Road Between is the debut studio album by American singer Lucy Hale. The album was released on June 3, 2014 by Hollywood Records and DMG Nashville.[1]

Road Between
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 3, 2014 (2014-06-03)
Recorded2012–2013
GenreCountry pop
Length39:35
Label
Producer
Singles from Road Between
  1. "You Sound Good to Me"
    Released: January 7, 2014
  2. "Lie a Little Better"
    Released: July 21, 2014

Background

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On June 12, 2012, Hale announced she had signed a record deal with Hollywood Records (co-partnership with DMG Nashville).[2] The album is a country album, when was recorded through late 2012 and mid 2013,[3] during Hale's schedule filming her television series Pretty Little Liars. On March 31, 2014, Road Between was unveiled due to a fan contest to reveal the album's cover art.[4] A web series titled The Road Between with Lucy Hale, which consisted of four episodes, released from July 25 to August 6, 2014, on the CMT website. It follows the journey of Hale, visiting her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee and on set with the filming of the music video for the song "Lie a Little Better".[5] In 2016, New Zealand singer-songwriter Kaylee Bell released a cover of album track "That's What I Call Crazy" as a standalone single.[6]

Singles

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The lead single "You Sound Good to Me" was released on January 7, 2014. A music video was directed by Philip Andelman, is about Hale going on a road trip with her friends and arriving at a late-night bonfire.[7]

The second and final single, "Lie a Little Better" was released on July 21, 2014. Hale explained the song is about her love crush with actor Drew Van Acker.[8] It debuted at No. 60 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart for the week ending on July 30, 2014.

Cancelled tour

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In December 2014, Hale was originally set to embark on The Road Between Tour in spring 2015, to promote the album.[9] However, she later announced the tour was cancelled shortly before it was slated to begin citing vocal issues as the reason.[10]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [11]
Country WeeklyC+[12]
Billboard83/100[13]
Roughstock     [14]

Road Between was met with mostly positive reception from music critics. At AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, remarking how the music on the release "is irrepressibly charming commercial pop" that "is better when it's lighter", and the music sounds like "pristine pop, thanks in large part to Hale's crisp, chipper delivery."[11] Mike Ayers of Billboard rated the album an 83 out of 100, indicating how the release "is filled with powerful, catchy choruses and moments that display Hale's voice in many different ways."[13] At Roughstock, Matt Bjorke rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, writing how the music on the release is not going to be everyone's cup-of-tea, yet it evidences her potential in country music because according to him that is "where she's always wanted to be."[14] Bob Paxman of Country Weekly graded the album a C+, noting how some songs don't work out well for her voice and "Like most contemporary records, the production sounds overly busy and much too polished, stripping away all semblance of real emotion."[12] Yet, Paxman says "for the target audience, namely young females, Lucy and her material should resonate and find its target", but eventually "she may be able to reach a broader base, because the potential is definitely there."[12]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."You Sound Good to Me"Mike Daly3:12
2."From the Backseat"Daly3:08
3."Nervous Girls"Daly4:04
4."Red Dress" (duet with Joe Nichols)
  • Todd Sherman Clark
  • Jessica Lee Mitchell
Mark Bright4:39
5."Goodbye Gone"Bright2:57
6."Kiss Me"Bright3:13
7."Road Between"
  • Daly
  • Peirce
Daly3:33
8."Lie a Little Better"
  • Daly
  • DeStefano
  • Peirce
Bright3:43
9."That's What I Call Crazy"
Bright3:26
10."Love Tonight"
Bright3:15
11."Just Another Song"Bright4:25
Total length:39:35
Road BetweenWalmart edition (bonus track)[15]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Come On"
Bright3:16
Total length:42:51
Road Between – Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)[16]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."My Little Black Wedding Dress"
  • Daly
  • Trey Bruce
Daly3:25
13."Feels Like Home"
Bright4:05
14."Loved"Bright3:42
15."Kiss Me" (Live Acoustic)
  • Daly
  • Gorley
  • DeStefano
  • Robbins
Daly3:13
16."Road Between" (Live Acoustic)
  • Daly
  • Peirce
Daly3:39
Total length:57:39
Road Between – United States limited digital deluxe edition (bonus track)[17]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
17."Runaway Circus"
  • Jenn Schott
  • Jason Saenz
Bright3:09
Total length:60:48
Road BetweenTarget exclusive deluxe edition (bonus track)[18]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
18."Those Three Words"Bright3:09
Total length:63:57

