Liberman (album)

Last updated
Liberman
Libermancover.jpg
Studio album by
Vanessa Carlton
ReleasedOctober 23, 2015
RecordedMarch–July 2015
Studio Real World Studios, Playground Sound [1]
Genre Indie pop [2]
Length35:18 [2]
Label Dine Alone Records
Producer Steve Osborne, Adam Landry
Vanessa Carlton chronology
Rabbits on the Run
(2011)		Liberman
(2015)		 Love Is an Art
(2020)
Singles from Liberman
  1. "Operator"
    Released: September 25, 2015 [3]
  2. "House of Seven Swords"
    Released: November 18, 2015 [4]
  3. "Nothing Where Something Used to Be"
    Released: April 8, 2016 [5]

Liberman is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released in the US on October 23, 2015 and in the UK and Europe on April 29, through Dine Alone Records. [6] It is the follow-up to Carlton's 2011 album Rabbits on the Run and marks her first release since signing with Dine Alone Records. [1] The title of the album comes from an oil painting made by Carlton's late grandfather, whose given surname was Liberman. [7]

Contents

Background and writing

Following the 2011 release Rabbits on the Run, Carlton took time off to get married, start a family, and write another album. She told CBS News that these changes in her life are reflected in Liberman's songs, and that she "wanted the whole album to feel like an escape type of album, where you put it on and you feel like you're in this dreamy state." [7]

To avoid preconceived notions, demos recorded were sent to Dine Alone Records without Carlton's name attached. Label president Joel Carriere says of hearing the demos:

The songs were amazing, it was atmospheric, it kind of fit into what we're all into ... and we never would have guessed it was Vanessa Carlton because her voice has developed so much since her pop songs 14 years ago and the songwriting had obviously changed. We were, like: "Yeah, we want to do this. But what is it we're doing?" [8]

Promotion

In support of the album, Carlton embarked on the "Liberman" tour throughout portions of the United States and Canada in the fall of 2015 and winter of 2016. Special guest on the tour was Joshua Hyslop. [9] [10] The tour continued in the UK and Europe in the spring of 2016. [11]

Singles

The first single, "Operator", was released for digital download on September 25, 2015. [3] A music video for the single, directed by Daniel Henry, was released on October 13, 2015. According to Carlton, the video shows the classic tale of children running away reversed, so instead the parents are running away. [12] The second single, "House of Seven Swords", was released for digital download. Since Liberman was already released, it was not released separately, like "Operator", but it was made a single on November 18, 2015. [13] Daniel Henry also directed a music video for "House of Seven Swords" which was released the same day as the single and shows Carlton playing piano and singing the song at home in Nashville. The Wall Street Journal writes of the video:

she takes her baby daughter out into the yard, making "House of Seven Swords" seem like sage advice from mother to child. In a way, Carlton says, it is. "At the same time, the song is absolutely a message to myself, too, probably," she says. Henry shot the footage they used in the video in about an hour while making a different clip with Carlton, and they fit the images to the song. "It was all very organic," she says. [14]

Steve Osborne's remix of "Nothing Where Something Used To Be" was released worldwide as the third single off Liberman on April 8, 2016.

Other songs

Other songs from Liberman were released with music and lyric videos for promotional purposes. "Young Heart", a song that does not appear on the album, was released as a "pre-single" with an "Official Dream Video" on April 20, 2015, as a way to release information that Carlton had signed with Dine Alone Records. [15] A music video for "Blue Pool" was released on August 3, 2015, to promote the Blue Pool EP. [16] A lyric video was released for "Willows" on August 27, 2015, as a way to reveal the album artwork, track listing, and release date. [17] On November 17, 2015, The Wall Street Journal premiered the music video for "House of Seven Swords". [4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 77/100 [18]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Boston Globe Positive [19]
Glide Magazine8/10 [20]
Paste 7.9/10 [21]
Pitchfork 7.8/10 [22]
PopMatters 8/10 [23]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [24]

Liberman received mostly positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 77 out of 100, which indicates "generally favorable reviews" based on 7 reviews. [18]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album four out of five stars, stating: "Carlton is still avoiding any of the grand gestures that defined her earliest work but at this point, this quietly meditative pop feels like a truer reflection of her intentions than 'A Thousand Miles'." [2] Pitchfork's Matthew Schnipper rated the album 7.8 out of ten, writing: "Carlton's voice is the key attraction on songs [from Liberman] that register between low-key pop, rock, and folk." [22] The Boston Globe 's Ken Capobianco states: "Carlton's reinvention finds her a long way from 'A Thousand Miles' – and in a better place, artistically." [19]

Track listing

Adapted from AllMusic [2] and the album's liner notes.

