Hear Me Now (Secondhand Serenade album)
Encyclopedia
Hear Me Now is Secondhand Serenade
's third studio album, released on August 3, 2010. In a recent interview, John Vesely stated that the new record will be more upbeat than his last album, which focused on relationships. The album debuted at #42 on the Billboard 200, 2 slots prior to his 2008 release "A Twist in My Story
", making his highest chart debut on Billboard 200.
The progression reflects his life as both a musician and family man. "I grew up really, really quickly," he says. "I had my first child when I was 20 years old. That's all a part of becoming mature. I had to mature quickly, and very early on ... I have these little kids that rely on me to take care of them. And there's no bigger drive you can possibly have than actual people relying on you." -John Vesely
(The Fray
) at Swing House studios in Los Angeles, the other three, "You & I", "Hear Me Now" and the first single, "Something More
", were produced by John Vesely himself along with Secondhand drummer Tom Breyfogle at Vesely's home studio and mixed by Mark Endert
(Train
, Maroon 5
). The second single is said to be You & I ft: Cady Groves and the 3rd single has been hinted as the title track Ft: Juliet Simms
Hear Me Now (Bonus Track Edition)
"Sound In The Signals" magazine gave the album a mixed review "Overall, I would say it is a decent pop album. Vesely definitely isn't breaking any new ground and isn't the most original songwriter. The lyrics at times feel weak and in certain spots are a little too repetitive (see “World Turns), but lyrically it has shiny spots. I don't want to be too hard on the album. I always look forward to Secondhand Serenade albums in the same way I always looked forward to An Angle albums. I'm always waiting for the moment when the influences the artists draw from shed away and the artists start to shine as themselves.
Andrew Leahey from Allmusic gave the album 2 stars: "Hear Me Now still clings to Dashbooard Confessional’s downtrodden template, with all 11 tracks subscribing to the notion that a song isn’t worth singing unless it involves heartbreak and defeatist lyrics." "Hear Me Now isn’t offensive; it’s just predictable and anonymous, since none of these songs offer up anything that Secondhand Serenade’s Warped Tour comrades haven’t already done with their own albums."
also gave the album 2 stars: "“Hear Me Now” is characterized by mediocre emo-pop ballads and a heaping of the most stereotypical, tear-your-heart-out-in-the-middle-school-bathroom sound imaginable, but there are surprising moments that manage to transcend the tackiness."
J. Edward Keyes from Rolling Stone followed the trend in giving the album a 2 star rating: "The tone of penitence and isolation continue throughout the entirety of "Hear Me Now", with Vesely contemplating loneliness both romantic ("Only Hope") and existential ("Is There Anybody Out There?").
Sputnik Music gave the album 2 stars (out of 10), "There are too many dull and forgettable moments, too many attempts at emotional grandeur, and too few sincere attempts at “shaking things up.” Unfortunately for Secondhand Serenade, their sound is not good enough to repeat to this extent and outside of a select few moments, very little on Hear Me Now qualifies as new."
Gregory Robson from Absolute Punk gave the album an 71/100 rating, "While it's not exactly an album of the year candidate, there's enough radio fodder and at least a few hints at the possibility of another platinum-selling single. While Veseley has gone on record as admitting that Hear Me Now would focus less on relationships and more on upbeat numbers, neither of those two things are true."
Technical Credits
Additional Credits
Secondhand Serenade
Secondhand Serenade is an American acoustic rock band, led by vocalist and guitarist John Vesely. Vesely has released three studio albums to date under the name Secondhand Serenade: Awake in 2007, A Twist in My Story in 2008 and Hear Me Now in 2010...
's third studio album, released on August 3, 2010. In a recent interview, John Vesely stated that the new record will be more upbeat than his last album, which focused on relationships. The album debuted at #42 on the Billboard 200, 2 slots prior to his 2008 release "A Twist in My Story
A Twist In My Story
A Twist in My Story is the second studio album from Secondhand Serenade. It was released on February 19, 2008 on Glassnote. The album features the songs "Maybe" and "Your Call", which are new versions of the songs from Awake produced with a band. The first single, "Fall for You" was released on...
", making his highest chart debut on Billboard 200.
Background
The singer-songwriter calls the album a slight departure from his previous releases, both in content and sound. "This album, for once, talks about how I'm feeling and how I'm kind of coping and moving on,and good things that are going on with me, bad things, things happening with work -- it's not just limited to relationships. A lot of it is more like kind of re-examining who I am and if I'm happy with myself."The progression reflects his life as both a musician and family man. "I grew up really, really quickly," he says. "I had my first child when I was 20 years old. That's all a part of becoming mature. I had to mature quickly, and very early on ... I have these little kids that rely on me to take care of them. And there's no bigger drive you can possibly have than actual people relying on you." -John Vesely
Taking the Reigns
"The label was telling me that we needed more songs for the album, that we weren't quite done, and I was worried my album was never going to come out," he recalls. "I just sat at the piano and started writing the song; it was a lot different than any of the other songs I'd written, and it...became the first single." Vesely says he "really enjoyed" taking the reigns for a few songs. "It was something I've always wanted to do and finally had the confidence to go out and do it," he says. "Some of my favorite songs are the ones I produced myself. It was a really great experience for me." --John VeselyTrack listing
All songs written by John Vesely, and eight of the eleven songs on the album were produced by Aaron JohnsonAaron Johnson
Aaron Johnson is a professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
(The Fray
The Fray
-Literature:*Fray, a phenomenon in Terry Pratchett's The Carpet People*Fray , a comic book series by Joss Whedon**Melaka Fray, titular character of the comic book series-Music:*"Fray", a song from the album 14 Shades of Grey by Staind...
