Wikipedia

747(album)

747is the sixth studio album by American country music groupLady Antebellum,released on September 30, 2014, byCapitol Nashville.The production on the album was handled byNathan Chapman,Eric Kinney, Dave Thomson,busbeeand Lady Antebellum. The following three songs were released assinglesfrom the album: "Bartender"(which was released in May 2014 and reached number one on the USCountry Airplaychart in early September 2014), "Freestyle"and"Long Stretch of Love".

747
Studio albumby
Lady Antebellum
ReleasedSeptember 30, 2014(2014-09-30)
Recorded2013–2014
Genre
Length37:57
LabelCapitol Nashville
Producer
Lady Antebellumchronology
Golden
(2013) 		747
(2014) 		Heart Break
(2017)
Singlesfrom747
  1. "Bartender"
    Released: May 19, 2014
  2. "Freestyle"
    Released: October 20, 2014
  3. "Long Stretch of Love"
    Released: February 7, 2015

747received generally positive reviews frommusic critics,who praised it for exploring a more diverse sound and affirming theirpopcrossoverappeal. The album was also a moderate commercial success, selling 74,000 copies in its first week and debuting at number two on both the USBillboard200and the USTop Country Albumscharts,[1]thus becoming the band's first album not to top either chart. It also entered the top ten on the all-genre album charts in Australia and Canada.

Content

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Group memberHillary ScotttoldBillboardthat they chose to name the album after the track "747"because" The track itself has this pushing, driving spirit about it that sums up our attitude right now. We are pushing ourselves as a band and as songwriters…taking ourselves out of our comfort zone and not taking ourselves too seriously. There's an urgency and an energy to it that we've never released before. "[2]The group produced the album withNathan Chapmanmaking it their first album not to be co-produced with longtime collaboratorPaul Worley.[3][4]

A deluxe version of the album was also released, containing three bonus tracks. One of these tracks, "Falling for You," was originally released on the soundtrack to the 2014 romantic dramaThe Best of Me."Slow Rollin'"was originally recorded byCanadiancountry artistDallas Smith.

Promotion

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Tour

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Main article:Wheels Up Tour

The group announced their international fourth headlining tour, theWheels Up Tour,in January 2015.[5]Sponsored in part byQuicken Loans,the tour is scheduled to begin inOslo,Norway on February 28, 2015 and end inCamden, New Jerseyin the United States on September 19, 2015.[6][7]Hunter HayesandSam Huntare the opening acts for the North American shows, withBrandy Clark,Kip Moore,Lee Brice,Troy Cassar-Daley,Kristian Bush,andMaddie & Taeopening for various international stops.

Singles

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"Bartender"was released as the album'slead singleon May 19, 2014.[8]The song reached number four on theBillboardHot Country Songsand also topped theCountry AirplayandCanada Countrycharts in the fall of 2014. In October 2014, a "pop mix" of the song was serviced tohot adult contemporaryradio.[9]It peaked at number 25 on theAdult Pop Songschart, their first song to crossover to the adult contemporary format since "Just a Kiss"in 2011.

The album's second single, "Freestyle",was initially made available to digital retailers on September 28, 2014 as the firstpromotional singlefrom the album and was subsequently sent to country radio on October 20, 2014 as the second official single.[10][11]"Freestyle" peaked at number 24 on Hot Country Songs (their lowest peak on the chart in either of its formats) and at number 16 on Country Airplay (their second-lowest peak, behind 2012's "Wanted You More"at No. 20). It became the group's first single to not enter theBillboardHot 100,though it did peak at number 1 on theBubbling Under Hot 100 Singlesextension chart; it also failed to enter theCanadian Hot 100,their first to do so since "Lookin' for a Good Time"in 2008.

"Long Stretch of Love"is the album's third official single, and second to be released to the UK. It was released in the UK on February 7, 2015 and then to country radio in the US on March 23, 2015.[12][13]

Other songs

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"Lie with Me" was released as a radio-onlypromotional singlein the UK in January or February 2015, serving as the album's lead single in that market.[14][15]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic66/100[16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
Billboard[18]
Los Angeles Times[19]
The Michigan Daily[20](B)
The Boston Globe(Negative)[21]

The album received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. AtMetacritic,which assigns anormalizedrating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received anaveragescore of 66, based on 5 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[16]Stephen Thomas ErlewineofAllMusicrated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, writing that the album'spop-leaning sound "showcases the trio at its best" and that747gives the impression that the band has embraced itscrossoverstatus.[17]Jill Menze ofBillboardalso noted the band's confidence on the record and attributed it to the more upbeat feel of the material. "The group's move away from its comfort zone is a worthy venture," writes Menze. "Lady A has always demonstrated the potential to deliver a little something more [and on] 747, we finally get a glimpse of it."[18]Billy Dukes ofTaste of Countrypraised the band for mi xing things up on747and deviating from themiddle of the roadvibe of prior releases: "Over their last few albums, Charles Kelley and company had fallen back to the middle... ’747′ provides depth, variety and most importantly, a vibe Lady Antebellum can call their own." Dukes also compared the sound on747favorably to the repertoire ofFleetwood Mac,noting "Golden"collaborator Stevie Nicks's influence.[22]

