Frame by Frame (album)

This article is about the Cassadee Pope album. For the King Crimson album, see Frame by Frame: The Essential King Crimson.
Frame by Frame
Studio album by Cassadee Pope
Released October 8, 2013 (2013-10-08)
Recorded 2012–2013
Genre
Length 41:17
Label
Producer
Cassadee Pope chronology
Cassadee Pope EP
(2012)		 Frame by Frame
(2013)		 Summer
(2016)
Singles from Frame by Frame
  1. "Wasting All These Tears"
    Released: May 31, 2013
  2. "I Wish I Could Break Your Heart"
    Released: March 17, 2014

Frame by Frame is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Cassadee Pope, former lead vocalist of rock band Hey Monday and winner of the third season of The Voice. It was released on October 8, 2013 by Republic Nashville.[4] The album was produced by Dann Huff with additional production from Nathan Chapman on three tracks, and Max Martin and Shellback on one.

The lead single "Wasting All These Tears" was released on May 31, 2013, charting within the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs charts. Upon release, Frame by Frame debuted on the Billboard 200 at #9 in the US, and at #1 of the Top Country Albums chart.[5]

Background and recording

Originally, Pope was the lead vocalist for the American rock band Hey Monday, which went on hiatus in 2011. While each member pursued in their own side projects, Pope decided to go solo and auditioned for the third season of the popular singing competition The Voice in 2012.

After turning the chairs of all four judges in the Blind Audition round, she chose country singer Blake Shelton to be her mentor. Pope advanced through to all ten rounds of the competition and eventually won the title of winner of The Voice 2012, while also achieving a high number of downloads of covers of songs she sang on the show that regularly topped the iTunes sales charts along the way.

In January 2013, Pope became signed to the country music label Republic Nashville – an imprint of Big Machine Records – and immediately began work on her solo debut studio album with producers Dann Huff[3] and Nathan Chapman.

Promotion

On August 3, 2013, Pope confirmed the title of the album as Frame by Frame and announced the publication of a voting poll allowing her fans to choose between two different cover arts for the album via the social networks Facebook and Twitter.[6]

Once the votes were finalized and the cover was chosen, Pope announced that Frame by Frame would be released on October 8, 2013,[4] later unveiling the official track listing on August 13.[3] Pope later premiered the track "Everybody Sings" on October 4, 2013 in the lead-up to the album's release.

On October 7, 2013, Pope performed a set of songs from the album in Bryant Park, New York City.

Singles

"Wasting All These Tears" was released as the album's lead single on May 31, 2013,[7] receiving generally positive reviews. The song peaked at number 5 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, 37 on the Hot 100, and 10 on Country Airplay. A music video followed its release; premiering on CMT on July 13, 2013.[8] The album's second single, "I Wish I Could Break Your Heart", impacted US radio stations on March 17, 2014[9] its music video premiered on February 18, 2014 on CMT and was released via Vevo the next day.[10]

The track "You Hear a Song" was released as the album's first promotional countdown single on August 13, 2013,[11] reaching number 44 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Three more countdown singles followed; "11" on August 27 which charted at #38, "Good Times" on September 10 peeking at #50 and "Champagne" on September 24, 2013 respectively.[12]

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Roughstock[13]
Alter The Press![14]
Allmusic[1]
HitFixC+[15]
Digital JournalA[16]
Country WeeklyB+[17]

The album received mostly mixed to positive reviews, with most of the criticism targeting its pop-styled production and a lack of originality. Markso Papadatos of Digital Journal responded very positively to the album, noting that it "showcases [Pope's] powerful vocals and her superb storytelling ability." He concluded by rating Frame by Frame an A.[16] Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave the album four stars; he described Frame by Frame as "exactly the kind of crossover-ready record that was expected" from Pope, drawing comparisons to country-pop artists Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, and stated that every track had single potential. Bjorke went on to praise Pope's emotive vocal delivery and strength as a singer-songwriter.[13] Allmusic gave the album three-out-of-five stars. Reviewer Steve Leggett commented on the diverse lyrical subject matter and noted that Pope's performances were "very good" but forgettable. The review also questioned Frame by Frame being marketed as country music: "It isn't really country, at least not in the old sense, instead being that kind of thinly veneered pop that passes for country these days."[1] Victoria Patneaude of Alter the Press! gave the album a glowing review, noting that despite "some less-than-stellar moments", Pope successfully "found exactly where she belongs" in the music industry and delivered a strong debut. "This release is a testament to how far Cassadee has come and how far she is planning to go," Patneaude explains, "So move over, Taylor Swift, there's a new country pop princess here to take the throne."[14]

