Katharine McPhee (album)
Katharine McPhee | ||||
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The Underdogs | ||||
Katharine McPhee chronology | ||||
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Singles from Katharine McPhee | ||||
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Katharine McPhee is the debut
The album earned largely polarizing reviews from music critics some of who declared it a "pleasant pop surprise," while others panned the "poor material." It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, selling 116,000 copies in its first week, only behind singer Norah Jones' Not Too Late. Katharine McPhee produced two singles, including lead single "Over It," a pop breakup song that reached the top 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and follow-up "Love Story."
Production
The album includes writing and production contributions from
Promotion
On December 19, 2006, RCA released two songs, "I Lost You" and "Dangerous" as singles for a
The second single, "Love Story" was released to radio on May 29, 2007.[6] It did not chart on Billboard. To date, it has sold 92,000 downloads in the US.[5]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [7] |
Entertainment Weekly | C+[10] |
Rolling Stone | [9] |
Slant | [11] |
USA Today | [8] |
Elysa Gardner from USA Today called the album "a pleasant pop surprise." She found that the "songs are generally solid and occasionally exceptional" and declared McPhee's "self-titled debut a worthwhile trip."[8] AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated the album three out of five stars and wrote: "Even if the album ultimately plays like a handful of good singles and filler, that's not too different than Kelly's debut, and even if McPhee isn't yet as charismatic as Clarkson, this record shows she has the raw ingredients to become a true pop star instead of merely playing one on TV."[7] Kefela Sanneh from The New York Times noted that while a "few moments are pretty silly [...] part of what makes her debut album work is its brashness."[12]
In his review for Rolling Stone, Christian Hoard remarked that McPhee's "debut doesn't render her halfway interesting. The album's twenty-two songwriters mostly avoid schlock but can't come up with an alternative, which makes ballads like "Better Off Alone" and tepid, McPhunky dance pop such as "Do What You Do" just bland. The upbeat "Love Story" and the decent ballad "Everywhere I Go" mix pop and R&B; and provide some relief, but most of Katharine McPhee is politics as usual."[9] Entertainment Weekly's Henry Goldblatt praised McPhee's voice but called Katharine McPhee "poor material." He noted that the single "Over It" sounded "like a JoJo leftover; and some midtempo ballads that Mariah would've deemed too banal in 1991. Only on the Babyface-penned "Everywhere I Go" does a snapshot of an intriguing Toni Braxton-esque pop star develop."[10]
Commercial performance
The album's release date changed on many occasions. Originally it was set for November 14, then November 28, December 5, December 19, and eventually — at McPhee's insistence[13] — January 30, 2007. Katharine McPhee sold 116,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, only behind Norah Jones' Not Too Late.[14] By 2009, the album had sold over 378,000 copies.[15]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Love Story" |
| 3:13 | |
10. | "Better Off Alone" |
| Kiriakou | 4:04 |
11. | "Neglected" |
| Danja | 4:50 |
12. | "Everywhere I Go" | Babyface | 3:48 | |
Total length: | 48:17 |
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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References
- ^ a b Corey Moss (2006-11-29). "Katharine McPhee's LP: A Little Bit Pussycat Dolls, A Little Bit Mariah". MTV.
- ^ "I Lost You/Dangerous (Wal-Mart Exclusive)". Wal-Mart. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ^ "First Listen: Katharine McPhee". AOL. Archived from the original on 2007-01-03. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
- ^ "Katharine McPhee First Listen - AOL Music". Music.aol.com. Archived from the original on 2007-01-03. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ^ a b "Idol Chatter USAToday.com 02-18-2010 "Bonus Soundscan numbers: Katharine McPhee, Jordin Sparks, and more"". Content.usatoday.com. 2010-02-18. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ^ "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". fmqb.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ All Media Guide. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Gardner, Elysa (February 6, 2007). "McPhee reveals her 'daring' side". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 3, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Hoard, Christian (September 30, 2007). "Katharine McPhee: Katharine McPhee". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Goldblatt, Henry (February 2, 2007). "Katharine McPhee Review | Music Reviews and News". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Jones, Preston (January 28, 2007). "Katharine McPhee: Katharine McPhee – Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
- ^ Sanneh, Kefela (February 5, 2007). "New CDs". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Hanson, Thomas (2006-12-12). "Katharine McPhee Album Release Postponed". Miamipoetryreview.com. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- Billboard.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "Idol Chatter (07-15-2009)". USA Today. July 15, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
- ^ "Katharine McPhee Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
- ^ "Billboard 200 - Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2020.