Imperial Blaze
A black-and-white image of a man wearing a suit and tie, and sunglasses. The artist's name and album title appear in front of the man, colored in orange and gold, respectively.
Studio album by
Sean Paul
Released18 August 2009 (2009-08-18)
Recorded2006–2009
Studio
  • 2 Hard Studios
  • Big Ship Studios
  • Coppershot Studios
  • Fresh Ear Studios
  • Vendetta Studios
(Kingston, Jamaica)
GenreDancehall[1]
Length66:49
Label
Producer
Sean Paul chronology
The Trinity
(2005)		 Imperial Blaze
(2009)		 Tomahawk Technique
(2012)
Singles from Imperial Blaze
  1. "So Fine"
    Released: 2 June 2009
  2. "Press It Up"
    Released: 4 August 2009[2]
  3. "Hold My Hand"
    Released: 29 September 2009[3]

Imperial Blaze is the fourth studio album by dancehall artist Sean Paul.[4] The album was released on 18 August 2009.[5]

Background

The album was originally scheduled to be released in the summer of 2007 under the name The Next Thing,[6][7] but was then pushed to November 2008.[8]

Sean Paul told MTV that he wanted to be less focused on party songs such as "Get Busy", "We Be Burnin'", and "Temperature". He said he wants his songs to focus on youth violence in Jamaica,[7] however, the resulting album contained mainly up-tempo party songs. He subsequently released a mixtape which focused on youth violence in Jamaica.

The album's title means "Kings Fire". Sean Paul commented on the title saying,[9]

"I'm not the king. I'm the fire, I'm the flame, I'm the energy."

In an interview with DJ Swerve, Sean Paul confirmed that he did 60 tracks for the album, with 19 tracks making the final cut.

On 10 July, a song from the album, "Press It Up", was premiered on Sean Paul's official website.[10] A video was filmed for "Press It Up", which was directed by Jessy Terrero[11]

The album was put on pre-order on 17 July 2009. Those who pre-ordered will receive two digital track downloads to songs titled "She Wanna Be Down" and "Get with It Girl".[12] On the German iTunes Store Imperial Blaze was released on 14 August 2009.[13]

Sean Paul expressed delight regarding the progress of the album on the international stage. "It's a good feeling and I'm happy – very happy that people like the music, and that they've been going out and getting the album," he said.

"Number 1 in Japan is a big achievement for me. I'm especially proud of that, because outside of Jamaica, Japanese people are really the biggest consumers of dancehall music," he said.

Imperial Blaze was certified gold in France, debuting at number 8 in that country, number 5 in Canada, number 4 in Switzerland, 15 in Belgium, 17 in Austria, and 17 in Germany.

It was also the first Jamaican album to debut atop the Billboard Rap charts. The wholly Jamaican produced project debuted atop the Billboard Reggae Charts, number 3 on the Hip Hop/R&B Albums chart and number 12 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 28,500 copies in the US.[14]

As of January 2012, the album has sold 101,000 copies in United States.[15]

Singles

  • The first official single is "So Fine", peaking at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100.
  • The second official single is "Press It Up". It was released on 4 August 2009. The music video was released on 9 September 2009.[16]
  • The third single is "Hold My Hand", which features Keri Hilson. It was sent to U.S. radio on 29 September 2009.[3][17]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
DJBooth.net[18]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[19]
Now[20]
PopMatters(1/10)[21]
RapReviews(3/10)[22]
Rolling Stone[23]
Slant[24]
Toronto Star[25]
USA Today[26]

Initial critical response to Imperial Blaze was mixed. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 44, based on seven reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[27] Tim Sendra of Allmusic gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5, praising the sound of the album; "It may bode ill for the commercial prospects of the album, but it does mean that the people who do buy Imperial Blaze will be purchasing a record that is very good, and more importantly, a great deal of fun from beginning to end."[1] Jay Soul of RapReviews, gave the album a negative review with a 3 out of 10 score by stating "I am a massive Sean Paul fan, and it's almost like watching a heavyweight champion past his prime being forced to fight, when all he wants to do is quit the game and be a coach."[22] Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone gave the album 2 stars out of 5, describing the album as "pale versions of past hits".[23] The album was nominated for Best Reggae Album at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.

