B.T.R. (album)

BTR
Studio album by Big Time Rush
Released	October 11, 2010 (2010-10-11)
Recorded	2009-2010
Genre	Dance-pop, teen pop, pop rock, R&B, electropop
Length	43:05
Label	Nick/Columbia/Sony Music
Producer	Emanuel Kiriakou, Lucas Secon, Matthew Gerrard, Kevin Rudolf, Edwin "LIl Eddie" Serrano, Jeremy Skaller, Robert Larow, Big Time Rush, Stuart Grekin, Chris Rojas, Tray J, The Messengers, Eric Sanicola, S*A*M and Sluggo, Timothy Foxx
Big Time Rush chronology
BTR (2010) Holiday Bundle (2010)
Singles from BTR
"Boyfriend" Released: February 8, 2011 (2011-02-08) "Worldwide" Released: June 21, 2011 (2011-06-21)

BTR is the debut studio album from Big Time Rush, which was released on October 11, 2010. The track listing for the album was announced on September 1, 2010. BTR serves not only as the band's debut album, but also as the soundtrack to their series, which is also titled Big Time Rush. The music featured on the album is mainly new material. However, several previously heard and released tracks appear on the album, including promotional singles such as "Big Time Rush", "Halfway There", "City Is Ours", and "Til I Forget About You".

The album was preceded by the release of several promotional singles, including their self titled debut single, Big Time Rush. Other promotional songs include "Any Kind of Guy", "City Is Ours", and "Halfway There", which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US. On September 21, the band released yet another promotional single, titled "Til I Forget About You". It was the last song to precede the album's release of October 11, 2010. One official single has been released from the album so far, "Boyfriend", which features vocals from rapper Snoop Dogg. It has become the band's biggest hit to date, charting on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as reaching the Top 40 of the Pop Songs music chart in the US, which is based on the amount of radio airplay a song receives. Despite not being released as a single, the song "Big Night" also charted on the Billboard Hot 100, where it also reached a peak of #79.

The album itself was also met with commercial success. In its first week of release in the US, BTR sold over 66,600 copies, landing it at the #3 position on the Billboard 200 albums chart.^[1] Along with its mainstream success, it also topped the Top Soundtracks and Kid Albums chart in the US. The album has also managed to gain recognition in Mexico, as well as the Dutch Albums Chart, where it peaked at 9 and 98 respectively. As of October 2011, BTR has sold over 700,000 copies worldwide.^[2] and received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. the album has also sold nearly 3.1 million digital tracks.^[3]

Background

BTR had been in the making since 2009, when the four members signed on for the show, Big Time Rush. The boys worked with composers and producers such as Emanuel Kiriakou, Lucas Secon, Matthew Gerrard, Kevin Rudolf, Edwin "Lil Eddie" Serrano, Jeremy Skaller, Robert Larow, Stuart Grekin, Chris Rojas, Tray J, The Messengers, Eric Sanicola, S*A*M, and Sluggo, Timothy Foxx. While working on the album, the band released many of the songs as promotional singles onto iTunes, as well as debuted them on their television series. This provided great promotion for the band's music, and led to two songs, "Halfway There" and "Big Night", charting on the Billboard Hot 100.

As seen on their television series, the band worked with many well known celebrities, such as Jordin Sparks, who recorded a song with the boys titled "Count On You". When asked about the collaboration, James stated

Jordin is an unbelievable singer. If you hear her sing in real life, she sounds just as good live every time. She absolutely deserves to be where she is. She's so talented, and she's a sweetheart too. We're on the same label. She wanted to get into acting, so we wrote an episode about her. She came on and was a great actress. The song is one of our first group ballads. It's a five-way ballad, but it turned out pretty cool. Usually, a duet has one person on each side. This has her voice one side and then there are our four voices on the other [Laughs]. It worked out though. It was such a pleasure to have Jordin on the song. She became a good friend of mine. She took me to the actual show before she was in it last time [Laughs]. She's so down-to-earth like that.^[4]

On September 1, the album track listing was released online. Many of the band's popular songs were included on the album, which also served as the soundtrack to the series. The songs "Any Kind of Guy" and "Famous", the latter of which is a cover of the Play song, were not listed on the album's final track listing. The previously recorded track which featured Jordin Sparks was listed on the album, along with another duet with R&B artist Cymphonique.