Personnel

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Backing vocals
  • Robert Bailey
  • Sarah Buxton
  • Perry Coleman
  • Mike Daly
  • Fancy Hagood
  • Vicki Hampton
  • Wes Hightower
  • Kim Keyes
  • Gene Miller
  • Rachel Reinert
  • Lucie Silvas
  • Jenifer Wrinkle

Charts

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The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 14 and No. 4 on the Top Country Albums chart with 18,000 copies sold in the US during its first week.[19] The album has sold 44,000 copies in the US as of August 2014.[20]

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[21] 57
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[22] 13
US Billboard 200[23] 14
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[24] 4

Release history

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Region Date Label Ref.
United States June 3, 2014 [1]
New Zealand June 6, 2014

References

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  1. ^ a b "Road Between (Deluxe) on iTunes". iTunes.
  2. ^ Bentley, Jean (June 12, 2012). "'Pretty Little Liars' star Lucy Hale lands record deal with Hollywood Records". Zap2it. Archived from the original on June 15, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  3. ^ "Hollywood Records Signs "Pretty Little Liars" Star Lucy Hale". PR Newswire. June 12, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  4. ^ "Lucy Hale Reveals 'Road Between' Album Cover + Track List". PopCrush. July 26, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  5. ^ "Lucy Hale Launches 'The Road Between' Web Series". Taste of Country. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  6. ^ "Whats new on Australian Country Radio". Australian Country Radio. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Lucy Hale Debuts "You Sound Good to Me" Music Video". Web Paint. January 8, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  8. ^ Guinane, Georgie (March 28, 2018). "Lucy Hale Reveals Which PLL Co-Star Inspired "Lie a Little Better" Track". Clevver. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  9. ^ "Lucy Hale Announces Road Between Tour". Taste of Country. 2 December 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  10. ^ "Lucy Hale Cancels Road Between Tour Dates Due to Illness". Taste of Country. 19 December 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  11. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (June 3, 2014). "Road Between - Lucy Hale | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  12. ^ a b c Paxman, Bob (June 23, 2014). "Road Between by Lucy Hale". Country Weekly. American Media, Inc. p. 67. ISSN 1074-3235. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  13. ^ a b Ayers, Mike (June 2, 2014). "Lucy Hale Takes The Appealing 'Road Between': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  14. ^ a b Bjorke, Matt (May 2, 2014). "Album Review: Lucy Hale - Road Between". Roughstock. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  15. ^ on. "Preview Lucy Hale's new album "Road Between" in-stores 6/3 | ENTUAREA TV". Tv.entuarea.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-31. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
  16. ^ "iTunes - Music - Road Between (Deluxe Edition) by Lucy Hale". Itunes.apple.com. 1989-06-14. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
  17. ^ "Road Between (Deluxe Edition)". Spotify.
  18. ^ Lucy Hale - Road Between (Deluxe Edition) - Only at Target (2013-03-27). "Lucy Hale - Road Between (Deluxe Edition) - Only..." Target. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
  19. ^ Bjorke, Matt (June 11, 2014). "Country Music's Top 10 Albums: The Week Of June 11, 2014". Roughstock. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014.
  20. ^ Bjorke, Matt (August 13, 2014). "Country Album Sales Report – August 13, 2014". Roughstock. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014.
  21. ^ Ryan, Gavin (14 June 2014). "The Amity Affliction Top ARIA Album Chart". Noise 11. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  22. ^ "Lucy Hale Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
  23. ^ "Lucy Hale Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  24. ^ "Lucy Hale Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.