Obsession (Shayne Ward album)
Encyclopedia
Obsession is the third studio album by English pop singer Shayne Ward
. It was released on 15 November 2010 in the United Kingdom, and on 8 February 2011 in the United States. Two retailer exclusive versions of the album will be available, with HMV
offering a set of four bonus postcards and Play.com
offering signed copies of the album. The album received favourable to average reviews from music critics, who noticed Ward's vocalist qualities, but felt it misses good songs and blamed Simon Cowell
and Syco Music for it. It debuted at number 15 in UK and at number 11 in Ireland.
's 2008 song, on 7 November 2010.
The album's second single, Obsession, was only released promotionally, being released on the week of February 14, 2011. Ward performed the song on The Alan Titchmarsh Show
and The Graham Norton Show
on the week of release. The song was also released to radio, and a promotional CD single was issued. The album's third single is a remixed version of 'Must Be A Reason Why', which will be released on August 8, 2011. The single will be released by featured artist J Pearl, with Ward being credited as the featuring artist instead, due to Ward being dropped from his record deal by Simon Cowell, due to poor sales of the album and lead single.
and Taio Cruz
. Ward actually worked on the album for about two and a half years, working in several locations in the United States with around 50 producers, as he wanted the album to be different from his first two. Several songs were recorded, including "Oxygen", which was due to be the lead single, "Elevator", a demo of which appears on Ward's official YouTube account, and "Tonight", a duet with Sugababes
singer Heidi Range
. Work continued on the album during the year, with Ward recording further material penned by Savan Kotecha
, Quiz & Larossi
and Lucas Secon
. Work on the album was completed in September 2010, when Ward announced that none of the songs produced by RedOne
and Taio Cruz
would be included. He later said of the decision: "I needed the right songs to come in. I've recorded about seven albums' worth of tracks, some of which were with Taio Cruz, RedOne and Darkchild which didn't even make the album. They're still in the pipeline." The album's lead single, "Gotta Be Somebody", is a cover of a Nickleback song, first released by them in 2008. The album was originally scheduled to be released in 2009 but the release date was pushed back by the record label.
early in his career, Obsession's dated sound and consistent mediocrity are more likely to see him dubbed as the U.K. Peter Andre
". The Newsround
review felt really excited about "Must Be A Reason", which they felt it was a "really high tempo and great to dance, Awesome!" and "Human", which they say it was "a REALLY good song with a nice blend of piano melodies and hard thumping beats". The Entertainment-Focus review was more negative, saying "Obsession is a record that serves to frustrate rather than impress. We can only lay the blame for this patchy effort on the record label. After a three-year wait Obsession doesn’t deliver on the anticipation it has built. For the record we absolutely love Shayne but he needs, and deserves, stronger material than this". David Griffiths from 4Music
has stated that "Sadly Shayne's early promise as the British Justin Timberlake
has yet to be fully realised and he's a far better vocalist than much of the material gives him credit for. We're particularly curious to hear what happened to the rumoured collaborations with RedOne
, Darkchild and Taio Cruz
, as they could well have bolstered some of the more weaker songs on offer here. Still, it's great to have him back after all this time". The OK! Magazine observe that "Obsession is more polished than Simon Cowell
’s veneers. The title track – inspired by Prince
’s legendary Purple Rain
– is a swooping belter, while 'Close To Close' is a hook-laden ballad that wouldn’t sound out of place on JLS
’s latest offering". The Guardian described the single 'Must Be A Reason Why' as "Music for evil stumpy Russian men to dance to while wearing budgie smugglers and pretending they're being fellated".
Shayne Ward
Shayne Thomas Ward is an English pop singer who rose to fame as the winner of second series of The X Factor. He has sold over 3 million records worldwide and has had number one albums and singles in 9 countries.During The X Factor competition, Ward was mentored by manager Louis Walsh...
. It was released on 15 November 2010 in the United Kingdom, and on 8 February 2011 in the United States. Two retailer exclusive versions of the album will be available, with HMV
HMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
offering a set of four bonus postcards and Play.com
Play.com
Play Ltd., trading as Play.com, is a Jersey-based online retailer of DVDs, CDs, books, gadgets, video games, DRM-free MP3 downloads, and other electronic products, as well as clothes and accessories. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Rakuten Group....
offering signed copies of the album. The album received favourable to average reviews from music critics, who noticed Ward's vocalist qualities, but felt it misses good songs and blamed Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
and Syco Music for it. It debuted at number 15 in UK and at number 11 in Ireland.
