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This Is Us (Backstreet Boys album)

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This Is Us
Studio album by
Backstreet Boys
ReleasedSeptember 30, 2009
September 30, 2024 (15th Anniversary Edition)
RecordedApril 2008 – July 28, 2009[1]
Studio
GenrePop, electropop
Length40:20
Label
Producer
Backstreet Boys chronology
Unbreakable
(2007) 		This Is Us
(2009) 		Playlist: The Very Best of Backstreet Boys
(2010)
Singles from This Is Us
  1. "Straight Through My Heart"
    Released: August 17, 2009
  2. "Bigger"
    Released: November 29, 2009

This Is Us is the seventh studio album (sixth in the US) from American pop group Backstreet Boys. Serving as a follow-up to Unbreakable (2007), it was released on September 30, 2009[2] in Japan through Sony Music Japan, October 5, 2009 in the UK through RCA, and October 6 in the US.

For the album, the group reunited with previous collaborator and producer Max Martin, with the intention to create their best record since Millennium.[3] They worked with Ryan Tedder, Claude Kelly, Jim Jonsin, RedOne, Ne-Yo, Brian Kennedy, Alex James, Pitbull, Eddie Galan, Rami Yacoub, Kristian Lundin, and T-Pain amongst others for the album as well.[4][5][6]

The album debuted at number 9 on the US Billboard 200 making it their seventh top ten album.[7] RedOne produced the album's lead single "Straight Through My Heart" which was released in August 2009. It was their final album on Jive Records and their last of two albums as a quartet before original member Kevin Richardson rejoined the band in 2012.

Recording and production

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In an interview with Extra TV, the group confirmed the title of their seventh album to be This Is Us.[8] In the official press release RCA/Jive Records describes the album as "a finely crafted R&B and pop album from four talented musicians who love what they do and who maintain the rare relevance in an industry that often disposes of pop acts. The 11 songs that make up album are the sounds of four skilled singers with a similar vision, who have dealt with the trials and tribulations that accompany fame at an early age and who came out as one of the most successful groups of all time. It shows remarkable growth as songwriters and continues to give us songs that has made millions smile."[4]

On May 1, 2009, the Backstreet Boys management team expressed discontent at the fact that four recorded songs had been leaked on the internet. In an interview, AJ McLean said that the group were "P.O.ed that music had leaked especially since extra care had been taken to keep the record secret".[9] In the end, however, the group used the feedback from the leaks to help guide the direction of the album and even the song selection by comparing fan reviews to what producers thought about the songs.[9] It was later revealed in 2011, that songs recorded for This Is Us were targeted by the German hacker, Deniz A., also known as DJ Stolen. In July 2010, the Rasch law firm logged a criminal complaint against DJ Stolen for "constantly placing hacked songs on the internet". Amongst those songs listed in the complaint was one called "Masquerade", described at the time as a new recording by the Backstreet Boys.[10]

Regarding their collaboration with RedOne, McLean remarked that it had been largely a last minute affair. Due to timing, the group was not able to make any recordings with the in-demand producer; however, near to the album's turn-in date, RedOne revealed that he had worked on three songs for the group and was more than willing to collaborate. It was also revealed that there had previously been 5 or 6 songs in the running for the lead single, although a Kevin Borg production titled "PDA" was most likely to be released; however, the RedOne production felt like "it was meant to be".[9] One Tedder song, "Shadows", which was co-written by McLean was written for this album, but failed to make it, so Simon Cowell bought the song for Leona Lewis's second album Echo but in the end felt it more suited for a boyband and it was featured on Westlife's 10th album Where We Are.[11]

Promotion and release

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Tour

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Main article: This Is Us Tour

Release

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The group simultaneously released the standard and deluxe editions of the album. The deluxe edition (limited first edition in Japan) featured a DVD with live performances of previous singles at The O2 Arena in London, along with the music video for the first single.

Singles

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  • The first single "Straight Through My Heart", was premiered on the group's website on August 17 and released to radio the following day. It peaked at number 3 on the Japan Hot 100 and 18 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It was certified platinum in Japan.
  • The second single "Bigger" was released in the UK on December 14, 2009[12] and released in the US on February 1, 2010 in AC radios.[13]

Other songs

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  • "Helpless" serves as the United Kingdom bonus track to the album and features vocals from Cuban-American rapper Pitbull who performs the third verse to the song.
  • "International Luv" serves as one of the japanese bonus tracks to the album and is produced by American R&B singer T-Pain who also produces "She's A Dream" on the album.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic67/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
Billboardpositive[16]
Entertainment WeeklyB[17]
Los Angeles Times[18]
Slant Magazine[19]
Toronto Star[20]

This is Us received generally favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 67, based on 5 reviews.[14]

AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine found the album's hooks more attention-grabbing than Unbreakable and the production more modern than pandering compared to New Kids on the Block's The Block, concluding that "the group sounds great for their age, and they sound like they're at their peak – which is no guarantee of a hit, but it sure makes for a better album than they've produced in quite a while."[15] Mikael Wood of Entertainment Weekly praised the album for bringing back the band's old teen-pop sound with new producers and delivering them with confident vocals.[17] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard admired the band's "foray into throbbing electronica" mixed in with the typical pop fare, concluding that it "may be a stepping stone in ushering [Backstreet Boys] away from their days on pop radio and firmly through the club door."[16]

August Brown of the Los Angeles Times gave credit to the band for continuing to deliver catchy tracks but ultimately called the album "a competent but very late-adopted pop-trance slurry."[18] John Terauds of the Toronto Star noted that the tracks have an '80s influence to them but said that "nothing sounds truly original." He also added that it will appeal only to diehard fans of the band.[20] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine criticized the album's producers for crafting songs that range from retreads of other songs ("Straight Through My Heart", "If I Knew Then" and "Undone") to "flat-out embarrassing" ("She's a Dream" and "P.D.A."), concluding that, "No matter how strong their voices might remain and no matter how sincere they may be about keeping their career going, Backstreet Boys' collaborators have failed them here."[19]

Commercial performance

[edit]

This Is Us debuted and peaked at number nine on the US Billboard 200 the week of October 24, 2009 with 42,000 copies sold, making Backstreet Boys the first group to have its first seven charted albums in the top 10 of the chart since Sade.[21][22] In its second week, Billboard reported that the sales dropped by 79.8% to 8,000 units and the album moved to number sixty four on the Billboard 200.[21] It was present on the chart for five weeks.[21] As of June 2011, the album has sold 98,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.[23]

In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number thirty-nine on the UK Albums Chart, the week of October 17, 2009 and remained on the chart for only a week.[24]

Track listing

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Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Straight Through My Heart"Nadir Khayat, Bilal Hajji, Novel Jannusi, AJ Jannusi, Kinnda HamidRedOne3:27
2."Bigger"Max Martin, Shellback, Tiffany AmberMartin, Shellback3:15
3."Bye Bye Love"Soulshock and Karlin, Claude KellySoulshock & Karlin4:20
4."All of Your Life (You Need Love)"RedOne, Charles Hinshaw, Jr.RedOne3:55
5."If I Knew Then"Kenneth Karlin, Carsten Schack, Claude KellySoulshock & Karlin3:16
6."This Is Us"Jordan Omley, Michael Mani, James Scheffer, Frank Romano, Howie DoroughJim Jonsin, Jordan Omley, Michael Mani3:03
7."PDA"Printz Board, Mario "Tex" JamesPrintz Board3:48
8."Masquerade"Busbee, Brian Kennedy, Alex James, Antwoine CollinsBrian Kennedy, Collins3:03
9."She's a Dream"Nick Carter, T-Pain, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, AJ McLean, Daen SimmonsT-Pain, Mr. Pyro3:58
10."Shattered"Jordan "infinity" Suecof, Tiyon "TC" Mack, Chad "C-Note" Roper, Daryl CamperEmanuel Kiriakou3:53
11."Undone"Troy Johnson, Ryan Tedder, Josh HogeJohnson, Tedder4:14
UK bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Helpless" (featuring Pitbull)Jordan Omley, James Scheffer, Frank Romano, Michael Mani, Armando PerezJim Jonsin3:31
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."International Luv"Nick Carter, T-Pain, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, AJ McLeanT-Pain3:17
13."Straight Through My Heart" (Jason Nevins Mixshow Remix)  5:35
Tour edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."International Luv"Nick Carter, T-Pain, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, AJ McLeanT-Pain3:17
13."Helpless" (featuring Pitbull)Jordan Omley, James Scheffer, Frank Romano, Michael Mani, Armando PerezJim Jonsin3:31
14."On Without You"David Siegel, James Scheffer, Jordan Omley, Mike ManiJonsin3:37
15."Straight Through My Heart" (Jason Nevins Mixshow Remix)  5:35
Deluxe edition bonus DVD: Backstreet Boys - Live at the O2
No.TitleNotesLength
1."I Want It That Way"Live 
2."Inconsolable"Live 
3."The One"Live 
4."The Call"Live 
5."Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"Live 
6."Shape of My Heart"Live 
7."Straight Through My Heart"Music video 
Tour edition bonus DVD
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Straight Through My Heart"Music video 
2."Straight Through My Heart"Making of the video 
3."Bigger"Music video 
4."Behind the Scenes in Tokyo 2009"Documentary 

Personnel

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Credits adapted from album’s liner notes.[25]

