The Ocean Way Sessions
Encyclopedia
The Ocean Way Sessions is the first extended play
(EP) by American singer/song-writer Christina Perri
. The EP serves as the first official release by Perri, signed to Atlantic Records
. The EP contains live recordings of Perri performing at the Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles.
, who signed her in the wake of the single’s unexpected success "Jar of Hearts
". All five songs on the EP were performed live at Ocean Way Studios
in Los Angeles
. All songs were performed with a full band, with the exception of "Jar of Hearts" receiving a solo performance.
|-
| style="width:20px; vertical-align:top;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Music has been my everything since day one. It's been my shoulder to cry on, my rock and my best friend.
|-
| colspan="3" |
The Ocean Way Sessions is the first extended play
(EP) by American singer/song-writer Christina Perri
. The EP serves as the first official release by Perri, signed to Atlantic Records
. The EP contains live recordings of Perri performing at the Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles.
, who signed her in the wake of the single’s unexpected success "Jar of Hearts
". All five songs on the EP were performed live at Ocean Way Studios
in Los Angeles
. All songs were performed with a full band, with the exception of "Jar of Hearts" receiving a solo performance.
|-
| style="width:20px; vertical-align:top;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Music has been my everything since day one. It's been my shoulder to cry on, my rock and my best friend.
|-
| colspan="3" |
The Ocean Way Sessions is the first extended play
(EP) by American singer/song-writer Christina Perri
. The EP serves as the first official release by Perri, signed to Atlantic Records
. The EP contains live recordings of Perri performing at the Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles.
, who signed her in the wake of the single’s unexpected success "Jar of Hearts
". All five songs on the EP were performed live at Ocean Way Studios
in Los Angeles
. All songs were performed with a full band, with the exception of "Jar of Hearts" receiving a solo performance.
|-
| style="width:20px; vertical-align:top;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Music has been my everything since day one. It's been my shoulder to cry on, my rock and my best friend.
|-
| colspan="3" |
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
(EP) by American singer/song-writer Christina Perri
Christina Perri
Christina Judith Perri is an American singer and songwriter from Philadelphia. Her song "Jar of Hearts" charted in the United States after it was featured on the Fox television show So You Think You Can Dance in 2010. Rolling Stone named her the "Band of the Week" on October 26, 2010...
. The EP serves as the first official release by Perri, signed to Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. The EP contains live recordings of Perri performing at the Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles.
Background
The Ocean Way Sessions serves as Perri's first proper release from Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, who signed her in the wake of the single’s unexpected success "Jar of Hearts
Jar of Hearts
"Jar of Hearts" is the debut single by American singer-songwriter Christina Perri. The song was released onto iTunes July 27, 2010, a week after its debut on So You Think You Can Dance...
". All five songs on the EP were performed live at Ocean Way Studios
Ocean Way Recording
Ocean Way Recording is the name of a series of recording studios in Hollywood, California and Nashville, Tennessee. Ocean Way Studios is well known in the recording industry due to the award-winning albums that were produced there....
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. All songs were performed with a full band, with the exception of "Jar of Hearts" receiving a solo performance.
Composition
{| cellpadding="5" style="width:30%; float:left; font-size:85%; border-collapse:collapse; background:none; border-style:none;"|-
| style="width:20px; vertical-align:top;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Music has been my everything since day one. It's been my shoulder to cry on, my rock and my best friend.
|-
| colspan="3" |
The Ocean Way Sessions is the first extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
(EP) by American singer/song-writer Christina Perri
Christina Perri
Christina Judith Perri is an American singer and songwriter from Philadelphia. Her song "Jar of Hearts" charted in the United States after it was featured on the Fox television show So You Think You Can Dance in 2010. Rolling Stone named her the "Band of the Week" on October 26, 2010...
. The EP serves as the first official release by Perri, signed to Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. The EP contains live recordings of Perri performing at the Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles.
Background
The Ocean Way Sessions serves as Perri's first proper release from Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, who signed her in the wake of the single’s unexpected success "Jar of Hearts
Jar of Hearts
"Jar of Hearts" is the debut single by American singer-songwriter Christina Perri. The song was released onto iTunes July 27, 2010, a week after its debut on So You Think You Can Dance...
". All five songs on the EP were performed live at Ocean Way Studios
Ocean Way Recording
Ocean Way Recording is the name of a series of recording studios in Hollywood, California and Nashville, Tennessee. Ocean Way Studios is well known in the recording industry due to the award-winning albums that were produced there....
