| The Road | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 13, 2012 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | Blaster | |||
| Producer |
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| Aaron Lewis chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Road | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| aNewRisingMusic |   [1] |
| AllMusic | [2] |
The Road, is the debut, full-length studio album by American Staind frontman Aaron Lewis. His second country music effort, it was released by Blaster Records on November 13, 2012. [3]
The song "Granddaddy's Gun" was previously recorded by Rhett Akins on the 2010 album Michael Waddell's Bone Collector: The Brotherhood Album. It was also recorded by Blake Shelton on his 2013 album, Based on a True Story... . The iTunes deluxe edition of the album features five live bonus tracks. It includes a cover of the song "What Hurts the Most", which was previously recorded by Mark Wills and Rascal Flatts. Two more songs, "Vicious Circles" and "Country Boy", originally appeared on Lewis' 2011 EP, Town Line .
The album debuted on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart at No. 7, selling 21,000 copies. [4] The album has sold 220,000 copies in the United States as of August 2016. [5]
All tracks are written by Aaron Lewis except "Granddaddy's Gun", written by Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson, and Bobby Pinson.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "75" | 5:43 |
| 2. | "The Road" | 2:50 |
| 3. | "Endless Summer" | 3:22 |
| 4. | "Red, White & Blue" | 5:43 |
| 5. | "Lessons Learned" | 3:25 |
| 6. | "Forever" | 4:30 |
| 7. | "Granddaddy's Gun" (Rhett Akins cover) | 3:43 |
| 8. | "State Lines" | 2:51 |
| 9. | "Anywhere but Here" | 5:07 |
| 10. | "Party in Hell" | 4:06 |
| Total length: | 41:14 | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "75" (Live Acoustic) | 5:46 | |
| 12. | "Forever" (Live Acoustic) | 6:11 | |
| 13. | "What Hurts the Most" (Live Acoustic) | 4:59 | |
| 14. | "Vicious Circles" (Live Acoustic) | 5:19 | |
| 15. | "Country Boy" (Live Acoustic) | 6:45 | |
| Total length: | 70:14 | ||
Upon its release, The Road received generally mixed to positive reviews from most music critics. Rick Florino with Artistdirect rated the album five out of five stars. He praised Lewis' performance, saying "he's a vivid storyteller and brilliant lyricist." [7] Daryl Addison of Great American Country was positive in saying, "on The Road, Aaron creates a work that honors country tradition while injecting his own soul and experience." [8] Dan MacIntosh of Roughstock.com rated the album four stars, saying, "that it sounds like an honest to goodness country album, start to finish" and that "The Road is positive proof that Aaron Lewis has the musical goods and can most certainly deliver." [9] NoizeNews rated the album a 9 out of 10 stating, "The Road is a simple album with strong lyrics and instrumentation that highlight the beauty of Aaron Lewis’ voice." [10]
Others were more critical of Lewis' efforts. Alex Beebe with sputnikmusic rated the album "poor" with a one out of five rating. He stated, "Aaron Lewis has created a possible cure for insomnia more than he has an enjoyable album." [11] Gary Suarez of PopMatters gave an average rating of 4 out of 10 rating stating, "Lewis shifts effortlessly from Staind’s emotive construction rock to sincere country on his full-length solo debut The Road. [12] Stephen Thomas Erlewine with AllMusic rated the album 2 out of 5 stars. Erlewine was critical in saying, "his music doesn't have much color; it's by-the-numbers red state country, hitting all of its marks and making no lasting impression." [13]
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 30 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 7 |
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Country Airplay | ||
| 2012 | "Endless Summer" | 39 | — |
| "Forever" | 50 | 38 | |
| 2013 | "Granddaddy's Gun" | — | 46 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
Staind is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki. The lineup has been stable outside of the 2011 departure of Wysocki, who was replaced by Sal Giancarelli. Staind has recorded seven studio albums: Tormented (1996), Dysfunction (1999), Break the Cycle (2001), 14 Shades of Grey (2003), Chapter V (2005), The Illusion of Progress (2008), and Staind (2011). The band was most successful in the early 2000s, with Break the Cycle going five times platinum in the United States and producing a top-five Billboard Hot 100 hit with its lead single "It's Been Awhile". Break the Cycle, along with the band's following two full-length albums, also topped the Billboard 200, and the two after peaked within the top five. Several of their other singles also became rock and pop hits, including "Fade", "For You", "Price to Play", "So Far Away", and "Right Here".
