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Katharine McPhee (album)

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Katharine McPhee
Studio album by
Katharine McPhee
ReleasedJanuary 30, 2007
RecordedSeptember 2006–January 2007; Los Angeles, California, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Length49:21
Label
Producer
Katharine McPhee chronology
Katharine McPhee
(2007) 		Unbroken
(2010)
Singles from Katharine McPhee
  1. "Over It"
    Released: January 15, 2007
  2. "Love Story"
    Released: March 30, 2007[1]

Katharine McPhee is the debut studio album by American singer Katharine McPhee. It was released on January 30, 2007, by RCA Records in association with 19 Recordings Limited in North America. It was released on August 23, 2007 in Thailand and on February 20, 2008 in Japan. Produced after McPhee had finished second on the fifth season of American Idol, it features contributions from musicians such as Babyface, The Underdogs, and Kara DioGuardi. McPhee also collaborated with Nate “Danja” Hills who produced half of the album's twelve songs, three of which she co-wrote.

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

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The album includes writing and production contributions from Babyface, The Underdogs, Kara DioGuardi, and Nate “Danja” Hills.[2] It was also said that Ryan Leslie contributed to the album.[2] However, none of the songs written or produced by him made the track listing. McPhee has described the album as rhythm pop, taking a different route from the traditional pop ballads she sang on American Idol.

Promotion

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On December 19, 2006, RCA released two songs, "I Lost You" and "Dangerous" as singles for a Walmart exclusive and also digitally, though the former was later cut from the final album track listing.[3] On January 2, 2007, first single, "Over It", and three snippets, "Each Other"; "Love Story"; and "Open Toes", were released on AOL Music: First Listen.[4] Also accompanied were photos, quotes from the credited artist, and fan polls. McPhee was reportedly quoted on AOL Music for describing the first single, "It's a term that everyone uses, especially young girls. I didn't even realize just how much I used it. A lot of people will be able to relate to this song. This is really the only pure pop song on the record, so I thought it would be a good first single."[5] Released to radio on January 30, 2007, it peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and sold over 645,000 downloads in the US.[6]

The second single, "Love Story" was released internationally on March 30, 2007,[7] and to US radio on May 29, 2007.[8] It did not chart on Billboard. To date, it has sold 92,000 downloads in the US.[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[12]
Rolling Stone[11]
Slant[13]
USA Today[10]

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."[10] 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."[9] 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."[14]

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."[11] 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."[12]

Commercial performance

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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[15] — 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.[16] By 2009, the album had sold over 378,000 copies.[17]

Track listing

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Katharine McPhee track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Love Story"
Danja3:08
2."Over It"
  • Alexander
  • Steinberg
3:35
3."Open Toes"
Danja3:23
4."Home"
4:07
5."Not Ur Girl"
  • McPhee
  • Hills
  • DioGuardi
  • Ellis
Danja3:58
6."Each Other"
  • Hills
  • DioGuardi
  • Ellis
Danja3:59
7."Dangerous"
  • Hills
  • Ellis
Danja3:51
8."Ordinary World"
  • Afanasieff
  • Kiriakou
3:50
9."Do What You Do"
The Underdogs3:13
10."Better Off Alone"
Kiriakou4:04
11."Neglected"
  • McPhee
  • Hills
  • DioGuardi
  • Muhammad
Danja4:50
12."Everywhere I Go"
Babyface3:48
Total length:48:17

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ "Love Story". Spotify.
  2. ^ a b Corey Moss (2006-11-29). "Katharine McPhee's LP: A Little Bit Pussycat Dolls, A Little Bit Mariah". MTV.
  3. ^ "I Lost You/Dangerous (Wal-Mart Exclusive)". Wal-Mart. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  4. ^ "First Listen: Katharine McPhee". AOL. Archived from the original on 2007-01-03. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
  5. ^ "Katharine McPhee First Listen - AOL Music". Music.aol.com. Archived from the original on 2007-01-03. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Love Story". Spotify.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Allmusic review". AllMusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ a b Hoard, Christian (September 30, 2007). "Katharine McPhee: Katharine McPhee". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Goldblatt, Henry (February 2, 2007). "Katharine McPhee Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  13. ^ Jones, Preston (January 28, 2007). "Katharine McPhee: Katharine McPhee – Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  14. ^ Sanneh, Kefela (February 5, 2007). "New CDs". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  15. ^ Hanson, Thomas (2006-12-12). "Katharine McPhee Album Release Postponed". Miamipoetryreview.com. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  16. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (February 7, 2007). "Better 'Late' Than Never: Jones Debuts At No. 1". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  17. ^ "Idol Chatter (07-15-2009)". USA Today. July 15, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  18. ^ "Katharine McPhee Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  19. ^ "Billboard 200 - Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
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