A Year Without Rain is the second studio album by American band Selena Gomez & the Scene. The album was released on September 17, 2010 via Hollywood Records. The band once again worked with writers and producers from their debut, Kiss & Tell such as Rock Mafia duo Tim James, and Antonina Armato, as well as Fefe Dobson, Toby Gad, and Superspy. New contributions came from Kevin Rudolf, Katy Perry, Jonas Jeberg and RedOne among others. Due to the success of their breakout hit, "Naturally," the album draws mainly from dance-pop, rather than the pop rock sound of Kiss & Tell. While making use of the auto-tune effect, the album is also electropop, and infuses influences of several other genres, including dancehall, techno, and R&B, among others. According to Gomez, most of the songs on the album are dedicated to the fans, while she wanted content with more melodies and empowering lyrics. Lyrical themes include topics of love, freedom, and the joy of living in the moment.

The album has been given mostly positive reviews, with critics noting it as an improvement from the band's debut album. A Year Without Rain debuted in the United States at number four selling 66,000 copies in its first week. The album has so far spawned two top forty singles in the United States, lead single, "Round & Round" and follow-up "A Year Without Rain". In January 2011, the album was certified Gold by RIAA.

Background and development

In an interview with MTV News in February 2010, when referring to the then-upcoming record, frontwoman Selena Gomez said, "It's kind of different — older — and it's kind of got, like, a reggae sound." Gomez also stated she was unsure of taking on the responsibility of the album's main songwriter, unwanting the added pressure. She also talked about producers for the album, expressing interest to work with "Naturally" producers, Antonina Armato and Tim James, as well as Dr. Luke. She pointed out main goals for the record, which were making sure that she could relate to it, and that the fans could also, stating, "all of those songs are things that I went through, and that's why I put that all together." Later in an interview with Digital Spy, Gomez gave hints about the album, stating that instead of pulling another single from 2009's Kiss & Tell, that she looked forward to moving into the next album, which would be completely different.

Gomez stated that the album was named after the titular single because it was the first song recorded for the album, and she wanted to base the rest of the work on the song. Gomez went into further explanation, stating, "I mean, even down from putting the track listing and numbering it, I wanted to make sure I envisioned putting it in their car or putting it on their iPod and how I wanted them to listen to the record." According to Gomez, most songs on the album were inspired by the band's dedicated fans, as she stated, "I wish I could give to them, because they mean so much to me." Calling the album "a feel-good record," Gomez said it has a more dance/techno vibe. The frontwoman also said that she wanted something with more "meaning and melody, and more empowering lyrics." About the new techno-leaning, Gomez said that it was inspired by the success of their breakout hit, "Naturally". She explained, "There’s a feeling when I perform that song that I love, so when I was going back in the studio, I had a better understanding of where I wanted to be musically."

In July 2010, Gomez confirmed that an unreleased track co-penned by Katy Perry was given to her, and that Perry also contributed background vocals. She also confirmed the titles of songs "A Year Without Rain" and "Intuition". On August 17, 2010, Gomez revealed the album's track listing. The singer did not confirm any collaborations, whilst at the time it was rumored that Perry would be featured on her co-written "Rock God", and Miley Cyrus would perform alongside Gomez on "Off the Chain". It was also reported that a Demi Lovato duet "The Beginning of the Road" did not make the track listing, however this was unconfirmed and the collaborations proved to be false. A few days later, Lovato confirmed that she did not work on a track with Gomez for the album, but did not rule out a possible Gomez collaboration for her upcoming R&B-influenced album.

Composition

The album features a predominant dance-pop-electropop feel, while incorporating eurodance, and reggae, dancehall, disco, and R&B influences. On most tracks, Gomez's vocals contain the auto-tune affect. Lyrical content deals with themes of love, freedom, and the joy of living in the moment. Tim Sendra of Allmusic noted while Kiss & Tell was more lighthearted and fun, that this album is "more serious lyrically and musically." Sendra also said where the previous album had a "retro feel" and "plenty of guitars," this work was "totally of the moment," accompanied by auto-tune and guest raps.