Michael McCall ofMSNEntertainment described the album as having "a cohesive, celebratory feel that brings out the best in [the group] members" and praised the band for pursuing a sound that sets them apart from other country acts.[23]Gregory Hicks ofThe Michigan Dailywrote a positive review applauding the band for consistently delivering enjoyablecountry pop,but suggested that their sonic transformation on747was not as ambitious or pronounced as it has been made out to be. "As a typical Lady A-formulaic manufactured record," Hicks explains, "it’s an attractive, emotionally grasping LP... But don’t expect the album to cop an attitude in its sound."[20]

In a more critical review, reporter Mikael Wood ofThe Los Angeles Timesfelt the album was too heavy on "zippy pop-country arrangements" and that the trio's trademark harmonies suffered at the expense of tempo.[19]Marc Hirsh ofThe Boston Globefound the album's sequencing to be ineffective, drawing particular attention to the way the album "seems to simply stop" due to a lack of finality in the closing track, "Just a Girl", and criticized the band for being formulaic in their approach.[24]

Commercial performance

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747received early predictions that the album would debut in the top ten and sell around 70,000 units.[25]The album debuted at number two on the USBillboard200chart, selling 74,000 copies in its first week.[1]This became Lady Antebellum's sixth US top-ten debut.[1]The album also debuted at number two on the USTop Country Albumschart. As of September 2015, the album has sold 285,900 copies in the United States.[26]

In Canada, the album debuted at number three on theCanadian Albums Chart,selling 8,000 copies in its first week.[27]On November 4, 2014, the album was certified gold byMusic Canadafor sales of over 40,000 copies.[28]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Lead VocalsLength
1."Long Stretch of Love"
Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott2:51
2."Bartender"
Scott3:18
3."Lie with Me"
Kelley, Scott3:21
4."Freestyle"
Kelley3:04
5."Down South"
  • Stephanie Chapman
  • Christian Rada
  • Dave Thompson
Scott4:17
6."One Great Mystery"
  • Scott
  • Kelley
  • Haywood
  • Kear
Scott, Kelly3:34
7."Sounded Good at the Time"
Scott3:06
8."She Is"
Kelley3:21
9."Damn You Seventeen"
Scott, Kelley4:01
10."747"
Kelley3:27
11."Just a Girl"
  • Scott
  • Kelley
  • Haywood
  • McAnally
Scott3:37
Total length:37:57
747— Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead VocalsLength
12."Slow Rollin'"
  • Clawson
  • Laird
Kelley3:44
13."All Nighter"
Scott, Kelley3:00
14."Falling for You"
  • Scott
  • Kelley
  • Haywood
  • Busbee
Scott, Kelley3:54
Total length:48:35

Personnel

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Musicians

Production

Charts

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Singles

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Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US Country US Country Airplay US CAN Country CAN
2014 "Bartender" 4 1 31 1 29
"Freestyle" 24 16 101 17 —
2015 "Long Stretch of Love" 23 16 106 34 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released to that region

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[49] Gold 40,000^
United States — 300,000[26]

^Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^abcCaulfield, Keith."Blake Shelton Scores Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200".Billboard.Prometheus Global Media.Retrieved8 October2014.
  2. ^Hampp, Andrew (18 July 2014)."Lady Antebellum's '747' Album Will Take Off On..."Billboard.Retrieved21 July2014.
  3. ^Howell, Coti (18 July 2014)."Lady Antebellum Announce '747' Album Coming in for Landing in September".Taste of Country.Retrieved21 July2014.
  4. ^Bjorke, Matt (18 July 2014)."Lady Antebellum" 747 "Tracklist & Cover Art".Roughstock.Archived fromthe originalon 28 July 2014.Retrieved21 July2014.
  5. ^Whitaker, Sterling (6 January 2015)."Lady Antebellum Announce 2015 Wheels Up Tour".Taste of Country.Townsquare Media.Retrieved9 April2015.
  6. ^"Lady Antebellum Prepares for Takeoff with Upcoming WHEELS UP 2015 TOUR!".Lady Antebellum(official website). Archived fromthe originalon 15 March 2015.Retrieved9 April2015.
  7. ^Hampp, Andrew (8 April 2015)."Lady Antebellum, Quicken Loans to Pay Seven Fans' Mortgages During 'Wheels Up' Tour".Billboard.Prometheus Global Media.Retrieved9 April2015.
  8. ^"Bartender - Single by Lady Antebellum".iTunes Store US.Apple Inc.Archived fromthe originalon 2014-07-01.
  9. ^"Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases".All Access Media Group. Archived fromthe originalon 13 October 2014.Retrieved21 March2015.
  10. ^Thompson, Gayle."Lady Antebellum Release 'Freestyle' on Spotify".The Boot.Townsquare Media.Retrieved21 October2014.
  11. ^"Future Releases for Country Radio Stations".AllAccess Music Group.Archivedfrom the original on October 6, 2014.Retrieved2 October2014.
  12. ^"BBC - Radio 2 - Playlist".BBC Music.British Broadcasting Corporation.Archived fromthe originalon 4 February 2015.Retrieved9 April2015.
  13. ^"Single Releases".MusicRow.4 January 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2015.RetrievedMarch 3,2015.
  14. ^Little, Guy (12 February 2015)."Lady Antebellum | Acoustic Magazine".Acoustic Magazine.Blaze Publishing.Retrieved9 April2015.
  15. ^"Lady Antebellum - BBC Music".BBC Music.British Broadcasting Corporation.Retrieved9 April2015.
  16. ^ab"747 - Lady Antebellum".Metacritic.Retrieved20 October2014.
  17. ^abErlewine, Stephen Thomas."747 - Lady Antebellum".AllMusic.All Media Network.Retrieved1 October2014.
  18. ^abMenze, Jill (September 30, 2014)."Album Review: Lady Antebellum Moves Away From Its Comfort Zone on '747'".Billboard.Prometheus Global Media.Retrieved1 October2014.
  19. ^abWood, Mikael (September 29, 2014)."Review: With '747,' Lady Antebellum restores its original polish".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved1 October2014.
  20. ^abHicks, Gregory (September 30, 2014)."Lady Antebellum come in for a smooth landing on '747'".The Michigan Daily.Retrieved1 October2014.
  21. ^Hirsh, Marc."Lady Antebellum, '747'".Boston Globe.Retrieved20 October2014.
  22. ^Dukes, Billy (September 30, 2014)."Album Spotlight: Lady Antebellum, '747' – ToC Critic's Pick".Taste of Country.Townsquare Media.Retrieved1 October2014.
  23. ^McCall, Michael."Review: Lady Antebellum regains altitude on '747'".MSNEntertainment.Associated Press.Archived fromthe originalon 2 October 2014.Retrieved1 October2014.
  24. ^Hirsh, Marc."Lady Antebellum, '747'".The Boston Globe.Retrieved1 October2014.
  25. ^Blake Shelton Eyeing No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart | Billboard
  26. ^abMatt Bjorke (September 8, 2015)."The Country Albums Chart Report for September 8, 2015".Roughstock.Sales figure givehere
  27. ^A Journal of Musical ThingsWeekly Music Sales Report and Analysis: 08 October 2014 - A Journal of Musical Things
  28. ^"Gold/Platinum".
  29. ^747 - Lady Antebellum | Credits | AllMusic
  30. ^"Australiancharts – Lady Antebellum – 747".Hung Medien. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  31. ^"Ultratop.be – Lady Antebellum – 747"(in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  32. ^"Lady Antebellum Chart History (Canadian Albums)".Billboard.
  33. ^"Dutchcharts.nl – Lady Antebellum – 747"(in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  34. ^"Offiziellecharts.de – Lady Antebellum – 747"(in German).GfK Entertainment Charts.Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  35. ^"Charts.nz – Lady Antebellum – 747".Hung Medien. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  36. ^"Swisscharts – Lady Antebellum – 747".Hung Medien. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  37. ^"Lady Antebellum | Artist | Official Charts".UK Albums Chart.
  38. ^"Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20".Official Charts Company.
  39. ^"Lady Antebellum Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.
  40. ^"Lady Antebellum Chart History (Top Country Albums)".Billboard.
  41. ^"ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 50 Country Albums 2014".Australian Recording Industry Association.RetrievedJanuary 19,2016.
  42. ^"Billboard 200 Albums: 2014 Year-End top-selling albums across all genres".Billboard.
  43. ^"Top Country Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts".Billboard.Prometheus Global Media. 2 January 2013.RetrievedJanuary 16,2015.
  44. ^"ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 50 Country Albums 2015".Australian Recording Industry Association.Archived fromthe originalon January 25, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 19,2016.
  45. ^"Billboard 200 Albums: 2015 Year-End top-selling albums across all genres".Billboard.2 January 2013.
  46. ^"Top Country Albums: 2015 Year-End Charts".Billboard.Prometheus Global Media. 2 January 2013.RetrievedJanuary 19,2016.
  47. ^"Canadian single certifications – Lady Antebellum – Bartender".Music Canada.Retrieved21 March2015.
  48. ^"American single certifications – Lady Antebellum – Bartender".Recording Industry Association of America.Retrieved9 April2015.
  49. ^"Canadian album certifications – Lady Antebellum – 747".Music Canada.RetrievedNovember 14,2014.
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