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. All songs were performed with a full band, with the exception of "Jar of Hearts" receiving a solo performance.
Composition
{| cellpadding="5" style="width:30%; float:left; font-size:85%; border-collapse:collapse; background:none; border-style:none;"|-
| style="width:20px; vertical-align:top;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Music has been my everything since day one. It's been my shoulder to cry on, my rock and my best friend.
|-
| colspan="3" |
The Ocean Way Sessions is the first extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
(EP) by American singer/song-writer Christina Perri
Christina Perri
Christina Judith Perri is an American singer and songwriter from Philadelphia. Her song "Jar of Hearts" charted in the United States after it was featured on the Fox television show So You Think You Can Dance in 2010. Rolling Stone named her the "Band of the Week" on October 26, 2010...
. The EP serves as the first official release by Perri, signed to Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. The EP contains live recordings of Perri performing at the Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles.
Background
The Ocean Way Sessions serves as Perri's first proper release from Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, who signed her in the wake of the single’s unexpected success "Jar of Hearts
Jar of Hearts
"Jar of Hearts" is the debut single by American singer-songwriter Christina Perri. The song was released onto iTunes July 27, 2010, a week after its debut on So You Think You Can Dance...
". All five songs on the EP were performed live at Ocean Way Studios
Ocean Way Recording
Ocean Way Recording is the name of a series of recording studios in Hollywood, California and Nashville, Tennessee. Ocean Way Studios is well known in the recording industry due to the award-winning albums that were produced there....
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. All songs were performed with a full band, with the exception of "Jar of Hearts" receiving a solo performance.
Composition
{| cellpadding="5" style="width:30%; float:left; font-size:85%; border-collapse:collapse; background:none; border-style:none;"|-
| style="width:20px; vertical-align:top;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Music has been my everything since day one. It's been my shoulder to cry on, my rock and my best friend.
|-
| colspan="3" |
—Christina Perri to CosmoGirl on the music of the album.
|}
In an interview with CosmoGirl, Perri described the album as "Raw and bluesy and heartfelt and bold". Perri revealed that inspiration for the album was drawn by everything around her. Love takes a major part in the creation of the album, Perri adding that everything from falling in love, to losing love is the main inspiration. She described that loving love and hating it influenced the choice of the songs for the album and inspired the sound of the EP. The EP showcases Perri's vocal skills and range in emotion, as Perri alternates between breeze midtempo songs to light country sways. In songs such as "Bang Bang Bang", Perri reveals a great sense of humor to her songwriting. Since the entire EP is recorded live, Perri showcases her ability to emotionally strain her voice in performances like "Jar of Hearts", and achy, belted vocals on "Black + Blue".
or a more metropolitan Brandi Carlile
. Leahey added that, "With her rebel-chic tattoos and swaggering voice, Perri certainly plays the part of a pop star, and new songs like 'Black + Blue' indicate that 'Jar of Hearts' wasn’t necessarily a fluke success." iTunes
reviewed the entire album, and its content positively, stating "'Bang Bang Bang' opens blending bouncy piano-pop with hints of Broadway musical pizzazz as Perri confidently croons like a slightly tougher Sara Bareilles. Her voice inflects with slightly raspier tones on the standout tune 'Black + Blue' where a lazy, twangy, slide-guitar nicely contrasts livelier drumming. The breezy 'Daydream' reveals that Perri can sing harmonies as well as anyone else on the pop charts while 'Tragedy' shows that she can also pull pretty melodies from a melancholy musing. The best is saved for last with a fleshed out version of 'Jar of Hearts.'"
Amy Sciarretto of online digital media entertainment company Artistdirect
stated that the album contains haunting tracks that highlight Perri's vulnerable yet venerable, smoky voice. Joseph Ransom of BLAST gave the song a positive review, comparing tracks of the songs to the styling of indie-divas such as Fiona Apple
and Laura Marling
. Ransom reviewed the albums lyrics as "genuine and, at times, rather poignant", later adding that Perri contains the honesty and talent to "survive with any size of audience". RDEVITT of online subscription music service
Rhapsody
gave the album a positive review stating that the angsty adult-alt doesn't stop at lead single "Jar of Hearts", but instead continues throughout the albums other four-tracks showcasing Perri's depth and edge. Chad Grischow of IGN
gave the song a positive review, stating that the five-song effort serves as a "warning shot" for Perri and her future with her 2011 debut. Grischow continued to compliment Perri as a "snarky earworm" who succeeds with "great melody, buoyant beat, and catchy-as-they-come hook".
|-
!Chart (2010)
!Peak
position
|-
| US Billboard 200
| style="text-align:center;"|144
|-
|US Top Heatseekers
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|}
|}
In an interview with CosmoGirl, Perri described the album as "Raw and bluesy and heartfelt and bold". Perri revealed that inspiration for the album was drawn by everything around her. Love takes a major part in the creation of the album, Perri adding that everything from falling in love, to losing love is the main inspiration. She described that loving love and hating it influenced the choice of the songs for the album and inspired the sound of the EP. The EP showcases Perri's vocal skills and range in emotion, as Perri alternates between breeze midtempo songs to light country sways. In songs such as "Bang Bang Bang", Perri reveals a great sense of humor to her songwriting. Since the entire EP is recorded live, Perri showcases her ability to emotionally strain her voice in performances like "Jar of Hearts", and achy, belted vocals on "Black + Blue".
Critical Reception
Andrew Leahey of AllMusic described the EP as original, with smoky/pop-based sounds that are reminiscent of a saucier Sara BareillesSara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She achieved mainstream success in 2007 with the hit single "Love Song", which brought her into the number one spot on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. She has sold over 1 million records in the United States alone and has been...
or a more metropolitan Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile is an American singer and songwriter.-Early life:At age eight, Carlile performed a rendition of the country music song "Tennessee Flat Top Box" with her mother. She began to play the guitar and write songs at fifteen. At sixteen, she began to perform as a backup singer for an Elvis...
. Leahey added that, "With her rebel-chic tattoos and swaggering voice, Perri certainly plays the part of a pop star, and new songs like 'Black + Blue' indicate that 'Jar of Hearts' wasn’t necessarily a fluke success." iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
reviewed the entire album, and its content positively, stating "'Bang Bang Bang' opens blending bouncy piano-pop with hints of Broadway musical pizzazz as Perri confidently croons like a slightly tougher Sara Bareilles. Her voice inflects with slightly raspier tones on the standout tune 'Black + Blue' where a lazy, twangy, slide-guitar nicely contrasts livelier drumming. The breezy 'Daydream' reveals that Perri can sing harmonies as well as anyone else on the pop charts while 'Tragedy' shows that she can also pull pretty melodies from a melancholy musing. The best is saved for last with a fleshed out version of 'Jar of Hearts.'"
Amy Sciarretto of online digital media entertainment company Artistdirect
ARTISTdirect
Founded in 1994, Artistdirect, Inc. is an online digital media entertainment company. It owns several websites including Artistdirect.com, UBL.com and the Artistdirect Network...
stated that the album contains haunting tracks that highlight Perri's vulnerable yet venerable, smoky voice. Joseph Ransom of BLAST gave the song a positive review, comparing tracks of the songs to the styling of indie-divas such as Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success...
and Laura Marling
Laura Marling
Laura Beatrice Marling is an English folk musician from Eversley, Hampshire.Initially prominent within the London folk scene, she has also toured with a number of well-known indie artists in the UK. Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim and her second album I Speak Because I Can were nominated for...
. Ransom reviewed the albums lyrics as "genuine and, at times, rather poignant", later adding that Perri contains the honesty and talent to "survive with any size of audience". RDEVITT of online subscription music service
Online music store
An online music store is an online business which sells audio files, usually music, on a per-song and/or subscription basis. It may be differentiated from music streaming services in that the music store offers the actual music file, while streaming services offer partial or full listening without...
Rhapsody
Rhapsody (online music service)
Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
gave the album a positive review stating that the angsty adult-alt doesn't stop at lead single "Jar of Hearts", but instead continues throughout the albums other four-tracks showcasing Perri's depth and edge. Chad Grischow of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the song a positive review, stating that the five-song effort serves as a "warning shot" for Perri and her future with her 2011 debut. Grischow continued to compliment Perri as a "snarky earworm" who succeeds with "great melody, buoyant beat, and catchy-as-they-come hook".
Track listing
The albums track listing was revealed on Perri's official website.Charts
{| class="wikitable sortable"|-
!Chart (2010)
!Peak
position
|-
| US 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...
| style="text-align:center;"|144
|-
|US Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|}
