''The Blessed Unrest'' is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles ( ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. Bareilles has earned various accolades, including ...
. The album was released on July 16, 2013 through
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...
. The lead single from the album, "
Brave
Brave(s) or The Brave(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Brave, an adjective for one who possesses courage
* Braves (Native Americans), a Euro-American stereotype for Native American warriors
Film and television
* ''Brave'' (1994 film), a concept ...
", was released digitally on April 23, 2013.
The album debuted at number two on the US
''Billboard'' 200, selling 68,000 copies in its first week. The album was certified
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA).
At the
56th Annual Grammy Awards
The 56th Annual Grammy Awards presentation was held on January 26, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT and was hosted for the third time by LL Cool J. The show was moved to January to avoid co ...
, the album was nominated for the
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is an award presented by the The Recording Academy, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the r ...
.
Background
On February 26, 2013, Bareilles posted a video on YouTube stating that she was "Making a Record" and to "stay tuned for more updates." Following this, a video series began with featuring six 2-minute installments showing Bareilles recording her album. On July 9, a week before the release, Bareilles made the album available for free streaming on
iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
.
Songs on this album are reflections of Bareilles' experiences, like going through a break-up.
Recording
''The Blessed Unrest'' was recorded in New York City and Los Angeles in early 2013 with co-producers John O'Mahony and Kurt Uenala.
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer. It was completed by 1970. Hendrix ...
was used to record the tracks in New York City.
Promotion
On March 27, Bareilles announced the Brave Enough Tour, an 18 city US tour ahead of the album's release.
Tickets to the solo acoustic tour sold out in just three minutes.
In June, Bareilles also announced a co-headlining tour with
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado, formed in 2002. The lineup currently consists of Ryan Tedder (lead vocals, piano), Zach Filkins (guitar, viola), Drew Brown (musician), Drew Brown (guitar), Brent Kutzle ( ...
, setting to begin on August 29.
Sara performed "Brave" and "
I Choose You" on ''
Live! with Kelly and Michael
''Live with Kelly and Mark'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts sinc ...
'' on July 17, 2013. She performed "Brave" on ''
The Tonight Show
''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...
'' with
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno ( ; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show'' from 1992 until 200 ...
on July 19, 2013, appeared on the
VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown
''The 20'' (formerly known as the ''VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown'') is a weekly music video countdown television show that aired on the VH1 cable television network in the United States. The long-running show was first introduced in 1994 as ''VH1 T ...
on July 20, 2013, and on ''
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the The Late Late Show (American talk show), ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airi ...
'' on July 22, 2013.
Singles
"Brave" was released on April 23, 2013 as the lead single from the album. It was co-written by
Jack Antonoff
Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is the lead vocalist of the rock band Bleachers, and previously the guitarist and drummer for the pop band Fun and the lead vocalist of t ...
from the band
Fun. An official lyric video was premiered on April 17, 2013.
The song debuted at number 61 at the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, and number 20 on its
Hot Digital Songs
The Digital Song Sales (previously named Digital Songs and Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Luminate and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally started tracking so ...
chart. Following widespread comparisons to
Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...
's "
Roar
A roar is a type of animal vocalization that is loud, deep and resonating. Many mammals have evolved to produce roars and other roar-like vocals for purposes such as long-distance communication and intimidation. These include various species of ...
", "Brave" re-entered the Hot 100 and eventually reached number 23 and number five on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs. The song has received positive reviews, many deeming it as one of her most "anthemic" singles to date.
"I Choose You" was announced on January 17, 2014 as the second single through Bareilles's Twitter's account. The song reached number 81 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 16 on Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart. Bareilles released the accompanying video on her YouTube channel on May 5, 2014.
Music and lyrics
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
told that the music is "moody and textured, rolling out at a deliberate pace and colored in blues and greys, skillfully skirting the edges of alienation".
At ''
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 ...
'', Jason Lipshutz felt that the album is "exciting when viewed in its larger context as a transitional album; the 12-song collection has its share of light fare that could earn spins on adult contemporary radio, but it's also more lyrically daring and serious-sounding".
Elysa Garnder of ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' stated that the release's "lingering traces of preciousness are mitigated by her sinewy hooks and thoughtful, tasteful delivery."
At ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'', they said Bareilles is "channeling
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She released five albums from 1996 to 2020, all of which reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 chart. As of 2021, she has sold over ...
and
".
At ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'', Stacey Anderson touched on that "''The Blessed Unrest'' is full of broad, exposition-heavy vignettes of heartache and resiliency; the songs feel groomed for rom-com soundtracks."
Jon Caramanica of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' felt that "vocally, Ms. Bareilles sounds bright, too, and comfortable
..doing her familiar trick of making the melancholy chirp."
Critical reception
''The Blessed Unrest'' received generally positive reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, they assign a
weighted average score based on reviews and ratings from selected mainstream critics, and the Metascore is a 68, based on seven reviews.
