The Lana Del-Smith-Lopez-Park Problem: New Releases (June 17th)

Note: This is one of the few times I will talk about sales and positions on Billboard (because there is no other way to write this post without mentioning them). I’m not affiliated with Billboard, iTunes or Amazon.

As the summer album release season kicks off, a slew of new releases are set to dominate the US album marketplace this week. With 7 major label artists debuting with new albums during this frame, it’s going to easily be one of the most grueling weeks of 2014.

So who are the front-runners?

Lana Del Rey’s sophomore full-length album Ultraviolence, the most critically acclaimed new debut of the week (with a 73/100 on Metacritic at press time), should wind up as the biggest seller of the week. Many industry professionals are forecasting a debut around 175,000 copies (digital and physical combined) though based on early numbers, I think it’s possible the album winds up around the 200,000 copy mark. Either way, sales will likely climb around 100,000 from Lana Del Rey’s debut album, Born to Die, which became a Platinum success in the United States. Born to Die started with around 75,000 copies, enough to snag a No. 2 position on the Billboard 200 (measuring the 200 most purchased albums of the week) behind eventual 24 week leader 21 by Adele.

Ultraviolence, which received a positive review from me, has benefited immensely from strong word of mouth as well as lots of promotion. Prior to the release of the album, 1 official single (“West Coast”) as well as 3 promotional/digital exclusive singles (“Brooklyn Baby”, “Ultraviolence” and “Shades of Cool”) were offered to fans as part of a thank you for pre-ordering the album. Unfortunately for Lana Del Rey, the two other largest releases followed a similar strategy (Linkin Park and Sam Smith), with one of them (Sam Smith) possibly working better. 

Before we get all wrapped up in the possibility that Sam Smith’s debut In the Lonely Hour - which will likely open with 160,000 or more first week copies - could wind up in first place above Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence, let’s look more closely at the details.

Yes, In the Lonely Hour did actually pull ahead of Ultraviolence briefly this Tuesday morning (though the latter has regained control of the chart). Additionally, many forecasters, reviewers and general consumers have noted that a non-deluxe version of In the Lonely Hour currently holds 6th place, which has led to lots of questions. But looking just a tad below the iTunes top 10 we find two more versions of Ultraviolence ranking at #15 and #18 (though when pre-order/yet to be released albums are removed, they stand at #13 and #16). That’s a pretty strong command of the region for Lana if you ask me.

To further discuss let’s whip out some numbers from single/promotional releases that preceded the album.

Sam Smith’s In the Lonely Hour has the luxury of being proceeded by three US Billboard Hot 100 top 20 singles: the #19 peaking “La La La” which features as a acoustic track (original by Naughty Boy in collaboration with Sam Smith), the #17 peaking “Latch” which features as a acoustic bonus track on the deluxe album (original by Disclosure in collaboration with Sam Smith) as well as the #10 peaking “Stay With Me” (which has been, and still is a strong digital seller). Promotional album efforts had more mixed success (in order from most to least successful): “I’m Not the Only One” debuted and has so far peaked at #69, “Leave Your Lover” debuted and peaked at #92 and fell of the chart after 1 week, and both “Money On My Mind” and “Lay Me Down” failed to make a dent (though they weren’t as heavily promoted).

 Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence performed about the same: lead single “West Coast” debuted and peaked at #16 and fell of the US Billboard Hot 100 the following week, “Shades of Cool” debuted and peaked at #79 and fell of the US Billboard Hot 100 the following week, and title track “Ultraviolence” debuted and peaked at #70 (it’s currently still listed). Final numbers for “Brooklyn Baby” have yet to be announced.

In terms of overall single sales, Sam Smith clearly has Lana Del Rey beat, but as proved time and time again, strong single sales don’t always equate to strong album sales (see Rihanna).

But ahh! There’s more.

Interestingly enough, Lana Del Rey’s entire Ultraviolence album has appeared on the iTunes 200 Singles chart. All 15 tracks are ranked, with 12 holding in the top 100 (the other three are just barely out of the region). Additionally, “Once Upon A Dream” (another 2014 Lana Del Rey track that wasn’t on the album) ranks within the top 200. 

Meanwhile, only 9 out of 14 tracks from Sam Smith’s In the Lonely Hour are in the top 200. Unfortunately for Smith, only two of those 9 are among the top 100, a fairly pitiful amount given the large amount of his tracks in the top 200. It’s also worth noting that In the Lonely Hour received more mixed reviews, while reviews for Ultraviolence (as previously mentioned) were much stronger. 

