Weights & Wings is a studio album from singer-songwriter Matt Wertz. It was released on March 15, 2011 by both Handwritten Records and Nettwerk Music Group. It was produced by Brandon Hood and Jason Lehning. The album charted at No. 56 on The Billboard 200.
| Weights & Wings | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 15, 2011 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Alternative rock, indie rock, indie pop | |||
| Length | 40:21 | |||
| Label | Handwritten/Nettwerk | |||
| Producer |
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| Matt Wertz chronology | ||||
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Background
editThe album is the successor to Under Summer Sun that was released in 2008.[citation needed]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| CCM Magazine | [2] |
| Indie Vision Music | [3] |
| Melodic |  [4] |
Weights & Wings garnered generally positive reviews from the ratings and reviews of music critics. At CCM Magazine, Grace S. Aspinwall rated the album four stars out of five, remarking how Wertz "produced another flawless album" and the release "is a clean, cheerful project brimming with brilliant love songs" that are "Smooth. Romantic. Timeless."[2] William Ruhlmann of AllMusic rated the album three stars out of five, indicating that "pop singers like Matt Wertz are needed, and with any luck he'll have his moment of vicariously answering the needs of the audience he seeks, and selling some downloads by doing so."[1] At Melodic, Rickard Holmgren rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, writing that "Matt Wertz delivers once again an album of high quality, the production fits the songs and you get both slow and up-tempo songs", and this is why it "could be the prefect soundtrack for the summer!"[4] BMer of Indie Vision Music rated the album four stars out of five, stating that "Combining Matt's solid lyrics, his vulnerability and honesty, with his talent in song writing creates yet another solid album."[3]
Chart performance
editFor the Billboard charting week of April 2, 2011, Weights & Wings was No. 56 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, No. 11 on the Top Rock Albums chart.[5] The album also reached No. 8 on both the Independent Albums and Digital Albums charts.[5]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Don't Come Easy" | Matt Wertz | 4:10 |
| 2. | "Everything Will Be Alright" | Wertz, Ben Rector | 2:54 |
| 3. | "Nobody's You" | Wertz, Whitney Duncan | 3:11 |
| 4. | "Running Back to You" | Wertz, Rector | 4:34 |
| 5. | "Family" | Wertz, Chad Cates | 4:08 |
| 6. | "For the First Time" | Wertz, Rector | 3:46 |
| 7. | "Somebody Like You" | Wertz, Dave Barnes | 3:39 |
| 8. | "Feels So Right" | Wertz | 2:25 |
| 9. | "Easier Tonight" | Wertz, Ben Caver | 3:31 |
| 10. | "Gonna Be Good" | Wertz, Steven Moakler | 4:01 |
| 11. | "Somebody's Gonna Love You" | Wertz, Moakler | 4:02 |
| Total length: | 40:21 | ||
Personnel
edit- Matt Wertz – lead vocals, backing vocals (1-4, 7, 9-11), acoustic guitar (2, 9)
- Jason Lehning – Wurlitzer electric piano (1), Roland Juno-60 (1, 11), electric guitar (1, 6, 9, 11), percussion (1, 2, 4, 10), keyboards (2), programming (2), lap steel guitar (2), bass (2), whistle (2), guitars (4, 10), Rhodes bass (4, 10, 11), Mellotron (9), acoustic piano (10), loops (10)
- Blair Masters – keyboards (3)
- John Deaderick – Hammond organ (4, 7, 9, 10), Mellotron (4), strings (4), Wurlitzer electric piano (7), acoustic piano (8, 10), organ (8)
- Lex Price – acoustic guitar (1, 2, 4, 6, 8-10), tenor guitar (1, 11), banjo (7), mandolin (7, 8)
- Daniel Tashian – electric guitar (1, 6, 8-10), acoustic guitar (2), ukulele (2)
- Jonathan Trebing – electric guitar (1, 4, 6, 8-10), slide guitar (10)
- Brandon Hood – guitars (3), mandolin (3), percussion (3)
- Nathan Dugger – electric guitar (4, 7, 9), acoustic guitar (7)
- Bryan Sutton – acoustic guitar (5, 11)
- Jason Goforth – lap steel guitar (5, 6, 9, 11), harmonica (6, 11)
- Justin Cary – bass (1, 6, 8-10)
- Wes Willett – bass (3)
- Matt Campbell – bass (4, 7)
- Viktor Krauss – bass (5)
- Dan Needham – drums (1, 4, 7, 10), percussion (7)
- Ian Fitchuk – drums (2, 6, 8, 9), tambourine (2), percussion (6, 8)
- Brian Barefoot – drums (3)
- Mockingbird Sun – handclaps (2, 8), gang vocals (2), backing vocals (6, 8)
- John Catchings – cello (5, 10)
- Tucker Perry – backing vocals (1)
- Ben Rector – backing vocals (2)
- Kate York – whistle (2)
- Rob Blackledge – backing vocals (3)
- Brett Taylor – backing vocals (3, 10)
- Dave Barnes – backing vocals (4, 9)
- Jill Phillips – backing vocals (5)
Production
edit- Jason Lehning – producer (1, 2, 4-11), recording (1, 2, 4-11)
- Brandon Hood – producer (3)
- Jordan Lehning – recording (1, 2, 4-11)
- Mark Hagen – tracking (3), overdubs (3), Pro Tools editing (3)
- Greg Goodman – additional recording (1, 2, 4-11)
- Gordon Hammond – assistant engineer (1, 2, 4-11)
- Allen Parker – additional overdubbing (3)
- Trey Keller – Pro Tools editing (3)
- F. Reid Shippen – mixing at Robot Lemon (Nashville, Tennessee)
- Erik "Keller" Jahner – mix assistant
- Greg Calbi – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York)
- Matt Lehman – design
- Steven Taylor – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[6] | 56 |
| US Digital Albums (Billboard)[7] | 8 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[8] | 8 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[9] | 11 |
References
edit- ^ a b Ruhlmann, William (March 15, 2011). "Weights & Wings – Matt Wertz | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ a b Aspinwall, Grace S. (June 1, 2011). "Matt Wertz: Weights and Wings (Handwritten Records)". CCM Magazine. p. 42. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ a b BMer (April 26, 2011). "Matt Wertz – Weights & Wings | Reviews". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ a b Holmgren, Rickard (February 15, 2011). "Matt Wertz – Weights & Wings". Melodic. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ a b AllMusic. "Weights & Wings – Matt Wertz | Awards". Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ "Matt Wertz Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ "Matt Wertz Chart History (Digital Albums)".[dead link] Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ "Matt Wertz Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ "Matt Wertz Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2014.