Country music blog Taste of Country described the album as "America's introduction to Pope as a songwriter," and asserted that "she shows promise" in this regard. Their review also highlighted that Pope's "[undeniable] pop-rock influences" resulted in a country-pop mix that "will be unique on country radio".[18] Country Weekly reviewer Jon Freeman rated the album "B+", saying that "[A] word of caution for fans wanting to hear some twang: this one probably isn't for you. That said, Cassadee is a tremendous vocalist and Frame by Frame wisely sticks to narratives that dig deeper into her life". He praised the writing of "Wasting All These Tears" and "11", and compared the album's sound to Avril Lavigne.[17]

HitFix editor Melinda Newman was more critical of the "generic, slick country pop" sound and songs that sounded "like they could have gone to any number of female pop singers." However, Newman complimented Pope's "powerful and rich", if not particularly distinctive, voice, and suggested that Pope could be the first Voice winner to succeed in the industry. She gave the album a C+ rating.[15] Brian Cantor of entertainment news blog Headline Planet cited a lack of artistic identity as the album's greatest weakness. "Poor strategy, indecisive branding and generic songwriting irrefutably plague the album," Cantor explains. Though disappointed with the project overall, Cantor praised Pope as an artist, who he deemed charismatic, promising and unique, and highlighted the few "winners" on the album.[19] Newsday′s Glenn Gamboa was also critical, giving the album a C+ and commenting that Pope "may want to claim a country base, but her vocals are still closer to Avril Lavigne than Carrie Underwood" and that "songs like "Wasting All These Tears" feel hollow and misplaced".[20]

Chart performance

Frame by Frame debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200 chart in the US for the week of October 16, 2013, selling 43,000 copies, and also debuted at the top of the Top Country Albums chart.[5] The album has sold a total of 181,000 copies in the US as of August 2014.[21]

On the Canadian Albums Chart the album debuted at #16.[22]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Good Times"  
 3:42
2. "Champagne"  
Huff 3:52
3. "Wasting All These Tears"  
  • Caitlyn Smith
  • Rollie Gaalswyk
  • Huff
  • Chapman
 3:38
4. "I Wish I Could Break Your Heart"  
Huff 3:41
5. "Everybody Sings"  
Huff 3:40
6. "You Hear a Song"  
  • Pope
  • Chapman
  • Huff
  • Chapman
 3:29
7. "This Car"  
Huff 4:13
8. "One Song Away"  
  • Lindsey
  • Verges
  • Aaron Pearce
  • Mike Green
Huff 3:43
9. "Easier to Lie"  
  • Huff
  • Martin
  • Shellback
 4:01
10. "11"  
  • Pope
  • Chapman
Huff 3:50
11. "Proved You Wrong"  
  • Pope
  • Emily Shackelton
  • Phil Barton
Huff 3:28
Total length:
 41:17

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Frame by Frame

Musicians


Addition Credits
  • Adam Ayan – Mastering
  • Irving Azoff – Management
  • Phil Barton – Composer
  • Leann Bennett – Production Coordination
  • Cory Bice – Assistant
  • Drew Bollman – Assistant
  • Sandi Spika Borchetta – Artistic Director
  • Scott Borchetta – Executive Producer
  • Sarah Buxton – Composer
  • Nathan Chapman – Composer, Producer
  • Ivan Clow – Photography
  • Blair Daly – Composer
  • Amy Fucci – Photo Enhancement
  • Rollie Gaalswyk – Composer
  • Jon Green – Composer
  • Mike Green – Composer
  • Mike Griffith – Production Coordination
  • Austin Hale – Graphic Design
  • David Hodges – Composer
  • Sam Holland – Engineer
  • Dann Huff – Producer
  • David Huff – Programming
  • Allison Jones – A&R
  • Tina Kennedy – Management
  • Justin Key – Photo Enhancement
  • Savan Kotecha – Composer
  • Hillary Lindsey – Composer
  • Andrew MacPherson – Photography
  • Steve Marcantonio – Engineer
  • Max Martin – Composer, Producer
  • Ashley Monroe – Composer
  • Seth Morton – Assistant, Engineer
  • Sean Neff – Assistant
  • Justin Niebank – Engineer, Mixing
  • Aaron Pearce – Composer
  • Cassadee Pope – Composer, Executive Producer
  • Aaron Rayburn – Graphic Design
  • Becky Reiser – Artistic Director
  • Lowell Reynolds – Assistant, Engineer
  • Gordie Sampson – Composer
  • Emily Shackelton – Composer
  • Shellback – Composer, Producer
  • James Slater – Composer
  • Caitlyn Smith – Composer
  • Troy Verges – Composer
  • Ben West – Composer