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Take It Easy"
Osborne5:32
2."Willows"
  • Carlton
  • Osborne [26]
Osborne2:53
3."House of Seven Swords"
  • Carlton
  • Osborne [27]
Osborne3:43
4."Operator"
  • Carlton
  • John J. McCauley III [28]
Adam Landry3:16
5."Blue Pool"Carlton [29] Osborne3:16
6."Nothing Where Something Used to Be"
  • Carlton
  • Osborne [30]
Osborne4:01
7."Matter of Time"Carlton [31] Osborne3:16
8."Unlock the Lock"Carlton [32] Osborne3:11
9."River"Carlton [33] Landry3:33
10."Ascension"
  • Carlton
  • McCauley III [34]
Landry2:37
Total length:35:18
Deluxe edition bonus tracks [6]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Blue Pool" (Living Room Session)Carlton [29] 2:42
12."River" (Living Room Session)Carlton [33] 2:50
13."Take It Easy" (Living Room Session)
  • Carlton
  • Osborne [25]
4:29
14."Willows" (Living Room Session)
  • Carlton
  • Osborne [26]
2:52
15."House of the Seven Swords" (Original Demo)
  • Carlton
  • Osborne [27]
3:00
16."Operator" (Living Room Session)
  • Carlton
  • McCauley III [28]
3:15
17."Unlock the Lock" (Living Room Session)Carlton [32] 3:11
18."Nothing Where Something Used to Be" (Living Room Session)
  • Carlton
  • Osborne [30]
3:52

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic [35]

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart (2015)Peak
position
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [36] 32

Release history

List of release dates, showing region, format(s), label and reference
RegionDateFormat(s)LabelRef.
United StatesOctober 23, 2015
 Dine Alone Records [37]
UK & EuropeApril 29, 2016
Dine Alone/Caroline Records [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanessa Carlton</span> American singer-songwriter and pianist (born 1980)

Vanessa Lee Carlton is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her debut album, Be Not Nobody (2002), released by A&M Records, received a platinum certification in the United States, and her debut single "A Thousand Miles" spent 41 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned three Grammy nominations. The album also spawned the singles "Ordinary Day" and "Pretty Baby". Her next album, Harmonium (2004) debuted at number 33 on the Billboard 200. The album marked a stalwart divergence from pressure from record label executives who wanted to influence the recording. After departing from A&M in 2005, Carlton released Heroes & Thieves in 2007. Despite minimal chart success, the album was a critical success, receiving praise from Metacritic, AllMusic, PopMatters, and USA Today.

<i>Be Not Nobody</i> 2002 studio album by Vanessa Carlton

Be Not Nobody is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released on April 30, 2002, through A&M Records. As of late 2004 the album had sold 1.38 million copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan, and Variety magazine reported in July 2003 that it had sold 2.3 million worldwide. Billboard magazine placed Carlton at number twenty-one on its year-end "Top Pop Artists" list for 2002.

Elizabeth T. Wyce "Yummy" Bingham is an American singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Thousand Miles</span> 2002 single by Vanessa Carlton

"A Thousand Miles" is the debut single of American pop singer Vanessa Carlton. Produced by Curtis Schweitzer and Ron Fair, the song was released as the lead single for Carlton's first album, Be Not Nobody (2002). First released to US radio in February 2002, it became Carlton's biggest hit in the United States and her only single to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number five. The song also experienced commercial success worldwide, reaching number one in Australia, number three in Ireland, and the top 10 in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Maccabees (band)</span> Indie rock band

The Maccabees are an English indie rock band, formed in 2004 in London. They released four albums: Colour It In in 2007, followed by Wall of Arms in 2009, Given to the Wild which was released on 9 January 2012 and their last album Marks to Prove It released on 31 July 2015. The band announced that they decided to disband in August 2016, with farewell gigs in 2017.

