Inspiration | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 6, 2004 | |||
Recorded | March 6–7, 2004 | |||
Studio | The Facility III, Fantasy Studios and Ashe Music Studios [1] | |||
Length | 45:01 | |||
Label | Koch | |||
Producer | Dee Sonaram | |||
William Hung chronology | ||||
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Inspiration, originally planned to be True Idol, [2] is the debut full-length studio album by William Hung, a former hopeful American Idol contestant. The album was recorded at Fantasy Studios and released by Koch Entertainment, now Entertainment One in 2004, after his audition. Although the album was commercially successful, it received a highly negative critical reception due to Hung's poor vocals and the sound of the karaoke tracks used in this album.
The album was recorded following the early 2004 broadcast of his failed Idol audition where Hung received notoriety and a cult following, and released on April 6, 2004, by Koch Entertainment, now Entertainment One. The album was recorded the weekend of March 6, 2004, with Hung singing vocals over digital MIDI music, with real musicians occasionally playing as well. The album was put together in 5 weeks. [3] The album includes a 40-minute DVD documentary entitled A Day in the Life of a Small William Hung.
Two weeks before the release of Inspiration, iTunes did a "Pre-Release Teaser" where they sold four tracks from the album. The tracks received a total of 25,000 downloads. [4] To promote the album, Hung performed before nearly 20,000 fans during half-time at a Golden State Warriors game on April 6. Later that week, he performed his signature song, "She Bangs", on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and appeared on The Today Show .
The album peaked on the Billboard 200 albums chart at No. 34, selling 37,676 units during its first week [4] [5] and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Independent Album chart. The album was the fifth best seller at Trans World stores, and at Tower Records was No. 14, behind Modest Mouse. [3] The album has sold a total of 200,000 copies. [6]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [7] |
IGN | [8] |
Entertainment Weekly | F [9] |
Stylus Magazine | D− [10] |
Shakingthrough.net | [11] |
People | [12] |
The Florida Times-Union | Negative [13] |
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Negative [14] |
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Negative [15] |
Rhapsody | Negative [16] |
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review | Negative [17] |
The Morning Call | Negative [18] |
Houston Press | Negative [19] |
San Francisco Weekly | Negative [20] |
Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave Inspiration one star out of five, but adding it was still worth a chuckle or two for those wanting a laugh, "since it has some of the worst singing ever captured on record". He also said that the album should have been a four-track single or Extended play, because "there are really only four tracks of note and that's about all that anybody could take of this anyway." [7] The album was scored by IGN's Chris Cale a 0.5 out of ten, remarking that Hung smattered other musicians' hits, took the time to "carefully destroy each and every one" and that Hung's "music is a cacophony of wrong-notes, stoic delivery and shoddy rhythm", warning readers not to buy the album. [8] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly , who graded the album an F, said that it "adds a particularly ugly race card" to the tradition of "William Shatner to schizophrenic indie-rock icon Wesley Willis." [9]
Chart (2004) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums Chart [21] | 89 |
US Billboard 200 [22] | 34 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [23] | 1 |
William Hing Cheung Hung is a Hong Kong-born American motivational speaker and former singer who gained fame in early 2004 as a result of his unsuccessful audition performance of Ricky Martin's hit song "She Bangs" on the third season of the television series American Idol.
"She Bangs" is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his sixth studio album, Sound Loaded (2000). The song was written by Desmond Child, Walter Afanasieff, and Draco Rosa, while the production was handled by Afanasieff and Rosa. It was released to radio stations by Columbia Records as the lead single from the album on September 22, 2000. A dance track with Latin and salsa music influences, its lyrics see Martin wanting to hold on to a woman, and the song is a "metaphor for the universe". The song received widely positive reviews from music critics, who often noted similarities with Martin's previous single "Livin' la Vida Loca", and received a nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 2001 Grammy Awards. "She Bangs" was commercially successful, reaching number one in seven countries, including Italy and Sweden, as well as the top five in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and several other countries.
Tasty is the third studio album by American singer Kelis, released on December 5, 2003, by Star Trak Entertainment and Arista Records. As executive producer, Kelis enlisted previous collaborators the Neptunes to produce the album, as well as new collaborators such as Raphael Saadiq, Dallas Austin, André 3000, Rockwilder, and Dame Blackmon "Grease". It also features guest vocals from Saadiq, André 3000, and then-boyfriend Nas.
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Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player is the sixth studio album by English musician Elton John. Released in January 1973 by DJM Records, it was the first of two studio albums he released in 1973, and was his second straight No. 1 album in the US and first No. 1 album in the UK.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Elton John, first released on 5 October 1973 as a double LP. The album has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and is widely regarded as John's magnum opus. Among the 17 tracks, the album contains the hits "Candle in the Wind", US number-one single "Bennie and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" plus live favourites "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" and "Harmony".
Breakaway is the second studio album by American pop singer Kelly Clarkson, released on November 30, 2004, by RCA Records. The album is a follow-up to her successful debut album, Thankful (2003). Executive produced by Clive Davis, Breakaway sees Clarkson collaborating with various producers and songwriters for the first time, primarily Dr. Luke, Max Martin, John Shanks, Kara DioGuardi, Ben Moody, and David Hodges; the latter two are former members of American rock band Evanescence. Despite the established commercial success of Thankful, music critics still continued to typecast Clarkson as an American Idol winner and were also critical of her attempts of establishing a commercial appeal on her own. Wanting to stray from those, she was convinced by Davis to work with Dr. Luke and Martin in Stockholm, and with Moody and Hodges in Los Angeles, in pursuit of a pop rock direction. This also led her to part ways with her manager Simon Fuller and hire the management services of Jeff Kwatinetz before the album's release. Breakaway is primarily a pop rock record with elements of rock and soul music, marking a departure from the R&B-oriented sound of Thankful; its lyrics explore themes of heartbreak, love, and escapism.
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"Breakaway" is a song recorded by American singer Kelly Clarkson. The song, written by Matthew Gerrard, Bridget Benenate and Avril Lavigne, was originally intended for Lavigne's debut studio album, Let Go (2002). After being deemed unsuitable for the album, it was passed to Clarkson to be recorded as a soundtrack for the film The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Clarkson, who was finishing her second studio album at that time, recorded "Breakaway" to tide her fans over until the first single from her new album was released. However, the song's success prompted its inclusion on Clarkson's second album where she decided to name the album after the song. "Breakaway" was first released by Walt Disney Records as the first single from The Princess Diaries 2 soundtrack on July 19, 2004. In May 2006, "Breakaway" was reissued as the fifth and final single from the album of the same name.
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