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Michael Lynche (album)

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Michael Lynche
Studio album by
Michael Lynche
ReleasedAugust 14, 2012 (2012-08-14)[1]
GenreR&B
Length50:05
LabelBig3
ProducerRob Chiarelli, Gharah Degeddingseze, Bill Edwards, Jamie Jones, Lynche, D'myreo Mitchell, Monte Neuble, Jason Pennock, Preach, Wayne Rodrigues, Tim Stewart
Singles from Michael Lynche
  1. "Who's Gonna Love You More"
    Released: May 15, 2012
  2. "Today"
    Released: July 30, 2012

Michael Lynche is the self-titled debut album of R&B artist Michael Lynche. It was released by independent label Big3 Records on August 14, 2012, two years after Lynche placed fourth on the ninth season of American Idol. Lynche holds co-writing credits on all of its original songs. He collaborated with songwriters Charlie Brown, Rob Chiarelli, Maria Christensen Gharah Degeddingseze, David Glass, Jamie Jones, D'myreo Mitchell, Monte Neuble, Jason Pennock, Wayne Rodrigues, Tim Stewart, Ryan Tedder, and Ronnie Walton. Lynche also served as a producer on the album, along with Chiarelli, Degeddingseze, Jones, Mitchell, Neuble, Pennock, Rodrigues, Stewart, Bill Edwards, and Preach. In addition to twelve original songs, the album includes a cover of "This Woman's Work" by Kate Bush - a song that Lynche had performed while competing on American Idol.

The album was critically acclaimed. "Who's Gonna Love You More" was released as the lead single off of the album in May 2012; a music video and a lyric video of the song were both released in August. The album's second single, "Today" was released in July, and a lyric video of it was released in August.

Writing and recording

[edit]

The album took eighteen months to produce. Lynche signed with Big3 Records (an independent label based in his hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida) in September 2011; although by that time, he had already been working on an album for about half-a-year.[2][3][4][5][6] Thirteen tracks are included, of which twelve are original songs; these were chosen from around thirty. Also included is a cover of Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work", which Lynche had performed on American Idol. Lynche co-wrote all of the original songs and also served as one of the album's producers.[6][7] He has said that "finding the starting point for a song is always the hardest part."[8] For ideas, he would keep a log in which he wrote down sayings and pieces of conversation that seemed interesting to him.[8] He has said that Big3 Records never put any time restraints on him and gave him total creative freedom over the album. Lynche often chose to return to songs to rewrite, reproduce, or remix them, feeling that there was a perfect version to achieve for each one.[6]

Lynche said that he tried to be more than just "Mr. R&B man" on the album, and that he did not want the album to only contain "old soul" music.[6] Rather, he incorporated several diverse musical styles, saying, "I wanted to include a fun soul thing, a late-night R&B heavy thing, and something that morphs into an acoustic soul sound."[8] The album explores Lynche's views on the various aspects of love, and many of the songs were inspired by his relationship with his wife.[2][9] The album's first single, "Who's Gonna Love You More" was co-written with Jamie Jones and Jason Pennock - Jones is one of the lead singers of R&B/pop group All-4-One; Pennock has worked as a producer for All-4-One and is a part of Big3 Records.[6][10][11] The song, which has been likened to the music of Luther Vandross, is in Lynche's own words, "a song about that declaration of love for whoever it is, your man, your woman, your partner, whoever it is. It’s saying that there’s nobody on this earth that’s going to love you like I love you."[6][8] Pennock co-wrote seven of the album's other songs with Lynche, including "Love Is You", which Lynche has called one of his favorites on the album. Lynche said that the song started "in a small place", but developed into something much larger over time.[12] Lynche also explored love from the perspective of a parent with the song "Baby Boo", which he wrote for his daughter Laila.[2][9] Among Lynche's other collaborators on the album was dance-pop group 3rd Party's lead singer Maria Christensen, whom he had met while he was in New York before he tried out for American Idol.[8][13][14] Christensen co-wrote the empowerment song "Somebody Save Me."[1][15] The final song on the album, "Unstoppable," is about faith.[15] Lynche co-wrote three songs with American Idol season 2 winner Ruben Studdard, although none of these were ultimately included on the album.[9]

