''Road Between'' is the debut studio album by American singer

Lucy Hale Karen Lucille Hale (born June 14, 1989) is an American actress, singer, and television personality. She has received various accolades, including seven Teen Choice Awards (the most for any actress in a single series), a Gracie Award, a People's ...

. The album was released on June 3, 2014 by

Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Record ...

and DMG Nashville.

Background

On June 12, 2012, Hale announced she had signed a record deal with

(co-partnership with DMG Nashville). The album is a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

album, when was recorded through late 2012 and mid 2013, during Hale's schedule filming her television series ''

Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American mystery teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Sara Shepard. Developed by I. Marlene King, the series was broadcast on Freeform between June 8, 2010, and June ...

''. On March 31, 2014, ''Road Between'' was unveiled due to a fan contest to reveal the album's cover art. A web series titled ''The Road Between with Lucy Hale'', which consisted of four episodes, released from July 25 to August 6, 2014, on the CMT website. It follows the journey of Hale, visiting her hometown of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...

and on set with the filming of the music video for the song "Lie a Little Better". In 2016, New Zealand singer-songwriter

Kaylee Bell Kaylee Bell is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. In 2013, she won the Toyota Star Maker award in Australia, joining the likes of Lee Kernaghan, Samantha McClymont and was the first New Zealand born artist since 1990 winner Keith Urban. She subse ...

released a cover of album track "That's What I Call Crazy" as a standalone single.

Singles

The

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release ...

" You Sound Good to Me" was released on January 7, 2014. A music video was directed by

Philip Andelman Philip Andelman is an American music video director and photographer. Andelman has directed music videos for many notable artists, see below. He has received nominations for his works from the MVPA, VMAs, and CMT awards including MVPA Director o ...

, is about Hale going on a road trip with her friends and arriving at a late-night bonfire. The second and final single, "

Lie a Little Better "Lie a Little Better" is a song recorded by American country artist Lucy Hale. The song was written by Mike Daly, Chris DeStefano and Melissa Peirce and was produced by Daly. It was released on July 21, 2014 by Hollywood Records and DMG Nashvill ...

" was released on July 21, 2014. Hale explained the song is about her love crush with actor Drew Van Acker. It debuted at No. 60 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Country Airplay chart for the week ending on July 30, 2014.

Cancelled tour

In December 2014, Hale was originally set to embark on The Road Between Tour in spring 2015, to promote the album. However, she later announced the tour was cancelled shortly before it was slated to begin citing vocal issues as the reason.

Critical reception

''Road Between'' was met with mostly positive reception from music critics. At

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...

rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, remarking how the music on the release "is irrepressibly charming commercial pop" that "is better when it's lighter", and the music sounds like "pristine pop, thanks in large part to Hale's crisp, chipper delivery." Mike Ayers of ''

'' rated the album an 83 out of 100, indicating how the release "is filled with powerful, catchy choruses and moments that display Hale's voice in many different ways." At Roughstock, Matt Bjorke rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, writing how the music on the release is not going to be everyone's cup-of-tea, yet it evidences her potential in country music because according to him that is "where she's always wanted to be." Bob Paxman of ''

Country Weekly ''Nash Country Weekly'' was an American lifestyle weekly magazine about country artists and their music. It was in circulation between April 1994 and May 2016. The publisher, Cumulus Media, now maintains the site ''Nash Country Daily''. Overvie ...

'' graded the album a C+, noting how some songs don't work out well for her voice and "Like most contemporary records, the production sounds overly busy and much too polished, stripping away all semblance of real emotion." Yet, Paxman says "for the target audience, namely young females, Lucy and her material should resonate and find its target", but eventually "she may be able to reach a broader base, because the potential is definitely there."

Track listing

Personnel

Tom Bukovac Tom Bukovac is an American session musician and producer. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in nearby Willowick, Ohio. He has been a Nashville-based musician since 1992. He previously owned 2nd Gear, a used music consignment shop in S ...

– electric guitar *

Eric Darken Eric A. Darken is an American percussionist, composer, and programmer. Biography Drawing inspiration from his grandfather, a band leader. Darken began playing drums at age 12, and played timpani and mallets in high school. Darken attended ...

– percussion *

Shannon Forrest Shannon Forrest (born August 22, 1973 in Easley, South Carolina) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. As a session drummer, he has contributed to the work of many well-known artists, and he is also a pr ...

– drums * Paul Franklin – steel guitar *

Aubrey Haynie Aubrey Haynie (born March 27, 1974) is an American bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle and mandolin. In his career, he has recorded three studio albums for the Sugar Hill Records label, all three of which contained mostly songs that he wrot ...

– fiddle * Mike Johnson – steel guitar * Charlie Judge – keyboards *

Chris McHugh Chris McHugh (born 1964) is an American musician. He began his career as the drummer of Christian rock band White Heart from 1986 to 1989. He also worked in the recording of several of their later albums. Chris McHugh is on the Nashville "A" ...

– drums * Jerry McPherson – electric guitar, slide guitar * Jimmy Nichols – keyboards * F. Reid Shippen – percussion *

Jimmie Lee Sloas Jimmie Lee Sloas is an American session musician, producer, and songwriter, who plays bass guitar. History Jimmie Lee Sloas, born in Ashland, Kentucky, grew up in Fairborn, Ohio and Isonville, Kentucky. His father, Dave, was a member of the ...

– bass *

Ilya Toshinsky Bering Strait was a Russian country music band, whose style was sometimes called "redgrass". In 2003, the band was nominated for a Grammy Award and appeared on the TV show ''60 Minutes''. The group disbanded in 2006. The lineup on their first alb ...

– acoustic guitar, ukulele, mandolin *

Jonathan Yudkin Jonathan Yudkin is an American multi-instrumentalist who is a proficient player of banjo, violin, mandolin, and other stringed instruments. He is a Nashville-based session musician, record producer, arranger, and band leader. Biography Growin ...

– fiddle, mandolin, cello ;Backing vocals * Robert Bailey * Sarah Buxton * Perry Coleman * Mike Daly * Fancy Hagood * Vicki Hampton * Wes Hightower * Kim Keyes * Gene Miller * Rachel Reinert * Lucie Silvas * Jenifer Wrinkle

Charts

The album debuted on the ''Billboard'' 200 at No. 14 and No. 4 on the Top Country Albums chart with 18,000 copies sold in the US during its first week. The album has sold 44,000 copies in the US as of August 2014.

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2014 debut albums Lucy Hale albums Hollywood Records albums Albums produced by Mark Bright (record producer)