Word of Mouth (The Wanted album)
Word of Mouth is the third and most recent studio album by English-Irish boy band the Wanted. The album was released worldwide via Island Records on 4 November 2013. The album was preceded by the release of six singles: "Chasing the Sun", "I Found You", "Walks Like Rihanna", "We Own the Night", "Show Me Love (America)" and "Glow in the Dark", the latter of which was released two weeks prior to the album.
Word of Mouth | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 4 November 2013 | |||
Recorded | 2011–13 | |||
Length |
| |||
Label | Island | |||
Producer |
| |||
The Wanted chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Word of Mouth | ||||
|
The album features production from a wide range of producers and was recorded over the course of two years, from 2011 to 2013. The Wanted toured the album with their first ever world tour, the Word of Mouth Tour, starting in February 2014.[2]
Background and development
The Wanted began working on recording new material in November 2011, shortly after the release of their second studio album, Battleground. The band confirmed that they had worked with a number of different producers and collaborators whilst writing the material, in order to make something that would appeal to both American and British audiences. It was initially rumoured that the material that they were recording would be for a repackaged version of Battleground, which would contain a total of seven tracks which failed to make the initial cut, plus two brand new recordings, but this idea was later dismissed by band members Max George and Siva Kaneswaran. It was later revealed that the band had recorded a duet with a "female mega-star", rumoured to be Rihanna and the track, rumoured to be titled "Jealousy" would appear on their next album. Despite this, the band said that after the song had been mixed, tuned and finalised, the final mix "didn't cut it", and as such, the song had been completely scrapped, and was not going to be released.[3]
In March 2012, the Wanted premiered the first track from the recording sessions, a track entitled "Chasing the Sun", written by English singer and rapper Example. Later that month, they premiered another new track, "Satellite", co-written by OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder. Both tracks went on to appear on the band's self-titled debut EP release in the United States. It was soon revealed that they were in fact in the midst of recording their third studio album. In October 2012, shortly after the premiere of their new single, "I Found You", rumours circulated the internet that the album would be titled Third Strike, and a track list and artwork were also "revealed". The track list contained a number of tracks which failed to make the cut of Battleground, several new recordings, plus collaborations with the likes of Chris Brown on "Loverboy", Rita Ora on "Mastermind" and LMFAO on "The Club's on Fire",[4] as well as appearances from Dappy and Pitbull on the deluxe edition. Dappy's collaboration, "Bring It All Home", appears on his debut album Bad Intentions and Pitbull's collaboration, "Have Some Fun", appears on his seventh album Global Warming. However, in one of the band's "Wanted Wednesday" videos, Nathan Sykes revealed that the title and artwork were both fake.[5] The track listing was later revealed to be fake as well, including all the collaborations.
In February 2013, it was announced that the Wanted would star in their own reality series called The Wanted Life, which premiered internationally in June 2013. The show was produced by Ryan Seacrest, as well as the band themselves.[6] In the United States, it premiered on E! on 2 June 2013.[7] The series featured clips of the band recording the album, including snippets of "We Own the Night" and "Show Me Love", two tracks which had not previously been premiered.
On 22 July 2013, after several delays, the album's title was officially announced as Word of Mouth[8] and it was finally announced that it would be released on 16 September 2013,[9][10] but on 9 September 2013, the band announced that, due to additional recording, the album would again be delayed, with a new release date of 4 November 2013. To compensate, however, the album's artwork and official track list were both revealed that day. Tom Parker explained that the further delay was due to the band adding some final tracks to the album, "It's taken us two years to make this album and now that it's finally finished we are all really proud of the time and effort, not just that we put in to it but all the writers and the label too. We think it's our strongest album to date. We can't wait for our fans to hear it. They've been really patient but hopefully they'll think it's worth the wait!" The band confirmed that tour mate Justin Bieber had written a song for them, but they declined it and told him to keep it for himself.[11]
Promotion and release
On 7 May 2012, the Wanted performed "Chasing the Sun" on the second live results show of the sixth series of Britain's Got Talent.[12] On 27 October 2013, they performed "Show Me Love (America)" live on the third live results show of the tenth series of The X Factor.[13]
In the United States, the band performed a full live set on Good Morning America on 23 August 2013. To further promote the album, they did a series of performances on other TV shows on 4 November, the day before the album's U.S. release. They appeared on Live! with Kelly & Michael, The Late Show with David Letterman and Watch What Happens: Live, before another show at the MLB Fan Cave the following night. In 2014, they will embark on their first ever world tour, the Word of Mouth Tour, with shows in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, the U.S. and Canada.[2]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Digital Spy | |
Entertainment Focus | |
Renowned for Sound | |
Rolling Stone | |
Sugarscape | |
USA Today | |
Starpulse | |
Virgin Media |
The album has received mixed reviews from music critics. Carl Smith of Sugarscape gave it 7.5/10 and said: "Word of Mouth could probably have gone from Good Boyband Album territory to Great Boyband Album status if it was a bit shorter. There are some amazing tracks on there that we're gonna be going back to a *lot*, but there's a bit of filler too. It's definitely worth the wait, though...and we're never really ones to turn down a boyband, let's be honest."[19] In his review for AllMusic, Matt Collar gave the album 3.5/5 and wrote: "The Wanted have always seemed somewhat older and more mature than many of their contemporaries. That, combined with the band's broader musical palette (especially for a boy band) that touches upon a bit of passionate rock balladry ("Love Sewn"), some very Daft Punk-esque electronica ("Glow in the Dark"), and more than a few post-U2 anthems ("Could This Be Love"), they often seem more in line with bands like Maroon 5 and OneRepublic than other teen pop acts. Of course, there are enough fun, dance club-ready cuts on Word of Mouth—with songs like "Walks Like Rihanna" and the '70s falsetto-heavy disco-house standout "I Found You"—to ensure that the band's many younger, mainstream pop fans will have something to enjoy. Ultimately, if the Wanted's plan is to build upon the higher profile they've gained since their reality series, then Word of Mouth is certainly something to shout about."
