| Imperfect Circle | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1, 2019 | |||
| Recorded | 2018 | |||
| Genre | Country rock [1] [2] | |||
| Length | 42:31 | |||
| Label | Capitol Nashville | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Hootie & the Blowfish chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Imperfect Circle | ||||
| ||||
Imperfect Circle is the sixth studio album by American rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, released on Capitol Records Nashville on November 1, 2019. [3] It is their first new studio album in fourteen years; it has received mixed reviews and modest commercial success.
The album was announced in December 2018, along with their Group Therapy Tour, the first outing the band had made since 2008. [4] Once the group decided to re-form, they went to vocalist Darius Rucker's management company to help them arrange for recording and promotion. [5] The band members decided to record again concurrent with the decision to tour [6] and used the opportunity to debut new tracks live. [7] This release is the first from the band in 14 years and the title was announced on August 9, 2019. [3]
To promote the album, the single "Rollin'" was made available with pre-orders on their site and to the general public on September 6. [3] The band enlisted Frank Rogers and Jeff Trott to record them, along with a variety of guest musicians. [8] Individual band members brought in songs that they had considered for solo efforts (guitarist Mark Bryan, with "Turn It Up") or that resulted from jam sessions (singer Darius Rucker with pop musician Ed Sheeran on "Wildfire Love"), finally arriving at 17 tracks recorded in the studio. [9] The band worked with outside songwriters for this recording, admonishing them, "We don't want you to write the Hootie song... Write a song and we'll make it sound like Hootie." [10] The goal for songwriting was authenticity and an ability to speak to the average person. [11]
The band released the track listing and lead single "Rollin'" on September 5. [1] "Miss California" and "Lonely on a Saturday Night" followed, with "Hold On" coming out on October 18. [12] Some sources indicated that the song "Unafraid" would be on the final release but it was cut. [9]
While touring to support the album in 2019, Hootie & the Blowfish made a recording of R.E.M's "Losing My Religion" [13] and added it to digital copies of Imperfect Circle in 2020. [14]
The band's hometown paper, The Post and Courier ran a negative review written by Associated Press writer Mark Kennedy, who acknowledged some solid musicality but ultimately concluded that the album is made up of "utterly forgettable songs" and "nothing on this album is fresh". [15] A second review in the same paper from their local writer Kalyn Oyer was more positive: she wrote, "Imperfect Circle doesn’t have an 'I Only Wanna Be With You' on it, but some Hootie fans won’t care about that. There are still plenty of catchy, if cheesy, songs." [16]
In Consequence of Sound, Tyler Clark awarded the album a C−, calling it "painfully bland" but praises Rucker's vocals and lyrics. [17] The editorial staff of AllMusic Guide gave the release four out of five stars, with reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine called this "a nice blend between the group's signature college rock singalongs and Rucker's slick, cheerful solo work" and praised the album's positive feel, writing, "This friendliness lends itself to a collection of songs that are resolutely sturdy, designed to sound more charming over time, and the inherent warmth of Imperfect Circle is reason enough to give the tunes a chance to grow." [18] The Texarkana Gazette published a mixed interview that called the songs "earnest and yet utterly forgettable" which are "nice when you play them but make no discernible impression". [19] Ken Tucker of Fresh Air opines "This collection manages the tricky challenge of sounding like classic Hootie while also extending the group's sound for the 21st century", calling it "a well-made, frequently thoughtful album". [20]
Imperfect Circle debuted at No. 3 on Billboard's Top Country Albums and No. 26 on Billboard 200 based on 17,000 units, 15,000 of which are pure album sales. It is their first appearance on the Country chart, and their highest entry on Billboard 200 since 1998. [21] It has sold 42,700 copies in the United States as of March 2020 [update] . [22]
2020 reissue:
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [23]
Hootie & the Blowfish
Additional personnel
"New Year's Day":
"Miss California":
"Wildfire Love":
"Hold On":
"Turn It Up":
"Not Tonight":
"We Are One":
"Everybody but You":
"Lonely on a Saturday Night":
"Why":
"Rollin'":
"Half a Day Ahead":
"Change":
| Chart (2019) | Peak |
|---|---|
| Australian Digital Albums (ARIA) [24] | 24 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [25] | 22 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [26] | 100 |
| US Billboard 200 [27] | 26 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [28] | 3 |
Hootie & the Blowfish is an American rock band formed in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1986. The band's lineup for most of its existence has been the quartet of Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld. The band went on hiatus in 2008 until they announced plans for a full reunion tour in 2019 and released their first new studio album in fourteen years, Imperfect Circle.
Cracked Rear View is the debut studio album by Hootie & the Blowfish, released on July 5, 1994, by Atlantic Records. Released to positive critical reviews, it eventually became one of the highest-selling albums in the United States, and also one of the best-selling albums worldwide, with over 20 million units.
