Magic | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by Ben Rector | ||||
Released | June 22, 2018 | |||
Genre | Pop rock [1] | |||
Length | 44:39 | |||
Label | OK Kid | |||
Producer |
| |||
Ben Rector chronology | ||||
|
Magic is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Ben Rector, released on June 22, 2018 through OK Kid Recordings. Rector co-produced the album alongside Tony Hoffer, John Fields, Chad Copelin, Jeff Pardo, and Konrad Snyder. It was the longest gap between one of Rector's releases due to the success of the previous album, Brand New . After completing tours for Brand New Rector found time to reminisce on the progress of his music career, being overwhelmed by feelings of nostalgia. Themes of nostalgia and reminiscing would, as a result, be the theme of Magic.
Influences on the album include memories of old friends and the birth of his first child Jane. Rector also collaborated on individual songs with David Hodges, Gabe Dixon, Steve Stevens, Dan Wilson, and Cody Fry. To promote the album he would release music videos for the songs "Drive" and "Old Friends", hold two live tours, Magic: The Tour and The Old Friends Acoustic Tour, and be the subject of the documentary Magic: The Tour by filmmaker Luke Menard. The album was a commercial success, peaking at #1 on the Billboard Americana/Folk Albums chart and #44 on the Billboard 200, among other Billboard charts.
Rector was too busy to focus his attention directly on his next album following Brand New in 2015; the album was amidst its circulation on radio, [2] especially the single of the same name, reaching 41 million streams on Spotify, placing top 5 on the Hot AC radio chart and appearing in over 40 films and television shows. To support the album's success Rector was performing two separate headline tours. [3] He began writing the new music after the tours, and recorded the album over a six month period. It was the longest distance between one of Rector's albums. [2] Studio sessions included Blackwatch Studios in Norman, Oklahoma, Creation Audio-Studio B in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Quonset Hut Studio and SeeMore Sound in Nashville, Tennessee, and Sterloid Studio and The Hobby Shop in Los Angeles, California. [1] The album was co-produced by Rector alongside John Fields and Tony Hoffer. [4]
The album discusses themes of nostalgia and reminiscing on the past, and the "magic" in reflecting on memories. [5] When planning his next album he was unsure what to write about and what themes it would cover. Having some breathing room in his schedule he found a moment to reflect on his life. He realized that he was in a "dead sprint since college"—he released three albums and one EP in his college years—and he was no longer in that phase of his life. [2] [6] Although he still considered himself young he found the feeling of nostalgia overwhelming, which inspired him to make it the theme of his album. [2] The birth of his first child Jane would also influence the themes on the album. [5]
"Extraordinary Magic" was derived from an original draft by Ben Shive, who sent him a version of the song and requested he sing it. Rector loved the song and included it on the album. The biggest change was switching the lyrics and title from "Ordinary Magic", a song about finding the beauty in the mundane, to "Extraordinary Magic", because he believed the song had the feel of an animated movie, similar to the works of Pixar. Rector credits "98 percent" of the work on the song to Shive. [7]
"Old Friends" is a reflective piece recognizing childhood friends and citing personal memories. He was inspired to write "Old Friends" from a conversation with his mother about keeping in touch with friends from high school. Towards the end of the call she said, "You know what they say, you can’t make old friends", reminding him of many childhood memories and prompting him to write the song. [4] The instrumentation of "I Will Always Be Yours" was derived from music by Huey Lewis and the News, which Rector is a fan of; it also included a guitar solo performed by guitarist Steve Stevens. [5] He co-wrote "Duo" in Nashville, Tennessee with musicians David Hodges and Gabe Dixon. Close friends with the two, he recalled the song "just came out" over the course of an afternoon. [2] "Sometimes" was co-written with musician, singer, songwriter, and visual artist Dan Wilson. [2] Composer and producer Cody Fry would provide additional string orchestration. [1]
"Music videos for me have always been not my favorite thing. They are super expensive, and it's very hard to do one, I think, that people really love and it actually adds something to the song and isn't just like you looking cool in the convertible like a cool guy. [...] So for this one, part of it was just like, 'Oh, I personally just want to get together with my old band and see them and be in Oklahoma.'"
