Uplifter is the ninth studio album by American rock band 311, released on June 2, 2009 by Volcano Records. It was the band's first album in nearly four years. It held the longest gap between albums in 311's career, but has previously lost that title, given their fourteenth studio album Full Bloom having a 5 year gap between their thirteenth, Voyager. Uplifter was produced by Bob Rock, who has produced or engineered albums by numerous notable acts, such as Metallica, Aerosmith, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, The Cult, Our Lady Peace and The Offspring. It debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200, their highest position to date.[5]
| Uplifter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 2, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2008–2009 | |||
| Studio | Ocean Studios (Burbank, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 46:54 (Standard Edition) 56:00 (Deluxe Edition) | |||
| Label | Volcano Entertainment | |||
| Producer | Bob Rock | |||
| 311 studio album chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Uplifter | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| IGN |   [2] |
| LiveDaily | Favorable[3] |
| Ultimate Guitar | (4.8/10)[4] |
Release and reception
editThe first single from the album, "Hey You", was sent to radio stations for airplay on April 7, and was officially released April 10, 2009.
Before the official release date, Uplifter was streamed in full (including the deluxe edition tracks) on the band's MySpace page and was featured on Playlist.com.[6][7]
Uplifter has received mixed reactions from critics. Andrew Leahey of Allmusic gave it a generally favorable review and said that Uplifter "...[wields] a polished mix of tour-worthy anthems and lighter-hoisting ballads that seem destined to fare better in concert than on record."[1]
It has received criticism as well. Talking about the lyrics, Laina Dawes of Consequence of Sound said, "...don’t look for any insightful wisdom here. ... Then again, how important are lyrics in this genre, or even this modern day age of Britney Spears and Lady Gaga? In comparison to that schlock, this is pure poetry."[8]
Colin Moriarty of IGN reviewed each of the songs from Uplifter one-by-one. He said that while some show 311 maturing musically, there are still songs for the hardcore fans. Moriarty noted that his favorite song from the album was "Get Down," saying, "311 songs with a message and a hard-hitting rap-rock sound have become increasingly rare since the days of Soundsystem and From Chaos, and Get Down is certainly a welcome addition to Uplifter's roster of songs."[2]
The Record Review noted "that after a couple of somewhat lackluster releases (2003’s Evolver and 2005’s Don’t Tread On Me) and a subsequent extended break, 311 has returned with a record that is full of life."[9]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hey You" | Nick Hexum, SA Martinez | Nick Hexum, SA Martinez | 3:56 |
| 2. | "It's Alright" | Hexum, Martinez, Aaron Wills | Hexum | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Mix It Up" | Hexum | Hexum | 2:54 |
| 4. | "Golden Sunlight" | Hexum, Tim Mahoney, Martinez, Chad Sexton | Hexum, Martinez | 4:30 |
| 5. | "India Ink" | Hexum | Hexum | 3:37 |
| 6. | "Daisy Cutter" | Hexum | Hexum | 3:54 |
| 7. | "Too Much Too Fast" | Hexum, Martinez | Hexum, Martinez | 3:53 |
| 8. | "Never Ending Summer" | Hexum, Sexton, Wills | Hexum | 4:05 |
| 9. | "Two Drops in the Ocean" | Hexum, Martinez | Hexum, Martinez | 3:47 |
| 10. | "Something Out of Nothing" | Hexum, Martinez | Martinez, Hexum | 4:25 |
| 11. | "Jackpot" | Hexum, Martinez, Sexton | Hexum, Martinez | 3:54 |
| 12. | "My Heart Sings" | Hexum | Hexum | 4:23 |
| Total length: | 46:54 | |||
Bonus tracks
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "How Long Has It Been" (track 15 on iTunes deluxe edition) | Hexum, Martinez | Hexum, Martinez | 3:13 |
| Total length: | 50:07 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Sun Come Through" | Hexum, Martinez, Sexton | Hexum, Martinez | 3:27 |
| Total length: | 50:21 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "I Like the Way" | Hexum, Martinez, Sexton | Hexum, Martinez | 4:00 |
| 14. | "Get Down" | Hexum, Martinez, Sexton | Hexum, Martinez | 5:06 |
| Total length: | 56:00 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17. | "Simplify" | Hexum | Hexum | 5:15 |
| 18. | "Week of Saturdays" | Hexum | Hexum | 3:22 |
Personnel
editCredits adapted from album’s liner notes.[10]
311
- Nick Hexum – vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards
- SA Martinez – vocals, turntables
- Chad Sexton – drums, backing vocals on "Daisy Cutter" and "Jackpot"
- Tim Mahoney – lead guitar, backing vocals on "Daisy Cutter" and "Jackpot"
- Aaron Wills – bass, backing vocals on "Daisy Cutter" and "Jackpot"
Additional Musicians
- Adam Merrin – piano on "Too Much Too Fast"
- Native Wayne Jobson – intro narration on "Never Ending Summer"
Production
- Bob Rock – producer, mixing
- Eric Helmkamp – engineer
- Giff Tripp – assistant engineer
- Jason Walters – Hive Studio manager
- George Marino – mastering
Chart performance
editAlbum
edit| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
Sales |
|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 3[11] | 60,000[5] |
| US Billboard Rock Albums | 2[11] | — |
| US Billboard Digital Albums | 3[11] | — |
| US Billboard Alternative Albums | 2[11] | — |
Singles
edit| Song | Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "Hey You" | U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs | 3[12] |
| "Hey You" | U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 38[12] |
| "Hey You" | U.S. Billboard Rock Songs | 17[12] |
| "It's Alright" | U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs | 16[11] |
| "It's Alright" | U.S. Billboard Rock Songs | 38[11] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Leahey, Andrew (June 2, 2009). "(Uplifter > Overview)". Allmusic. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
- ^ a b c Colin Moriarty. "311 - Uplifter Review - Music Review at IGN". Music.ign.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
- ^ Zulaica, Don (June 3, 2009). "Album Review: 311, "Uplifter" (Jive)". LiveDaily. Archived from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
- ^ McDonald, Chris (June 30, 2009). "Uplifter Review". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
- ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (June 10, 2009). "Dave Matthews' 'Big' Debuts At No. 1 On Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ Un. "311 | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
- ^ Johnson, Dallin (June 11, 2009). "Uplifter". The Soup Nazi's Soup Kitchen. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ Dawes, Laina (June 2, 2009). "Album Review: 311- Uplifter". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ recordreview (2009-06-02). "311 Get Down with New Record « The Record Review". Recordreview.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
- ^ Uplifter (booklet). Volcano Entertainment. 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f "Top Rock Songs & Charts, Rock Music Hits & Popular Rock Music Charts". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
- ^ a b c "Top Rock Songs & Charts, Rock Music Hits & Popular Rock Music Charts". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-11-19.