A Little More Personal (Raw)

A Little More Personal (Raw) (stylized A Little More Personal (RAW)) is the second studio album by American actress and singer-songwriter Lindsay Lohan, released on November 30, 2005, by Casablanca Records. The album features darker material than Lohan's debut studio album, Speak (2004). Recording sessions took place in several locations, including at Lohan's trailer during the principal photography of Herbie: Fully Loaded, where she recorded her vocals for the album's lead single, "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)".

A Little More Personal (Raw)
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 30, 2005 (2005-11-30)
Recorded2004–2005
Studio
  • Rocket Carousel (Los Angeles)
  • The Beach House (Long Island)
  • Ruby Red (Atlanta)
  • Zi Music West (Los Angeles)
  • Loho (New York City)
  • Ocean Way (Los Angeles)
  • Skip Saylor (Los Angeles)
  • Sony Music (New York City)
  • NRG Recording
GenrePop rock[1]
Length43:21
LabelCasablanca
Producer
Lindsay Lohan chronology
Speak
(2004)
A Little More Personal (Raw)
(2005)
Singles from A Little More Personal

The album received mixed reviews from music critics, who praised Lohan's ambition and vocals, despite considering it a weak album. A Little More Personal (Raw) charted mildly compared to Speak, debuting (and also peaking) at number 20 on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 82,000 copies.[2] However, it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over 500,000 copies.[3] It was also certified Gold in Taiwan.[4] Lohan promoted the album with a few television appearances, including at MTV's Total Request Live, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the 33rd Annual American Music Awards.

Background and recording

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During the shoot of the music video for her single "First", Lohan revealed in an interview with MTV that she was preparing her sophomore studio album.[5] "When you get into the studio, everything just comes out," she said. "All your creative juices are there. I don't [want to] leave. I'll still be in there until all hours, and it's nice to be able to do that." Lohan began writing lyrics for the album in June 2005, after the last single from her previous album had been released. "I've been writing a lot, almost every night," she said. "There's been a lot going on [in my life lately], and I think people can find that escape in hobbies that they do. I don't do yoga or anything, but some people use that. Everyone has their own thing, and I use writing."[5] The pop rock album features a darker theme when compared to Lohan's previous album.[6][7]

"Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)", the lead single and first track of the album, was mainly written by Lohan as a letter to her father, Michael, who was incarcerated in June 2005 after surviving a car crash for which he was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.[8] Additional writing and song production was done by Butch Walker, Greg Wells and Kara DioGuardi,[9] who revealed, "If you solo the vocals you'll hear race cars, because we brought the studio to [Lindsay's] trailer on Herbie: Fully Loaded. I'm not kidding! She had no time to do the record, so she would be on her lunch break, and I'd be like, 'Throw that thing down your throat and get over here, 'cause we got to finish these vocals!' So I sat for 14 hours on the set and would grab her for, like, 10 minutes at a time. The poor girl. That's the reality of young Hollywood. When they're hot, they're worked to death. It was 18/20-hour days. ... And I swear: 'Vroom! Vroom!' You can hear it in the back."[10] "My Innocence" is also about Lohan's father.[11] Lohan also covered two songs for the album, "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick and "Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks.[9]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic50/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[13]
Los Angeles Times    [14]
The New York Times(average)[15]
PopMatters          [16]
Rolling Stone     [11]
Slant Magazine     [17]

A Little More Personal (Raw) received mostly mixed reviews from music critics. The album holds a score of 50 out of 100 based on 9 critical reviews, according to the music review aggregator Metacritic.[12] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album three stars out of five, saying, "Lindsay Lohan clearly spells out her ambition in the title to her second album, A Little More Personal (Raw) -- she's going to shed the glitzy trappings of her debut, Speak, and dig down deep in her heart, letting feelings flood onto the page". Erlewine also stated that even though the album "is far from being totally successful, it is an intriguing mash-up of heart and commerce. And it does suggest one thing that Speak never did: Lindsay Lohan may have an artistic vision as a recording artist, which is indeed a huge step forward".[1] Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt said, "like so many pop records today, Personal has more than its share of filler, and like all teenagers, Lohan contradicts herself. [...] Perhaps Personal's vulnerability is calculated, and its rawness a misnomer, or maybe she's really opening up. We'll probably never know. Lindsay may no longer be on the edge of 17, but being 19, troubled, and ridiculously famous can cut pretty deep, so props to her for letting us see her bleed — just a little".[13]