Album opener "Round & Round", an upbeat synth-driven song, features a "riding electro groove," while "Summer's Not Hot" has a eurodance chorus, courtesy of RedOne. "Spotlight" seems to derive from dancehall, and according to Mikael Wood of Billboard, the song does not feature a hook. The title track, "A Year Without Rain" is a dance ballad that is also disco, described as "emo." Eric Bellinger makes an appearance in rap interludes in "Intuition," while Katy Perry has backing vocals on "Rock God." "Ghost of You" is a ballad about a breakup. Ending track "Live Like There's No Tomorrow" has been called a power ballad.

Critical reception

The album received generally positive reviews. Mikael Wood of Billboard stated while the lyrics contain "standard issue tween-pop topics," the effort was an improvement over 2009's Kiss & Tell, commenting that the production outweighed the lyrical content. Although noting most songs on the album as "over-produced" dance-pop songs ballads and that Gomez spends most of the record trying to "dig herself out" of vocal effects, Allison Stewart of The Washington Post said at its worst, the album was a marked improvement over the "attitude-heavy", Kiss & Tell. Calling Gomez a young version of Katy Perry, Stewart commented, "Disney princesses seem to come along every 15 minutes, but few of them charm like Selena Gomez." Bill Lamb of About.com reviewed the album saying, "Clearly Selena Gomez and the Scene have evolved musically in the short year that has elapsed since their first album Kiss and Tell... This time around they are immersed in a more polished dance-pop style that moves easily from the glossy midtempo title cut to perky uptempo club tunes. If you have dismissed Selena Gomez as merely a cookie cutter Disney pop princess, it is high time to listen to more of her music and is likely to change your mind. While not deep, A Year Without Rain is a solid, pleasing pop album.http

Singles

The album's lead single, "Round & Round", co-written and produced by Kevin Rudolf of Cash Money and Andrew Bolooki, Jeff Halavacs, was released on June 22, 2010. Fefe Dobson and Andrew Bolooki also receives writing credits. The song received positive reviews from critics who noted its catchiness and expanding of Gomez's demographic. It debuted at twenty-four on the Billboard Hot 100, and also appeared on the Pop Songs, and Hot Dance Club Play charts, as well as charting internationally. The song's accompanying music video, shot in Budapest, Hungary, features Gomez and the band in a secret spy storyline. The second single, "A Year Without Rain", written by Lindy Robbins and produced by Toby Gad, was released on September 7, 2010. It debuted at thirty-five in the United States, and at number thirty-seven in Canada.

Chart performance

A Year Without Rain was released on September 17, 2010. It debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number 4, with sales of a little over 66,000, barely beating out Kiss & Tell. In UK the album sales 20,000 copies.

Charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

Category:2010 albums

Category:Albums produced by RedOne

Category:Albums produced by Toby Gad

Category:Hollywood Records albums

Category:Selena Gomez & the Scene albums

Category:Fascination Records albums

Category:International albums released by Avex Group in Japan

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Artist/Band Information

Selena Gomez & the Scene is an American pop band formed in Hollywood, California in 2008. Along with lead singer and founder Selena Gomez, the band consists of guitarist Ethan Roberts, bassist Joey Clement, drummer Greg Garman, and keyboardist Dane Forrest.

History

2008–09: Formation, and Kiss & Tell

During an interview with Jocelyn Vena, of MTV in August 2008, Selena Gomez said of her future music career that: "I'm going to be in a band. I'm not going to be a solo artist...I don't want my name attached to it. I will be singing..." Gomez later announced, via Twitter, that the band would be called The Scene. It is an "ironic jab" at the people who called the frontwoman a "wannabe scene." Gomez has also stated that the band name, which was originally intended to be just The Scene, became Selena Gomez & The Scene due to complications with Hollywood Records.http Due to this, the band is sometimes incorrectly credited as just Selena Gomez. The band released their debut studio album, Kiss & Tell on September 29, 2009. The album debuted at number 9 on the U.S. Billboard 200 with sales of 66,000 copies in its first week of release. Gomez has said in several interviews (including one with Z100 New York) that the band was formed through a long, exhausting audition process. She said it was worth it, though, because she has a great band. However, not long after joining the band, keyboardist Nick Foxer left for unknown reasons, and was replaced by Dane Forrest.

