This Is Us is the seventh studio album, sixth in the United States, from American pop group Backstreet Boys. It is their second album since becoming a four-piece band and was released on September 30, 2009[2] in Japan through Sony Music Japan, October 5, 2009 in the UK through RCA, and October 6 in the U.S. through Jive Records.
On the album, the group has reunited with previous collaborator and producer Max Martin (responsible for the previous hit "I Want It That Way") to try and create their best record since their 1999 worldwide hit album Millennium.[3] They worked with Ryan Tedder, Claude Kelly, Jim Jonsin, RedOne,Ne-Yo, Brian Kennedy, Alex James, Pitbull, Eddie Galan, Rami Yacoub, Kristian Lundin, and T-Pain amongst others for the album as well.[4][5][6]
The album debuted at number 9 on the US Billboard 200 making them the first group since Sade to have their first seven albums reach top 10 on the chart.[7] RedOne produced the album's lead single "Straight Through My Heart" which was released in August/September 2009 and reached number 1 in Taiwan, number 3 in Japan, number 5 in Spain, number 6 in Billboard Hot 100,19 in Canada, 72 in the UK, and 18 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It was their final album under Jive and their last album as a quartet before original member Kevin Richardson rejoined the band in 2012.
Contents[]
[hide] *1 Recording and production
- 2 Critical reception
- 3 Promotion and release
- 4 Track listing
- 5 Chart positions
- 6 Release history
- 7 References
- 8 External links
Recording and production[edit][]
In an interview with Extra TV, the group confirmed the title of their seventh album to be This Is Us.[8] In the official press release RCA/Jive Records describes the album as "a finely crafted R&B and pop album from four talented musicians who love what they do and who maintain the rare relevance in an industry that often disposes of pop acts. The 11 songs that make up album are the sounds of four skilled singers with a similar vision, who have dealt with the trials and tribulations that accompany fame at an early age and who came out as one of the most successful groups of all time. It shows remarkable growth as songwriters and continues to give us songs that has made millions smile."[4]
On May 1, 2009, the Backstreet Boys management team expressed discontent at the fact that four recorded songs had been leaked on the internet. In an interview, A.J. McLean said that the group were "P.O.ed that music had leaked especially since extra care had been taken to keep the record secret".[9] In the end, however, the group used the feedback from the leaks to help guide the direction of the album and even the song selection by comparing fan reviews to what producers thought about the songs.[9] It was later revealed in 2011, that songs recorded for This Is Us were targeted by the German hacker, Deniz A., also known as DJ Stolen. In July 2010, the Rasch law firm logged a criminal complaint against DJ Stolen for "constantly placing hacked songs on the internet". Amongst those songs listed in the complaint was one called "Masquerade", described at the time as a new recording by the Backstreet Boys.[10] However despite leaking, the song is still included on the album.
Regarding their collaboration with RedOne, McLean remarked that it had been largely a last minute affair. Due to timing, the group was not able to make any recordings with the in-demand producer; however, near to the album's turn-in date, RedOne revealed that he had worked on three songs for the group and was more than willing to collaborate. It was also revealed that there had previously been 5 or 6 songs in the running for the lead single, although a Kevin Borg production titled "PDA" was most likely to be released; however, the RedOne production felt like "it was meant to be".[9] Interestingly one Tedder song, Shadows, which was co-written by McLean was written for this album, but failed to make it, so Simon Cowell bought the song for Leona Lewis's second album Echo but in the end felt it more suited for a boyband and it was featured on Westlife's 10th albumWhere We Are.[11]
Critical reception[edit][]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 67/100 [12] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| About.com | [13] |
| Allmusic | [14] |
| Billboard | 62/100[15] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[16] |
| Los Angeles Times | [17] |
| Slant Magazine | [18] |
| StarShine Magazine | 4.3/5[19] |
| Toronto Star | [20] |
This is Us received generally favourable reviews from critics, with a Metacritic score of 67% based on 5 reviews.[12]
Promotion and release[edit][]
Tour[edit][]
Main article: This Is Us Tour===Release[edit]===
The group simultaneously released the standard and deluxe editions of the album. The deluxe edition (limited first edition in Japan) featured a DVD with live performances of previous singles at The O2 Arena in London, along with the music video for the first single.