On Amazon, Ultraviolence leads the digital best sellers list and ranks at #12 with another version of the album. In the Lonely Hour ranks at #3 (behind Linkin Park’s The Hunting Party) and again at #10. On the physical best sellers list, Lana Del Rey appears at #1, #8 and #23 with her new release, while In the Lonely Houris only present at #3 (from what I can tell. Yet again, Linkin Park’s The Hunting Party is sandwiched in between. 

After weighing all the facts I think it’s safe to say that Lana Del Rey will be able to edge out new-comer Sam Smith by a wide enough margin to secure a #1 debut. Still, Smith will be able to put up a good fight againstUltraviolence. The real winner may in fact be Smith, mainly because it’s extremely difficult in this day and age to sell 150,000 copies or more with a debut album (back in the early 2000s that would have been an average debut opening).

Now that I’ve eaten up most of the time nitpicking at which albums will likely arrive in the top 2 rungs, let’s take a look at some other debuting albums that will score more modest openings slightly lower on the Billboard 200 chart.

The Hunting Party, Linkin Park’s 6th studio album and first since 2012’sLIVING THINGS, got off to a decent start when released at midnight on iTunes. First forecasted to sell 100,00 by the end of the week, The Hunting Party is now headed for a stronger debut upwards of 125,000. That’s a huge drop from the debut sales frame of June 2012’s LIVING THINGS(which wound up at No. 1 with over 220,000), but given the huge decline in sales in that short 2 year gap, 120,000 is still a number to be proud of. The Hunting Party is almost guaranteed to wind up in 3rd place (the first Linkin Park album to not reach #1 other than their debut set) no matter what.

The next highest debut will either come from deadmau5 or Jennifer Lopez. At this point, deadmau5’s effort, while (1<2), should be able to lock in the 4th highest debut with estimates point toward 40,000 sold - a 18,000 dive from the debut frame of the producer’s last album (physical and digital), but given the fact that it’s an early digital release only, digital sales should be on par with the producer’s last album (digital sales only; 41,000 versus 40,000 estimate). Even worse, Jennifer Lopez’s 8th studio album, A.K.A., will likely open between 30,000 and 40,000 copies sold. That’s a 40,000-50,000 copy drop off from her 2011 album, Love?, which started with an already meager 83,000. Currently, while (1<2) leadsA.K.A. in digital downloads (#5 versus #10), while A.K.A. obviously takes the lead in physical sales because nearly all physical retailers wont stock the new deadmau5 release until next week.

Still, these two albums could be barred from top 5 positions, as holdover No. 1 albums Platinum (Miranda Lambert) and Lazaretto (Jack White) could still post interesting numbers. If Lazaretto holds similarly to Jack White’s debut Blunderbuss, it’ll end its second frame with just over 50,000.

Finally, Tiësto’s latest effort should open with around 15,000 copies, which might translate to a top 20 open.

Who do you think will debut at #1? Is this battle already over, or is it just beginning? Let me know what you think below.

Album Review: A.K.A. by Jennifer Lopez

So let's talk about JLo, a.k.a Jennifer Lopez. She's been around since Selena died, playing her in a highly successful biopic that launched her career as both a singer, an actress and occasionally a model. Since then, she's been credited with mainstreaming "remixed" songs featuring rappers (alongside Mariah Carey), being the sexiest woman in North America, and of course churning out hit after hit after hit. Still, every star starts to fall at one point or another. Jennifer Lopez hid from the spotlight for 4 years (2007-2011), with many speculating she had given up. They were proven wrong when JLo released the 2011 album Love? which became a modest success despite a whirlwind of mixed reviews from critics at the time of its release. Capitalizing on the fact that the album was too dance oriented, the album was very front loaded and produced a single worldwide hit (though that was an achievement in itself): "On the Floor (feat. Pitbull)". I actually liked the album (for the most part), but by the time 2013's "Live It Up (feat. Pitbull)" rolled around, I agreed it with most others: it was time for the artist to move on yet again. So how does A.K.A play out? Is it up to the standards of other Jennifer Lopez? Read this review to find out.

1. "A.K.A (feat. T.I.)"
It's a little bit cheesy, but it has a notable hook and a dance flavored beat. Overall, "A.K.A" feels like it could be the most accessible club hit on the album, recalling the days of "Dance Again (feat. Pitbull)" and "On the Floor" (also with Pitbull). The spiciness of the EDM laced track goes un-thwarted until an unwelcome guest (T.I.) barges in to deliver an outdated verse that even Pitbull could have pulled off better (he also appears on the album, marking his 8 collaboration with JLo). Unfortunately, this possibly hit-bound booty bouncer hit the ground before it could even take flight - thanks to some unneeded rap (of all things). Oh, and don't worry there's a whole lot of those types of things soon to come. It's a shame since it could have been one of the album's brightest flames.

