Horizons is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Kris Allen. It was released on August 12, 2014, by Allen's independent label, DogBear Records. Allen also organized a Stageit show as a release party for the record where he performed the full album set and also a song called Unique. A portion of the proceeds from the album go to benefit Music Empowers Foundation.[2][3]
Horizons | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 12, 2014 | |||
Recorded | 2014 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Label |
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Producer | Charlie Peacock | |||
Kris Allen chronology | ||||
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Singles from Horizons | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Rate Your Music | 3.25/5 [1] |
Background
editAllen was dropped by RCA Records in 2012, after releasing two albums - Kris Allen (2009) and Thank You Camellia (2012) - through the label.[4] He released Horizons independently through his own label, DogBear Records.[5]
As a result of an accident which broke his wrist, Allen had to change his approach to music making for this album, in particular he began to use a finger-picking style of guitar playing. According to Allen, "it’s a different way to play and some of those songs were written when my hand was in a cast so all I had was my fingers. I think it made me a bit more melodic than just strumming a bunch of chords."[5] He sought out the producer Charlie Peacock to produce his album. Peacock introduced Allen to a number of people, including Lenachka with whom he recorded "Prove It to You".[6] "Prove It to You" was released as the lead single from the album on July 7, 2014.[7]
Commercial performance
editThe album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 80 with 4,000 copies sold for the week in the US.[8]
Track listing
editNo. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Young Love ("Paul Simon")" |
| 3:26 |
2. | "Prove It to You" (feat. Lenachka) |
| 3:34 |
3. | "Beautiful & Wild" |
| 3:50 |
4. | "In Time" | 3:27 | |
5. | "Lost" |
| 3:18 |
6. | "Don't Set Me Free" |
| 3:32 |
7. | "Everybody Just Wants to Dance" | Allen | 3:08 |
8. | "Parachute" |
| 3:17 |
9. | "It's Always You" |
| |
10. | "Girl Across the Room" | Allen | 3:32 |
Charts
editChart (2014) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200[11] | 80 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[12] | 10 |
Personnel
edit- Kris Allen – vocals, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, beat boxing
- Charlie Peacock – keyboards, acoustic piano, programming, percussion
- K.S. Rhoads – acoustic piano
- Andrew St. Marie – acoustic piano
- Cody Fry – programming, backing vocals
- James Sweeting – programming, handclaps
- Jerry McPherson – electric guitars
- Andy Leftwich – mandolin, fiddle
- Mark Hill – electric bass
- Evan Hutchings – drums
- Sam Ashworth – percussion, handclaps, sounds, backing vocals
- Ken Lewis – percussion
- Lenachka – vocals (2)
Production
edit- Charlie Peacock – producer, additional engineer
- Richie Biggs – engineer, mixing, mastering
- Sam Ashworth – additional engineer
- James Sweeting – additional engineer, production coordinator
- Richard Dodd – mastering
- Brenton Little – design, photography
- Lindsay McCall – management
- Stirling McIIwaine – management
Release dates
editCountry | Date | Label | Formats |
---|---|---|---|
United States[13] | August 12, 2014 | DogBear Records | |
Germany[14] |
References
edit- ^ "Horizons". Rate Your Music. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ ""American Idol" Kris Allen to Donate a Portion of "Horizons" Album Proceeds". Artist Direct. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
- ^ "Sales Of New Kris Allen Album, "Horizons" To Benefit Music Empowers Foundation". PR Newswire. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
- ^ Shirley Halperin (September 19, 2012). "'American Idol' Kris Allen and RCA Records Part Ways (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ a b Michele Amabile Angermiller (August 12, 2014). "'American Idol' Champ Kris Allen Opens Up About New Album; Remembers Michael Johns". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Lyndsey Parker (August 4, 2014). "Kris Allen Extends His 'Horizons' to Yahoo: See Him Perform!". Yahoo! Music.
- ^ Lyndsey Parker. "Kris Allen Premieres Lyric Video for 'Prove It to You'". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Keith Caulfield (August 22, 2014). "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: 'Idol' Hits New Low". Billboard.
- ^ "Kris Allen Details Horizons with cover, tracklist, & Snippets". Celebrity Bug. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
- ^ "Horizons - Kris Allen". AllMusic. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ "Kris Allen Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- ^ "Kris Allen Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- ^ "Horizons". iTunes. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
- ^ "Horizons". German iTunes. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
External links
edit- "Horizons". iTunes. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
- "Horizons". Amazon. Retrieved August 7, 2014.