Smoke and Mirrors (Lifehouse album)
Encyclopedia
Smoke & Mirrors is the fifth studio album by American
alternative
band Lifehouse
. It was released on March 2, 2010 by Geffen Records
. Lifehouse began to work on the album with record producer Jude Cole
in the fall of 2008 at Cole's Ironworks Studio
. The band collaborated with American
singer-songwriter
Kevin Rudolf
and former American Idol
contestant Chris Daughtry
while working on the album.
The album received positive reviews from critics, and peaked at number six on the Billboard 200
, selling 54,000 copies in its first week. It became the fourth highest debut album on the chart for the week of March 20, 2010. It also debuted at number fifteen on the Canadian Albums Chart
, which became its peak on the chart.
The album's lead single
, "Halfway Gone
", was released October 26, 2009, charting on several Billboard
charts including Billboard
's Hot 100
, Adult Contemporary, Digital Songs
, Hot Dance Club Songs, Pop Songs, and Radio Songs charts.
in the fall of 2008, after the band had come off of the tour that supported their fourth studio album, Who We Are
. The band worked on Smoke & Mirrors for over a year, recording thirty-five tracks, before settling on the twelve tracks that appear on the album. During this time, the band collaborated with American
singer-songwriter
Kevin Rudolf
on the album's lead single, "Halfway Gone
" and with former American Idol
contestant Chris Daughtry
on the song "Had Enough". In an interview with Billboard
, Rudolf said , "I chose [to do] 'Halfway Gone' because Jason Wade is such a great writer, great singer, and great artist."
In an interview with They Will Rock You, when asked about recording the song "Smoke & Mirrors", the lead Lifehouse percussionist Rick Woolstenhulme Jr. said:
of Allmusic had a mixed review of the album, calling it ingratiating, but also commented on how the album would "never [form] anything amounting to any identity."
, which became its peak on the chart. It sold 54,000 copies in its first week, and became Lifehouse's fourth studio album to chart in the top ten. The album managed to stay on the chart for a total of twenty consecutive weeks.
Additional musicians
Production
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Lifehouse
Lifehouse (band)
Lifehouse is an American rock band from Los Angeles. The band came to mainstream prominence in 2001 with the hit single "Hanging by a Moment" from their debut studio album, No Name Face. The single won a Billboard Music Award for Hot 100 Single of the Year, beating out Janet Jackson and Alicia...
. It was released on March 2, 2010 by Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
. Lifehouse began to work on the album with record producer Jude Cole
Jude Cole
Jude Cole is a manager, record producer and singer/songwriter/guitarist.-Career:Cole's solo records, "Jude Cole", "A View from 3rd Street" and "Start the Car" were released on Warner Bros./Reprise Records, and contained the singles "Baby, It's Tonight", "Time for Letting Go" and "Start the Car"...
in the fall of 2008 at Cole's Ironworks Studio
Ironworks (record label)
Ironworks is a small independent record label created and owned by the lead actor of the Fox TV hit series 24, Kiefer Sutherland, and his long time friend and fellow musician, Jude Cole....
. The band collaborated with American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Rudolf is an American singer-songwriter and record producer signed to Cash Money Records. Rudolf is mostly known for singing and producing rock/pop music...
and former American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
contestant Chris Daughtry
Chris Daughtry
Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Daughtry and as the fourth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol, from which he was eliminated on May 10, 2006...
while working on the album.
The album received positive reviews from critics, and peaked at number six on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling 54,000 copies in its first week. It became the fourth highest debut album on the chart for the week of March 20, 2010. It also debuted at number fifteen on the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
, which became its peak on the chart.
The album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
, "Halfway Gone
Halfway Gone
"Halfway Gone" is a song by American alternative band Lifehouse. It is the first single released from their fifth studio album, Smoke & Mirrors . It was first released via digital download in the United States and Canada on October 26, 2009. It was then solicited to mainstream radio on January 12,...
", was released October 26, 2009, charting on several Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts including Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, Adult Contemporary, Digital Songs
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
, Hot Dance Club Songs, Pop Songs, and Radio Songs charts.
Background
Lifehouse began working on the album with record producer Jude ColeJude Cole
Jude Cole is a manager, record producer and singer/songwriter/guitarist.-Career:Cole's solo records, "Jude Cole", "A View from 3rd Street" and "Start the Car" were released on Warner Bros./Reprise Records, and contained the singles "Baby, It's Tonight", "Time for Letting Go" and "Start the Car"...
in the fall of 2008, after the band had come off of the tour that supported their fourth studio album, Who We Are
Who We Are (Lifehouse album)
Who We Are is the fourth studio album by American alternative band Lifehouse. It was first released via compact disc in the United States on June 18, 2007 by Geffen Records. It was released via digital download the next day on June 19, 2007. The band entered the studio without...
. The band worked on Smoke & Mirrors for over a year, recording thirty-five tracks, before settling on the twelve tracks that appear on the album. During this time, the band collaborated with American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Rudolf is an American singer-songwriter and record producer signed to Cash Money Records. Rudolf is mostly known for singing and producing rock/pop music...
on the album's lead single, "Halfway Gone
Halfway Gone
"Halfway Gone" is a song by American alternative band Lifehouse. It is the first single released from their fifth studio album, Smoke & Mirrors . It was first released via digital download in the United States and Canada on October 26, 2009. It was then solicited to mainstream radio on January 12,...
" and with former American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
contestant Chris Daughtry
Chris Daughtry
Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Daughtry and as the fourth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol, from which he was eliminated on May 10, 2006...
on the song "Had Enough". In an interview with Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, Rudolf said , "I chose [to do] 'Halfway Gone' because Jason Wade is such a great writer, great singer, and great artist."
In an interview with They Will Rock You, when asked about recording the song "Smoke & Mirrors", the lead Lifehouse percussionist Rick Woolstenhulme Jr. said:
"The very first track that we recorded for the album is the track called Smoke & Mirrors which ended up being the name of the album. That song is very Americana and almost Petty-esque in a way. For that song we literally came from the road and headed right into the studio and that was the first song that was brought to the table. It was cut in two or three takes."
Critical reception
Smoke & Mirrors received mixed reviews from critics. Stephen Thomas ErlewineStephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic had a mixed review of the album, calling it ingratiating, but also commented on how the album would "never [form] anything amounting to any identity."
Chart performance
In the United States, the album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, which became its peak on the chart. It sold 54,000 copies in its first week, and became Lifehouse's fourth studio album to chart in the top ten. The album managed to stay on the chart for a total of twenty consecutive weeks.
Track listing
Personnel
Lifehouse- Jason WadeJason WadeJason Michael Wade is the lead vocalist, main songwriter, and guitarist of the American alternative rock band Lifehouse.-Biography:...
— lead vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Rick Woolstenhulme — 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 ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Bryce SoderbergBryce SoderbergBryce Dane Soderberg is a Canadian Musician, best known as the bassist and vocalist for American rock band Lifehouse.-Early life:...
— bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the... - Ben Carey — lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
Additional musicians
- Chris DaughtryChris DaughtryChristopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Daughtry and as the fourth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol, from which he was eliminated on May 10, 2006...
— backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on "Had Enough"
Production
- Jude ColeJude ColeJude Cole is a manager, record producer and singer/songwriter/guitarist.-Career:Cole's solo records, "Jude Cole", "A View from 3rd Street" and "Start the Car" were released on Warner Bros./Reprise Records, and contained the singles "Baby, It's Tonight", "Time for Letting Go" and "Start the Car"...
— productionRecord 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...
Chart performance
| Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 6 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 15 |
| German Albums Chart | 38 |