Joy | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 22, 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2007–2010 | |||
Genre | Pop [1] | |||
Length | 40:46 | |||
Label | Island | |||
Producer |
| |||
Fefe Dobson chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Joy | ||||
|
Joy is the third studio album released by Canadian singer-songwriter Fefe Dobson. It was released on November 22, 2010 on Island Records in Canada and November 30, 2010 on 21 Music in the United States after taking almost four years to complete. It candidly follows Dobson's evolution as an artist as well as transition from the indie type of music she originally put together for Joy, to the mainstream pop hits. The album was preceded by the release of the two buzz singles [ clarification needed ] "Watch Me Move" and "I Want You", which were then followed-up by the three top 20 official singles[ clarification needed ] "Ghost", "Stuttering" and "Can't Breathe", all of which have at least one music video.
"But on this record it [Joy], I know what I like and I know what I want to sound like on stage. I know the things I want to do. I’m still growing and I’m still figuring it out, but at least I have my head around it a little bit more than when I was 18. So the process was easier because I’m more patient with myself. I’m not as hard on myself. I think a lot of times we get really hard on ourselves and we're like, 'Oh, this needs to be perfect! This needs to be perfect!' But, what is perfection, right?"
—Fefe Dobson [2]
By 2006, Dobson returned to the studio to work on what was to become her unreleased album at the time, Sunday Love , which featured collaborations with such artists as Billy Steinberg, Matthew Wilder, Cyndi Lauper, Courtney Love, Joan Jett, Nina Gordon, The Neptunes and Rancid’s Tim Armstrong. In the interim, several of her songs were covered, including "Start All Over", a song which was recorded for Sunday Love , but never made the album, by Miley Cyrus, "Don't Let It Go to Your Head", the first single, by American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, and "As a Blonde", which was covered by Selena Gomez & the Scene. Dobson was dropped from her label, Island Records, upon the shelving of her album, Sunday Love, after the release of two singles from it, the album was later released digitally in 2012. [3] She then decided to go back to her roots and create a new album on her own terms. She said in an April 2007 interview that her new efforts were coming along nicely and should see the light of day sooner than later. [4] However, during Dobson's songwriting and independent period, Joy had faced multiple delays due to her management, Chris Smith Management. Two years after Dobson spoke with ChartAttack.com, she was picked back up by Island. This caused numerous more push backs since Island wanted Dobson to write new tracks for the album, and omit previous ones.
In an interview to Idolator, Fefe said: "Now, I write a lot more on guitar. I know that sounds weird, but I do. I find that I write on this record from guitar starting off. Also, I’m not this, like, tough on myself. When I was younger I used to write and go, 'Oh, that’s not good enough.' 'No. No. No. No one will like that.' 'I can't write that by myself because no one will understand.' And now, I put myself out there a little more. I take the risk of when I’m writing with somebody I’m not as afraid to say, 'Hey, what about this idea?' When I was young I was a little bit more afraid to step out and to make a mistake." [2] The album reflects the "emotional" and "dramatic" music of her adolescence, with Dobson using Janet Jackson's "Black Cat" as a specific example. [5]
“I’m a sucker for love,” admits Fefe. “When I was in junior high, I would carry around this huge volume of Shakespeare. I just like the romantic vibe. I write about it because I fall in and out of love quite a bit. I was always pulling on my mother’s heartstrings to get more love.”
—Fefe Dobson [6]
From the rhyme playground anthem and first single, "I Want You", the tribal percussion of "Can't Breathe", produced by rock legend Bob Ezrin (KISS, Pink Floyd's The Wall, Lou Reed), and the sassy retort of "You Bitch", produced by Howard Benson (All-American Rejects, My Chemical Romance, Daughtry, Hawthorne Heights, Gavin DeGraw, Papa Roach), to the dance-floor thump of the tongue-in-chic "Paranoia" and the arena, flick-your-Bic torch song, "In Your Touch", Fefe has finally found the sweet spot in her mix of rock and club beats. Joy reflects that passion, both musical and personal, with Fefe's sensuality oozing out of songs like the speeded-up punk of "Watch Me Move" ("I’m a firecracker/Better tell your mother… W-w-w-w-watch me move"), the Pretenders-like ballad "Shame" and the pure ecstasy of the title track ("I got joy in the bedroom/When it’s just you and I/I got joy when you satisfy me"). [6]
Working with producers David Lichens, Jon Levine, Howard Benson and Bob Ezrin on Joy, Dobson lives up to the portraits of her heroes she first hung during the recording of her first album—Kurt Cobain, Judy Garland, Coldplay, the Vines and Jeff Buckley. She co-wrote most of the songs on the album, usually composing on guitar, her choice of instrument. "I play the few chords that I know," she says. "I try to write melodies off the same chords. ‘Joy’ is written with about three chords, and an extra one in the bridge." Songs like "I Want You", which has been heard in the TV series The Vampire Diaries, as well as in promos for the film Whip It and The Sims 3: World Adventures computer game, come straight from experience. [6]
““I am woman, hear me roar,” she laughs. “Aren’t we all animals at the end of the day? I like to show that side of me, but in a respectful way. I’m just expressing myself. It’s all about feeling good and confident about yourself, and not letting anyone else tell you what you can or can't do.”
