Maps of Music

Play On (2009)

Where the lyrics of Play On take you, and where it was really made.

Play On sold 318,000 copies in its first week, then the highest first-week figure for a female artist in 2009.

Key places

Recorded at Maratone Studios, Stockholm (2009)

Recording site Master Plan — The album's recording locations list Maratone Studios in Stockholm. The point is placed at city-centre level, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Primarily recorded in Nashville (2009)

Recording site Nashville — The album was mainly recorded in Nashville, where Underwood worked with producer Mark Bright. The point marks the city only, not a specific studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Play On is the third studio album by American singer Carrie Underwood
• Released in the UK on 2 November 2009 via 19 Recordings and Arista Nashville, a day before the US release
• A pop album with country elements, dealing with relationships, faith and personal reflection
• Four singles: Cowboy Casanova, Temporary Home, Undo It and Mama's Song
• Continues the stylistic line of Some Hearts (2005) and Carnival Ride (2007)

Background

• Mainly recorded in Nashville, continuing the collaboration with producer Mark Bright
• Bright had also produced Carnival Ride and several tracks from Some Hearts
• Bright said the sessions allowed more time for arrangements and vocal experiments
• Underwood widened her writing circle beyond her usual Music Row collaborators
• Collaborators included Kara DioGuardi and Mike Elizondo, whose background lay outside country
• More than 60 songs were recorded during writing and recording before the final track listing
• Luke Laird recalled that Underwood set aside roughly three months for writing
• Look at Me was previously recorded by Alan Jackson for the 2008 soundtrack Billy: The Early Years

Recording

• Recording locations listed: Maratone Studios, Stockholm
• The album was primarily recorded in Nashville

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Carrie Marie Underwood, born March 10, 1983, in Muskogee, Oklahoma, is an American singer and songwriter.
• She won the fourth season of American Idol in 2005.
• Her debut single "Inside Your Heaven" debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first country artist to do so.
• Her debut album Some Hearts (2005) became the best-selling debut album by a solo female country artist and won three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist.
• Carnival Ride (2007) sold over 527,000 copies in its first week and won two Grammy Awards.
• Play On (2009) made her the only woman with eleven consecutive top-two singles on the Hot Country Songs chart.
• Blown Away (2012) was among the year's best-selling albums and earned another Grammy.
• Storyteller (2015) made her the only country artist with her first five studio albums reaching the top two on the Billboard 200.
• Cry Pretty (2018) debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and made her the first woman to top the chart with four country albums.
• She has won eight Grammy Awards and is the most-awarded artist in CMT Music Awards history.
• She was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2008 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018.
• Underwood is a judge on American Idol since 2025.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic gives the album 54 out of 100, based on mixed or average reviews
• Billboard staff described it as Underwood's strongest release to date
• Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt found the approach highly formulaic but effective
• The Boston Globe's Sarah Rodman praised Underwood's technical control and songwriting maturity
• The New York Times' Jon Caramanica said her consistency came at the expense of innovation
• Slant Magazine's Jonathan Keefe saw small but encouraging signs of artistic growth
• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the album functioned largely as crossover pop
• Paste's Stephen M. Deusner called the album more public than personal and scattershot
• PopMatters' Joshua O'Neill said the album adhered to a proven formula and lacked a defining single

Records

• Debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums with 318,000 first-week copies
• First-week sales were then the highest for a female artist in 2009
• Fell to number three in its second week with 128,000 copies
• Spent four consecutive weeks at number one on Top Country Albums
• Sold 2,300,000 copies in the US by October 2015
• Certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA on 24 October 2016
• Debuted at number 93 on the UK Albums Chart
• Debuted at number two in Canada with 15,000 sales
• Peaked at number 14 in Australia and earned Gold, her first album to do so there
• Ranked number 73 on the Billboard 200 and number 15 on Top Country Albums for 2009

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Underwood announced her third headlining tour, Play On Tour, on 10 December 2009.
• Look at Me was first recorded by Alan Jackson for the 2008 soundtrack Billy: The Early Years, and Vince Gill sings backing vocals on the album version.
• Manager Simon Fuller, chief executive of 19 Entertainment and creator of the Idol franchise, expected the album to surpass its predecessor's commercial performance.
• Cowboy Casanova debuted at number 26 on Hot Country Songs, then the highest debut by a female artist on that chart.
• Bright said the sessions gave more time to arrangements, letting Underwood experiment more than ever with vocal textures.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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