Kiss & Tell is the group's debut studio album and was released on September 29, 2009 by Hollywood Records. Gomez worked with several writers and producers on the album including Gina Schock of the Go-Go's. Musically, the album has a combination of different styles, prominently rock, and dance elements. The album debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200. On March 5, 2010, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 in the US.

Gomez confirmed that she co-wrote one song on the album entitled "I Won't Apologize". The lead single "Falling Down" was released on August 21, 2009. The music video premiered after the world premiere of Gomez' TV-movie Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie on August 28, 2009. It peaked at number 82 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and at number 69 on the Canadian Hot 100. The second single from the album, "Naturally" was released on December 11, 2009 along with a music video for digital download. The music video was shot on November 14, 2009 and premiered on Disney Channel following the premiere of "Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation" on December 11, 2009. The single debuted at number 39 and later peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has peaked at number 18 on the Canadian Hot 100. It is the band's biggest hit to date and first top 40 hit beating out their first single "Falling Down" and also their first number 1 hit on the "Billboard Hot Dance/Club Songs". "Naturally" had its highest peak in Hungary where it peaked at number 4 on the regions chart, becoming the band's first Top Five hit. On July 15, 2010, the single was certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of 1,000,000 in the US.

The band promoted the album with the concert tour, Selena Gomez & the Scene: Live in Concert. Gomez and the rest of the band performed on various TV shows and Special events such as on Dancing with the Stars season nine,The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest among other shows. Selena Gomez & the Scene along with Justin Bieber played at the 2010 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and the band and Justin Bieber also co-headlined Popcon.

Selena Gomez & the Scene contributed to Disney's All Wrapped Up Vol. 2. The EP includes the band's cover of "Winter Wonderland" as well as Christmas covers by other successful artists. Their single "Falling Down" was featured on Radio Disney Jams, Vol. 12, along with songs by other popular artists. Jams 12 was officially released on March 30, 2010.

2010–2011: A Year Without Rain

The band's second studio album, A Year Without Rain was released on September 17, 2010. It debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number 4, with sales of a little over 66,000, barely beating out Kiss & Tell. The sophomore effort continues with the Dance-pop/Electronica style of the group's hit single "Naturally". "I think we wanted to do something a little fun. We wanted to do a techno vibe," said lead singer Selena Gomez. Gomez said in an interview with Z100 New York that it would feature some songs that did not make it onto the first album and that the rest of the band would be much more included on it. In an interview with MTV, Gomez said, "I'm really proud of this record, it's very different, and kind of shows growth a little bit in music... I think if anything the lyrics are more powerful, in a way."

The record's first single, "Round & Round", premiered on June 18, 2010. The accompanying music video, which was filmed in Budapest, premiered two days later. The single was released on June 22, 2010. It debuted at number 24 on Billboard's Hot 100, and 76 on the Canadian Hot 100. It also debuted at number 15 on Billboard's Digital Songs chart and number 47 in the UK. The album's second single "A Year Without Rain" was released on September 7, 2010. The music video premiered on September 3, 2010, after the world premiere of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Selena & the Scene have performed "Round & Round" live on America's Got Talent, Blue Peter, Daybreak, and MTV's The Seven; "Round & Round" and "A Year Without Rain" live on Good Morning America; and "A Year Without Rain" live on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Lopez Tonight. On October 27, the band played an acoustic set for charity (Unicef). They were also part of the Jingle Ball tour during December. The Spanish version of "A Year Without Rain" ("Un Ano Sin Lluvia") was released 3 months after the English version.

On July 13, Selena Gomez & the Scene's song "Live Like There's No Tomorrow" was released as a single from the forthcoming Ramona and Beezus soundtrack. The song is also a track on A Year Without Rain.