) at Swing House studios in Los Angeles, the other three, "You & I", "Hear Me Now" and the first single, "Something More
Something More (Secondhand Serenade song)
Something More is the first single by Alternative rock band Secondhand Serenade from their third studio album Hear Me Now. The track was released onto iTunes on June 1st, as a deluxe single with a bonus track “You Are A Drug”, a video showing the making of “Something More”, and a digital booklet. ...
", were produced by John Vesely himself along with Secondhand drummer Tom Breyfogle at Vesely's home studio and mixed by Mark Endert
Mark Endert
Mark Endert is an American music producer, mixer, arranger and musician.-Biography:Since the early 1990s - present, he is credited on albums spanning a wide array of musical genres with sales totaling more than 90...
(Train
Train (band)
Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1994. The band currently comprises a core trio of Patrick Monahan , Jimmy Stafford and Scott Underwood ....
, Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
). The second single is said to be You & I ft: Cady Groves and the 3rd single has been hinted as the title track Ft: Juliet Simms
Hear Me Now (Bonus Track Edition)
Critical reception
The album has received generally unfavorable reviews from critics."Sound In The Signals" magazine gave the album a mixed review "Overall, I would say it is a decent pop album. Vesely definitely isn't breaking any new ground and isn't the most original songwriter. The lyrics at times feel weak and in certain spots are a little too repetitive (see “World Turns), but lyrically it has shiny spots. I don't want to be too hard on the album. I always look forward to Secondhand Serenade albums in the same way I always looked forward to An Angle albums. I'm always waiting for the moment when the influences the artists draw from shed away and the artists start to shine as themselves.
Andrew Leahey from Allmusic gave the album 2 stars: "Hear Me Now still clings to Dashbooard Confessional’s downtrodden template, with all 11 tracks subscribing to the notion that a song isn’t worth singing unless it involves heartbreak and defeatist lyrics." "Hear Me Now isn’t offensive; it’s just predictable and anonymous, since none of these songs offer up anything that Secondhand Serenade’s Warped Tour comrades haven’t already done with their own albums."
also gave the album 2 stars: "“Hear Me Now” is characterized by mediocre emo-pop ballads and a heaping of the most stereotypical, tear-your-heart-out-in-the-middle-school-bathroom sound imaginable, but there are surprising moments that manage to transcend the tackiness."
J. Edward Keyes from Rolling Stone followed the trend in giving the album a 2 star rating: "The tone of penitence and isolation continue throughout the entirety of "Hear Me Now", with Vesely contemplating loneliness both romantic ("Only Hope") and existential ("Is There Anybody Out There?").
Sputnik Music gave the album 2 stars (out of 10), "There are too many dull and forgettable moments, too many attempts at emotional grandeur, and too few sincere attempts at “shaking things up.” Unfortunately for Secondhand Serenade, their sound is not good enough to repeat to this extent and outside of a select few moments, very little on Hear Me Now qualifies as new."
Gregory Robson from Absolute Punk gave the album an 71/100 rating, "While it's not exactly an album of the year candidate, there's enough radio fodder and at least a few hints at the possibility of another platinum-selling single. While Veseley has gone on record as admitting that Hear Me Now would focus less on relationships and more on upbeat numbers, neither of those two things are true."
Album Credits
Performance Credits- John Vesely – VocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
; ProducerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
; BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
; GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
; DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
; PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
; KeyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s - Aaron JohnsonAaron JohnsonAaron Johnson is a professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
– Producer; Guitar - Tom Breyfogle – [Producer; Drums
- Zac Rae – Keyboards
- Juliet SimmsJuliet SimmsJuliet Simms is a singer/songwriter. She is the vocalist, guitarist and songwriter for the band Automatic Loveletter.-Early life:...
– Vocals - Dan Rothchild – Bass
- Lukas Vesely – Bass
- David Levitta – Guitar
- Dave Wilder – Bass
Technical Credits
- John Vesely – Drum Programming; String arrangement
- Warren HuartWarren HuartWarren Huart is an English record producer/musician/composer and recording engineer based in Los Angeles, California. He currently lives in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California with his wife and son.- Biography :...
– EngineeringEngineeringEngineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of... - Robin Holden – Engineering
- Tom Breyfogle – Engineering; Drum programming
- Jay Clifford – String arrangement
- Tim PalmerTim PalmerTim Palmer is a British music producer, audio engineer and songwriter of rock and alternative music.-1980-1990:Palmer worked as an assistant engineer at Utopia Studios in London, England in the early 1980s...
– MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Mark EndertMark EndertMark Endert is an American music producer, mixer, arranger and musician.-Biography:Since the early 1990s - present, he is credited on albums spanning a wide array of musical genres with sales totaling more than 90...
– Mixing - Aaron JohnsonAaron JohnsonAaron Johnson is a professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
– Mixing - Stephan Marcussen – Mastering
- Davie Dunkeith – Assistant Engineer
- Joey Florence – Assistant Engineer
- Steve Shebby – Assistant Engineer
- Wicz – Drum Programming
- Ryan Cook – Assistant Engineer
Additional Credits
- Nathan Johnson & Marke Johnson – Physical album art direction; Layout; Design
- Liran Okanon – Digital album booklet design
Release history
| Country | Date | UPC |
|---|---|---|
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
August 3, 2010 | 075597978827 |