—Fefe Dobson [6]
“Shame” is a torch song underlined with jungle rhythms that is a confessional in which she does the breaking up. “When I went to demo the song, I had to go see an ex-boyfriend,” says Fefe. “I felt I betrayed him, so I wanted to clear the air. I could not sing it until I did. This reflects that relationship. As humans, we're not perfect. We sometimes hurt people and break hearts, but it’s OK to apologize.” In "Can’t Breathe" and "Watch Me Move", Fefe is confident in showing off her raw sexuality. About the album she said: "I don't regret a thing," she says. "I keep moving forward and not looking back. I couldn't ask for anything better. I’m a girl from suburban Canada who never thought I’d be able to do what I’ve accomplished. And I’m not done yet." [6]
Two buzz singles for the record were released in 2008 and 2009. The first, "Watch Me Move", was released as a digital music download on September 9, 2008. [7] The second, "I Want You", was released digitally on July 3, 2009. [8] These songs have been featured in film, television, and more. Dobson also re-recorded the vocals for "I Want You" in Simlish for the PC game The Sims 3: World Adventures . On August 5, 2009, a group of music videos premiered on MTV, [9] [10] The N, [11] and LOGO. [11] They consisted of the individual videos for "I Want You" and "Watch Me Move", a mashup of "I Want You" and "Watch Me Move" entitled "I Want You 2 Watch Me Move", [9] [11] and a remix of "I Want You".
On August 11, 2009, Dobson performed a concert at the Mercury Lounge in New York City. [12] [13] Attendance was by invitation only and included fans and music industry tastemakers. "Fefe performed a set — which included old favorites from her self-titled debut album and upcoming sophomore effort, Joy — that was drenched with passion, soaked with edge, and slicked with pop perfection." [14] "Her new songs were incredibly well received and displayed the incredible growth and maturity of Fefe’s music." [12] One of the new songs heard was "I Made Out with Your Boyfriend" and a video was captured by a correspondent. [15] In an interview at the showcase, Dobson mused "It's almost like when an animal is in a small cage, but when you let it out it's running around like crazy. That's how I feel when I'm onstage." [16] For the remainder of the year, Dobson performed at various events while she was finishing up the album.
On August 27, 2009 Dobson gave a "sneak peek" of her song "Paranoia" also stating that it will be a single, but was later released on the Telus version of the album. [17] It was featured in the promo for the Fox series, Fringe . [18]
Dobson performed on a twenty city tour across Canada in March and April 2010 on Hedley's The Show Must Go...On The Road Tour. [19]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [20] |
NOW | [21] |
Robert Christgau | [22] |
Seventeen | (positive) [23] |
The album received critical acclaim from both Seventeen and the website Allmusic, who gave it a rating of 4.5/5 stars. Matthew Chisling said: "Joy may not be such a cheerful album, but it stands to be an epic comeback for a genuinely talented pop artist who was shafted by the industry that would welcome her back with open arms, and that is definitely a joyous story". [24] On the other hand, NOW gave Joy a poor review, saying "There’s a handful of good guitar-fuelled anthems, but they're grossly outnumbered by bland mid-tempo pop tunes that go nowhere. Maybe a mixed-race rocker chick from Scarborough is a tough thing for a major label to know how to market, but trying to turn her into a third-rate Rihanna is not the answer". [25]
The album debuted and peaked at number 10 on the Canadian Top 100 Albums Chart. Since its release in November 2010 the album has sold 60,000 copies in Canada, 271,000 in the U.S. and nearly 350,000 copies worldwide [26]
"Ghost" was released on June 21, 2010, [27] as the album's lead single, following the release of two promotional singles. The single officially impacted mainstream radio on May 11, 2010. [28] The song peaked at number 14 on the Canadian Hot 100. "Stuttering" was released as the second single on September 7, 2010. [29] [30] The single officially impacted mainstream radio on October 12, 2010. [31] The song reached number 10 on the Canadian Hot 100 and number 40 on the US Pop Songs, becoming the most successful single of the album. A video was shot for "Can't Breathe" [32] and was released on March 30, 2011 on MuchMusic. [33] The song debuted at number 100 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart and has peaked at number 19 in its eleventh week. [34] Dobson has reported on her Twitter that the song has been sent to radio. [35]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Intro" (hidden track) | 0:13 | ||