2. "First Love"
Departing from the interesting club sounds of the album's title track, "First Love" feels like a pumped up power anthem dripping with pop puff pieces and accessories. I mean, yes it's friendly, but come on let's be completely honest: as soon Jennifer Lopez publishes a song about how much she loves her boyfriend or husband, she's already on to the next one. So... points for releasing an extremely catchy and sugary pop radio effort but next time please take a different approach... be a little more personal.

3. "Never Satisfied"
This track really sinks JLo's career to a new low - and, sorry to say, that's a pretty hard thing to do. "Never Satisfied" feels like an attention whore or an annoying pest that will never leave you alone - you'll listen to it but you'll want to chop your ears off right afterwards. Fortunately, the hypnotizing beats will drown out the lazy songwriting ("Honey my appetite/Is keeping me up at night") for the average listener.

4. "I Luh Ya Papi (feat. French Montana)"
Despite the fact that it feels somewhat out of place on an album dominated by drugged and foggy R&B ballads and floor pounding EDM club bangers, "I Luh Ya Papi" may actually be one of the album's brightest moments. Built from the ground up by trance-y synth pop washes and explosive hip-hop punches, the track feels like an accomplishment for the singer. She's created something that's catchy, explicit, different and most importantly Pitbull free (I mean he's not a bad collaborator but why no mix it up).

5. "Acting Like That (feat. Iggy Azalea)"
Maybe it's because I was expecting something pop oriented and airy (with a quick sprig of Iggy Azalea's fast rap), but "Acting Like That" was a major shock to me. Instead of wasting one of most hyped spaces on the album on a typical pop track, JLo went for a completely different approach. The track is nearly completely hip-hop inspired with a sparse chorus and a slow beat.

6. "Emotions"
This track was written by Chris Brown and almost any listener could guess that after hearing 15 seconds of this song. It's almost as if it's a Chris Brown ballad featuring JLo - I'm serious; at one point I thought I heard his voice somewhere in there. It's a bit of a disappointment to me mainly because it sounds like it could have initially been intended for his album (with a few tweaks) instead. But really, the only problem I have with this track is some of its lyrics: "I feel good because I don't feel bad".

Still, "Emotions" is actually one of the album's better tracks - and one of its deepest cuts - mainly because there's a lack of everything. You don't hear much pop (other than a few synths here and there), overall instrumentation is sparse and there's a lack of corn syrup (what I call auto tune).

7. "So Good"
Other than the fact that I heavily dislike this track's minimal chorus and lyrical structure, "So Good" actually isn't a bad track. It feels like it could have been a lot better - mainly because the production doesn't really click with the vocals - yet it's not a complete disappointment.

8. "Let It Be Me"
I've never really been there for JLo singing ballads but here I am listening to the third in a row. Thankfully, "Let It Be Me" is a fairly decent effort reminiscent of select parts of Madonna's 1996 "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" (though most of you would challenge me on that). I hope she does a few more tracks like this in the future because with this one, she proved she can almost pull it off without any blips.

9. "Worry No More (feat. Rick Ross)"
JLo had a dilemma here: publish a sub par song and have critics writhing on her back or publish a sub par song with some garbage rap to try and salvage it. She would have failed either way, but at least she went for the safer approach: place a rapper on it (I guess it used to work for her).

Look, I have nothing against rappers (Rick Ross is actually one of the rappers that I find decent) but they honestly don't belong on a pop album. You're argument isn't valid because they simply don't. One or two is okay, but when you have an album where 60% of the tracks have rap stuck in them, you might as well stop calling yourself a pop artist.

10. "Booty (feat. Pitbull)"
While the whole concept is a bit tired - a JLo/Pitbull collaboration -, "Booty" does manage to bring something new to pack of collaborations: it's not the same thing over and over again. Sure, I might actually prefer something classic pop/dance floor oriented, but JLo does manage to keep the cycle of Pitbull collaborations more interesting with an installment that feels very underground and raunchy (unlike "On the Floor", "Dance Again" and countless others). So for being able to make the series actually interesting after 7 prior stints, "Booty" gets a check in my book.

11. "Tens (feat. Jack Mizrahi)"
Home to the album's oddest lyrics, "Tens" features Jack Mizrahi, a spanish speaking rapper that is actually a bit scary sounding. If you thought "Booty" (the previous track) was the biggest club anthem on the album, think again because "Tens" feels like the older sister if you know what I mean.