Ben Rector on the music video for "Old Friends", 2019 The Oklahoman interview [3]
Rector released three tracks, "I Will Always Be Yours", "Old Friends", and "Drive", as singles ahead of the album on May 18. [5] [8] He released a music video for "Old Friends" on June 8, 2018, as well as a music video for "Drive". The music video depicts Rector performing the song with the members of his high school band Euromart, inside the garage of his childhood home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The music video was Rector's favorite to film; [9] although he doesn't enjoy making music videos, he did this simply out of personal interest to reunite with his old friends. [3] The full album released June 22, 2018. [10] The cover art depicts him floating in the air holding a Juno keyboard; this was difficult due to the keyboard's weight, and many photos were taken and unused since appeared close to the ground. [11] A promotional live tour, Magic: The Tour, was held starting September 19, 2018, spanning 28 shows with opening performances by The Band Camino. [12] [13] The first performance was at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee. [14] Various venues sold out, especially at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, seeing Rector perform three back-to-back shows. [3] In January 2019 he released "MPLS Magic (MPLS Version)", a three-single remake of three songs on the album with Minneapolis instrumentation. [15] He would continue touring for the album from 2019 to 2020 with The Old Friends Acoustic Tour, [16] but was cancelled due to enforced lockdowns amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. [17] [18]
Rector was the subject of the documentary Magic: The Tour by filmmaker Luke Menard, depicting what the tour was like for Rector. A fan of Rector's music and aspiring to make a documentary about a tour, he reached out to Rector via Twitter with a roughly 90 second demonstration video of what the cinematography would look like. The demonstration depicted Luke's brother Adam Menard as a stand-in for Rector, wearing a shirt that read "Fake Ben". It caught the attention of Rector, calling it "genuinely incredible" and that his "name is currently at the top of the list" if videography was necessary. About five months later Menard made another video demonstration in attempt to get his attention before his fall semester started; Rector agreed, resulting in Menard pulling out of his fall semester at Purdue University one day before it began. He would later film various aspects of the tour in the summer, including backstage preparation, downtime, and interviews with the band. The short film released May 13, 2019. [19]
Magic appeared on many Billboard charts. The album debuted and peaked at 44 on Billboard 200 , [20] and 7 on both Top Rock Albums and Top Rock & Alternative. [21] [22] It debuted and peaked at 10 on Top Album Sales and 7 on Top Current Album Sales. [23] [24] It debuted at number 1 on Americana/Folk Albums, [25] and number 2 on Independent Albums, [26] for 2 weeks each. [27] [28] "Drive" peaked on October 20, 2018 at 30 on Adult Pop Airplay, spending 11 weeks straight on the chart. [29] [30]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Extraordinary Magic" | Rector, Ben Shive | 2:53 |
2. | "I Will Always Be Yours" | Rector, Jeff Pardo | 3:46 |
3. | "Drive" | Rector, Pardo | 3:17 |
4. | "Old Friends" | 3:44 | |
5. | "Duo" | Rector, David Hodges, Gabe Dixon | 3:22 |
6. | "Kids" | Rector, Marc Scibilia | 4:17 |
7. | "Green" | Rector, Joseph Patton, Josh Gabbard | 3:43 |
8. | "Sometimes" | Rector, Dan Wilson | 3:23 |
9. | "Wherever You Are" | Rector, Pardo | 3:17 |
10. | "Over and Over" | Rector, Pardo | 3:24 |
11. | "Boxes" | 3:22 | |
12. | "Peace" | 2:36 | |
13. | "Love Like This" | Rector, Pardo | 3:35 |
Total length: | 44:39 |
Chart (2018) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200 [31] | 44 |
US Folk Albums (Billboard) [32] | 1 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [33] | 7 |
US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [34] | 10 |
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard) [35] | 7 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [36] | 2 |
"Stand by Me" is a song originally performed in 1961 by American singer-songwriter Ben E. King and written by him, along with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who together used the pseudonym Elmo Glick. According to King, the title is derived from, and was inspired by, a spiritual written by Sam Cooke and J. W. Alexander called "Stand by Me Father," recorded by the Soul Stirrers with Johnnie Taylor singing lead.
