Debut Album Tracker

NOTES

  • This page has collected information the debut information as we found it between 7/22/2011 and 5/21/2012.   Further info on International Release & Unreleased songs added up to 6/13.
  • Add info on Let Yourself Be Beautiful 8/5
  • Cleanup, add disclaimer on “It Looks Nice” 8/13

Haley has been signed to Interscope as of 7/26/2011.

(Rumors started flying 7/22).

(Information collected by Haley fans at idolforums.com (aka IDF, “Listen Up!” – Debut Album Discussion), haleyfans.com (Haley’s in the studio) and Twitter.)

Core information:

Debut Album Listen Up!

  • Interscope Catalog # B001678902
  • Release date: May 22, 2012
  • First single release: “Free”, March 20, 2012
  • Producers: see below
  • 1st Video: Free (release 3/29 to VEVO)
  • Deluxe version has 4 additional tracks. Only available as a Walmart Exclusive and via her website.
  • Album photography: Harper Smith Photography
  • Allmusic entry
Cover
Tracklist
01. Oh My! ft. B.o.B. 2:49
02. Free 4:09
03. Liar 3:24
04. Wasted Tears 3:15
05. Undone 3:49
06. Now That You’re Here 3:19
07. Wonderland 3:40
08. Keep Coming Back 4:01
09. Hit The Ground Runnin’ 3:43
10. Walking On Heaven 3:24
Total: 35:33
11. Follow Me (I’m Right Behind You) [DELUXE VERSION]
12. Spiderweb [DELUXE VERSION]
13. What You Don’t Know [DELUXE VERSION]
14. Let’s Run Away [DELUXE VERSION]
Back Cover (Deluxe Version)
She’s performed “Free”, “Wasted Tears”, “Hit the Ground Runnin'”, and “Now That You’re Here” at various events.   We’ve heard the final cuts for “Free” and “Wonderland”.   “Oh My!” was originally going to debut on 90210 until Tristan Wilds got sick (evidently he was going to do the rap).
30 songs reported to have been produced, 27 with co-write credits for Haley)   See below for details on this and the list of contributors   14 Songs for the deluxe album, 10 for the regular album.   Some more detail:
  1. “Oh My” by Rob Kleiner, Mozella (Maureen Anne McDonald), Haley Reinhart, 883293679; w/guest rap by B.o.B. / brassy mid-tempo Motown
    • 90210 remix adds Wes Smith (most likely of Goldenwest aka Wes Period) 883772837
  2. “Free”  by busbee and Lucie Silvas, Producer: busbee, / Mature breakup song
  3. “Liar” by Rob Kleiner, Samuel Watters, Haley Reinhart 883868718, 14138601
  4. “Wasted Tears” by busbee, Jonathon Ian Green, Haley Reinhart 883748435 / groovy bassline and girl group-esque “woos
  5. “Undone” by Mozella (Maureen Anne McDonald), Haley Reinhart, Rune Westberg 883648192, 14130268; Producer: Rune Westberg / teary ballad
  6. “Now That You’re Here” by Chris DeStefano,  Haley Reinhart, Samuel Watters 883868716 / mid-tempo funk
  7. “Wonderland”, Chris Seefried, Haley Reinhart 13554861 / neo-Motown
  8. “Keep Comin’ Back” by Rob Kleiner, Steve McEwan, Haley Reinhart  14138599 / sexy vocals distorted ever so slightly
  9. “Hit The Ground Runnin’” by Mike Elizondo, Trevor Lawrence, Aimee Proal and Haley Reinhart  883979140 / Uptempo
  10. “Walking On Heaven” by Mike Elizondo, Trevor Lawrence, Aimee Proal and Haley Reinhart  883978986 / Inspirational
  11. [Deluxe edition] “Follow Me (I’m Right Behind You)” by Haley Reinhart, Steve McEwan, Rob Kleiner, Jason Falkner  14138600
  12. [Deluxe edition] “Spider Web” by David Hodges, Steven Miller, and Haley Reinhart 883887792 / rocking
  13. [Deluxe edition]  “What You Don’t Know” by Haley Reinhart, busbee, Samuel Watters 883868717
  14. [Deluxe edition] “Let’s Run Away”  by  Shy Carter, Lauren Christy,Haley Reinhart, 14119619 engineered or produced by Andrew Haller? / Reggae-ish
    • Also listed as: “Run Away” by Haley Reinhart, Shy Carter, Lauren Christy, R4578D
  15. [International Edition] (Set My) Soul On Fire, Patrick J. Bianco, Haley Reinhart, Drew Ryan Scott  X3053H
  16. [International Edition] “Follow My Heart” by Mozella (Maureen Anne McDonald), Haley Reinhart, Rune Westberg 883648193; Producer: Rune Westberg
Other songs (not on the album):
  1. “Get Yourself Together” by Mozella (Maureen Anne McDonald), Haley Reinhart, Rune Westberg 883648194

