Welcome (album)
Encyclopedia
Welcome is the second major label album
by the rock music
group Taproot
. It was released on October 15, 2002. "Poem
" served as the album's lead single
and became a smash hit, propelling the group to stardom. A follow-up single, "Mine," was produced and its video was directed by System of a Down
bassist Shavo Odadjian
. The third single and video was announced for "Art," but curiously Atlantic pulled the plug soon after the announcement, further irking fans who claimed the label was holding Taproot back. Welcome remains Taproot's most successful record, selling around 450,000 copies.
The band performed on Disturbed's Music as a Weapon II
in promotion of the album.
roughly 40 complete songs. Wright said that while they were good, the songs were not up to the band's potential, and he forced them to start from scratch. This was initially met with resentment from the band, but they ultimately wrote entirely new songs that they felt show greater maturity. The only song written prior to this fresh batch was "Poem," which had seen prior success during concerts and went on to be arguably Taproot's most well known single. As with many Toby Wright productions, songs throughout Welcome are heavy on multi-tracked
vocals and layered guitars.
and nu metal
acts. However, melodic improvements from Taproot's prior effort were also cited. AllMusic's Brian O'Neill also compared the band's stylistic "idolatry" as a shift from Korn
to Alice in Chains
. Robert Cherry of Rolling Stone
cited the "me, me, me" lyrics as evidence of needed maturity but added that Welcome "marks a self-preserving transition from new metal to art metal." The publication also cited Taproot as one of the "Bands to Watch in 2002."
The band also recorded three additional songs during the Welcome sessions. Two of them, "Transparent" (4:23) and "Free" (3:23), can both be found on the "Poem" CD single as B-sides and on the Japanese pressing of Welcome as bonus track
s. The third track, "Remain," has yet to be released. "Free"'s lyrics however, can still be found in the lyric booklet of Welcome.
Production
Art direction
Singles - Billboard (North America)
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group Taproot
Taproot (band)
Taproot is a four-piece rock group from Ann Arbor, Michigan. They are most known for their hit single "Poem" , as well as a number of other singles from 2000 to the present.-Pre-formation:...
. It was released on October 15, 2002. "Poem
Poem (song)
"Poem" is a song by nu metal band Taproot and the lead single from their second major label album, Welcome. It was released in 2002 and met with the highest success of any Taproot single, reaching #5 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks...
" served as the album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
and became a smash hit, propelling the group to stardom. A follow-up single, "Mine," was produced and its video was directed by System of a Down
System of a Down
System of a Down, also known by the acronym SOAD and often shortened to System, is a rock band from Southern California. The band was formed in 1994. It consists of Serj Tankian , Daron Malakian , Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan...
bassist Shavo Odadjian
Shavo Odadjian
Shavarsh "Shavo" Odadjian is an Armenian American songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music video director/editor, music producer, and artist/painter. He is best known as the bassist, backing vocalist and occasional songwriter of the Grammy Award-winning rock band System of a Down...
. The third single and video was announced for "Art," but curiously Atlantic pulled the plug soon after the announcement, further irking fans who claimed the label was holding Taproot back. Welcome remains Taproot's most successful record, selling around 450,000 copies.
The band performed on Disturbed's Music as a Weapon II
Music as a Weapon Tour
Music as a Weapon is a concert tour created by American rock band Disturbed. As of 2010, there have been five editions of the tour: four which took place in North America, and one in Oceania...
in promotion of the album.
Production
During the early development of Welcome, Taproot had given producer Toby WrightToby Wright
Toby Wright is a record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with artists such as Alice in Chains, Metallica, Sevendust and Korn. He is currently in Nashville, Tennessee working on Kara Clark's latest Ep.-Producer:...
roughly 40 complete songs. Wright said that while they were good, the songs were not up to the band's potential, and he forced them to start from scratch. This was initially met with resentment from the band, but they ultimately wrote entirely new songs that they felt show greater maturity. The only song written prior to this fresh batch was "Poem," which had seen prior success during concerts and went on to be arguably Taproot's most well known single. As with many Toby Wright productions, songs throughout Welcome are heavy on multi-tracked
Doubletracking
Double tracking is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or "bigger" sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument. It is a form of overdubbing; the distinction comes from the...
vocals and layered guitars.
Reception
Critical response to Welcome was largely mixed. Various prominent media critics considered the album too mediocre to stand out among current alternativeAlternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
and nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
acts. However, melodic improvements from Taproot's prior effort were also cited. AllMusic's Brian O'Neill also compared the band's stylistic "idolatry" as a shift from Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
to Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
. Robert Cherry of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
cited the "me, me, me" lyrics as evidence of needed maturity but added that Welcome "marks a self-preserving transition from new metal to art metal." The publication also cited Taproot as one of the "Bands to Watch in 2002."
Track listing
According to the lyric booklet, there are also alternative titles to some of these tracksThe band also recorded three additional songs during the Welcome sessions. Two of them, "Transparent" (4:23) and "Free" (3:23), can both be found on the "Poem" CD single as B-sides and on the Japanese pressing of Welcome as bonus track
Bonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
s. The third track, "Remain," has yet to be released. "Free"'s lyrics however, can still be found in the lyric booklet of Welcome.
Credits
Taproot- Mike DeWolf - Guitar
- Phil Lipscomb - Bass
- Jarrod Montague - Drums
- Stephen Richards - Guitar, vocals
Production
- Tom Baker - Mastering
- David Benveniste - A&R, executive producer
- Elliott Blakey - Engineer
- Steve Sisco - Mixing assistant
- Tom Storms - A&R
- Valente Torrez - Assistant engineer
- Jeff Turzo - Digital programming
- Andy Wallace - Mixing
- Toby Wright - Engineer, producer
Art direction
- Christina Dittmar
- Taproot
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Billboard 200 | #17 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | "Poem" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | #5 |
| 2002 | "Poem" | Modern Rock Tracks | #10 |
| 2003 | "Mine" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | #23 |
| 2003 | "Mine" | Modern Rock Tracks | #26 |