The second track on the album, "Boyfriend", was originally recorded and released as a solo song; however, upon being released as a single, two new versions of the song were leaked. The first version featured rapper Snoop Dogg, who had recently appeared in an episode of Big Time Rush with the band. The second leaked version of the song featured rapping duo New Boyz. It was initially unknown which of the two would be released as the official single; however, sources confirmed that the version which featured Snoop Dogg would serve as the album's official lead single.

Composition

The music found on the album is mainly pop oriented, as well as R&B. The music found on the album is child-appropriate, as it serves as not only their debut album, but the soundtrack to their self-titled series. James, a member of Big Time Rush, said of the inspiration for the album, "I go back to Donnie Hathaway and Marvin Gaye. I know they're not exactly what I'm doing these days, but I think they're some of greatest singers who ever lived. For a more current version, I still listen to Brian McKnight too. I think he took their principles of singing and made it modern R&B. Currently, Jack Johnson is a favorite. I love his new record To the Sea. One of his early albums, In Between Dreams was a big part of my life. I played it so much. I grew up in a beach town, and it was always on in the car. "Better Together" is a song that my sister and I share with our brother. He was in the hospital for a while. He was in a motorcycle accident, but he's better now. That song is still a big part of my life. Every time I think about that song, I remember my family and where I came from." Jessica Dawson of Common Sense Media said of the songs on the album, "Not since 'N Sync or the Backstreet Boys has there been a boy band making such a sudden splash in the tweenage music world. Big Time Rush is a standout, not only because of their boyish charm and good looks, but because their music is a cool blend of synth-pop, hip hop, and boy-band harmonies. "City is Ours" is already a digital hit, and "Count On You" with Jordin Sparks is a catchy collaboration about earning your place in a relationship. With a hit TV show to showcase their music and their adorable personalities, Big Time Rush won't be in a hurry out of the spotlight. Parents need to know that this boy band is making tween hearts swoon with their hit Nickelodeon TV show, Big Time Rush. In their debut album they sing about relationships, going out, and making the most of your life, but it's all clean and age-appropriate for young fans."^[5]

Reception

Critical reception

BTR has been met with generally positive reception from critics. In his review of the album, Joey Cage praised BTR, stating "The album features eleven songs mixed from the hit TV show Big Time Rush as well as original music heard exclusively on the album. The album represents the band in an upbeat, pop, rock, and R&B way. From the party sounds of "City Is Ours", "Big Night", and "Oh Yeah" to the upbeat, love songs of “Worldwide” & “Nothing Even Matters”, there’s not a single bad song on the album. I would recommend going on iTunes or to a store a purchasing this CD, these are four extremely talented individuals who deserve your support and they won't disappoint."^[6] Matt Collar of Starpulse also praised the album, stating "The self-titled debut album from the Nickelodeon boy band Big Time Rush features many of the dance-pop tunes popularized on the band's TV show of the same name. Showcasing the talents of singers Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow , Carlos Pena, Jr., and Logan Henderson, BTR is a fairly accessible listen that falls somewhere between the soulful alt-rock of OneRepublic and the electro-influenced pop of Katy Perry. These are catchy, sweet, radio and club-friendly tracks that, while aimed at "tweens," should appeal to most any fan of well-crafted dance-pop. To these ends, you get the synth-driven leadoff track "Til I Forget About You," the head-bobbin' "Boyfriend,", and the yearning club anthem "Nothing Even Matters," among other highlights."^[7]

Lineinasong also praised BTR, stating "The album includes hit song "Til I Forget About You" and "City Is Ours" that have been featured on the show before and immediately became hits. It also includes full versions of songs "Halfway There" and "Count On You" featuring former American Idol contestant Jordin Sparks.

Commercial performance

In its first week of release in the US, BTR sold 67,000 copies, landing it at the number 3 position on the Billboard 200 albums chart.^[1] Along with its mainstream success, it also topped the Top Soundtracks and Kid Albums chart in the US. The album has also managed to gain recognition in Mexico, as well as the Dutch Albums Chart, where it peaked at 9 and 98 respectively. As of October 2011, B.T.R. has sold over 700,000 copies worldwide.^[2] and received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.^[3]

Promotion

To promote the album, Big Time Rush embarked on many promotional tours. Member James said of the tour, "Everybody can expect us to be playing 3-5 songs at every high school we're stopping at. Then we're going to be doing a signing. We're in between filming, and that's the crazy part. We're in the middle of the second season. It's going to a pretty fun month for us! I hope people are excited for us to come to their towns. This is going to be done by the end of the month with filming in between, but we absolutely be back on the road with a full set soon." In another attempt to promote the album, the band appeared on The Today Show, where they performed their songs "Til I Forget About You" and "Big Night". The band also performed their latest single, "Boyfriend", at the 2011 Kids' Choice Awards. Rapper Snoop Dogg, who is featured on the single, appeared at the awards show to perform along with the band.^[8][9][10]

Among these performances, the band also performed at the 2010 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Also, the band recently announced yet another tour. However, this tour will be their first headlining tour, and will begin immediately after filming of the second season of Big Time Rush is over.