Singles

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The album's first single, "Who's Gonna Love You More" was released on May 15, 2012, and debuted on Urban AC radio on the twenty-first.[16] It began at number 36 on the Adult R&B chart, and peaked at number 25 in September. The song also reached number 84 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[17][18] A music video for the song was released on August 8, and a lyric video was released on August 14.[19][20][21]

The album's second single, "Today" was released to AC radio and smooth jazz radio on July 30, 2012.[22][23] It became the most added song that week on the Smooth Jazz chart and the second most added song that week on the AC chart.[citation needed] It was released digitally on August 7.[24] A lyric video of the song was released on August 15.[25]

Reception

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One would be hard-pressed to find a debut that’s as focused and full of finesse as this CD is. He may have lost out on the American Idol crown, but Michael Lynche will convince anyone listening that it isn’t a game of checkers he’s playing, it’s chess…and the man is poised to win.

— Melody Charles in a review for soultracks.com.[15]

Melody Charles of soultracks.com highly recommended the album and praised Lynche for taking a unique approach from other modern R&B artists. Discussing "Intoxicated" and "Speechless", she wrote that Lynche displays "increasingly rare facets in urbanized love songs: awe and vulnerability about his lady that aren’t restricted to how well she happens to fill out a dress."[15] Charles noted that even when the album takes on sexual tones, as with "Lovers Symphony" and "Sex", Lynche chooses to emphasize sensuality, rather than sexual objectification. She felt that "Baby Boo" showed Lynche to be more versatile than many of his musical contemporaries, and considered his cover of Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work" to be "worth the price of an iTunes upload all by itself."[15] Brinda Fuller Willis of the Jackson Advocate considered Lynche's vocal abilities superior to many current singers. She wrote that the album evokes similarities to Barry White and contains "some of the best R & B love songs on the market today."[26] In her view, the album shows that Lynche has successfully "tapped into his own niche as a crooner of love."[26]

In a review for Lynche's hometown newspaper, the Tampa Bay Times, Sean Daly compared Lynche to Luther Vandross, Barry White, and Al Green, and praised Lynch "for not copycatting the radio."[7] Although Daly felt that "Today" and "Unstoppable" were "underwritten" and "cliche", he singled out first single "Who's Gonna Love You More", "This Woman's Work", "Sex", and "Crazy Gina" for praise, comparing the latter song to the music of Prince.[7] Daly concluded that Lynche "could truly be a star someday."[7] Guitar World writer James Woods gave the album a positive review on his blog. He called Michael Lynche "a sonically rich and lyrically inviting debut album", and felt that it perfectly combines elements of R&B, hip-hop, and jazz.[27]

Somewhat less positive was Stephen Thomas Erlewine, writing for Allmusic, who gave the album two-and-a-half stars out of five. He called "Crazy Gina" one of the album's "liveliest numbers" and complimented Lyche's falsetto, but felt that the "seductive groove album" approach meant that none of the songs were able to "really pop out."[28]

Soultracks.com listed Michael Lynche as an honorable mention in its list of the best albums of 2012.[29]

Mark Franklin of the York Dispatch's blog Idol Chatter chose "Crazy Gina" as the eighth best 2012 song by an American Idol alumni. He called it "a funky delight" and suggested that Lynche's follow-up album should contain more songs like it.[30]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Crazy Gina"Jamie Jones, Michael Lynche, Monte Neuble, Jason Pennock, Tim Stewart4:03
2."Intoxicated"Lynche, Ryan Tedder3:05
3."Who's Gonna Love You More"Jones, Lynche, Pennock4:01
4."Speechless"Gharah Degeddingseze, Lynche, Pennock4:32
5."Love Is You"Lynche, Pennock3:28
6."Fragile"Lynche, Ronnie Walton3:19
7."Lovers Symphony"Lynche, D'myreo Mitchell, Pennock5:21
8."Sex"Lynche, Pennock2:59
9."This Woman's Work"Kate Bush4:06
10."Baby Boo"Charlie Brown, David Glass, Lynche, Wayne Rodrigues4:12
11."Today"Lynche, Pennock, Walton3:48
12."Somebody Save Me"Rob Chiarelli, Maria Christensen, Lynche3:51
13."Unstoppable"Lynche, Pennock, Walton3:18