2. | "Ghost" |
| Rudolf | 3:49 |
3. | "Thanks for Nothing" |
|
| 3:20 |
4. | "Stuttering" |
| Rotem | 3:13 |
5. | "Can't Breathe" (featuring Orianthi) |
|
| 3:47 |
6. | "You Bitch" |
| Howard Benson | 3:23 |
7. | "Didn't See You Coming" |
|
| 4:29 |
8. | "Watch Me Move" |
| Lichens | 1:58 |
9. | "I Want You" |
| Lichens | 2:15 |
10. | "I'm a Lady" |
| Lichens | 2:58 |
11. | "In Your Touch" |
| Lichens | 4:42 |
12. | "Set Me Free" |
| Levine | 3:09 |
13. | "Joy" |
| Lichens | 3:35 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "I Made Out with Your Boyfriend" | 3:10 |
15. | "Johnny Cash" | 3:02 |
16. | "Black Haired Boy" | 3:25 |
17. | "Paranoia" | 3:19 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
18. | "I Want You" (Music video) | 2:07 |
19. | "Ghost" (Music video) | 4:02 |
20. | "Stuttering" (Music video) | 4:25 |
21. | "Digital Booklet" |
(*) Additional production
Credits for Joy adapted from Allmusic [38]
|
|
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian Albums Chart [26] | 59 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [39] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Country | Date | Format |
---|---|---|
Canada [40] | November 22, 2010 | CD, digital download |
United States [40] [41] | November 30, 2010 |
Felicia Lily Dobson is a Canadian singer. Born in Toronto, Ontario, she began performing as a teenager, during which time she received and refused an offer from Jive Records for a recording contract. Dobson signed with Island/Def Jam soon after and released her self-titled debut album (2003), which saw the success of the singles "Bye Bye Boyfriend" and "Don't Go " on the Canadian Hot 100 chart and for which she received two Juno Award nominations.
Fefe Dobson is the debut album of Canadian singer-songwriter Fefe Dobson. It was released on December 9, 2003. The album was co-written by Dobson with producers Jay Levine and James Bryan McCollum. The album consists mainly of pop rock and punk music, and deals mainly with the topics of love and heartbreak. Several songs on the album are done acoustically while the remaining tracks feature prominent guitar and drum beats.
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, and singer. She primarily writes music in the pop rock genre. She has worked with many popular artists; sales of albums on which her songs appear exceed 160 million worldwide. DioGuardi is a 2011 NAMM Music for Life Award winner, 2009 NMPA Songwriter Icon Award winner, 2007 BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year, and has received 20 BMI Awards for co-writing songs.
Sunday Love is the second studio album by Canadian singer Fefe Dobson. The album was released digitally on the iTunes Store and to streaming services on December 18, 2012.
The Weekend was a pop rock band from London, Ontario, Canada.
"Don't Go (Girls and Boys)" is a song written and recorded by Canadian singer Fefe Dobson with producer Jay Levine. It was released on May 25 2004, and serves as the fourth and final single from Dobson's self-titled debut album. Although it did not appear on the initial release of the album, the song was appended to later pressings. The song was featured in a 2004 Tommy Hilfiger commercial that starred Dobson.
"Take Me Away" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Fefe Dobson from her eponymous debut studio album (2003). It was sent to radio as the second single from the album on 18 August 2003, by Island Records. The song was written by Dobson and Jay Levine, whilst production was helmed by Levine and James Bryan McCollum. "Take Me Away" debuted at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 15, 2003 and later peaked at 87.
"Everything" is a song written by Fefe Dobson, Jay Levine, and James Bryan McCollum and recorded by Dobson for her self-titled debut album (2003). It was released to American radio as the album's second international single and third overall single on January 19, 2004. "Everything" was the only single from the album to miss the Canadian Singles Chart, but it did reach number nine on the Radio & Records Hot AC chart and number 13 on the CHR/Pop chart. The song is Dobson's only track to chart in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 42.
The discography of Fefe Dobson, a Canadian pop rock singer-songwriter, consists of four studio albums, fourteen singles, fifteen music videos and a number of other appearances.
