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The Element of Freedom is the fourth studio album by American R&B recording artist Alicia Keys, released December 11, 2009, on J Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during May to September 2009 at The Oven Studios in Long Island, New York. Production was handled by Keys, Jeff Bhasker, Swizz Beatz, Noah "40" Shebib, Toby Gad and Kerry "Krucial" Brothers. Departing from the classicist soul music of Keys' previous albums, The Element of Freedom has a mid-tempo, low-key sound and features mostly ballads.
The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 417,000 copies in its first week. It became Keys' first non-number one album in the United States and her first number one album in the United Kingdom. The Element of Freedom was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America within its first month of release and produced five singles that attained moderate chart success. Despite mixed criticism towards its low-key style and Keys' songwriting, the album received generally positive reviews from most music critics. It has sold 1,391,300 copies in the United States and four million copies worldwide. Keys supported album with a world tour, The Freedom Tour.
"Hold It Against Me" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, released as the first single from her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale. It was written and produced by Max Martin, Dr. Luke and Billboard, with additional writing by Bonnie McKee. Luke explained that he wanted "Hold It Against Me" to sound unlike his previous productions. The song was going to be offered to Katy Perry, but Luke and Martin felt that it did not suit her. A demo version of the track by McKee was leaked on January 6, 2011, and the single became available for streaming on January 10, 2011. It was released the following day.
Musically, "Hold It Against Me" blends pulsating industrial and trance beats with elements of grime. The chorus has lilting synths that lift her vocals and contrast them with the hard beats. The song features a dubstep-influenced breakdown, in which Spears moans and blows kisses, and the song ends with a final chorus with elements of rave. The lyrics portray the singer seducing someone on the dancefloor, and the chorus revolves around pick-up lines. After the song was released, The Bellamy Brothers criticized it for being similar to their 1979 hit "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me". They were sued by Martin, Luke, McKee and Billboard for defamation and libel, but the case was dismissed after The Bellamy Brothers apologized.
Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes is a remix and video album by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. Consisting of two discs, the album features music videos on one disc and dance remixes on the other. It was initially released on June 16, 2009 through Wal-Mart stores and J&R exclusively, although it was later made available through other retailers. Above and Beyoncé peaked at number thirty-five on the Billboard 200, and was received positively by Andy Kellman of Allmusic, who rated it three out of five stars. It also appeared on Billboard's component charts, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Dance/Electronic Albums.
"What the Hell" is a song by Canadian recording artist Avril Lavigne, taken as the lead single from her fourth studio album Goodbye Lullaby. The song, written by Lavigne with its producers Max Martin and Shellback was released on 10 January 2011 as the lead single from Goodbye Lullaby. According to Lavigne, she wrote the song as her "personal message for freedom".
The song is a pop punk, pop rock and pop song, set in a moderately fast tempo. Upon its release, "What the Hell" received mostly positive reviews from music critics with many complimenting its catchiness and comparing it to her 2007 single "Girlfriend". The song was successful, reaching number one in Japan, the top five in Asia, the Top 10 in Europe, Australia, South America, Mexico, Canada, and the Top 20 in the US and UK, peaking at eleven and sixteen, respectively. It received generally positive reviews from music critics.
An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Marcus Raboy and premiered on January 23. It shows Lavigne who is running from her love interest. The video also makes product placement for Sony and Abbey Dawn. "What the Hell" was performed by Lavigne on several television programs such as Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, Daybreak, The View, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and on some award shows such as Much Music Video Awards, America's Got Talent and Britain's Got Talent. Additionally she added the song on the setlist of her The Black Star Tour (2011).
The Entertainer is the third studio album by English recording artist Alesha Dixon. It was released on 26 November 2010 in the United Kingdom by Asylum Records, and Atlantic Records in the United States. The album's lead single, "Drummer Boy", was released on 5 September 2010. The album's second single, "Radio", was released on 28 November 2010. The album was originally planned to be named Unleashed, however the plans were scrapped and The Entertainer was decided upon instead.
The Entertainer has a different sound to Dixon's previous album, The Alesha Show, which gained a platinum certification by the British Phonographic Industry. She decided to rap in some of the album's songs again, like she once did as member of girl band Mis-Teeq.[3] She worked with producers such as Rodney Jerkins, Toby Gad (Beyoncé, Fergie), Jim Beanz, and Soulshock & Karlin during the recording of the album.
Basic Instinct is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Ciara, released from December 10, 2010 by LaFace Records (Jive). Executively produced by A&R agent Mark Pitts, Ciara, Tricky Stewart and The-Dream, Basic Instinct returnes Ciara to her urban roots with mid-tempo R&B cuts and bass-heavy dance songs. Aside from production by Stewart and The-Dream, Ciara collaborated with production by Soundz, Infinity and T-Minus. Frequent collaborator and friend Ludacris makes a guest vocal appearance, as does labelmate and fellow Atlanta-native, Usher. After previous album Fantasy Ride (2009) suffered numerous leaks and pushbacks, information about Basic Instinct was kept confidential until the first single and album were complete.
Despite keeping more control of the album's contents, Basic Instinct still suffered several pushbacks due the leaking of songs from the album's recording sessions, much like its predecessor. Three singles preceded the album's release including the Ludacris-assisted lead single "Ride", which peaked within the top five on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number three and the Billboard Hot 100 at number forty-two. The other singles, "Speechless" and "Gimmie Dat" failed to impact more than "Ride", and all the singles failed to impact significantly on international single charts. Basic Instinct was well received by critics, on average scoring seventy-two out of 100 according to Metacritic. Most critics praised the eleven-track set for its strong productions and cohesive themes, which drew comparisons to the early career of Janet Jackson. However, there were criticism towards the dated and unoriginal sound of the album as well Ciara's soft vocals being overshadowed by the album's production.
Basic Instinct debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 at number forty-four with 37,000 copies sold, becoming the lowest selling debuting album of Ciara's career so far and continuing a downward trend in her commercial success. In international territories the album was also unsuccessful, most notably reaching top-thirty on the Australian Urban Chart and the UK R&B Chart. On February 14, 2011, just two months after the album's release, Ciara published a statement detailing the issues she experienced with Basic Instinct. She detailed how she alone paid for the music video for the album's third single and how the label refused to promote the singles on U.S. radio stations. Ciara openly criticsed her label for the lack of support with Basic Instinct, as well as her previous albums, and asked to be released from her contract with LaFace Records (Jive), as a result.
Lazarus is the debut album by Gym Class Heroes lead singer Travie McCoy, released on June 8, 2010. McCoy announced his plans to pursue a solo career in early 2010, although he insisted that Gym Class Heroes had not broken up. After creating demos of melancholy and low-tempo songs, McCoy decided to abandon his early material and start over, as he claimed the songs were "too personal". He began to write more uptempo "party anthems" with lyrical themes of overcoming grief. Musically, McCoy draws from various influences on the record, including hip-hop, reggae, and rock. The album contains collaborations from Bruno Mars, Cee Lo Green, and T-Pain, among others.
Upon its release, Lazarus debuted at number twenty-five on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with sales of 15,000 copies. The lead single from the album was "Billionaire", which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The songs "Need You" and "We'll Be Alright" have also been released as singles. Critical response to the album has been mixed to positive, with most critics praising the album's upbeat songs yet criticizing the overabundance of featured collaborations. Gregory Heaney of Allmusic opined that "Even though every track on the album isn’t a keeper, it has some solid additions to any summer playlist and will definitely please fans of Gym Class Heroes."