Track listing

  • Sean Paul Henriques co-wrote all of the songs on the album; additional writers are listed below.
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro: Chi Ching Ching"  0:50
2."Lace It"Stephen McGregorDi Genius2:51
3."So Fine"S. McGregor, Nigel StaffDi Genius3:30
4."Now That I've Got Your Love"S. McGregorDi Genius3:33
5."Birthday Suit"S. McGregorDi Genius3:25
6."Press It Up"S. McGregorDi Genius3:43
7."Evening Ride"Jeremy Harding, S. McGregorDi Genius3:56
8."Hold My Hand" (featuring Keri Hilson)Arif Cooper, Clayton MorrisonSupacoop3:26
9."She Want Me"J. Harding, S. McGregorDi Genius3:05
10."Daddy's Home"S. McGregorDi Genius3:30
11."Bruk Out"Craig ParksLeftside3:24
12."Pepperpot"S. Anderson, Andrew McIntyre, Jason HenriquesJigzag3:50
13."Wine Baby Wine"J. HardingMister Harding3:04
14."Running Out of Time"Donovan Bennett, J. HenriquesDon Corleon3:21
15."Don't Tease Me"S. McGregorDi Genius3:19
16."Lately"S. McGregorDi Genius3:06
17."She Wanna Be Down"S. McGregorDi Genius3:37
18."Straight from My Heart"Andrew Thompson, Delano Thomas, Dwayne Chin-Quee, Mitchum Chin, Cezar CunninghamDelano Thomas, Supa Dups4:26
19."Private Party"Donovan Bennett, J. HenriquesDon Corleon3:34
20."I Know U Like It"J. HenriquesSean Paul3:07
Total length:66:49
Japan bonus track[28]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
21."Get with It Girl"D. Bennett, D. LewisDonovan "Don Corleon" Bennett3:06
French bonus track[29]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
21."Hold My Hand" (featuring Zaho)Arif Cooper, Clayton Morrison, ZahoSupascoop3:26
Spotify and TTNET Müzik bonus track[30][31]
No.TitleLength
21."Right Time"3:24
iTunes Store deluxe edition bonus tracks[32]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
21."Agarra Mi Mano" ("Hold My Hand" Spanish version)Arif Cooper, Clayton MorrisonSupacoop3:29
22."So Fine" (music video)  3:32

Personnel

Adapted from the Imperial Blaze liner notes.[33]

  • Jimmy Douglass – mixing (2, 7, 10, 14, 16)
  • Fabian Marasciullo – mixing (4, 5, 13, 17, 19)
  • Gary Noble – mixing (8, 11, 12, 18, 20)
  • Robert Orton – mixing (3, 4, 6, 9)
  • Demacio Castellon – mixing (15)
  • Rohan Dyer – mixing (18)
  • Bryan Powell – assistant mixing (2, 7, 10, 14, 16)
  • Marlon James – art
  • Gerard Needham – photography
  • Ivy Jarrin – styling
  • Denise Chen – make up
  • Sara James – Blaze icon concept

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[34] 17
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[35] 31
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36] 11
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[37] 5
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[38] 36
French Albums (SNEP)[39] 8
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[40] 17
Italian Albums (FIMI)[41] 77
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] 4
UK Albums (OCC)[43] 38
US Billboard 200[44] 12
US Reggae Albums (Billboard)[45] 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[46] 3
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[47] 1