Brian Hiatt of Rolling Stone said Lohan "makes a fatal mistake on her second album: She tries to, like, express herself",[11] while a Los Angeles Times critic also gave the album a negative review, claiming that, "for most of the album, [Lohan] sounds like any other self-absorbed teen, yearning to be Alanis, Gwen, and even Stevie Nicks."[14] Whitney Strub of PopMatters was strongly critical of the album, scoring it 3 out of 10 stars, while writing "what can one expect from an album that promises to get more personal... while combining blandness, banality, and vapidity".[16] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine considered A Little More Personal (Raw) "more consistent than its predecessor, and it's not a bad listen by any means, but for all the so-called weighty subject matter, there's not much meat on these bones".[17]

Commercial performance

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A Little More Personal (Raw) debuted at number 20 on the US Billboard 200 with first week sales of 82,000.[2] The album is certified Gold in the United States by the RIAA for 500,000 copies in shipment. As of May 2008, A Little More Personal (Raw) has sold over 305,000 copies in the United States.[3][18] In Taiwan, the album also received a Gold certification.[4]

Promotion

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Following the album's release, A Little More Personal (Raw) reportedly was certified Gold in Taiwan, and that Lohan was going on tour with the album in the country.[4] "I just found this out today – my album went Gold there. It was a great feeling because it was very unexpected", Lohan revealed. "I would love to (tour Taiwan). I haven't toured at all at this point, but I would really love to do that. It's a great feeling to know that people in other places and other countries are aware of my music and what I do".[4] For unknown reasons the tour didn't happen. However, as a thank you to the fans in Taiwan, both her albums were released there as deluxe editions, with Speak being released with a bonus VCD [19] and A Little More Personal (Raw) being released with a bonus calendar and a promotional poster.[20] Lohan promoted the album in a few television appearances, including at MTV's TRL on November 11, where she performed "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)" and her cover of "I Want You to Want Me", and on the day of the album's release,[21] The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on November 24,[22] the Late Night with Conan O'Brien on December 7,[23] and at The Ellen DeGeneres Show on December 14.[24] Lohan also performed "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)" and her cover of "Edge of Seventeen" at the 33rd Annual American Music Awards on November 22.[25] Lohan was scheduled to appear on Live with Regis and Kelly the day of the album's release but pulled out five minutes after the show started as the New York Post reported her having food poisoning, before appearing on MTV's TRL later that day.[26]

Singles

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"Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)" was previewed before the album's release at AOL Music's First Listen on September 30, 2005.[27] It was made available for purchase as a digital download and was sent to contemporary hit radio on October 18, 2005.[28] An accompanying music video for the song, directed by Lohan herself, references her father Michael's drunkenness and alleged domestic abuse,[29] and was released on October 25, 2005.[30] As a response to the music video, Lohan's father wrote a letter to the New York Daily News, saying, "while I always considered and expressed how truly blessed Lindsay, as well as my other children, are, I never realized how blessed I am to have a daughter as amazing as Lindsay. Hold onto my shirt honey, soon enough you'll be able to hold on to me!"[27] "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)" achieved moderate chart success worldwide, reaching number seven in Australia on the week of its debut on chart. It spent 13 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 45 on the last.[31] In Austria, it reached number 74 on the week of March 24, 2006, dropping the chart in the following.[31] In the United States, it peaked at number 14 on the Digital Songs chart on the week of December 3, 2005, while reaching number 57 on Billboard Hot 100 on the week of December 24, 2005.[32] It was Lohan's first and only entry, to date, on the Billboard Hot 100.

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)"
  • DioGuardi
  • Wells
3:41
2."Black Hole"
  • DioGuardi
  • Wells
4:02
3."I Live for the Day"
  • DioGuardi
  • Wells
3:10
4."I Want You to Want Me"Rick Nielsen
3:09
5."My Innocence"
  • Lohan
  • DioGuardi
  • Wells
  • DioGuardi
  • Wells
4:18
6."A Little More Personal"
  • Lohan
  • DioGuardi
  • Walker
  • DioGuardi
  • Walker
2:59
7."If It's Alright"
  • Lohan
  • DioGuardi
  • Walker
  • DioGuardi
  • Walker
4:06
8."If You Were Me"
  • Lohan
  • DioGuardi
  • Wells
  • DioGuardi
  • Wells
2:54
9."Fastlane"
Moody3:24
10."Edge of Seventeen"Stevie NicksMoody4:22
11."Who Loves You"
  • DioGuardi
  • Wells
  • DioGuardi
  • Wells
3:50
12."A Beautiful Life (La Bella Vita)"
  • DioGuardi
  • Wells
3:26
Total length:43:21

Credits and personnel

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Credits taken from the album's liner notes.[9]

