From the Inside Out is the second studio album by Australian-New Zealand recording artist Stan Walker, released on 20 August 2010 through Sony Music Australia. Walker worked with several record producers and songwriters for the album, including Audius Mtawarira, Israel Cruz, Ryan Tedder, Phil Tan and Stuart Crichton, among others. Musically, the album incorporates synthpop, rock, soul and R&B genres.

From the Inside Out
Studio album by
Released20 August 2010 (2010-08-20)
Genre
Length49:35
LabelSony
Producer
Stan Walker chronology
Introducing Stan Walker
(2009)
From the Inside Out
(2010)
Let the Music Play
(2011)
Singles from From the Inside Out
  1. "Unbroken"
    Released: 12 April 2010
  2. "Choose You"
    Released: 20 July 2010
  3. "Homesick"
    Released: 29 October 2010

Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from music critics. From the Inside Out debuted at number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ). It also debuted at number two on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart. Preceding the album's release, lead single "Unbroken" was released digitally on 12 April 2010. The song reached the top-ten of the New Zealand Singles Chart and was certified gold by the RIANZ. "Choose You" was released on 20 July 2010 as the album's second single and peaked at number three on the New Zealand Singles Chart and was certified platinum. It also appeared on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 16 and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The third single, "Homesick", featuring rapper Kayo, was released on 29 October 2010. Walker's first headlining tour in New Zealand, to support the album, ran from mid February to early March 2011.

Background and development

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On 1 July 2010, Walker announced the album's title and release date in an exclusive video message to his fans via Facebook, YouTube and his official website.[1] Later that month, Walker's record label began uploading snippets of several of the album's songs onto YouTube.[2] Ahead of the album's release, MusicFix gave fans an exclusive first listen to the album before it was officially released.[3]

In an interview with New Zealand's One News, Walker explained that the album reflects him and his personality, including his Māori roots.[4] In describing the album, he said:

I guess I just wanted this album to be a lot about me and all the different styles of music that I like – not just one sort of style or genre. I really want to be able to tell real stories through my music, rather than talking about stuff that doesn't really matter which is what a lot of people seem to end up doing these days. I don't want it to be just glossy and disposable; I want my songs to deal with real issues.[1]

Composition

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From the Inside Out combines the genres of pop, rock, hip hop, soul and R&B.[5][6] Lead single "Unbroken" has been described as a "chest-beating and uplifting" single, while the second single, "Choose You" has been appreciated for its "soaring pop and grand stomp".[6] According to Cameron Adams from The Daily Telegraph, "Inside Out" "borrows Usher's electro thunderclaps and robo-R&B".[7] "All I Need" makes use of Auto-Tune and has been compared to will.i.am.[7] According to Scott Kara of The New Zealand Herald, "Homesick" is "lush, pure pop" and "One Thing" is influenced by R&B and hip hop.[6] "The One", featuring Pixie Lott, has been called "a dramatic ballad", and "Love Graffiti" has been compared to The Beatles.[6][7] Most of the songs' lyrics explore the theme of love. Walker stated, "I wanted to make an album of songs, with real lyrics about how we all feel sometimes. There's a lot of manufactured songs with nasty lyrics, but I wanted to talk about real love, real situations that people could really connect to."[5] He named "Love Graffiti" as his favourite track for that reason, valuing the positive way it portrays love.[5]

Release and promotion

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From the Inside Out was released in Australia on 20 August 2010 through Sony Music Australia, as both digital download and CD formats.[8] A New Zealand release followed on 23 August.[9] A bonus track was added to the album's digital release: a remix of "Choose You".[10] During the album's first week of release, Walker toured shopping malls in Sydney and Melbourne, performing several of the album's songs and signing CDs.[11] The album was also promoted by Walker through a live televised performance of "Choose You" on Sunrise on 25 August 2010.[12] On 26 August 2010, Walker held an instore appearance at the Sylvia Park shopping centre in Auckland, New Zealand.[13]

Tour

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New Zealand Summer Tour
Concert by Stan Walker
 
A promotional poster for the tour
LocationNew Zealand
Associated albumFrom the Inside Out
Start date17 February 2011 (2011-02-17)
End date5 March 2011 (2011-03-05)
No. of shows14
Stan Walker concert chronology