Shaken Not Stirred is the third studio album by American country music singer Phil Vassar. Released in 2004 on Arista Nashville, the album produced Vassar's second and final Number One single on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts in the track "In a Real Love". The second single, "I'll Take That as a Yes ", reached number 17 on the country charts, while the third single peaked at number 22.
Bethany Dillon is the self-titled debut album of contemporary Christian musician Bethany Dillon. It was released on April 20, 2004.
Fairweather Johnson is the second studio album by American rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, released on April 23, 1996, through Atlantic Records. Three songs from the album were released as singles: "Old Man & Me", "Tucker's Town", and "Sad Caper". The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in May 1996, while their debut, Cracked Rear View, was still in the charts. It has sold 2,361,000 copies in the US as of May 2012. Despite its initial success, sales tapered off quickly, and the album earned mixed reviews. It was included in Pitchfork Media's 2010 list of "ten career-killing albums" of the 1990s. Stylus Magazine shared sentiments, including it in their "Non-Definitive Guide to the Follow-Up", saying "really, everyone saw this one coming a mile off. Who was really gonna care about another Hootie album?"
Musical Chairs is the third studio album by American rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, released on September 15, 1998, by Atlantic Records. Three singles were released off the album: "I Will Wait", "Only Lonely", and "Wishing". Guest musicians on the album include Peter Holsapple, Susan Cowsill, David Immergluck, and Boyd Tinsley.
Hootie & the Blowfish is the fourth studio album by American rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, released on March 4, 2003. It is their last album under Atlantic Records and their first album to not have a single to reach the top charts. The lead singles were "Innocence" and "Space", and the album itself reached no. 46 in the U.S.
Coming Home is the sixth studio album by American country music group Lonestar, released in 2005 on BNA Records. This album produced two singles for them on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts: "You're Like Coming Home" and "I'll Die Tryin'". Both of these songs were originally recorded by the Canadian country band Emerson Drive on their 2004 album What If?.
Tell Me Why is the second solo studio album by American country music artist Wynonna Judd, released on Curb / MCA Records in 1993. It produced the hit singles "Only Love", "Is It Over Yet", "Rock Bottom", "Girls with Guitars", and the title track, all top ten hits on the Billboard country music charts. "Let's Make a Baby King" also charted at #61 based on unsolicited airplay. The title song also charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts.
When Love Finds You is the sixth studio album from American country music artist Vince Gill. It was released in 1994 on MCA Nashville. It features the singles "Whenever You Come Around," "What the Cowgirls Do," "When Love Finds You," "Which Bridge to Cross ," "You Better Think Twice" and "Go Rest High on That Mountain."
Shine is the tenth studio album from American country music singer Martina McBride, released on March 24, 2009 by RCA Nashville. The album spun three Top 20 hits on the Billboard country chart: "Ride" and "Wrong Baby Wrong" both reached #11, and "I Just Call You Mine" peaked at #18. McBride co-produced the album with Dann Huff and co-wrote the track "Sunny Side Up." It is her last studio album released through RCA Records before switching to Republic Nashville.
Somewhere Down the Road is the seventeenth studio album by Christian music and pop music singer-songwriter Amy Grant, released in 2010. It is a unique album featuring eight new songs, a new recording of the song "Arms of Love", from her 1982 album Age to Age, and rounded out with three of Grant's previously released story-songs.
See You Tonight is the third studio album by American country music singer Scotty McCreery. It was released on October 15, 2013, by Mercury Nashville. The album is produced by Frank Rogers with the exception of two tracks produced by Mark Bright.
You Can't Make Old Friends is the twenty-seventh studio album of original music from American country music singer Kenny Rogers. Released on October 8, 2013 via Warner Bros. Nashville, it is Rogers's first album of original material since 2006's Water & Bridges. Its title track, a duet with Dolly Parton, peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in December 2013, becoming Rogers' first single released in four years. "You Can't Make Old Friends" was later included on Parton's 2014 album, Blue Smoke.
Jeffrey Robert Trott is an American songwriter/producer and multi-instrumentalist who has collaborated with prominent artists across genres in the United States and abroad. Trott has been named BMI Songwriter of the Year.
ArrangingTime is a 2016 studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Pete Yorn, released on Capitol Records.
Reckless is the thirteenth studio album by American country music singer Martina McBride. The album was released on April 29, 2016, by Nash Icon Records.
Same Truck is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Scotty McCreery. Its lead single, "You Time", is McCreery's fourth consecutive single to reach number one on the US Country Airplay chart.
Liberté is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band the Doobie Brothers, released on Island Records. First released exclusively on streaming services on October 1, 2021, the album saw a CD release four weeks later on October 29 and an LP release in June 2022. It is their first studio album since 2014's Southbound, and their first of new material since 2010's World Gone Crazy. The band toured following the release of the album.
Leap is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter James Bay, released on 8 July 2022 through Mercury and Republic Records. It was preceded by the singles "Give Me the Reason", "One Life" and "Everybody Needs Someone", and includes production and songwriting from Dave Cobb, Foy Vance, Ian Fitchuk, Joel Little and Finneas.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)