<i>Heroes & Thieves</i> 2007 studio album by Vanessa Carlton

Heroes & Thieves is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released by The Inc. Records on October 9, 2007. It is co-produced by Irv Gotti, Linda Perry and Third Eye Blind lead singer Stephan Jenkins, who produced Carlton's second album, Harmonium (2004), and Carlton co-wrote the tracks with Perry and Jenkins. It is Carlton's only album on The Inc. Records, after Irv Gotti signed her to a record deal there in late 2006, and Gotti has said that Heroes & Thieves is the first album on which he is acting as "co-pilot" rather than "dictator".

<i>Wordshaker</i> 2009 studio album by The Saturdays

Wordshaker is the second studio album by British-Irish girl group The Saturdays, released on 12 October 2009 through Fascination Records. It is the group's first album to feature a song where they are credited as writers. Upon release the album peaked at number nine on the UK Albums Chart, but the following week fell out of the top 30. In August 2010, the album was removed from digital music platforms, due to their EP Headlines! being released featuring some of the same material. In August 2018, the album returned to digital music platforms following a request to the label by the Pop Music Activism Twitter account.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Sparro discography</span>

Sam Sparro, the Australian-born pop, dance, house, and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and remix engineer, has released three studio albums. His eponymous debut album, Sam Sparro, released through both Modus Vivendi and Island Records, has been certified Gold. His second album, Return to Paradise was released with EMI. He has released two mixtapes. On 5 August 2013 Sparro released the mixtape Mechanical. to his SoundCloud account to promote his upcoming extended play, Quantum Physical, Vol. 1. Love Made Me Do It was released via his SoundCloud account on 13 February 2015. Sparro has released five extended plays. His first extended play Black + Gold was released by Modus Vivendi Music in January 2007. London Festival '08 was first released on 1 January 2008 with Island Records. Sparro released his third extended play, Pink Cloud, as a free download to promote his then upcoming second album before a number of release push-backs. He released Quantum Physical, Vol. 1 independently on 1 October 2014. On 16 October 2015 Sparro released the second volume of Quantum Physical with Intuit Records.

The Invisible Men is a song writing and music production trio consisting of Jason Pebworth, George Astasio and Jon Shave. Songs written by The Invisible Men have so far achieved over 7 billion Spotify streams, 30 million record sales worldwide and the duo has frequently ranked among Music Week's Top Songwriters. The duo's song writing and production catalogue includes Becky Hill & Sigala's Heaven On My Mind, Sigala's Say You Do, Just Got Paid, DJ Fresh's "Hot Right Now", "Dibby Dibby Sound", Conor Maynard's "Can't Say No" and "Vegas Girl", Jessie J's hits "Do It Like A Dude", "LaserLight", "Who's Laughing Now?" and the Noisettes' "Don't Upset The Rhythm" and "Never Forget You".

The discography of American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton consists of six studio albums and 16 singles.

<i>Rabbits on the Run</i> 2011 studio album by Vanessa Carlton

Rabbits on the Run is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released on July 26, 2011, through Razor & Tie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dime (Ivy Queen song)</span> Song by Ivy Queen

"Dime" is a song by Puerto Rican reggaetón recording artist Ivy Queen, from her first live album, Ivy Queen 2008 World Tour LIVE! (2008). It was composed by Queen, with the help of Alex Monserrate Sosa and Urbani Mota Cedeno, who produced the song under their stage name Monserrate & DJ Urba. It was released as the lead single off the album in August 2008. The bachata version was serviced to radio while the Album version appears as the opening track. The album version is a mixture of reggaetón and bachata known as bachaton or bachateo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Party for One</span> 2018 single by Carly Rae Jepsen

"Party for One" is a song by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen. It was released as the lead single from her fourth studio album Dedicated on November 1, 2018, through 604, School Boy and Interscope Records. The track was written by Jepsen, Tavish Crowe, Julia Karlsson, and Anton Rundberg, and produced by Hightower and Captain Cuts. "Party for One" was placed on Rolling Stone's list of 50 Best Songs of 2018.

<i>Love Is an Art</i> 2020 studio album by Vanessa Carlton

Love Is an Art is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released in the US on March 27, 2020 through Dine Alone Records. It is the follow-up to Carlton's 2015 album Liberman and marks her second studio album release since signing with Dine Alone Records.