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sendra, Tim (18 August 2009). "Imperial Blaze - Sean Paul". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  2. ↑ "Press It Up (Album Version): Sean Paul: MP3 Downloads". Amazon. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  3. 1 2 "®R&R :: Going For Adds™ :: Rhythmic". Gfa.radioandrecords.com. 29 September 2009. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  4. ↑ "New Music: Sean Paul - 'So Fine'". Rap-Up. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  5. ↑ "So Fine" - Audio Detail Archived 13 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine All Sean Paul. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  6. ↑ "Sean Paul talks to paparazzi about new album". 19 January 2008. Archived from the original on 30 June 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2009 – via YouTube.
  7. 1 2 Sean Paul Hopes To Curb Youth Violence In Jamaica With Next LP. MTV.com. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
  8. ↑ Sean Paul interviewed before concert on YouTube. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
  9. ↑ "TraceTV: Sean Paul Talks About His New Album "Imperial Blaze"". Archived from the original on 29 May 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link). All Sean Paul.
  10. ↑ WORLD PREMIERE: Sean Paul - "Press It Up". All Sean Paul. Archived 15 July 2009 at archive.today
  11. ↑ "Press It Up Songfacts". Songfacts. 27 April 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  12. ↑ Exclusive "Imperial Blaze" Pre-Order Bundles! All Sean Paul. Archived 21 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ "iTunes Store - Sean Paul - Imperial Blaze (Deluxe Version)". Itunes.apple.com. 18 August 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  14. ↑ Black Eyed Peas Lead the Rap Pack, Sean Paul Fails to Crack Top 10 on Billboard 200
  15. ↑ "Upcoming Releases". HITS Daily Double. Archived from the original on 29 January 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  16. ↑ "Video: Sean Paul – 'Press It Up'". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  17. ↑ "Radio1 - UK Forthcoming Singles". Radio1.gr. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  18. ↑ Nathan S. "Sean Paul - Imperial Blaze". DJBooth. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  19. ↑ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (21 August 2009). "Imperial Blaze Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 16 August 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  20. ↑ Richards, Jason (19–26 August 2009). "Sean Paul: Imperial Blaze (VP/Atlantic)". Now. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  21. ↑ Miller, Michael (4 February 2010). "Sean Paul: Imperial Blaze". PopMatters. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  22. 1 2 Padania, Jesal "Jay Soul" (25 August 2009). "Sean Paul :: Imperial Blaze :: Atlantic Records". RapReviews. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  23. 1 2 Hoard, Christian (31 August 2009). "Imperial Blaze : Sean Paul : Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  24. ↑ Cataldo, Jesse (17 August 2009). "Sean Paul: Imperial Blaze". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  25. ↑ Infantry, Ashante (18 August 2009). "Imperial Blaze: Sean Paul". Toronto Star. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  26. ↑ Jones, Steve (19 August 2009). "Listen Up: Paul pours dancehall gas on 'Imperial Blaze'". USA Today. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  27. ↑ "Critic Reviews for Imperial Blaze". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  28. ↑ "Sean Paul / ショーン・ポール「Imperial Blaze / インペリアル・ブレイズ～帝王激炎～（初回限定バリュー・プライス盤）」｜ワーナーミュージック・ジャパン". Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  29. ↑ "Try the TIDAL Web Player".
  30. ↑ "Imperial Blaze". 14 August 2009.
  31. ↑ "Imperial Blaze / TTNET Müzik". Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  32. ↑ "Imperial Blaze (Deluxe Version) by Sean Paul". iTunes. 18 August 2009.
  33. ↑ Imperial Blaze (booklet). Sean Paul. VP. Atlantic. 2009. 2-521313.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  34. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Sean Paul – Imperial Blaze" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  35. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Sean Paul – Imperial Blaze" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  36. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Sean Paul – Imperial Blaze" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  37. ↑ "Sean Paul Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  38. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sean Paul – Imperial Blaze" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  39. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Sean Paul – Imperial Blaze". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  40. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sean Paul – Imperial Blaze" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  41. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Sean Paul – Imperial Blaze". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  42. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Sean Paul – Imperial Blaze". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  43. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  44. ↑ "Week Ending Aug. 23, 2009: Over 50 And Still On Top - Chart Watch". New.music.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  45. ↑ "Sean Paul Chart History (Reggae Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  46. ↑ "Sean Paul Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  47. ↑ "Sean Paul Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
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