Whatever (Hot Chelle Rae album)

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Whatever
Studio album by
Hot Chelle Rae
ReleasedNovember 29, 2011
Recorded2010–11
GenrePop rock
Length34:04
LabelRCA/Jive
Producer
Hot Chelle Rae chronology
Lovesick Electric
(2009) 		Whatever
(2011) 		Recklessly
(2014)
Singles from Whatever
  1. "Tonight Tonight"
    Released: March 15, 2011
  2. "I Like It Like That"
    Released: October 4, 2011
  3. "Honestly"
    Released: March 22, 2012
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic62/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Absolute Punk55%[2]
AllMusic[3]
Audiopinions[4]
Billboard[5]
BlastC[6]
Entertainment WeeklyB[7]
Los Angeles Times[8]
Melodic [9]
USA Today[10]

Whatever is the second studio album by American pop rock band Hot Chelle Rae. It was released by RCA Records on November 29, 2011, to generally favorable reviews from music critics.[11] Three singles were released from the album: "Tonight Tonight" and "I Like It Like That", featuring New Boyz, and "Honestly".

Background[edit]

Hot Chelle Rae released their single "Tonight Tonight" in March 2011, prior to the release of their "Whatever" album the following November.[12] The success of this single, which went double Platinum, led to Hot Chelle Rae being named the 2011 winners of the AMA's "Best New Artist" award.[12] The band then spent the summer of 2011 touring with artists including Mike Posner, Justin Bieber, We the Kings, and the Script.[12][13]

Hot Chelle Rae released their second single "I Like It Like That" in October 2011, before releasing the full "Whatever" album on November 29, 2011.[14]

The cover art of the "Whatever" album, which features the four band members in separate colored squares was referred to by Cambio.com as drawing "inspiration from something in between the memory game Simon and the work of Andy Warhol".[15]

Reception[edit]

Whatever gained mixed reviews from music critics. It holds a Metacritic "generally positive reviews" score of 62 out of 100.[1] Allmusic gave it 3 and a half stars, and stated that Whatever "may not be a formula designed for critical acclaim or longevity, but pop music has always been exactly like this and HCR would make Bobby Vee, the Archies, and the New Radicals proud."

The album debuted at number 48 on the Billboard 200, selling over 18,000 copies in its first week,[16] and debuted at number 166 in Canada.[17]

"Whatever" gained recognition from critics including USA Today's Brian Mansfield for the multitude of pop-culture references in its tracks.[14] The songs of the "Whatever" album include many notable references to 2011 pop culture including the actor Zach Galifianakis, the Hollywood Sign, beer pong, Facebook, and Skype.[14]

Music critic Jon Caramanica of The New York Times compared Hot Chelle Rae's "Whatever" album to "the early breakthroughs" of bands including Sum 41 and Blink-182.[18]

Although many critics gave "Whatever" relatively positive reviews, others criticized the album as lacking staying power, or being relatable mainly to teen audiences.[14][19] In a November 2011 review on the website The Wrap, music critic Chris Williams said the album, "has captivated the Radio Disney demographic, but more mature listeners will take the impassive album title to heart".[19]

Track listing[edit]

The track listing was revealed on October 25, 2011.[20] Songwriting credits and producers per album liner notes.[21]

All lyrics are written by Ryan Follese and Nash Overstreet, except track 1, co-written by Dominic Anthony Thomas and Earl Henry Benjamin, track 5, co-written by Bei Maejor and others, track 8, written by Nash Overstreet and Martin Johnson

No.TitleMusicProducer(s)Length
1."I Like It Like That" (featuring New Boyz)
  • Kiriakou
  • Goldstein
3:08
2."Tonight Tonight"
  • Follese
  • Overstreet
  • Kiriakou
  • Bogart
  • Robbins
Kiriakou3:20
3."Honestly"
3:22
4."Keep You with Me"
  • Follese
  • Overstreet
  • Goldstein
  • Book
  • Alexei Misoul
  • Goldstein
  • Book
  • Misoul
  • (co.)Kiriakou
3:30
5."Radio" (featuring Bei Maejor)
  • Follese
  • Overstreet
  • Kiriakou
  • Bogart
  • Robbins
  • Bryan Folk
  • Brandon Green
  • Kiriakou
  • (co.)Goldstein
3:04
6."Whatever"
  • Follese
  • Overstreet
  • Goldstein
  • Book
  • Misoul
  • Goldstein
  • Book
  • Misoul
2:53
7."Forever Unstoppable"
  • Follese
  • Overstreet
  • Goldstein
  • Book
  • Misoul
  • Goldstein
  • Book
  • Misoul
4:03
8."Why Don't You Love Me?" (featuring Demi Lovato)
  • Goldstein
  • Book
  • Misoul
3:31
9."Downtown Girl"
  • Follese
  • Overstreet
  • Golstein
  • Book
  • Misoul
  • Jamie Moore
  • Goldstein
  • Book
  • Misoul
2:57
10."Beautiful Freaks"
  • Follese
  • Overstreet
  • Kiriakou
  • Bogar
  • Robbins
  • Kiriakou
  • (co.)Goldstein
  • Jens Koerkemeier
3:26
11."The Only One"
  • Goldstein
  • Book
  • Misoul
2:50
Total length:34:04
Japanese bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Come Back to California"3:38
13."I Wish"3:14
14."Tonight Tonight (Kat Krazy Remix)"3:17
15."I Like It Like That (Goldstein Remix)"3:43

Personnel[edit]

Hot Chelle Rae

  • Ryan Follesé – lead vocals, guitar, keyboard
  • Nash Overstreet – guitars, backing vocals
  • Ian Keaggy – bass, backing vocals
  • Jamie Follesé – drums, percussion

Production

  • Emanuel Kiriakou – producer
  • S*A*M and Sluggo – producer
  • Alexei Misoul – producer
  • Andrew Goldstein – producer, mixing
  • Dan Book – producer
  • Scott Mann – producer
  • Chad Royce – producer
  • Jens Koerkemier – additional production
  • Nash Overstreet – additional production
  • Matty Green – mixing
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Sarah Kraus – photography

Charts[edit]

Weekly chart performance for Whatever
Chart (2011–12) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[22] 21
New Zealand Albums (Recorded Music NZ)[23] 21
US Billboard 200[24] 48

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Whatever". Metacritic. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  2. ^ DeAndrea, Joe (December 10, 2011). "Hot Chelle Rae – Whatever". Absolute Punk. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  3. ^ "Whatever". AllMusic. December 10, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  4. ^ "Whatever – Hot Chelle Rae". AudioOpinions. December 10, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  5. ^ "Whatever – Hot Chelle Rae". Billboard. December 10, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  6. ^ Grise, Chrisanne (December 10, 2011). "Hot Chelle Rae "Whatever" album review". Blast. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  7. ^ Anderson, Kyle (December 10, 2011). "Hot Chelle Rae, Whatever". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  8. ^ Brown, August (December 10, 2011). "Album review: Hot Chelle Rae's 'Whatever'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  9. ^ Wippsson, Johan (October 27, 2012). "Hot Chelle Rae - Whatever". Melodic. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  10. ^ Mansfield, Brian (December 10, 2011). "Hot Chelle Rae, Whatever". USA Today. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  11. ^ "Whatever". Amazon. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  12. ^ a b c Easterhouse, Jim. "Hot Chelle Rae's Nash Overstreet". Nuvo. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  13. ^ Bronson, Fred. > "Hot Chelle Rae: The Story Behind the Success of 'Tonight Tonight'". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  14. ^ a b c d Mansfield, Brian (November 28, 2011). "Hot Chelle Rae's 'Whatever' works for right now". USA Today. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  15. ^ Cheung, Nadine. "Hot Chelle Rae Releases 'Whatever' Album Art". Cambio. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  16. ^ "Michael Buble – Michael Buble Still on Top in U.S. As Adele And Bieber Bounce Back". Buzzbox. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  17. ^ "CANOE - JAM! Music - SoundScan Charts". Jam.canoe.ca. Archived from the original on December 26, 2004. Retrieved June 9, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ^ Caramanica, Jon (December 29, 2011). "The Year When Rock Just Spun Its Wheels". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  19. ^ a b Willman, Chris. "Hot Chelle Rae Will Leave Grown-Ups Lukewarm With 'Whatever'". The Wrap. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  20. ^ "Hot Chelle Rae Reveals Tracklisting and Guest Features For New Album!". HotChelleRae.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  21. ^ Whatever (liner notes). Hot Chelle Rae. RCA Records, Sony Music Entertainment. 2011.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ [1] ARIA Report 1151. March 19, 2012. Pandora Archive. Retrieved 09-04-2013
  23. ^ Hung, Steffen. "New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  24. ^ "Whatever – Hot Chelle Rae". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
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