References

  1. 1 2 "Vanessa Carlton signs to Dine Alone, new album 'Liberman' out Fall 2015". Dine Alone Records. April 20, 2015. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Liberman – Vanessa Carlton — Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic . All Media Network. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Operator – Single by Vanessa Carlton on iTunes". iTunes. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Danton, Eric R. (November 17, 2015). "Watch Vanessa Carlton's Video for 'House of Seven Swords' (Exclusive)". The Wall Street Journal . Dow Jones & Company. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  5. ↑ Murray, Robin (April 7, 2016). "Premiere: Vanessa Carlton – 'Nothing Where Something Used to Be' (Steve Osborne Remix)". Clash magazine . Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Liberman – Dine Alone Records". Archived from the original on 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
  7. 1 2 Moraski, Lauren (September 1, 2015). "Vanessa Carlton on escaping with "Liberman"". CBS News . CBS. Archived from the original on September 4, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  8. ↑ Rayner, Ben (November 18, 2015). "Vanessa Carlton, a thousand miles farther on Liberman". Toronto Star . John D. Cruickshank. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Liberman Tour & Album Pre-sale!". Vanessacarlton.com. September 10, 2015. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  10. ↑ "New Tour Dates Announced!". Vanessacarlton.com. November 12, 2015. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Liberman UK/EU Release Date & UK/EU Tour Announced!". Vanessacarlton.com. February 9, 2016. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Vanessa Carlton Premieres 'Operator' Video: Watch the Exclusive Clip". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. October 13, 2015. Archived from the original on October 15, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Liberman by Vanessa Carlton on iTunes". iTunes. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Watch Vanessa Carlton's Video for 'House of Seven Swords' (Exclusive)". The Wall Street Journal . Dow Jones & Company. November 18, 2015. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  15. ↑ Schrodt, Paul (April 20, 2015). "Exclusive: Listen to the First New Music from Vanessa Carlton in 2015". Esquire . Archived from the original on April 22, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  16. ↑ Andrews, Travis M. (August 3, 2015). "Music Premiere Monday: "Blue Pool" by Vanessa Carlton". Southern Living . Southern Progress Corporation. Archived from the original on August 5, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  17. ↑ Mansfield, Brian (August 27, 2015). "Vanessa Carlton debuts new track 'Willows'". USA Today . Gannett Company. Archived from the original on August 31, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  18. 1 2 "Reviews for Liberman by Vanessa Carlton". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  19. 1 2 Capobianco, Ken (October 22, 2015). "Vanessa Carlton, 'Liberman'". The Boston Globe . John W. Henry. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  20. ↑ Ferguson, Maeri (October 22, 2015). "Vanessa Carlton – Liberman (ALBUM REVIEW)". Glide Magazine. Glide Publishing LLC. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  21. ↑ Corcoran, Nina (October 23, 2015). "Vanessa Carlton: Liberman". Paste . Wolfgang's Vault. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  22. 1 2 Schnipper, Matthew (October 21, 2015). "Review: Vanessa Carlton: Liberman". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  23. ↑ Olson, Benjamin Hedge (October 26, 2015). "Vanessa Carlton: Liberman". PopMatters . Archived from the original on October 27, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  24. ↑ Arnold, Chuck (October 29, 2015). "Vanessa Carlton, 'Liberman'". Rolling Stone . Wenner Media. Archived from the original on October 31, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  25. 1 2 "BMI Repertoire Search". BMI . Retrieved December 28, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  26. 1 2 "BMI Repertoire Search". BMI . Retrieved December 28, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  27. 1 2 "BMI Repertoire Search". BMI . Retrieved December 28, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  28. 1 2 "BMI Repertoire Search". BMI . Retrieved December 28, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  29. 1 2 "BMI Repertoire Search". BMI . Retrieved December 28, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  30. 1 2 "BMI Repertoire Search". BMI . Retrieved December 28, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  31. ↑ "BMI Repertoire Search". BMI . Retrieved December 28, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  32. 1 2 "BMI Repertoire Search". BMI . Retrieved December 28, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  33. 1 2 "BMI Repertoire Search". BMI . Retrieved December 28, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  34. ↑ "BMI Repertoire Search". BMI . Retrieved December 28, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  35. ↑ "Liberman – Vanessa Carlton – Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic . All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Vanessa Carlton Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
  37. ↑ "Vanessa Carlton: Liberman: Music". ASIN   B014JDOBX0. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.