12. "Troubeaux (feat. Nas)"
It's really unfortunate, but still it happens. We find Jennifer Lopez milling around (yet again) on a track that has to rely on a clever spelling to generate even the slightest bit of interest. "Troubeaux" (actually pronounced "Trouble") just feels like an old school jam (a la french horn) that no one ever really paid attention to, and the featured verse from Nas just makes it worse.

13. "Expertease (Ready Set Go)"
It's a modest effort, but really it's nothing special. "Expertease (Ready Set Go)" at least has some sort of a plopping beat that makes it not quite a waste. Unfortunately, that's not enough of a fix to stand within the ranks of A.K.A.'s more refined efforts.

14. "Same Girl (feat. French Montana)"
It's nice to end on a familiar note. This trap influenced Bronx banger is all new and improved, featuring a new verse from French Montana. "Same Girl" isn't one of the album's brightest moments, yet it's a good closer. It's familiar while still remaining fresh, and it kind of gives off the whole idea behind the album (or its concept; whichever word you prefer).

Rating: 67/100 (Mixed to Positive)

Overall: 
Just like Jennifer blurts in the first few lines of the album's title track, "Can't figure me out/A.KA./You don't know me now", there's too much going on to actually figure out the correct terminology one should use when trying to describe A.K.A as a whole. Before the album came out, I had already figured out that it would be a major departure from the EDM and pure pop dominated Love? (which I personally enjoyed, though most others did not). Yet surprisingly, a few EDM backed tracks were still able to sneak onto A.K.A. (most notably "A.K.A", which features T.I.) as well as the heavily pop styled "First Love" (arguably the album's only true pop song). Other than that, A.K.A is mostly dominated by R&B flavored ballads, heavily explicit rap verses from a slew of big name rappers (something that was unheard of on Love?), as well a side order of grungy, club infused, booty bouncing beats for good measure. What genre do you call that?

The album's problems range anywhere from too many rap verses (8 out of 14 tracks feature rap), some severely tired lyrics, and sub par orchestration as well as my favorite: ordering. This really is an album you'll need to listen to in a completely different order (don't worry, I provided a more evenly spread take on the track list below) to make sure you don't end up dozing off. Honestly, JLo needs to understand that it's a terrible move to: place your two unique flavors ("A.K.A" and "First Love") right together at the beginning, place 4 of your 8 song with features in a straight row and worst of all, place 4-5 ballad-like anthems all next to each other.

Wow. I must seem really negative. Despite the fact that there's all that negativity, I actually did enjoy A.K.A. in some respect. The album features the brilliantly produced "Let It Be Me", a touching emotional journey that feels more honest than all of JLo's other works, "I Luh Ya Papi (feat. French Montana)", a surprisingly synth-y hip-hop joint, as well as "First Love" and the powerhouse beats of both "A.K.A (feat. T.I.)" and "Booty (feat. Pitbull)". "Acting Like That (feat. Iggy Azalea)" is also worth mentioning, though I don't see it ever becoming a major hit.

So what brought the album's score down significantly?

Mainly "Never Satisfied" (a wasted space), "Troubeaux (feat. Nas)", "Worry No More (feat. Rick Ross)", a flare of bad lyrics here and there and an over abundance of unnecessary rapping. In my opinion, Jennifer Lopez can still make a solid record (she has the ability) but she's not able to carry out her ideas to their full potential.

So, no... A.K.A. is not anywhere near a disaster level (though Entertainment Weekly might convince you so), but then yet again it's not as strong as Billboard claims it is. This isn't the end of Jennifer Lopez, but rather a misstep or miscommunication.

Revised Tracklist
1. "A.K.A (feat. T.I.)"
2. "So Good"
3. "Booty (feat. Pitbull)"
4. "Never Satisfied"
5. "Let It Be Me"
6. "I Luh Ya Papi (feat. French Montana)"
7. "Worry No More (feat. Rick Ross)"
8. "First Love"
9. "Emotions"
10. "Acting Like That (feat. Iggy Azalea)"
11. "Troubeaux (feat. Nas)"
12. "Expertease (Ready Set Go)"
13. "Tens (feat. Jack Mizrahi)"
14. "Same Girl (feat. French Montana)"

What are you're thoughts? Let me know below.

Chart: January 12th, 2012 (Lost Archives)

Wisin Y Yandel Strike Back

Just as "Follow the Leader" starts to fall, the duo return with another song, "Something About You", which is looking at a move into the top 20 this upcoming week, as it debuts at #25. If this one catches on, Wisin & Yandel might begin to create a streak of top 10 hits.