Walker commenced his first headlining tour in New Zealand in mid February 2011, and ended in early March. Concerts were announced in December 2010 for Wellington, Palmerston North, New Plymouth, Hamilton, Hastings, Tauranga, Auckland, Rotorua and Christchurch.[14] Due to an overwhelming demand, the tour extended to include new shows in Dunedin, Invercargill, Timaru, Oamaru and Ōpōtiki.[15] New Zealand R&B and soul singer Erakah served as the opening act on all dates of the tour.[16] A New Zealand Tour Edition reissue of From the Inside Out was released on 28 January 2011.[17]

Date City Venue
17 February 2011 Wellington Opera House
18 February 2011 Palmerston North Regent on Broadway
19 February 2011 New Plymouth TSB Showplace
20 February 2011 Hamilton Founders Theatre
21 February 2011 Ōpōtiki Deluxe Theatre
23 February 2011 Hastings Opera House
24 February 2011 Tauranga Holy Trinity
25 February 2011 Auckland Auckland Town Hall
26 February 2011 Rotorua Unison
28 February 2011 Christchurch Town Hall
1 March 2011 Oamaru Opera House
3 March 2011 Invercargill Civic Theatre
4 March 2011 Dunedin Town Hall
5 March 2011 Timaru Theatre Royal

Singles

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"Unbroken" was released as the album's lead single on 12 April 2010. The song was written and produced by OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder.[18] It peaked at number nine on the New Zealand Singles Chart, and number 23 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart.[19] "Unbroken" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), and by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[20][21] "Choose You" was released as the album's second single on 20 July 2010. The song peaked at number three in New Zealand and was certified platinum.[21][22] It also reached number 16 in Australia and was certified platinum by the ARIA.[22][23] "Homesick", featuring rapper Kayo, was released as the album's third and final single on 29 October 2010. The song failed to impact the charts in Australia, however it managed to reach number 21 in New Zealand and was certified gold by the RIANZ.[21][24]

Reception

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Scott Kara from The New Zealand Herald awarded the album four out of five stars and wrote that, "It's all wholesome, family-friendly stuff, and when Walker sings about love it's from the heart".[6] Drew Taylor from Warcry wrote that, "Stan's voice has never sounded better, and the combination of faith and flavour is force to be reckoned with."[5] Allmusic's Jon O'Brien rated From the Inside Out three stars out of five.[25]

From the Inside Out debuted at number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart, and became Walker's first number one album in the country. It was eventually certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), for selling 15,000 copies.[26][27] The album remained on the chart for forty non-consecutive weeks.[26] In Australia, the album debuted at number two on the ARIA Albums Chart.[28]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Inside Out"
  • Audius Mtawarira
  • Leon Seenandan
4:01
2."All I Need"
Israel Cruz3:22
3."Unbroken"Ryan TedderRyan Tedder4:33
4."Homesick"
  • Latesha Marrow
  • Fridolin Nordsoe
  • Frederick Nordstorm
  • Edwin Serrano
Stuart Critchon3:28
5."With Me"
  • Audius Mtawarira
  • Jade Seenandan
  • Leon Seenandan
  • Walker
  • Audius Mtawarira
  • Leon Seenandan
  • Jade Seenandan
3:50
6."Choose You"
3:37
7."One Thing"
  • Israel Cruz
  • Walker
Israel Cruz3:40
8."Love Graffiti"
  • Spencer Nezey
  • Greg Ogan
  • Solomon Ridge
  • Greg Ogan
  • Spencer Nezey
3:22
9."Chandelier"
  • Latesha Marrow
  • Fridolin Nordsoe
  • Frederick Nordstorm
  • Edwin Serrano
  • Frederik Tao
  • Fridolin Nordsoe
  • Audius Mtawarira
  • Leon Seenandan
4:18
10."The One" (featuring Pixie Lott)Stuart Crichton3:20
11."Stand Up"
  • Pierre Eiras
  • Jens Koerkemeier
  • Audius Mtawarira
  • Leon Seenandan
3:36
12."Kissing You"
  • Audius Mtawarira
  • Leon Seenandan
4:41
13."Stuck in a Box" (with Young Sid)
Emile3:41
iTunes bonus track[10]
No.TitleLength
14."Choose You" (GuitarBoy Mix)3:22
New Zealand Tour Edition bonus tracks[17]
No.TitleLength
14."Homesick" (single version)3:44
15."Choose You" (Israel remix)3:50
16."Unbroken" (Israel remix)3:46
17."Black Box" (acoustic)3:30
Notes

