Ultimate High | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 13, 2001 | |||
Recorded | 1999–2001 in Westlake Audio, BLC, Sol Seven Studios, Ameraycan Studios, Garfield Studios, and Larrabee Studios (Los Angeles, California), Townhouse Studios, Olympic, Soul II Soul and Titan Studios (London, UK), American Recording Co. (Calabasas, California), Front Page Recorders (Glendale, California) | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 52:39 | |||
Label | MCA Records | |||
Producer | Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Steve Dorff | |||
Carly Hennessy chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Ultimate High | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Sacramento News and Review | (unfavorable) [2] |
Ultimate High is the debut album of Irish-born singer Carly Smithson, released under her maiden name Carly Hennessy in 2001 by MCA Records. Despite a production and promotion budget of over $2 million and good reviews, the album failed to find an audience, selling only 378 copies in its first three months. It became a textbook example of the high-risk economics of the contemporary music industry, in which less than 5% of albums became profitable, and superstar acts subsidized the search for new talent. [3]
The song "Just Missed the Train" was later covered by American Idol season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson in her debut album Thankful . Oddly enough, Hennessy later auditioned for American Idol season 7 under her husband's last name Smithson, finishing in 6th place.
Two singles were released off the album: "I'm Gonna Blow Your Mind" and "Beautiful You".
Carly Hennessy signed with MCA Records in June 1999 and recorded eight songs for her début album with producer Steve Dorff, with whom she had already recorded the demo that got her the attention of MCA president Jay Boberg in the first place. However, both Hennessy and MCA were dissatisfied with the songs, finding they sounded too much like Barbra Streisand for the album's target teen audience. Thus, MCA hired producer Gregg Alexander in early 2000, who had been the lead singer of the New Radicals and since written and produced several hit singles in Europe for, among others, Ronan Keating. Alexander produced four songs for the album, which he had co-written with former child actress Danielle Brisebois, with whom he had also previously worked on several other projects, including Brisebois' two solo albums. Brisebois, who had never worked as a producer before, also produced several more tracks for the album, including two songs originally set to appear on her unreleased second album Portable Life .
In April 2001, while the album was still in production, MCA released Hennessy's first single, "I'm Gonna Blow Your Mind", which got very little radio airplay as it was considered too mature for regular Top 40 radio and youth-oriented outlets and as too pop-sounding for adult top 40 radio.
In spring 2001, The Police and Sting manager Miles Copeland III was hired as a co-manager (Hennessy was managed by her father before) and exerted pressure to finish the recording of the album. A second single, "Beautiful You", was released to promote the album, but it gained even less airplay than the first and when the album was finally released in November 2001, retailers ordered very few copies, as the two singles had not sold well. [3]
Despite low album sales, Carly Hennessy later won a Meteor Award in 2003 for Best Irish Female Singer. [4]
Gregg Alexander is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the lead vocalist and frontman of the short-lived rock band New Radicals, who are best known for their 1998 single "You Get What You Give". The group disbanded after one album in 1999, with Alexander shifting focus onto production and songwriting work; he won a Grammy Award for his contributions to the 2003 single "The Game of Love" by Santana. He later co-wrote songs for the film Begin Again, including "Lost Stars", which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Danielle Anne Brisebois is an American producer, singer-songwriter and former child actress. She is best known for her role as Stephanie Mills on the Norman Lear-produced sitcoms All in the Family and its spin-off Archie Bunker's Place, as well as playing Molly in the original Broadway production of the musical Annie.
Arrive All Over You is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Danielle Brisebois, released on May 10, 1994, by Epic Records. It includes the singles "What If God Fell from the Sky", "Gimme Little Sign" and "I Don't Wanna Talk About Love". It was co-written and produced by Gregg Alexander, who also sang co-lead on "Promise Tomorrow Tonight". Brisebois and Alexander would later become the nucleus of the short-lived rock group New Radicals, which formed three years after the release of the album.
Intoxifornication is the second album by Gregg Alexander, released on May 5, 1992.
Michigan Rain is the debut album from Gregg Alexander, released in 1989 by A&M Records.
Unwritten is the debut studio album by English singer and songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. It was released in Europe on 6 September 2004 through Phonogenic Records and in the United States on 2 August 2005 through Epic Records. A pop and R&B album, Unwritten was produced by a number of producers, including Danielle Brisebois, Guy Chambers, Peter Wade Keusch, Steve Kipner, Patrick Leonard and Greg Wells.