Singles

BTR has so far spawned only one official single, "Boyfriend", which was released for digital download as well as mainstream radio on February 15, 2011.^[11] The single version features Snoop Dogg. However, the album version is done solely by the band. Another version of the song leaked, which featured vocals from rapping duo New Boyz. "Boyfriend" so far peaked at #72 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming their most successful song to date. "Boyfriend" made it to #30 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart in April 2011.

Along with the official release of "Boyfriend", several promotional singles were released to promote their series, Big Time Rush, along with the album. The first promotional single was their eponymous debut single, "Big Time Rush". The single was released on November 23, 2009 to promote the airing of the new series. "Big Time Rush" became a minor digital hit, when digital downloads led to its debut at #16 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 singles chart. "Any Kind of Guy" was released as the second promotional single for the album on February 2, 2010. The song was first heard in an episode of Big Time Rush, and was released onto iTunes shortly thereafter.^[12] The song become their second to miss out on the Billboard Hot 100, failing to chart on any chart worldwide. "Halfway There" was released as the third promotional single by the band on April 27, 2010. Like their previous single, it had been first heard on an episode of Big Time Rush, and then released digitally. Strong first week sales of the single led to its debut at #93 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US, where it peaked. This made "Halfway There" the band's first single to chart.

"Famous", a cover of the Play song, was released on June 29, 2010 as the fourth promotional single. The song also appeared on an episode of Big Time Rush. Due to strong digital sales, the single debuted at #19 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 singles chart in the US, making it their second to enter the chart.^[13] On August 3, 2010 the band released their fifth promotional single, titled "City Is Ours". The single became their fourth release to miss out on the Billboard Hot 100, as it failed to chart on any major chart worldwide. "Til I Forget About You" was released as the band's sixth promotional single on September 21, 2010. The song became yet another commercial failure for the band, failing to chart anywhere worldwide.

Despite not being released as a single, the song "Big Night" managed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week of the album's release. The song debuted at #79 on the chart, making it their second highest charting single to date, with "Boyfriend" being their highest (at #72 on the chart). Also, the song "Count On You", which features Jordin Sparks on guest vocals, was previously featured in an episode of Big Time Rush, although it was not released as a promotional or official single. "Worldwide" is another song but is not a released single, but a music video has been released on June 17, 2011 and the same video had aired on an episode. Although it didn't debut on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US, it debuted at #17 on the Philippines' MYX International Top 20 on July, 23, 2011; and at #81 on the German Top 100 singles chart on August 22, 2011.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Til I Forget About You"	Sam Hollander, Dave Katz, Claude Kelly	S*A*M and Sluggo	3:57
2.	"Boyfriend"	Lucas Secon, Wayne Hector	Lucas Secon	3:21
3.	"City Is Ours"	Eric Sanicola	Kevin Rudolf	3:13
4.	"Nothing Even Matters"	Jimmy Burney, Robert Larow, Jonasthan Perkins, Damon Sharpe, Jeremy Skaller	J-Remy & Bobby Bass	3:49
5.	"Worldwide"	Edwin "LIl Eddie" Serrano, Christopher Rojas, Emily Philips	Chris Rojas (RMI)	3:44
6.	"Halfway There"	Eric Sanicola	Eric Sanicola	3:32
7.	"Big Night"	Nasri Atwe, Sam Hollander, Dave Katz	S*A*M and Sluggo	3:16
8.	"Oh Yeah"	Big Time Rush, Jacob Kasher, Kevin Rudolf	Kevin Rudolf	3:24
9.	"Count On You" (featuring Jordin Sparks)	Nicholas RAS Furlong, Carmen Michelle Key, Bobby Kuya, Sammy Kuya, Kasia Livingston	Timothy Foxx	3:30
10.	"I Know You Know" (featuring Cymphonique)	Emanuel Kiriakou, Evan Bogart, Lindy Robbins	Emanuel Kiriakou	2:56
11.	"Big Time Rush"	Matthew Gerrard, Charlie Midnight, Jay Landers, Scott Fellows	Matthew Gerrad
12.	"Stuck" (iTunes bonus track)	Emanuel Kiriakou, Jess Cates, David Hodges, Lindy Robbins	Emanuel Kiriakou	3:05
13.	"This Is Our Someday" (iTunes pre-order bonus track[14])	Matthew Gerrard, Robbie Nevil, Jay Landers	Matthew Gerrard	3:03
Total length:				43:05