Singles
The album was preceded by the lead single "Gotta Be Somebody", a cover version of NickelbackNickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
's 2008 song, on 7 November 2010.
The album's second single, Obsession, was only released promotionally, being released on the week of February 14, 2011. Ward performed the song on The Alan Titchmarsh Show
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
The Alan Titchmarsh Show is a British daytime TV chat show broadcast between 3 and 4pm weekdays on the ITV Network.-Format:The programme made its debut on ITV in 2007. It focused on the theme of "The Best of British" focusing on food, entertainment and celebrities in a mid-afternoon slot...
and The Graham Norton Show
The Graham Norton Show
The Graham Norton Show is a British comedy chat show that is broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom. It was originally shown on BBC Two from February 2007 to May 2009 until it moved to BBC One from October 2009...
on the week of release. The song was also released to radio, and a promotional CD single was issued. The album's third single is a remixed version of 'Must Be A Reason Why', which will be released on August 8, 2011. The single will be released by featured artist J Pearl, with Ward being credited as the featuring artist instead, due to Ward being dropped from his record deal by Simon Cowell, due to poor sales of the album and lead single.
Background
It was announced in January 2010 that Ward had begun writing his third studio album, with help from American producers RedOneRedOne
Nadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...
and Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, occasional rapper, and entrepreneur. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which Cruz wrote, arranged and produced himself. It achieved initial success in the UK and earned him a MOBO Award nomination...
. Ward actually worked on the album for about two and a half years, working in several locations in the United States with around 50 producers, as he wanted the album to be different from his first two. Several songs were recorded, including "Oxygen", which was due to be the lead single, "Elevator", a demo of which appears on Ward's official YouTube account, and "Tonight", a duet with Sugababes
Sugababes
The Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in 2000 under London...
singer Heidi Range
Heidi Range
Heidi India Range is an English singer, songwriter and member of the Sugababes. Range was an original member of girl group Atomic Kitten, although she left the group after two years of its formation with no album released...
. Work continued on the album during the year, with Ward recording further material penned by Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha is an American songwriter and vocal producer from Austin, Texas of Indian descent. Kotecha has sold over 60 million records with artists such as Usher, Enrique Iglesias, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, One Direction and Celine Dion...
, Quiz & Larossi
Quiz & Larossi
Andreas Romdhane and Josef Larossi have a studio based in the centre of Stockholm, Sweden. They have worked together since 1999 when they wrote songs for Lutricia McNeal. During their partnership they have written/produced songs for a wide variety of acts such as The Pussycat Dolls, Il Divo, Geri...
and Lucas Secon
Lucas Secon
Lucas Secon, also known by the stage name Lucas, is a world-renowned Danish-American Grammy , MTV Award and Emmy Award-nominated record producer, songwriter,Golden Poets Award winner, DJ, rapper, singer and artist/conceptualist. He lives in London, United Kingdom.Secon has contributed to seven...
. Work on the album was completed in September 2010, when Ward announced that none of the songs produced by RedOne
RedOne
Nadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...
and Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, occasional rapper, and entrepreneur. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which Cruz wrote, arranged and produced himself. It achieved initial success in the UK and earned him a MOBO Award nomination...
would be included. He later said of the decision: "I needed the right songs to come in. I've recorded about seven albums' worth of tracks, some of which were with Taio Cruz, RedOne and Darkchild which didn't even make the album. They're still in the pipeline." The album's lead single, "Gotta Be Somebody", is a cover of a Nickleback song, first released by them in 2008. The album was originally scheduled to be released in 2009 but the release date was pushed back by the record label.