Destination is the second studio album from Irish singer-songwriter Ronan Keating. It was released by Polydor Records on 20 May 2002. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and was certified two-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. In Ireland, the album debuted at number three. Additionally, the album charted within the top ten of nine other European countries. In 2002, Destination was certified platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for shipments of one million copies inside Europe. The album includes the singles "If Tomorrow Never Comes", "I Love It When We Do", "We've Got Tonight", and "The Long Goodbye", all of which peaked inside the top ten of the UK Singles Chart.
Head over Heels is the third studio album released by American singer Paula Abdul on June 13, 1995, under Virgin Records. The album features three singles "My Love Is for Real", "Crazy Cool" and "Ain't Never Gonna Give You Up". To date, it is Abdul's last studio album release.
"I Love It When We Do" is the second single from Irish singer-songwriter Ronan Keating's second studio album, Destination. It was first released in Australia on 2 September 2002 and was issued in the United Kingdom seven days later. The single peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top 40 in Australia and Ireland. In 2003, Keating re-recorded the song with additional vocals from French actress and singer Cécilia Cara, re-titled "Je t'aime plus que tout". This version peaked at number 11 in France and number nine in the Wallonia region of Belgium.
So Good Together is the twenty-fourth studio album by American country music singer Reba McEntire. It was released in 1999 and was preceded by the single "What Do You Say". "What Do You Say" peaked at number 3 on the country singles chart and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Short Form Video. It also became her highest charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 31 and becoming her first big crossover hit. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA.
The Paul Simon Anthology is the fourth greatest hits compilation album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, which was released in 1993. It featured one previously unreleased track, "Thelma".
Dreams is a compilation album by the Allman Brothers Band. Packaged as a box set of four CDs or six LPs, it was released on June 20, 1989.
Negotiations and Love Songs is a compilation album of songs by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, released in 1988 by Warner Bros. Records. It consists of songs released from 1971 to 1986. The title of the compilation is taken from a line in the song "Train in the Distance".
Try Love is the second album by solo artist B. E. Taylor. It was released in 1997. The album features a remake of a song B.E. made while in the B. E. Taylor Group. The album contains the most original material of any of B.E's solo work, as almost all of his other albums consist of renditions of classic songs based around a central theme.
Where It All Begins is the eleventh studio album by the Allman Brothers Band. "No One to Run With" obtained the most album-oriented rock airplay, while "Soulshine", written by Warren Haynes, gained success as a concert and fan favorite. Gregg Allman also started to confront his substance abuse problems in the past on songs such as "All Night Train". The album sold considerably better than its predecessor, Shades of Two Worlds. In 1998, the album went Gold. Nevertheless, critical reception was weaker. This was also the last studio album the group recorded with original guitarist Dickey Betts.
The Best of Tracy Lawrence is the first compilation album by American country music artist Tracy Lawrence. It is a compilation of songs previously released on his first four studio albums. The new track "Her Old Stompin' Ground" was not previously included on any of his albums.
Let There Be Country is the seventh studio album by country singer Marty Stuart, released in 1992, though it was technically the fourth album he recorded, cut between Marty Stuart and Hillbilly Rock.
Miss Fortune is the third album by singer/songwriter Allison Moorer. It was her first for new label Universal South, which was co-founded by Tony Brown, who signed her to her first label MCA Nashville. Her first album there saw her working for the first time with Nashville producer R.S. Field and moving towards a more pop sound.
Wild Child is the second studio album by Valerie Carter. Some notable musicians on this album are Steve Porcaro, Jeff Porcaro, David Hungate and Steve Lukather of Toto, Mike Utley of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band, Jay Graydon of Airplay, Davey Johnstone of the Elton John Band, Verdine White of Earth Wind & Fire and Ray Parker Jr. The album was reissued in full as part of the 2019 compilation Ooh Child - The Columbia Years on Cherry Tree Records.
Begin Again (Music from and Inspired by the Original Motion Picture) is the soundtrack album accompanying the 2013 film of the same name, released on July 1, 2014, by ALXNDR, 222 Records, Polydor Records and Interscope Records. The album consisted original songs written and composed by Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley, Rick Nowels, and Nick Southwood, with Keira Knightley and Adam Levine performing most of the tracks, and other artists associated with the film, included Alexander's Cessyl Orchestra, CeeLo Green and Hailee Steinfeld. The song "Lost Stars" was released as a single from the album on June 23, to positive reception and was nominated for numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song. The track "Drowning Pool" by The Walls, which played over the opening credit sequence, is not included on the soundtrack album.