Backstreet Boys

Additional personnel

  • Nathaniel Alford – assistant engineer (track 7)
  • Printz Board – producer, arranger, and instruments (track 7)
  • Al Clay – engineer (track 2)
  • Antwoine "T-Wiz" Collins – co-producer and additional programming (track 8)
  • Martin Cooke – engineer (track 1)
  • Tom Coyne – mastering
  • Michael Daley – mixing assistant (track 8)
  • Craig Durrance – engineer (track 7)
  • Chris Galland – assistant engineer (track 2)
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing (tracks 2, 3, 5)
  • John Hanes – additional Pro Tools engineering (tracks 2, 3, 5)
  • Ghazi Hourani – mixing assistant (track 9)
  • Novel Janussi – instruments (track 1)
  • Troy "Radio" Johnson – producer, vocal producer, engineer, and instruments (track 11)
  • Jim Jonsin – producer, keyboards, and drum programming (track 6)
  • Jaycen Joshua – mixing (tracks 7, 10)
  • Kenneth Karlin – producer, arranger, and instruments (tracks 3, 5)
  • Claude Kelly – additional vocal production and backing vocals (tracks 3, 5)
  • Brian Kennedy – producer and instruments (track 8)
  • Emanuel Kiriakou – producer, instruments, and programming (track 10)
  • Kristian Lundin – additional vocal production (track 8)
  • Bill Malina – engineer (tracks 3, 5)
  • Mike Mani – producer and additional keyboards (track 6), vocal producer (track 11)
  • Fabian Marasciullo – mixing (track 9)
  • Rob Marks – engineer and mixing (track 6)
  • Max Martin – producer, engineer, and keyboards (track 2)
  • AJ Nunez – mixing assistant (track 7)
  • Jordan Omley – producer (track 6), vocal producer (track 11)
  • Robert Orton – mixing (tracks 1, 4)
  • Brent Paschke – engineer (track 10)
  • David Pensado – mixing (tracks 7, 11)
  • Mr. Pyro – producer (track 9)
  • RedOne – producer, engineer, instruments, programming, vocal arrangements, and vocal editing (tracks 1, 4)
  • Eric Rennaker – assistant engineer (track 6)
  • Tim Roberts – assistant Pro Tools engineer (tracks 2, 3, 5)
  • Frank Romano – guitar (track 6)
  • Dave Russel – mixing (track 8)
  • Johnny Severin – vocal editing (tracks 1, 4)
  • Shellback – engineer, guitar, bass, and drums (track 2)
  • Soulshock – producer, arranger, and instruments (tracks 3, 5)
  • T-Pain – producer (track 9)
  • Sean Tallman – engineer (track 8)
  • Ryan Tedder – co-producer (track 11)
  • Pat Thrall – editing (track 10)
  • Javier Valverde – engineer (track 9)
  • Jason Wilkie – assistant engineer (track 6)
  • Andrew Wuepper – mixing assistant (track 7)

Charts

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Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[26] 35
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[27] 47
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] 27
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[29] 47
Brazilian Albums (ABPD)[30] 9
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[31] 3
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[32] 31
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[33] 5
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[34] 24
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[35] 10
Irish Albums (IRMA)[36] 24
Italian Albums (FIMI)[37] 21
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[38] 2
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[39] 12
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[40] 17
Scottish Albums (OCC)[41] 48
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[42] 5
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[43] 17
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[44] 9
UK Albums (OCC)[45] 39
US Billboard 200[46] 9

Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[47] Platinum 250,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Silver 60,000‡
United States — 98,000[23]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Format Date Label Catalog
Japan Standard edition[2] September 30, 2009 Sony Music Japan BVCP40100
Deluxe edition[49] BVCP40098
United Kingdom Standard edition,[50] October 5, 2009 RCA Records[9] 88697596182
Deluxe edition[51] 88697580882
United States Standard edition October 6, 2009 Jive Records 886975650422
Deluxe edition
Canada Standard edition[52] Sony Music Entertainment 88697565042
Deluxe edition[53] 88697580882
Taiwan Deluxe edition October 9, 2009 88697580882
Brazil Standard edition[54] October 15, 2009 886975961825