Brian Mansfield of USA Today was more negative and said, "English-Irish band the Wanted has a more continental sensibility than One Direction. Its third full-length album is its first stateside, after a string of singles with diminishing returns. So while "Show Me Love (America)" isn't a plea, it might as well be." He gave the album 2.5 stars out of 5.[20] Similarly, Ian Gittins of Virgin Media gave the album two stars and called it "pop for pre-teens, for the easily impressed, and for those who are too credulous to know any better. The bland leading the bland.", but admitted that "it will do incredibly well."[22] In another two-stars-out-of-five review, Digital Spy's Lewis Corner wrote, "aside from the singles, Word of Mouth has little else to offer. 'In the Middle' is an inoffensive air-grabbing mid-tempo and 'Demons' offers a marginally harder tone with its guitar-backed chorus. But elsewhere, 'Summer Alive' is throwaway boyband EDM, while the sway of 'Love Sewn' is more limp than the soggy bottom of a fruit tart."[15]
Chart performance
On 8 November 2013, the album debuted at number ten on the Irish Singles Chart.[23] Three days later, it charted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart.[24] The album also debuted and peaked at number 17 in the United States.
Singles
In September 2011, it was announced that English singer and rapper Example had written a track for the Wanted.[25] In an interview with the Daily Record, Example said, "I wrote a song for them called "Chasing the Sun" and it's great. They went into the studio yesterday and Max even cryptically tweeted that it was a tune...I thought a few people might want it at first, including Enrique Iglesias and Kylie because both have asked me to write songs for them. But as soon as someone mentioned the Wanted, I thought it was right."[26] "Chasing the Sun" was released in the UK as the album's lead single on 20 May 2012. It was also released as the third single from the band's self-titled EP in the United States on 17 April, and was included as one of the two theme songs for the 2012 animated film Ice Age: Continental Drift.[27] It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, giving the band their sixth UK top ten hit.
In August 2012, the band filmed a music video in Los Angeles, reportedly for their brand new single, "I Found You".[28] However, when the video for "I Found You" was released in October 2012, a different video was revealed. The Wanted announced that they re-filmed the video after they were unimpressed with the result of the first, however the first cut was later released as the "fan edition" of the video in January 2013.[29] "I Found You" was released as the album's second single on 4 November and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart. "Walks Like Rihanna" was released as the album's third single on 24 June 2013. In April 2013, the band announced the release of the third single, named after close friend and Barbadian singer Rihanna. The single debuted at number four in the UK.[30]
"We Own the Night" was released as the album's fourth single on 10 August 2013, being released on the week that the track premiered on radio, and the music video was released to Vevo. The single peaked at number 10 on the UK, becoming the lowest-charting single from the album to date. The video, however, became the most played video on UK music channels two weeks in a row following its release. The song was used as the official theme for The Wolverine. The song appears in the opening and end credits of the film. "Show Me Love (America)" was released as the album's fifth single on 25 October 2013, a week prior to the album's release. The music video was filmed in September 2013. The track premiered on radio on 10 September 2013.[31] They performed the song on The X Factor on 27 October. "Glow in the Dark" was released as the album's sixth and final single on 23 March 2014. It was announced at the same time they decided to take a break from recording music.
