautiful", was released in August. The album reached No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and No. 9 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart.[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christian Music Review	[10]
Cross Rhythms	[11]
Indie Vision Music	[12]
Jesus Freak Hideout	[13]
Melodic.net	[14]
New Release Tuesday	[15]

The Outsiders garnered critical acclaim from music critics. At AllMusic, Andrew Leahey rated the album four stars, and suggested that the band "offer[s] up another collection of sweeping, reverent rock songs" on which he alluded to how the album "flirts with touches of roots rock and traditional gospel, though, from the title track's powerful Southern stomp to the sheer power of Bear Rinehart's voice."[1] Furthermore, Leahey noted the album "covers more ground than records by similar artists, and it does so without alienating any of its secular-minded listeners, too."[1] Matt Conner of CCM Magazine indicated in a positive review that the album "brings even more evidence to the table that Rinehart's rock sensibilities only improve with time", and Conner also mentioned that the album's "second half provides some of the most beautiful moments on the record."[16]

At Christian Music Review, Liz Haveman rated the album three-and-a-half stars, and criticized the album because "some of the songs are confusing in their message. They are a little too vague to really grasp what these guys are trying to say."[10] However, she highlighted how "the music itself is really enjoyable. It has a “Jack Johnson”-ish quality to its laid back candor. Over all, the album is really enjoyable and I think it is going to satisfy the Needtobreathe fan base."[10] Ian Webber at Cross Rhythms rated the album nine out of ten squares, and underscored how the band "have crafted an excellent collection of tracks that wrestle with issues of faith and doubt in an honest and accessible way."[11] At Indie Vision Music, Joshua Clark rated the album four stars, and felt that the "lyrics seem a lot more ambiguous", yet called the release "near-perfect".[12]

At Jesus Freak Hideout, Jen Rose rated the album four-and-a-half stars, and evoked that the album was "one of those rare gems where every track stands out, some pulling you in with a catchy intro or a clever lyric, others surfacing after spending time with the music."[13] Pär Winberg of Melodic.net rated the album four-and-a-half stars, and underscored that "if you also add really good song writing to that – you all understand that you have a killer album", which he concluded with calling it "a fabulous demonstration how good music should sound like."[14] At New Release Tuesday, Kevin Davis rated the album a perfect five stars, and emphasized that the album was "the most catchy and meaningful album [I've] heard this year."[15]

Accolades

In 2010, the album won a Dove Award for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year at the 41st GMA Dove Awards. The song "Lay 'Em Down" also won Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year.[17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bear Rinehart and Bo Rinehart.

No.	Title	Producer(s)[2]	Length
1.	"The Outsiders"	Needtobreathe, Jim Scott	4:29
2.	"Valley of Tomorrow"	Needtobreathe, Rick Beato	4:02
3.	"Through Smoke"	Needtobreathe, Rick Beato	3:12
4.	"Lay 'Em Down"	Needtobreathe, Rick Beato	3:11
5.	"What You've Done to Me"	Needtobreathe, Jim Scott	3:21
6.	"Hurricane"	Needtobreathe, Rick Beato	4:07
7.	"These Hard Times"	Needtobreathe, Rick Beato	3:39
8.	"Stones Under Rushing Water" (featuring Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek)	Needtobreathe, Jim Scott	3:24
9.	"Prisoner"	Needtobreathe, Jim Scott	3:15
10.	"Won't Turn Back"	Needtobreathe, Joe Alagia	3:09
11.	"Girl Named Tennessee"	Needtobreathe, Joe Alagia	2:58
12.	"Something Beautiful"	Needtobreathe, Joe Alagia	3:42
13.	"Garden"	Needtobreathe, Rick Beato	3:41
14.	"Let Us Love"	Needtobreathe, Jim Scott	3:42

Deluxe Edition bonus track

No.	Title	Length
15.	"Said Too Much"	4:20

Music videos

• "Lay 'Em Down"
• "Hurricane"[18]
• "Something Beautiful"

Personnel

Needtobreathe

• Bear Rinehart – vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, organ, production on all tracks
• Bo Rinehart – guitar, backing vocals, synthesizer, production on all tracks
• Seth Bolt – bass, backing vocals, production on all tracks, engineering on all tracks, mixing on track 5
• Joe Stillwell – drums, percussion, production on all tracks

Additional personnel[2]

• Sara Watkins – vocals on track 8
• Scotty Wilbanks – piano on tracks 2 and 4, organ on tracks 2 and 4
• Casandra Williams – vocals on track 5
• Sandra Benser – vocals on track 5
• Carolyn Hancock – strings on track 13
• Jeanne Johnson – strings on track 13
• Tania Maxwell Clements – strings on track 13
• David Hancock – strings on track 13
• Michael Gleason – string arrangement on track 13
• Rick Beato – production on tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 13, engineering on tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 13
• Ken "Grand" Lanyon – engineering on tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 13
• Jim Scott – production on tracks 1, 5, 8, 9 and 14, engineering on tracks 1, 5, 8, 9 and 14, mixing on tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13 and 14
• Kevin Dean – engineering on tracks 1, 5, 8, 9 and 14
• John Alagía – production on tracks 10, 11 and 12, mixing on tracks 9 and 12
• Brian Scheuble – engineering on tracks 10, 11 and 12

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2009)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[19]	20
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[20]	7
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[21]	8
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[22]	2
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[23]	9

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[24]	Gold	500,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. Leahey, Andrew (August 25, 2009). "The Outsiders – Needtobreathe". AllMusic. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
2. Album liner notes
3. "Jesusfreakhideout.com Album Release Dates, CD New Releases". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved June 26, 2009.
4. Caulfield, Keith (September 28, 2011). "Tony Bennett, 85, Achieves First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
5. "Needtobreathe's "The Outsiders" Is Complete". StereoTruth.net. May 8, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
6. "The Outsiders: Rockers Needtobreathe to release new album this summer". Cross Rhythms. April 9, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
7. "NEEDTOBREATHE To Release The Outsiders Summer 2009". Jesus Freak Hideout. March 26, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
8. "Christian CHR National Airplay". R&R. June 5, 2009. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
9. "The Outsiders – Needtobreathe". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
10. Haveman, Liz (August 23, 2009). "Needtobreathe [The Outsiders] (2009)". Christian Music Review. Archived from the original on January 2, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
11. Webber, Ian (January 20, 2010). "Review: The Outsiders – Needtobreathe". Cross Rhythms. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
12. Clark, Joshua (December 18, 2010). "Needtobreathe – The Reckoning | Reviews". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
13. Rose, Jen (August 23, 2009). "NeedToBreathe, "The Outsiders" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
14. Winberg, Pär (August 25, 2009). "Needtobreathe – The Outsiders". Melodic.net. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
15. Davis, Kevin (October 12, 2009). "NEEDTOBREATHE [The Outsiders]". New Release Tuesday. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
16. Conner, Matt (September 1, 2009). "Needtobreathe: The Outsiders (Atlantic)". CCM Magazine. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
17. 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards nominees announced on The Tennessean (February 18, 2010)
18. "Music News, September 2009: JFH EVENING NEWS SHORTS FOR THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2009". Jesusfreakhideout.com. September 17, 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
19. "Needtobreathe Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
20. "Needtobreathe Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard.
21. "Needtobreathe Chart History (Digital Albums)". Billboard.
22. "Needtobreathe Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard.
23. "Needtobreathe Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
24. "American album certifications – Needtobreathe – The Outsiders". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.