References

[edit]
Notes
  1. ^ "Backstreet Boys' Biography". BackstreetBoys.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-13. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  2. ^ a b "This Is Us(Normal Edition)【CD】-Backstreet Boys｜Dance｜Dance & Soul｜Music｜HMV ONLINE Online Shopping & Information Site". Hmv.co.jp. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
  3. ^ "Backstreet Boys At Work On New Album, Solo Disks". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  4. ^ a b "PR Newswire Press Release". News.prnewswire.com. 2009-07-28. Archived from the original on 2009-10-01. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
  5. ^ "Backstreet Boys At Work On New Album, Solo Disks. Billboard.com. July 24, 2008". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  6. ^ "Backstreet Boys This Is Us Review". Prefix. Prefix Media, Inc. Archived from the original on June 19, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  7. ^ "Never Gone - Backstreet Boys". Billboard. 2005-07-02. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  8. ^ Warner Bros. Online. "Extra TV Exclusive". Extratv.warnerbros.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
  9. ^ a b c d "Digispy: Interview with AJ McLean about new BSB". Digital Spy. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
  10. ^ Dahlkamp, Jürgen (27 January 2011). "Lady Gaga, Ke$ha and the German Hacker Heist". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  11. ^ "Music - News - Westlife 'given Leona Lewis song'". Digital Spy. 2009-10-20. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  12. ^ Praxis Media. "Radio1 Rodos Greece ::: UK Forthcoming Singles ::: Charts, DJ Promos, Dance, Lyrics, Free Mp3 Samples Downloads". Radio1.gr. Archived from the original on 2018-04-05. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  13. ^ backstreetboys. "Twitter / backstreetboys: Bigger going to Hot AC rad". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  14. ^ a b "Reviews for This Is Us by Backstreet Boys". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
  15. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "This Is Us - Backstreet Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  16. ^ a b Billboard (October 3, 2009). "The Billboard Reviews: Albums". Billboard. Vol. 121. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 32. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  17. ^ a b Wood, Mikael (September 30, 2009). "This Is Us". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  18. ^ a b Brown, August (October 6, 2009). "Backstreet Boys - This Is Us". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
  19. ^ a b Keefe, Jonathan (October 7, 2009). "Backstreet Boys: This Is Us". Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
  20. ^ a b Terauds, John (October 6, 2009). "CD Pick of the Week: Backstreet Boys". Toronto Star. Star Media Group. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  21. ^ a b c "Tall Falls: How The Mighty Drop (From The Top 10)". Billboard — April 2-9, 2011. 2–9 April 2011. p. 41. Retrieved September 23, 2017. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  22. ^ Trust, Gary (October 15, 2009). "Chart Beat Thursday: Michael Buble, Michael Jackson, Kiss". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-09-23. "This Is Us" debuts at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, making Backstreet Boys the first group to send its first seven charted albums to the top 10 since Sade, whose all seven career entries between 1985 and 2002 have made the top tier.
  23. ^ a b Trust, Gary (June 5, 2011). "Ask Billboard: Home Charts Edition". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-09-23.
  24. ^ "Backstreet Boys | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
  25. ^ This Is Us (booklet). Jive. 2009.
  26. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Backstreet Boys – This Is Us". Hung Medien.
  27. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Backstreet Boys – This Is Us" (in German). Hung Medien.
  28. ^ "Ultratop.be – Backstreet Boys – This Is Us" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  29. ^ "Ultratop.be – Backstreet Boys – This Is Us" (in French). Hung Medien.
  30. ^ "ABPD CD - TOP 10 Semanal". (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  31. ^ "Backstreet Boys Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  32. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Backstreet Boys – This Is Us". Hung Medien.
  33. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Backstreet Boys – This Is Us" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  34. ^ "Backstreet Boys: This Is Us" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  35. ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
  36. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 41, 2009". Chart-Track. IRMA.
  37. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Backstreet Boys – This Is Us". Hung Medien.
  38. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2009-10-12" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  39. ^ "Mexicancharts.com – Backstreet Boys – This Is Us". Hung Medien.
  40. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Backstreet Boys – This Is Us". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  41. ^ "Scottish Album Charts". Official Charts Company.com. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
  42. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Backstreet Boys – This Is Us". Hung Medien.
  43. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Backstreet Boys – This Is Us". Hung Medien.
  44. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Backstreet Boys – This Is Us". Hung Medien.
  45. ^ "Backstreet Boys | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  46. ^ "Backstreet Boys Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  47. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Backstreet Boys – This Is Us" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2010年11月 on the drop-down menu
  48. ^ "British album certifications – Backstreet Boys – This Is Us". British Phonographic Industry.
  49. ^ "This Is Us(+DVD, Limited (First Edition))【CD】-Backstreet Boys｜Dance｜Dance & Soul｜Music｜HMV ONLINE Online Shopping & Information Site". Hmv.co.jp. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
  50. ^ "This Is Us: Backstreet Boys: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
  51. ^ "This Is Us: Deluxe Edition: Backstreet Boys: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
  52. ^ "Music: This is Us by Backstreet Boys (2009)". HMV.ca. Retrieved September 30, 2009.[dead link‍]
  53. ^ "Music: This is Us : 2SET by Backstreet Boys (2009)". HMV.ca. Retrieved September 30, 2009.[dead link‍]
  54. ^ "Brazilian release date". saraiva.com.br. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
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