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[23] 16
US Billboard 200[24] 9
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[25] 1
Chart (2014) Peak
position
UK Country Albums (OCC)[26] 3

Year-end charts

Chart (2013) Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[27] 49
Chart (2014) Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[28] 53

Release history

Country Date Label Format
Canada[2] October 8, 2013 Nashville, Universal Republic CD, digital download
United States
United Kingdom[29] May 19, 2014 Decca

References

  1. 1 2 3 Frame by Frame at AllMusic. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "iTunes – Music – Frame By Frame (Deluxe Edition) by Cassadee Pope". Itunes.apple.com. 1989-08-28. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
  3. 1 2 3 "FRAME BY FRAME TRACKLIST UNVEILED | The Official Cassadee Pope Site". Cassadeepope.com. Retrieved 2013-08-13.
  4. 1 2 "Cassadee's New Album, Frame By Frame Slated for Release Oct. 8 | The Official Cassadee Pope Site". Cassadeepope.com. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
  5. 1 2 Caulfield, Keith. "Miley Cyrus' 'Bangerz' Debuts At No. 1 On Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  6. ↑ 08/03/2013. "Cassadee Pope Announces "Frame By Frame" Album Title PLUS Vote For the Cover! (PHOTO) | Cassadee Pope, The Voice". mjsbigblog. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
  7. ↑ "iTunes – Music – Wasting All These Tears – Single by Cassadee Pope". Itunes.apple.com. 2013-05-31. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
  8. ↑ Conaway, Alanna (July 17, 2013). "Cassadee Pope Debuts "Wasting All These Tears" Music Video". Roughstock. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Country: Going for Adds March 17, 2014". Radio & Records. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  10. ↑ http://www.josepvinaixa.com/blog/cassadee-pope-i-wish-i-could-break-your-heart-video-premiere-february-18/
  11. ↑ "iTunes – Music – You Hear a Song – Single by Cassadee Pope". Itunes.apple.com. 2013-08-13. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
  12. ↑ Promotional singles references:
  13. 1 2 Bjorke, Matt. "Album Review: Cassadee Pope – Frame By Frame". Roughstock. Cheri Media. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  14. 1 2 Patneaude, Victoria. "ATP! Album Review: Cassadee Pope – Frame By Frame". Alter The Press!. SpinMedia. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  15. 1 2 Newman, Melinda. "'The Voice' winner Cassadee Pope's 'Frame By Frame': Album review". HitFix Music. HitFix. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  16. 1 2 Papadatos, Markos. "Review: Cassadee Pope amazes on new studio album 'Frame By Frame'". Digital Journal. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  17. 1 2 Freeman, Jon (21 October 2011). "Reviews: Frame by Frame". Country Weekly. 20 (42): 51. ISSN 1074-3235.
  18. ↑ "Album Spotlight: Cassadee Pope, 'Frame by Frame'". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  19. ↑ Cantor, Brian. "Identity Issues Plague Cassadee Pope's "Frame by Frame," Album Review". Headline Planet. Cantortainment Company. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  20. ↑ Gamboa, Glenn. "Cassadee Pope's 'Frame by Frame' review: Hardly believable". Newsday.
  21. ↑ Matt Bjorke (August 13, 2014). "Country Album Sales Report – August 13, 2014". Roughstock. sales figures given in this link here
  22. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/298789/Cassadee+Pope/chart?f=309
  23. ↑ "Cassadee Pope – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Cassadee Pope.
  24. ↑ "Cassadee Pope – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Cassadee Pope.
  25. ↑ "Cassadee Pope – Chart history" Billboard Top Country Albums for Cassadee Pope.
  26. ↑ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company.
  27. ↑ "Top Country Albums: 2013 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Top Country Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  29. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/frame-by-frame/id710772253
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