Newly identified

  1. Sweet Something, Haley Reinhart, X31919
  2. Say That You Won’t Give Up, Haley Reinhart,  X3192B
  3. It Looks Nice, Haley Reinhart, Rob Kleiner, I81767 [Was told that this is not a Haley song, so this maybe a publishing error]
  4. No Way, Haley Reinhart, Luke Laird,  N4891N
  5. Too Happy Blues, Haley Reinhart, Luke Laird, T91221
  6. Heart And Soul, Haley Reinhart, PJ Bianco, Denise Rich, Juliana Joya, H5823I
  7. So Smooth, Haley Reinhart, Victoria McCant, Gale Sayles, Tommy Brown, X31916
  8. Thanks For The Songs, Haley Reinhart, Sam Hollander, Adam Pallin, Aimee Proal, T91220

Identified 8/5

  1. Let Yourself Be Beautiful”  by Haley Reinhart, Brian Kennedy, and Bobby Hamrick (May have been written post-release)

Collected facts.

  • 3 tracks with busbee made the cut (ck: was the 3+Free or 3 incl. Free).  “Free”, “Wasted Tears”, “What You Don’t Know”
  • 3 tracks with MoZella made the cut.  “Undone”, “Oh My” [Only 2 made it]
  • 2 tracks with Aimée Proal made the cut (“Hit The Ground Runnin'” confirmed, Walking On Heaven likely Proal); Elizondo confirmed for HTGR via a chain of tweets.
  • 1 track with Lauren Christy, “reggaeish”, probably made the cut (likely “Run Away” for the Deluxe version)
  • At least one track with Chris Seefried, “Wonderland”
  • 4 tracks with Rob Kleiner co-write/producer credits (know 3 definite, missing 1), 1 bonus track on Deluxe version w/Jason Faulkner, “Follow Me (I’m Right Behind You)”.   Mentions one which is Rob, her Dad, and herself only.
  • Bolded songs confirmed via interviews or performance or tracklist at Walmart.
  • Walmart spilled her tracklist.  Listen Up! Deluxe may only be available at Walmart (and her website).   Walmart shows a Walmart Exclusive album priced a few dollars higher than her regular album. Listen Up! (Walmart Exclusive)

Music Video on VEVO

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1ed3bSjqSI]

Music Video Behind the Scenes

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57Mj4z90DKY]

Photoshoot behind the scenes photoshop video

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpUbP1o-LFo]

Excepts from Biography at HaleyReinhart.com:

Last summer, while spending nearly every night singing to sold-out arenas on the American Idols LIVE! Tour, Haley Reinhart landed her first record deal. Although the smoky-voiced singer/songwriter was unspeakably eager to dive into recording her debut, Reinhart decided to hold off until the 49-date, continent-hopping tour had ended. “I wanted to wait till I could put all my focus and energy into the album and be very hands-on with every single aspect of it,” says Reinhart. “It was really important to me that the record have an organic, soulful sound that truly reflects the kind of artist I want to be.”

Immediately after the tour ended, Reinhart (who ranked third in the tenth season of American Idol) moved from her hometown of Wheeling, Illinois, to Los Angeles and began furiously crafting the songs that would eventually grace her debut. The result is Listen Up! (19 Entertainment/Interscope Records), a ten-track fusion of pop, R&B, rock and roll, and soul that’s both timeless and irresistibly fresh. Serving as co-writer on all but one number (“Free,” the album’s sweetly sorrowful, piano-driven torch-song lead single), Reinhart infuses Listen Up! with her strikingly authentic sensibility and, in turn, more than meets her mission of bringing a classic spirit to modern pop.