Critical reception
Upon its release, the album received an average to favourable reviews from music critics. Jon O'Brein from Allmusic gave to the album a rating of 3/5 stars, saying "After a three-year absence, Ward really needed to step up his game to reestablish his pop star credentials. But despite being labeled the U.K. Justin TimberlakeJustin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
early in his career, Obsession's dated sound and consistent mediocrity are more likely to see him dubbed as the U.K. Peter Andre
Peter André
Peter James Andrea , better known by the stage name as Peter Andre, is an English-born Australian musician, singer-songwriter, television personality and businessman. As a recording artist, he has achieving four top 10 UK albums and ten top 10 singles.-Early life:Andre was born at Northwick Park...
". The Newsround
Newsround
Newsround is a BBC children's news programme, which has run continuously since 4 April 1972, and was one of the world's first television news magazines aimed specifically at children...
review felt really excited about "Must Be A Reason", which they felt it was a "really high tempo and great to dance, Awesome!" and "Human", which they say it was "a REALLY good song with a nice blend of piano melodies and hard thumping beats". The Entertainment-Focus review was more negative, saying "Obsession is a record that serves to frustrate rather than impress. We can only lay the blame for this patchy effort on the record label. After a three-year wait Obsession doesn’t deliver on the anticipation it has built. For the record we absolutely love Shayne but he needs, and deserves, stronger material than this". David Griffiths from 4Music
4Music
4Music is a music and entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and available on some digital television providers in the Republic of Ireland - its web component can be found at with its own and pages. It is the only channel within the Box Television Network to be branded under Channel 4 and...
has stated that "Sadly Shayne's early promise as the British Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
has yet to be fully realised and he's a far better vocalist than much of the material gives him credit for. We're particularly curious to hear what happened to the rumoured collaborations with RedOne
RedOne
Nadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...
, Darkchild and Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, occasional rapper, and entrepreneur. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which Cruz wrote, arranged and produced himself. It achieved initial success in the UK and earned him a MOBO Award nomination...
, as they could well have bolstered some of the more weaker songs on offer here. Still, it's great to have him back after all this time". The OK! Magazine observe that "Obsession is more polished than Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
’s veneers. The title track – inspired by Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
’s legendary Purple Rain
Purple Rain (song)
"Purple Rain" is a power ballad by Prince and The Revolution. It is the title track from the 1984 album of the same name, which in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name, and was released as the third single from that album. The song is a combination of rock, pop, gospel,...
– is a swooping belter, while 'Close To Close' is a hook-laden ballad that wouldn’t sound out of place on JLS
JLS
- Music :* JLS, an English boyband** JLS , debut album by JLS* JLS a Spanish Rock band based in Zaragoza , Spain formed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by lead Leo Susana.- Organizations :...
’s latest offering". The Guardian described the single 'Must Be A Reason Why' as "Music for evil stumpy Russian men to dance to while wearing budgie smugglers and pretending they're being fellated".
Track listing
Notes- "Must Be a Reason Why..." samples "King of My CastleKing of My Castle"King of My Castle" is a song by American electronic music producer Chris Brann under his Wamdue Project alias, with vocals by Gaelle Adisson. It was originally released in 1997 as a downtempo song, but became a worldwide club hit in 1999 when it was remixed by house producer Roy Malone...
" as performed by Wamdue ProjectChris BrannChris Brann is an American electronic music producer and remixer. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Brann is known for his work under the monikers Wamdue Project and Ananda Project.-Career:...
and written by Chris Brann. - "Someone Like You" samples "Two PrincesTwo Princes"Two Princes" is a song by the New York City-based pop rock band Spin Doctors. As a single, it reached #7 in the United States, #2 in Canada, and #3 in the United Kingdom. It was the band's most popular song. It also ranked at #21 on Blender magazine's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever". It ranked...
" as performed by Spin DoctorsSpin DoctorsSpin Doctors is an American alternative rock band formed in New York City, best known for their early 1990s hits, "Two Princes," and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," which peaked the Billboard Hot 100 charts at #7 & #17 respectively....
and written by Mark White, Spin Doctors, Eric Schenkman, Chris Barron and Aaron Comess. - "Nobody Knows" is a cover version of the song of the same titleNobody Knows (Tony Rich song)"Nobody Knows" is a song by rhythm and blues artist Tony Rich from his 1996 debut album Words. Released as his debut single, the song peaked at #2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts...
as performed by The Tony Rich Project and written by Joe Rich and Don DuBose.
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
39 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
11 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
15 |