Toby McKeehan, better known by his stage name TobyMac, is an American contemporary Christian music singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. His road band is known as Diverse City. He was first known for being a member of the Christian rap and rock trio dc Talk, staying with them from 1987 until they went on hiatus in 2000. He has since continued a successful solo career with the release of nine studio albums: Momentum (2001), Welcome to Diverse City (2004), Portable Sounds (2007), Tonight (2010), Christmas in Diverse City (2011), Eye on It (2012), This Is Not a Test (2015), The Elements (2018), and Life After Death (2022) as well as five remixed albums: Re:Mix Momentum (2003), Renovating Diverse City (2005), Dubbed and Freq'd: A Remix Project (2012), Eye'm All Mixed Up (2014) and The St. Nemele Collab Sessions (2019). He also has two full-length Christmas albums: Christmas in Diverse City (2011) and Light Of Christmas (2017). He became the third Christian artist to have a No. 1 debut on Billboard 200 chart with Eye on It.
"Bad" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on September 7, 1987, as the second single from his seventh studio album, Bad. The song was written and composed by Jackson, and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. It was influenced by a true story Jackson read about a young man who tried to escape poverty by attending private school but was killed when he returned home.
Matthew Shafer, also known by his stage name Uncle Kracker, is an American singer, rapper and musician. He was previously a turntablist for Kid Rock's backing group Twisted Brown Trucker and since 1999 has recorded as a solo artist. His singles "Follow Me" and "Drift Away" were top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
Peter Gene Hernandez, known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical styles, including pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, disco, and rock. Mars is accompanied by his band, the Hooligans, who play a variety of instruments, such as electric guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, drums, and horns, and also serve as backup singers and disco dancers. In 2021, he collaborated with Anderson .Paak, as the American musical superduo Silk Sonic.
Into the Morning is the third full-length studio album released by Ben Rector.
Benjamin Evans Rector is an American singer, songwriter and record producer based in Nashville, Tennessee. He has released seven studio albums, including Brand New (2015), which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, and Magic (2018), which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Americana/Folk Albums chart.
Something Like This is the fourth studio album released by American singer-songwriter Ben Rector. It was his first album after graduating from the University of Arkansas and relocating from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Nashville, Tennessee. It peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums charts and No. 41 on the Billboard 200, and charted 1st on the Singer-Songwriter chart on iTunes and 4th overall.
The Walking in Between is the fifth studio album released by American singer-songwriter Ben Rector, released in 2013. It was partly produced by Jamie Kenney and Charlie Peacock, and partially self-produced. It is the first release by Rector on his self-founded label, Aptly Named Recordings. In recent years Rector found his high levels of success to be overwhelming. He expected the success to satisfying, though found it instead in "walking in between" moments of daily life. This would inspire the direction of The Walking in Between. The album was built around accessibility and honesty in Rector's feelings.
Nathan John Feuerstein, known by his initials NF, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has released two EPs, I'm Free (2012), and a self-titled EP in 2014 with Capitol CMG. His second and first major-label studio album, Mansion, was released on March 31, 2015. His third studio album, Therapy Session, was released on April 22, 2016, and peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard 200. His albums have earned several accolades, some of which include: the Gospel Music Association Dove Award for Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year.