Performance credits

Technical credits

Charts and certifications

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Release history

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Release dates and formats for A Little More Personal (Raw)
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Japan November 30, 2005 CD Casablanca [39]
Canada December 6, 2005 [40]
United States [41]
Germany January 10, 2006 [42]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (December 6, 2005). "A Little More Personal (Raw) - Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Eminem Scores Fourth No.1 Album In A Row". Billboard. 14 December 2005. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  3. ^ a b "American album certifications – Lindsay Lohan". Recording Industry Association of America.
  4. ^ a b c d Entertainment News Staff (December 10, 2005). "Lindsay Lohan Ready for A Taiwan Tour". Softpedia. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  5. ^ a b "Lindsay Lohan Reveals The Secret Of Her 'First' Video". MTV. June 16, 2005. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  6. ^ "A Little More Personal (Raw) by Lindsay Lohan". iTunes Store. January 2005. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  7. ^ D., Spence (December 6, 2005). "Lindsay Lohan - A Little More Personal (RAW)". IGN. Archived from the original on 2011-06-28. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  8. ^ "For The Record: Quick News On R. Kelly, Lindsay Lohan, Kanye West, Carrie Underwood, LL Cool J, 'Idol' & More". MTV. March 13, 2007. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  9. ^ a b c A Little More Personal (Raw) (liner notes). Lindsay Lohan. Casablanca Music, LLC, a division of Universal Music Group. 2005. 602498871935.
  10. ^ Cantiello, Jim (June 27, 2011). "Kara DioGuardi Opens Up About Lindsay Lohan, 'No Boundaries'". MTV. Archived from the original on June 30, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  11. ^ a b c "A Little More Personal (Raw) by Lindsay Lohan". Rolling Stone. November 28, 2005. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  12. ^ a b "A Little More Personal (Raw) - Lindsay Lohan – Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  13. ^ a b Greenblatt, Leah (December 9, 2005). "Music Review - A Little More Personal (Raw)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  14. ^ a b Lewis, Randy (December 6, 2005). "Reflections that don't cut deeply". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  15. ^ Sanneh, Kelefa (December 5, 2005). "New CD's (Lindsay Lohan: A Little More Personal (Raw))". The New York Times. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  16. ^ a b Strub, Whitney (December 21, 2005). "Lindsay Lohan: A Little More Personal (Raw)". PopMatters. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  17. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (November 28, 2005). "Lindsay Lohan: A Little More Personal (Raw)". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  18. ^ "Lindsay Lohan Gets 'Bossy' On New Track". Billboard. May 8, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  19. ^ "Lindsay Lohan Speak Taiwanese 2 CD album set (Double CD) (335746)".
  20. ^ "Lindsay Lohan a Little More Personal [RAW] Taiwanese CD album (CDLP) (347997)".
  21. ^ "Episode dated 6 December 2005". Total Request Live. December 6, 2005. ABC Entertainment. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  22. ^ "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  23. ^ Late Night with Conan O'Brien 13x49 "Lindsay Lohan, Colin Hanks, Coldplay", retrieved 2023-05-04
  24. ^ "Episode dated 14 December 2005". The Ellen DeGeneres Show. December 14, 2005. ABC Entertainment. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  25. ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Shar Jackson, Slipknot, Jay-Z, Hilary Duff, Green Day, Neil Diamond & More". MTV. November 2, 2005. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  26. ^ "Lindsay Lohan stands up 'Regis & Kelly'". UPI. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  27. ^ a b Lamb, Bill. "The Story Behind "Confessions Of a Broken Heart (Daughter To Father)"". About.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  28. ^ "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father) - Single by Lindsay Lohan". iTunes Store. January 15, 2006. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  29. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (October 17, 2005). "Lindsay Lohan Cracks The Mirror". MTV. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  30. ^ "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father) - Music Video by Lindsay Lohan". iTunes Store. October 25, 2005. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  31. ^ a b "Lindsay Lohan - Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father) - Peaks Around the World". australian-charts.com. January 29, 2006. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  32. ^ "Lindsay Lohan Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on 29 July 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  33. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 13 February 2006" (PDF). The ARIA Report. No. 832. February 20, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-02-19. Retrieved January 15, 2016 – via Pandora Archive.
  34. ^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. December 22, 2005. Archived from the original on January 1, 2006. Retrieved April 12, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  35. ^ "リトル・モア・パーソナル" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  36. ^ "Taiwan 1/2006" (in Chinese). Five-Music. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  37. ^ "Lindsay Lohan Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  38. ^ "American album certifications – Lindsay Lohan – A Little More Personal (Raw)". Recording Industry Association of America.
  39. ^ "A Little More Personal [Limited Release] Lindsay Lohan CD Album". CDJapan.
  40. ^ A Little More Personal: Lohan, Lindsay: Amazon.ca: Music
  41. ^ Lindsay Lohan - A Little More Personal (Raw) - Amazon.com Music
  42. ^ A Little More Personal: Amazon.de: CDs & Vinyl
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