Personnel

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Charts

[edit]

Singles

[edit]
Year Title Peak chart positions
US
Adult
R&B
[32] 		US R&B
/HH
[33]
2012 "Who's Gonna Love You More" 25 84
"Today" — —

References

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  1. ^ a b "Michael Lynche Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Lindsay Deutsch (June 7, 2011). "Where are they now? 'American Idol' Season 9's Michael Lynche". Idol Chatter. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  3. ^ Michael Lynche (September 30, 2011). "@BigMikeLynche". Twitter. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  4. ^ "Big3 Opens Doors In Nashville". Music Dish. September 30, 2005. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  5. ^ Sean Daly; Michelle Stark; Sharon Kennedy Wynne (February 4, 2010). "St. Pete native Michael Lynche shown auditioning on American Idol Wednesday". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on July 17, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Thomas Leo (August 3, 2012). "Interview: Former American Idol Standout "Big Mike" Lynche Talks Life After Idol and Debut Album". youknowitgotsoul.com. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d Sean Daly (August 15, 2012). "Review: Michael Lynche still has 'American Idol' shine on debut album". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c d e Kevin Zimmerman (Fall 2012). "Michael Lynche Takes His Turn In The Spotlight". SESAC Magazine. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  9. ^ a b c Brennan Williams (June 29, 2012). "Michael Lynche, 'American Idol' Finalist, Talks Debut Album, 90-Pound Weight Loss And Fatherhood". Huffington Post. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  10. ^ "The People". big3studios.com. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  11. ^ "Jason Pennock". Allmusic. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  12. ^ Mariah Craddick (August 23, 2012). "'IDOL' FAVORITE 'BIG MIKE' LYNCHE DISHES ON DEBUT DISC". Jet. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  13. ^ "Maria Christensen Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  14. ^ "3rd Party Alive Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  15. ^ a b c d e Melody Charles. "Michael Lynche - Michael Lynche". soultracks.com. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  16. ^ "American Idol Finalist Michael Lynche "Big Mike" Set To Release Debut Single "Who's Gonna Love You More" On May 15" (PDF) (Press release). Big3 Records. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  17. ^ "Bubbling Under: Marina & the Diamonds Shine". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  18. ^ Fred Bronson (September 13, 2012). "'American Idol' on the Charts: Kelly Clarkson Begins Her Second Decade on The Hot 100". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  19. ^ "WHO'S GONNA LOVE YOU MORE MUSIC VIDEO". michaellyncheofficial.com. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  20. ^ Michael Lynche "Who's Gonna Love You More". August 8, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  21. ^ Michael Lynche Who's Gonna Love You More [Lyric Video]. August 14, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  22. ^ "SECOND SINGLE "TODAY" IMPACTS AC AND SMOOTH JAZZ RADIO". michaellyncheofficial.com. July 30, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  23. ^ Michael Lynche (August 1, 2012). "@BigMikeLynche". Twitter. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  24. ^ "Today - Single". iTunes. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  25. ^ Michael Lynche "Today" [Lyric Video]. August 15, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  26. ^ a b Brinda Fuller Willis. "Michael Lynche asks 'Who's Gonna Love You More'". Jackson Advocate. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  27. ^ James Wood. "About Me". gojimmygo.net. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  28. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". Allmusic. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  29. ^ "Our Critics Pick the Best of 2012". soultracks.com. December 14, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  30. ^ Mark Franklin (January 10, 2013). "2012 in Review: The best Idol songs". Idol Chatter. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  31. ^ "Michael Lynche credits". Allmusic. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  32. ^ "Chart History: Michael Lynche (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  33. ^ "Chart History: Michael Lynche (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
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