Track listing
The album is available in three different editions: standard CD and digital download (14 tracks), deluxe CD and digital download (19 tracks – CD comes in deluxe gatefold digipack, with signed copies available from the band's official store), and MP3 badge edition (19 tracks in the form of a clip on MP3 player with the Wanted's logo on it, supplied with a set of headphones). "Chasing the Sun" is not included on the U.S. version of the album, having already featured on The Wanted: The EP.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "We Own the Night" |
| 3:25 | |
2. | "In the Middle" |
| Electric | 3:13 |
3. | "Running Out of Reasons" |
| 3:46 | |
4. | "I Found You" | Mac | 4:00 | |
5. | "Show Me Love (America)" |
| Fraser T Smith | 3:27 |
6. | "Walks Like Rihanna" |
| 3:22 | |
7. | "Summer Alive" |
|
| 3:05 |
8. | "Love Sewn" |
| Robson | 4:23 |
9. | "Glow in the Dark" |
| Deekay | 3:35 |
10. | "Demons" |
| Robson | 3:14 |
11. | "Could This Be Love" |
| Wilkinson | 3:08 |
12. | "Everybody Knows" |
| Mac | 3:38 |
13. | "Heartbreak Story" |
| Fitzgerald | 2:58 |
14. | "Chasing the Sun" |
| Smith | 3:15 |
Total length: | 48:30 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
15. | "If We're Alright" |
| Mason | 3:40 |
16. | "Only You" |
| Benny Scarrs | 3:45 |
17. | "Drunk on Love" |
| Sommerdahl | 3:23 |
18. | "Read My Mind" |
| Blackwell | 3:45 |
19. | "Satellite" (Remastered 2012) |
| 3:02 | |
Total length: | 66:05 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
20. | "Glad You Came" |
| Mac | 3:18 |
21. | "We Own the Night" (Scott Mills and John Dixon Radio Mix) |
|
| 3:06 |
22. | "We Own the Night" (Bass Ninjas Remix) |
|
| 5:12 |
23. | "I Found You" (TY Remix) |
|
| 3:55 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "I Found You" (music video; original) | |
2. | "I Found You" (music video; fan version) | |
3. | "Walks Like Rihanna" (music video) | |
4. | "We Own the Night" (music video) | |
5. | "Interview for Japan" | |
6. | "Walks Like Rihanna" (live in Japan) | |
7. | "Glad You Came" (live in Japan) | |
8. | "Japanese Tour Diary" (the making of) |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "We Own the Night" |
|
| 3:25 |
2. | "In the Middle" |
| Electric | 3:13 |
3. | "Running Out of Reasons" |
|
| 3:46 |
4. | "I Found You" |
| Mac | 4:00 |
5. | "Show Me Love (America)" |
| Smith | 3:27 |
6. | "Walks Like Rihanna" |
|
| 3:22 |
7. | "Summer Alive" |
|
| 3:05 |
8. | "Glad You Came" |
| Mac | 3:18 |
9. | "Glow in the Dark" |
| DEEKAY | 3:35 |
10. | "Demons" |
| Robson | 3:14 |
11. | "Could This Be Love" |
| Sommerdahl | 3:08 |
12. | "Everybody Knows" |
| Mac | 3:38 |
Total length: | 41:13 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "Love Sewn" |
| Robson | 4:23 |
14. | "If We're Alright" |
| Mason | 3:40 |
15. | "Drunk on Love" |
| Sommerdahl | 3:23 |
16. | "Heartbreak Story" |
|
| 2:58 |
Total length: | 55:37 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
17. | "Read My Mind" |
| Blackwell | 3:45 |
18. | "Only You" |
| Benny Scarrs | 3:45 |
Total length: | 63:07 |
- Notes
- ^[a] signifies an additional producer.
Charts and certifications
Charts
|
Certifications
|
Release history
Region | Date | Editions | Formats | Label |
---|---|---|---|---|
Austria[49][50] | 1 November 2013 |
|
Island | |
Czech Republic[51][52] | ||||
Finland[53][54] | ||||
Germany[55][56] | ||||
Ireland[57][58] | ||||
Netherlands[59][60] | ||||
Sweden[61][62] | ||||
Switzerland[63][64] | ||||
France[65][66] | 4 November 2013 | |||
United Kingdom[67][68] | ||||
Canada[69][70] | 5 November 2013 | |||
Mexico[71][72] | ||||
United States[73][74] | ||||
Australia[75][76] | 8 November 2013 | |||
New Zealand[77][78] |
References
- The Wanted Taking a Break Following Tour | Billboard
- Rigby, Sam (7 October 2013). "The Wanted announce 'Word of Mouth' 2014 world tour". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
- Corner, Lewis (12 January 2012). "The Wanted turn down collaboration with big US artist". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- Garibaldi, Christina (21 August 2012). "The Wanted Tease 'Insane' LMFAO Collabos". MTV.com.