Dysfunction is the second studio album by American rock band Staind, released on April 13, 1999, by Flip Records and Elektra Records. It is the band's first studio album released on a record label. Three singles were released for the album: "Just Go", "Mudshovel", "Suffocate", and "Home".
14 Shades of Grey is the fourth studio album by American rock band Staind, released on May 20, 2003. The album continues to develop a post-grunge sound seen on the band's previous album Break the Cycle, though the songs on 14 Shades of Grey have fewer pop hooks, focusing more on frontman Aaron Lewis's emotions. It is the band's last album to be released from Elektra Records.
Tormented is the debut studio album by the American rock band Staind, self-released in 1996. In 1993, Staind vocalist Aaron Lewis and Staind guitarist Mike Mushok met each other at a Christmas party in the New England area. Mushok brought drummer Jon Wysocki into the fold and Lewis had a connection with a bass guitarist who later left, starting the early lineup. Shortly after bassist Johnny April joined, Staind officially formed in Springfield, Massachusetts on November 24, 1995. Touring in the Northeast United States helped Staind achieve a cult following.
Aaron Lewis is an American musician who is best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and founding member of the nu metal band Staind, with whom he released seven studio albums. Since 2010, he has pursued a solo career in country music with his debut EP, Town Line, which was released in 2011. Lewis's first full-length solo release, The Road, was released by Blaster Records in 2012.
"Outside" is a song by the American rock band Staind. It was released in May 2001 as the second single from their second album Break the Cycle.
Uncaged is the third studio album by Zac Brown Band. It was released on July 10, 2012. The album's lead single, "The Wind" was released on June 6, 2012. The album received widely positive reviews from critics and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. At the 2013 Grammy Awards, it won the award for Best Country Album.
The Illusion of Progress is the sixth studio album by American rock band Staind. It was released on August 19, 2008. The Illusion of Progress was produced by Johnny K and recorded in lead singer Aaron Lewis's home studio. It debuted at No. 3 in the Billboard 200 with 91,800 units sold.
Do You Know is the sixth studio album by American singer Jessica Simpson. The album was first released digitally on September 5, 2008 for the US iTunes Store and physically on September 9, 2008 in the United States, Canada and Russia through a joint-venture between Columbia Nashville and Epic Records. The album was her first effort in an attempt to cross over with country music. Songwriter Brett James produced the album along with John Shanks. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard Country Albums and at number four on the US Billboard 200 with sales of 65,000. It received mixed reviews from music critics.
Town Line is the first EP by American Staind frontman Aaron Lewis, and is his first solo release. An extended play consisting of country songs, it was released on March 1, 2011, on Stroudavarious Records. As of the chart dated September 3, 2011, the album has sold 200,208 copies in the US.
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It Goes Like This is the debut studio album by American country music singer Thomas Rhett. It was released on October 29, 2013, via Valory Music Group. The album's release was announced on August 22.
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Days of Gold is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released on December 3, 2013 via RCA Nashville. The album's track listing was announced on October 9, 2013. It garnered a positive reception from critics. Days of Gold debuted at numbers 4 and 15 on both the Top Country Albums and Billboard 200 charts respectively and spawned three singles: the title track, "Beachin'", and "What We Ain't Got". Owen promoted the record by touring across North America with the Eli Young Band, Parmalee, Thomas Rhett, and The Cadillac Three as his opening acts.
Cole Swindell is the debut studio album by the American country music artist of the same name. It was released on February 18, 2014 via Warner Bros. Records. The album includes the number one single "Chillin' It".
Riser is the seventh studio album by American country music singer Dierks Bentley. It was released on February 25, 2014, by Capitol Nashville, and debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200, becoming his seventh top ten album. The album was nominated for Best Country Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.
Tangled Up is the second studio album by American country music singer Thomas Rhett. It was released on September 25, 2015, via Valory Music Group. The album's lead single "Crash and Burn", was released to radio on April 27, 2015. The album's second single, "Die a Happy Man" was released to country radio on September 28, 2015, but was available for download as a pre-order for the album on September 18, 2015.
Sinner is the second solo studio album by an American rock musician Aaron Lewis of the nu metal band Staind. It was released on September 16, 2016, through Dot Records, and produced by Buddy Cannon. The first single, "That Ain't Country", was released on June 17, 2016, which coincided with the album announcement. To support the album, Lewis conducted a series of concerts titled "The Sinner Tour".
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