Singles[edit][]
- The first single "Straight Through My Heart", was premiered on the group's website on August 17 and released to radio the following day. It peaked at number 3 on the Japan Hot 100 and 18 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It was certified platinum in Japan.
- The second single "Bigger" was released in the UK on December 14, 2009[21] and released in the US on February 1, 2010 in AC radios.[22]
Track listing[edit][]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Straight Through My Heart" | Nadir Khayat, Bilal Hajji, Novel Jannusi, AJ Jannusi,Kinnda Hamid | RedOne | 3:27 | |
| 2. | "Bigger" | Max Martin, Shellback, Tiffany Amber | Martin, Shellback | 3:15 | |
| 3. | "Bye Bye Love" | Kenneth Karlin, Carsten Schack, Claude Kelly | Soulshock & Karlin | 4:20 | |
| 4. | "All of Your Life (You Need Love)" | RedOne, Charles Hinshaw, Jr. | RedOne | 3:55 | |
| 5. | "If I Knew Then" | Kenneth Karlin, Carsten Schack, Claude Kelly | Soulshock & Karlin | 3:16 | |
| 6. | "This Is Us" | Jordan Omley, Michael Mani, James Scheffer, Frank Romano, Howie Dorough | Jim Jonsin, Jordan Omley, Michael Mani | 3:03 | |
| 7. | "PDA" | Printz Board, Mario "Tex" James | Printz Board | 3:48 | |
| 8. | "Masquerade" | Busbee, Brian Kennedy, Alex James, Antwoine Collins | Brian Kennedy, Collins | 3:03 | |
| 9. | "She's a Dream" | Nick Carter, T-Pain, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, A. J. McLean, Daen Simmons | T-Pain, Mr. Pyro | 3:58 | |
| 10. | "Shattered" | Jordan Suecof, Tiyon "TC" Mack, Chad "C-Note" Roper, Daryl Camper | Emanuel Kiriakou | 3:53 | |
| 11. | "Undone" | Troy Johnson, Ryan Tedder, Josh Hoge | Johnson, Tedder | 4:14 |
| [show]UK bonus track | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [show]Japanese edition bonus tracks | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [show]Tour edition bonus tracks | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [show]Deluxe edition bonus DVD: Backstreet Boys - Live at the O2 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [show]Tour edition bonus DVD | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chart positions[edit][]
| Chart | Peak
position |
Certification | Sales/
Shipments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 35[23] | ||
| Austrian Albums Chart | 47[23] | ||
| Belgian Albums Chart | 27[23] | ||
| Brazilian Albums Chart | 9[24] | ||
| Canadian Albums Chart | 3[25] | ||
| Danish Albums Chart | 31[23] | ||
| Dutch Albums Chart | 5[23] | ||
| Finnish Albums Chart | 24[23] | ||
| German Album Chart | 10[26] | ||
| Irish Albums Chart | 24[27] | ||
| Japanese Oricon Albums Chart | 2[28] | Platinum[29] | 250,000+ |
| Mexican Albums Chart | 12[23] | ||
| Portuguese Albums Chart | 17[23] | ||
| Spanish Albums Chart | 5[23] | ||
| Swedish Albums Chart | 17[23] | ||
| Swiss Albums Chart | 9[23] | ||
| UK Albums Chart | 39[30] | ||
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 9[31] |
Release history[edit][]
| Region | Format | Date | Label | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | Standard edition[2] | September 30, 2009 | Sony Music Japan | BVCP40100 |
| Deluxe edition[32] | BVCP40098 | |||
| United Kingdom | Standard edition,[33] | October 5, 2009 | RCA Records[9] | 88697596182 |
| Deluxe edition[34] | 88697580882 | |||
| United States | Standard edition | October 6, 2009 | Jive Records | 886975650422 |
| Deluxe edition | ||||
| Canada | Standard edition[35] | Sony Music Entertainment | 88697565042 | |
| Deluxe edition[36] | 88697580882 | |||
| Taiwan | Deluxe edition | October 9, 2009 | 88697580882 | |
| Brazil | Standard edition[37] | October 15, 2009 | 886975961825 |