International release[15][16][17]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
12.	"Famous"	Andreas Carlsson, Desmond Child		3:06
13.	"Any Kind of Guy"	Matthew Gerrard, Charlie Midnight, Jay Landers		3:40
14.	"This is Our Someday"	Matthew Gerrard, Robbie Nevil, Jay Landers		3:03
15.	"Boyfriend" (featuring Snoop Dogg)	Lucas Secon, Wayne Hector, Snoop Dogg		3:35
16.	"Boyfriend" (featuring New Boyz)	Lucas Secon, Wayne Hector		3:34
17.	"Stuck" (UK bonus track)	Emanuel Kiriakou, Jess Cates, David Hodges, Lindy Robbins		3:05

Sung by

• Kendall Schmidt - Vocals
• Carlos Pena Jr. - Vocals
• James Maslow - Vocals
• Logan Henderson - Vocals

Charts

Charts (2010–11)	Peak Position
Austrian Albums Chart[15]	12
German Albums Chart[15]	16
Dutch Albums Chart[15]	43
Mexican Albums Chart[15]	9
Scottish Albums Chart[18]	17
Swiss Music Charts[15]	18
UK Albums Chart [15]	14
U.S. Billboard 200[19]	3
U.S. Top Soundtracks[20]	1
U.S. Kid Albums	1

Certifications

Organization	Level	Date
RIAA – United States	Gold	March 31, 2011
AMPROFON – México	Gold	September 30, 2011

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Mansfield, Brian (April 13, 2011). "Adele re-takes top album spot; Jennifer Hudson drops from Top 10". USA Today. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/idolchatter/post/2011/04/adele-re-takes-top-album-spot-jennifer-hudson-drops-from-top-10/1?. 
2. ^ ^{a b} http://content.usatoday.com/communities/idolchatter/post/2011/06/jennifer-hudson-has-only-idol-album-in-the-billboard-200/1
3. ^ ^{a b} http://tommy2.net/content/?p=24115&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
4. ^ http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/big-time-rush-talks-btr-upcoming-tour-and-tarantino/7680911
5. ^ http://www.commonsensemedia.org/music-reviews/btr
6. ^ http://joeycage.webs.com/apps/blog/categories/show/768711-tv-movie-reviews
7. ^ http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Big_Time_Rush/Discography/album/P2237370/R1971736/
8. ^ http://www.fanlala.com/gallery/2011-kids-choice-awards-show/big-time-rush-performance-2011-kids-choice-awards-show-1
9. ^ http://www.hollywoodteenzine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1872&Itemid=48
10. ^ "Ministry of Gossip". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2011/04/kids-choice-awards-big-time-rush-video.html. 
11. ^ http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=16691, FMQB.com. Retrieved on 2011-02-04.
12. ^ [1]
13. ^ [2]
14. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/us/preorder/btr/id393892443&partnerId=30&siteID=CTiugamq7cM-NvsXZTGFCALYQRHollnmFQ
15. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "BIG TIME RUSH - BTR (ALBUM)". Big Time Rush - BTR (Album). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. http://mexicancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Big+Time+Rush&titel=BTR&cat=a. Retrieved 30 March 2011. 
16. ^ "BTR Big Time Rush". itunes.apple.com. 2011-04-15. http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/worldwide/id429633775?i=429633781. Retrieved 2011-04-29. 
17. ^ "BTR Big Time Rush". itunes.apple.com. 2011-04-15. http://itunes.apple.com/mx/album/btr/id429633775. Retrieved 2011-04-29. 
18. ^ http://www.theofficialcharts.com/scottish-albums-chart/
19. ^ Caulfield, Keith. "Lil Wayne's 'Human Being' Leaps 16‒1 on Billboard 200", Billboard.com, Published on 2010-10-08. Retrieved on 2011-02-04.
20. ^ Search Results, Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2011-02-04.