"Start All Over" is a song recorded by American singer Miley Cyrus for her debut studio album Meet Miley Cyrus (2007). The song was written by Fefe Dobson, Anne Preven and produced by Annetenna. It was released by Hollywood Records on March 11, 2008, as the second single from the album only in Australia. An accompanying music video, directed by Marc Webb was also released. A live version is available on Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert and as an instrumental in Cyrus's karaoke series. The song was originally recorded by Fefe Dobson, who passed the song to Cyrus, because she did not desire to include it on Sunday Love. The uptempo song is lyrically about having a second chance in a romantic relationship.
Anjulie Persaud, known by the mononym Anjulie, is a Canadian singer and songwriter who has released one self-titled album, and has collaborated with Diplo, Zedd, Boombox Cartel, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, TheFatRat, and Benny Benassi, among others. Her music has been featured on HBO, ABC, NBC and MTV.
Orianthi Penny Panagaris, known mononymously as Orianthi, is an Australian guitarist, singer and songwriter who rehearsed in 2009 with Michael Jackson in preparation for his This Is It concert series, and performed with Alice Cooper's touring band. Her 2009 debut single "According to You" peaked at No. 3 in Japan, No. 8 in Australia and No. 17 in the US; her second album, Believe, received a worldwide release in late 2009. The same year, she was named one of the "12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists" by Elle magazine. She also won the "2010 Breakthrough Guitarist of the Year" award hosted by Guitar International magazine.
"Don't Let It Go to Your Head" was the first single released in anticipation of what was expected to be Fefe Dobson's second album, Sunday Love. The album release was pushed back a number of times before its eventual cancellation. The single is available for digital download at online retailers.
Kiss & Tell is the debut studio album by American band Selena Gomez & the Scene. The album was released on September 29, 2009 through Hollywood Records. The album is composed mainly of pop rock and electronic rock, with Gomez citing bands such as Paramore and Forever the Sickest Kids as influences on the album. Ted Bruner and Trey Vittetoe worked extensively on the record with Gomez, producing multiple tracks. Gomez worked with Gina Schock on several songs for the album, while Rock Mafia produced two of the album's tracks.
"Ghost" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Fefe Dobson from her second (released) studio album, Joy (2010). It was produced by Kevin Rudolf, and co-written by Dobson, Rudolf, Kara DioGuardi and J. Kasher. The song officially impacted American mainstream radio on May 11, 2010, and was released as a digital single on June 21, 2010, by 21 Music and Island Records.
Can't Take that Away from Me is the first mixtape by American singer JoJo. It was self-released by the singer for free download exclusively through Rap-Up.com on September 7, 2010. The mixtape was to serve as a prequel to her third studio album, which at the time was titled All I Want Is Everything. JoJo wrote or co-wrote all but one of the mixtape's 11 tracks, which she worked on with a variety of producers, including Beau Dozier, Theron "Neff-U" Feemster, Chad Hugo, Kenna, The Messengers, and Oak, among others. The mixtape was not made commercially available and is not available on streaming services.
"Stuttering" is a song by Canadian singer–songwriter Fefe Dobson from her second (released) studio album, Joy. It was produced by J. R. Rotem, and co-written by Dobson, Rotem, and Claude Kelly. The song was released as a single on September 7, 2010, by 21 Music and The Island Def Jam Music Group and officially impacted mainstream radio on October 12, 2010. The song has achieved success in Canada, becoming Dobson's first top ten hit on the Canadian Hot 100 and being certified Platinum by Music Canada. A remix featuring rapper Pusha T was released in November 2010.
"Can't Breathe" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Fefe Dobson from her second released studio album, Joy (2010), which features a guitar solo from Australian musician Orianthi. It was written and produced by Bob Ezrin and Tommy Henriksen, and co-written by Dobson and Thomas "Tawgs" Salter. The song was released in March 2011 as the album's third and final single, and was only released in Canada. Dobson reported on her Twitter in April of that year that the song had been sent to radio.
"Legacy" is a song recorded by Canadian recording artist Fefe Dobson, originally intended for a studio album tentatively titled Firebird. Dobson co-wrote the song with Hasham Hussain, Denarius Motes, and Edwin Serrano. It was released August 6, 2013 through independent label imprint 21 Entertainment as the album's lead single. "Legacy" premiered on the popular Canadian teen drama series, Degrassi.
Emotion Sickness is the fourth album of Canadian singer-songwriter Fefe Dobson. It was released on September 29, 2023.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) (Archived by WebCite at link on 2009-08-29){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)(Archived by WebCite at link on 2009-08-29){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Accessed: 2009-08-13. (Archived by WebCite){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)