Personnel

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Credits for From the Inside Out adapted from Allmusic.[29]

Charts and certification

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Weekly charts

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Chart (2010) Peak
position
Certification
ARIA Albums Chart[28] 2
New Zealand Albums Chart[26] 1 Platinum[27]

Year-end charts

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Chart (2010) Position
Australian Artist Albums Chart[30] 37
New Zealand Albums Chart[31] 18
Chart (2011) Position
New Zealand Artists Albums Chart[32] 9

Release history

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Region Date Format Label Catalogue
Australia[8] 20 August 2010 CD, digital download Sony Music Australia 88697702822
New Zealand[9][17] 23 August 2010 88697702822
28 January 2011 New Zealand Tour Edition

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Stan Walker's debut album out August 20". TVcentral.com.au. 2 July 2010. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  2. ^ StanWalkerTV – Uploads. Retrieved 15 February 2011 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ "First listen: Stan Walker's new album From the Inside out". MusicFix. Ninemsn. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  4. ^ "Stan Walker doing his own thing". TVNZ. 27 August 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d Taylor, Drew. "Stan Walker: From the Inside Out (Review)". Salvation Army.org.au. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d e Kara, Scott (26 August 2010). "Album Review: Stan Walker From the Inside Out". The New Zealand Herald. APN News & Media. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
  7. ^ a b c Adams, Cameron (19 August 2010). "Stan Walker's first original of offering". The Daily Telegraph. News Limited. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Stan Walker – From the Inside Out (CD)". Sanity. Archived from the original on 7 April 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  9. ^ a b "From the Inside Out – Stan Walker". Marbecks.co.nz. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  10. ^ a b "From the Inside Out – Stan Walker – New Zealand". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
  11. ^ "Stan Walker Spruiks New Album at Instores". Soundsofoz.com. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  12. ^ "AUS FANS: Stan on Sunrise". Stanwalker.com.au. 23 August 2010. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011.
  13. ^ "NZ FANS: Auckland in Store Appearance!". Stanwalker.com.au. 26 August 2010. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011.
  14. ^ Cashmere, Paul (8 December 2010). "VIDEO: Stan Walker Creates His Own Idol". Undercover.fm. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  15. ^ "The Edge presents Stan Walker NZ Tour!". The Edge. MediaWorks New Zealand. 14 February 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  16. ^ "Erakah Live & Direct throughout NZ with Stan Walker". Illegalmusik.co.nz. 31 January 2011. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  17. ^ a b c "From the Inside Out". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  18. ^ McCabe, Kathy (24 April 2010). "Australian Idol Stan Walker working with the best". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  19. ^ "Stan Walker – Unbroken". New Zealand Singles Chart. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  20. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2010 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  21. ^ a b c "Latest Gold / Platinum Singles". RadioScope New Zealand. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  22. ^ a b "Stan Walker – Choose You". New Zealand Singles Chart. Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  23. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  24. ^ "Stan Walker – Homesick". New Zealand Singles Chart. Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  25. ^ O'Brien, Jon. From the Inside Out at AllMusic. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  26. ^ a b c "Stan Walker – From the Inside Out". New Zealand Albums Chart. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
  27. ^ a b "Latest Gold / Platinum Albums". RadioScope New Zealand. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  28. ^ a b "Stan Walker – From the Inside Out". ARIA Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  29. ^ "From the Inside Out > Credits". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  30. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Australian Artist Albums 2010". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  31. ^ "Annual Top 50 Albums Chart 2010". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ). Archived from the original on 22 July 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  32. ^ "Adele dominates NZ end of year charts". Television New Zealand. Retrieved 31 December 2011.