At AbsolutePunk, Craig Manning felt that Bareilles built "the sort of stunning and nuanced arrangements that elevate her songs beyond traditional singer/songwriter fare."
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted that "its melancholy is warm and inviting."
At ''Billboard'', Jason Lipshutz evoked that the "new album was the result of unrest, but as its title suggests, she has positively embraced her dissatisfaction and subsequently grown as an artist."
Elysa Gardner of ''USA Today'' called this Bareilles' "most mature and satisfying to date, with fewer of the twee touches that marred her previous fare."
At ''Entertainment Weekly'', they said the album is " a lovely collection of confessional sketches."
However, Stacey Anderson at ''Rolling Stone'' highlighted that the release "hints at more adventurous paths left unexplored in its abstract piano and slightly distorted harmonies
..odd, intriguing tools she could use for a second-act career twist, if she indulges them."
Because of this, Anderson noted that Bareilles was "just too diplomatic."
At ''The New York Times'', Jon Caramanica was mixed on the album, when he alluded to how "Ms. Bareilles is hiding behind styles that aren’t her own."
Brett Faulkner of
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
wrote that the release is a "well conceived effort, but not sans flaws."
Commercial performance
''The Blessed Unrest'' debuted at number two on the US
''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 68,000 copies in its first week.
This became Bareilles' fourth consecutive US top-ten album.
For the year of 2013, the album was ranked at number 134 on the ''Billboard'' 200-year-end album charts.
On June 2, 2016, the album was certified
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) for combined sales and
album-equivalent unit
The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...
s of over 500,000 units in the United States.
Track listing
All tracks written by
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles ( ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. Bareilles has earned various accolades, including ...
, except where noted.
The track listing was confirmed via iTunes on May 14.
Personnel
;Musicians
* Sara Bareilles - vocals, piano,
Wurlitzer organ
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
, keyboards
* Colette Alexander - cello
* Jason Blynn - guitar
*
Mark Endert
Mark Philip Endert (born January 17, 1971) is an American record producer and audio engineer. Best known for his work with alternative rock bands, he has won a Grammy Award from two nominations.
Biography
From the early 1990s to the present, End ...
- production,
programming
Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to:
Business and management
* Program m ...
, keyboards,
mixing
* Mary-Katherine Finch - cello
* Graham Finn - guitar
* Cochemea Gastelum -
baritone saxophone
The baritone saxophone (sometimes abbreviated to "bari sax") is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass saxophone, bass. It is the lowe ...
* Dave Guy - trumpet
* Rich Hinman - guitar,
pedal steel
The pedal steel guitar is a console steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings, enabling more varied and complex music to be played than with other steel guitar designs. Like all steel guitars, it can play ...
*
Todor Kobakov
Todor Kobakov (born September 19, 1978) is a Bulgarian-Canadian composer, producer, arranger and pianist based in Toronto, Ontario. He is best known for his film score for Brother, directed by Clement Virgo, his solo album, Pop Music, and his mu ...
- conductor, horn arrangements, string arrangements
* Csaba Koczo - violin
* Brian Kornfeld - drum programming technician
* Lyn Kuo - violin
*
Chris Morrissey - bass
* Brian O'Kane - trumpet
* Stacey Proffitt -
background vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...
* Curt Schneider - bass
* Sarab Singh - drums, percussion
*
Aaron Sterling
Aaron Sterling (born July 9, 1980) is an American drummer, producer, engineer, and session musician who lives in Los Angeles and Nashville, Tennessee. The son of professional musicians, Sterling grew up in Texas and Nashville, before moving to L ...
- drums, percussion
* Cameron Stone - cello
*
Neal Sugarman -
tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...
* Yosef Tamir - viola
*
Kevin Turcotte - trombone
*
Richard Underhill -
alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...
*
Michael Ward - guitar
* Kurt Uenala – bass
;Production
* Mastered - Greg Calbi
* Producer - John O'Mahony,
Mark Endert
Mark Philip Endert (born January 17, 1971) is an American record producer and audio engineer. Best known for his work with alternative rock bands, he has won a Grammy Award from two nominations.
Biography
From the early 1990s to the present, End ...
(tracks: 1, 2, 9), Sara Bareilles
* Additional producer - Kurt Uenala (tracks: 3, 5, 7, 10 – 12)
* Recording assistants - Alex DeGroot, John Horne, Phil Joly, Geoff Neal, Dave Rowland, Alex Williams, Sadaharu Yagi
* Art direction - Holly Adams, Matt Taylor
* Digital Editing - Doug Johnson, Ian Shea
* Horn & string engineer - Jeremy Darby
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blessed Unrest
2013 albums
Sara Bareilles albums
Epic Records albums
Albums recorded at Electric Lady Studios