"24K Magic" is a song by American singer Bruno Mars from his studio album of the same name (2016). Atlantic Records released it as the album's lead single on October 7, 2016, for digital download and streaming. It was provided as an instant grat track for those who pre-ordered the album. Mars, Philip Lawrence and Christopher Brody Brown wrote the single. Calling themselves Shampoo Press & Curl the three of them handled production, with additional production by the Stereotypes. The song has been described as a funk, disco and contemporary R&B track. The A.V. Club noticed the synthesizer riff and backbeat resembled the one in "The Message" (1982) by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The song's lyrics address extravagance, glamour, and the party lifestyle.
24K Magic is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It was released by Atlantic Records on November 18, 2016. Mars reunited with Philip Lawrence and Christopher Brody Brown, who composed the album under their joint alias Shampoo Press & Curl. Mars enlisted new composers including the Stereotypes and James Fauntleroy. Recording sessions for 24K Magic took place between late 2015 and September 2016 at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California.
"Versace on the Floor" is a song by American singer Bruno Mars from his third studio album, 24K Magic (2016). Atlantic Records released the song as the only promotional single and the third official single from the album to Hot AC radio in the United States on June 12, 2017. "Versace on the Floor" was written by Mars, Philip Lawrence, Christopher Brody Brown and James Fauntleroy. Mars, Lawrence and Brown handled the track's production under the name Shampoo Press & Curl. A remix by French DJ David Guetta was released on June 27, 2017, for digital download and streaming in various countries. "Versace on the Floor" is an retro-styled R&B song reminiscent of the slow jams from the 1990s, and resembles the early works of Michael Jackson. The song's lyrics address romance, intimacy and Gianni Versace's clothing line.
"That's What I Like" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars from his third studio album, 24K Magic (2016). The song was written by Mars, Philip Lawrence, Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Johnathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves, and Ray McCullough II. The former three produced the song under the name of Shampoo Press & Curl with the latter four, as the Stereotypes, co-producing it. Atlantic Records released the song to Hot AC radio in the United States on January 30, 2017, as the second single from the album. The song is a hip hop soul, new jack swing, R&B and funk track. The song's lyrics address extravagance, a luxurious lifestyle, and love.
Morgan Cole Wallen is an American pop country singer. He competed in the sixth season of The Voice, originally as a member of Usher's team, but later as a member of Adam Levine's team. After being eliminated in the playoffs of that season, he signed to Panacea Records, releasing his debut EP, Stand Alone, in 2015. He has received several awards including an Academy of Country Music Award and fourteen Billboard Music Awards.
Lovelytheband is an American rock band that formed in 2016 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The band consists of vocalist Mitchy Collins, guitarist Jordan Greenwald, and drummer Sam Price. The band is most known for their single "Broken" which charted on several US Billboard charts.
Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, known professionally as Arlo Parks, is an English singer and songwriter. Her debut studio album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, was released in 2021 to critical acclaim and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. It earned her nominations for Album of the Year, Best New Artist and Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2021 Brit Awards. It won the 2021 Mercury Prize for Best Album.
"Old Friends" is a 2018 song by American singer-songwriter Ben Rector. It released as a single alongside "I Will Always Be Yours" on May 18, 2018, and is the fourth song on Rector's seventh studio album Magic, released on June 22, 2018 via OK Kid Recordings. The song is a reflective piece reminiscing on old friends and memories.
The discography of American singer, songwriter and record producer Ben Rector consists of eight studio albums, three live albums, one compilation album, three extended plays (EP), sixteen singles and seventeen music videos. He has been featured on five songs and has credits on eight others.
The Joy of Music is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ben Rector, released on March 11, 2022, through OK Kid Recordings. Rector co-produced the album with John Fields. The first draft of music was recorded in January 2020, but most of the album was scrapped and recorded throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and completed in December 2020. The pandemic cancelled his ongoing tour at the time and withheld other deadlines, leaving Rector to focus exclusively on the album's creation.
Official music videos from Ben Rector's YouTube channel: