(Hollywood, CA) Larrabee Studios North (Universal City, CA) Abbey Road Studios (London, UK) Goodnight LA & Sound Image (Van Nuys, CA) West Lake Audio & Larrebee East (Los Angeles, CA) The Enterprise (Burbank, CA) The Gentlemen's Club (Miami Beach, FL)
Twisted Angel is the seventh studio album by American country pop artist LeAnn Rimes, released in the United States on October 1, 2002 by Curb Records. After a legal battle with the label and her father, she re-signed with the label. Rimes began recording of the album in 1999. It is her first album that her father, Wilbur C. Rimes, has no production or writing credits on. Unlike the country albums that made her famous, Twisted Angel is a pop album with influences of hip hop, techno, and rock; it was Rimes' attempt at a pop crossover album in the vain of Faith Hill's Cry (2002).[3][4] Rimes co-produced the record with Desmond Child, Peter Amato, and Gregg Pagani. She described the album as an exploration of more adult sounds and themes.[5] Rimes co-wrote four of the album's 13 tracks.
Three singles were released, all which failed to match the success of her previous releases in the United States. "Life Goes On" was released on August 5, 2002, as the first single from the album. It peaked within the top ten in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Sweden, but did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100; it peaked at number 9 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The second single, "Tic Toc", only charted on the Dance Club Songs chart, where it peaked at number 10. "Suddenly", the third and final single, only entered the top forty in New Zealand and peaked at number 43 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
Upon release, Twisted Angel received mixed to negative reviews by music critics, with the move to pop being the biggest criticism. Rimes's core-country fanbase was reportedly ambivalent toward the album due to its more pop direction.[6] Commercially, it was not as successful as her previous releases. It debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200, becoming her first album to miss the top ten. Internationally, it only entered the top ten in New Zealand. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 copies in the United States.[7] Rimes has stated that she does not regret the album and the move to a different genre.[8]
Background
After re-signing her contract with Curb Records, Rimes began work recording songs for Twisted Angel for three years.[9] It is the first album she would do under her new management, and the first where she assumed a direct role as producer.[10] Before the album came out, Rimes said about the title that, "The 'Angel' is that little girl with the big voice who grew up with everyone watching her. The 'Twisted' part is me growing into my own as a strong woman."[11] When it was released, Twisted Angel's sales were donated to the Amie Karen Cancer Fund for Children, based at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.[12] The song "You Made Me Find Myself" was originally written and recorded by Australian artist Tina Arena on her fifth studio album Just Me (2001). "Review My Kisses" was later covered by Belgian/Italian artist Lara Fabian on her second English-language studio album A Wonderful Life (2004).
Singles
Three singles were released from the album. "Life Goes On" was released as the lead single from the album on August 26, 2002.[13] Holly George-Warren of Entertainment Weekly claimed the song would "probably go on to number one on the pop chart."[14] The song peaked at number nine on the Adult Contemporary chart, thirty-five on the Pop Songs chart, twenty-eight on the Adult Pop Songs and sixty on the Country Songs chart in the US.[15]
The second single, "Tic Toc" was released to US pop radio on November 11, 2002.[16] The song peaked at number ten on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart.[17]
The third and final single, "Suddenly", was released internationally on February 18, 2003.[18] The song peaked at forty-three on the Country song chart in the US.[19]
The album was met with mixed reviews by music critics,being rated by Metacritic a score of 51 out of 100.[20]Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave a mixed review about the album. Though praising Rimes for her conversion to pop by stating that it "isn't a bad career move at all", Erlewine noted that Rimes might not be able to find a audience. "It is so pop it will alienate her older fans...an older audience that may not be taken with her newly sexualized image." He also noted the songwriting was "a little uneven". Erlewine's biggest criticism was the production and attitude of the album. Erlewine concluded with stating that even though Rimes didn't do a bad job trying to get into mainstream pop he did state that the album is a bit "dated" and stated that Rimes would be better off using a different production team than Desmond Child.[21] Jon Caramanica of Entertainment Weekly on the other hand gave the album a C+, stating that Rimes "desperately wants to play with the bad girls" and concluded by writing "Someone unbreak her heart, please."[23] Dave Gil de Rubio of Barnes & Noble.com stated that Rimes is "moving farther from her country music roots with a set of songs closer in spirit to junior divas Britney and Christina."[25] In a review for Rolling Stone, Caramanica gave the album two out of five stars and stated, "Rimes, who got her start aping Patsy Cline, slaps her throaty drawl over hip-hop lite beats Jessica Simpson wouldn't touch, and a succession of mushy love songs don't help. With golden pipes and white-bread good looks, she could succeed Celine Dion as North America's ranking pop balladeer; in the meantime let's hope Nashville will take her back, and quick."[24]The Lakeland Ledger gave a mostly favorable review, saying that Rimes' "balladeering backgrounds and impassioned vocals are intact, just slicker – like Kelly Clarkson with a twang." They ended their review off by saying, "'Angel' may not be Rimes' "Nashville Skyline." But it could be her "Blonde on Blonde." Maybe."[26] R.S. Murthl of New Straits Times gave a mostly unfavorable review, ending it by saying "the by-the-numbers approach to song selection and production diminishes whatever pleasure you may derive from these tunes."[27]
Twisted Angel debuted at #12 on Billboard 200 with 61,398 copies sold in its 1st week,[29] it fell by 47% with 32,619 copies sold in its 2nd week.[30] and a 14% decrease in its 3rd with 28,176 copies sold.[31]