- #WantedWednesday - Our New LA Home! on YouTube
- "The Wanted to star in 'The Wanted Life' reality series on E!". Reality TV World. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- Bibel, Sara (16 April 2013). "'The Wanted Life' to Premiere Sunday, June 2 on E!". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- Corner, Lewis (22 July 2013). "The Wanted announce new album 'Word of Mouth'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
- "New TW Album Announced!!". Wanted World. 22 July 2013. Archived from the original on 23 August 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- Blake, Jimmy (22 July 2013). "The Wanted announce details of new album Word of Mouth". Newsbeat. BBC. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
- Duff, Seamus (9 September 2013). "The Wanted announce new single Show Me Love (America) unveil Word of Mouth album artwork and assure fans it's 'worth the wait'". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- McGarry, Lisa (7 May 2012). "Britain's Got Talent 2012: The Wanted perform 'Chasing the Sun' – backing Jonathan and Charlotte to win". Unreality TV. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- Weigle, Lauren (27 October 2013). "The Wanted Perform 'Show Me Love' on X Factor UK". heavy.com. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- Collar, Matt (4 November 2013). "Word of Mouth - The Wanted". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- Corner, Lewis (4 November 2013). "The Wanted 'Word of Mouth' review: The pop chameleons fail to impress". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- Ellwood, Pip (1 November 2013). "The Wanted – Word of Mouth album review". Entertainment Focus. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- Redman, Melissa (4 November 2013). "Album review: The Wanted - 'Word of Mouth'". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- Mike Powell (18 November 2013). "The Wanted 'Word of Mouth' Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- Smith, Carl (4 November 2013). "Album review: The Wanted - 'Word of Mouth'". Sugarscape. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- Mansfield, Brian (5 November 2013). "Listen Up: James Blunt, Avril Lavigne, The Wanted". USA Today. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- Faulkner, Brent (12 November 2013). "Review: The Wanted, 'Word of Mouth' is conservative for the most part". Starpulse. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- Gittins, Ian (4 November 2013). "The Wanted: Word of Mouth review". Virgin Media. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 45, 2013". Chart-Track. IRMA.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- Lucey, Kate (13 September 2013). "Example's given a song to The Wanted!". Sugarscape.
- Lyons, Beverley (7 December 2011). "The Wanted used to be my enemies - but now we're good friends, says Example". Daily Record. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- "The Wanted's 'Chasing The Sun' To Be Used As Title Track In Ice Age 4: Continental Drift". Capital FM. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- Longmire, Becca (29 August 2012). "The Wanted Shoot New Video In L.A And Invite Fans To Join Them!". EntertainmentWise. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
- Garibaldi, Christina (22 January 2013). "The Wanted Pay Homage To Beatles In Fan-Version 'I Found You' Video". mtv.com. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- Corner, Lewis (26 April 2013). "The Wanted confirm new single 'Walks Like Rihanna' - listen". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
- Copsey, Robert (10 September 2013). "The Wanted premiere new single 'Show Me Love (America)' - listen". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- New Album: Title is to be announced The Wanted [CD]
- Word of Mouth (Deluxe Edition): Amazon
- The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe) - Only at Ta... : Target
- "ARIA Top 100 Albumsn– Week Commencing 18th November 2013" (PDF). ARIA. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- 综合榜 2014年 第07周 (in Chinese). Sino Chart. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- "Ultratop.be – The Wanted – Word of Mouth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
- "Ultratop.be – The Wanted – Word of Mouth" (in French). Hung Medien.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – The Wanted – Word of Mouth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
- "Lescharts.com – The Wanted – Word of Mouth". Hung Medien.
- "{{{title}}}". Oricon. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
- "Top 100 México – Semana Del 04 al 10 de Noviembre 2013" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- "Charts.nz – The Wanted – Word of Mouth". Hung Medien.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- "Spanishcharts.com – The Wanted – Word of Mouth". Hung Medien.
- "The Wanted Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type The Wanted in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Word of Mouth in the box under TÍTULO
- "British album certifications – The Wanted – Word of Mouth". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Word of Mouth in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth". iTunes Store - AUT (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store - AUT (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth". iTunes Store - CZE (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store - CZE (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth". iTunes Store - FIN (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store - FIN (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth". iTunes Store - GER (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store - GER (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth". iTunes Store - IRE (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store - IRE (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth". iTunes Store - NED (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store - NED (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth". iTunes Store - SWE (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store - SWE (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth". iTunes Store - SWI (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store - SWI (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth". iTunes Store - FRA (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store - FRA (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth". iTunes Store - UK (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store - UK (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth". iTunes Store - CAN (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store - CAN (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth". iTunes Store - MX (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe)". iTunes Store - MX (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth". iTunes Store - US (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store - US (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth". iTunes Store - AUS (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store - AUS (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth". iTunes Store - NZ (Apple Inc.).
- "The Wanted - Word of Mouth (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store - NZ (Apple Inc.).