To help harness that spirit, Reinhart joined forces with a first-class lineup of songwriters and producers that includes Mike Elizondo (Jay-Z, Fiona Apple, Maroon 5), Rob Kleiner (Usher, Flo Rida, Timbaland), and busbee (Katy Perry, Kid Cudi, Kelly Clarkson). “We just dove in headfirst, and it all ran really smoothly because I was feeling so inspired,” says Reinhart of the recording process. “I’d get into the studio with a producer and we’d get going on a song and start laying it down right away. A lot of the time we ended up going with the first take—the mood and the energy were so good the first time around, it didn’t make sense to try to re-create it.”

Not only helpful for building momentum, the synergy between Reinhart and her collaborators was key to the album’s stunning diversity of sound. “Working with all these different people, we got to bring in so many tonalities and play around with different rhythms and techniques from a whole mix of genres—from classic rock to funk to psychedelia to jazz,” she says. “We weren’t even intentionally trying to fit all that in. It just happened naturally once things got flowing.” Still, much of Listen Up!’s strength lies in Reinhart’s devotion to old-school pop simplicity. “The most crucial thing to me is that people hear the album and feel good and just get lost in the melodies,” notes Reinhart.

…

Now that she’s striking out on her own, Reinhart’s excited about merging her tightly honed performance chops with what she calls “that raw musicianship that means so much to me.” “With the music I grew up on, there were all these imperfections that made it amazing,” she says. “It wasn’t about trying so hard; it was all about pure feeling and energy. To me that’s the important stuff. That’s what I want to bring back into music today.”

REVIEWS

Listen Up: John Mayer, Haley Reinhart, more [Review, 3 out of 4,  USA Today, 5/21]

Last season on American Idol, Haley Reinhart struggled to find suitable material for the swoops and slides of her free-wheeling, bluesy vocal style. That’s not so on Listen Up!, a vivacious bit of post-Adele neo-soul. From reverb-drenched Oh My! to Motown-influenced gems like Wasted Tears andWonderland, Reinhart has grooves that should thrill her fans from the show. — Brian Mansfield

New Albums by John Mayer, Haley Reinhart and Linda Oh [New York Times,  Jon Caramanica, 5/21]

… “Listen Up!” is all shape, all fixed-data points for Ms. Reinhart to adhere to — a taut album full of meaty, thickly arranged pop-soul that suits her booming voice extremely well.

Ms. Reinhart still isn’t a pop star, but that’s fine. Produced primarily by Rob Kleiner and busbee, these songs hark back to the 1960s and ’70s, when Motown girl groups were ceding ground to soul-driven rock. It’s singers’ territory that shows off both the smooth power of Ms. Reinhart’s voice and its engine-revving churn. She lingers elegantly over notes at the end of lines, as on “Now That You’re Here,” and can tighten up into a growl when needed, as on “Liar.”

In contemporary pop terms, this is territory staked out by the likes of Bruno Mars, and the long shadow of Amy Winehouse hangs over the more wrenching soul numbers like “Wasted Tears” and “Oh My!,” on which Ms. Reinhart sounds comfortable, even flirty

Haley Reinhart “Listen Up!” Album Review — 4 out of 5 stars [Artist Direct, 5/21]

On her debut album, Listen Up!, Haley Reinhart stands out as both soulful and sweet.

Nodding to a classic sound with a modern feistiness, the American Idolseason ten finalist adds an elegance to 21st century pop.

REVIEWS: Haley Reinhart, ‘Listen Up!’ [7 out of 10, Spin Magazine 5/21]

Thank Adele for an Idol album with depth. Thank Winehouse for dusty soul. Thank Reinhart for the pipes.

Haley Reinhart’s ‘Listen Up!’: a track-by-track review [USA Today Idol Blog 5/20]

Listen Up! — out May 22 — draws heavily on the neo-soul and girl-group R&B of artists like Adele, Duffy and the late Amy Winehouse. But Haley puts her distinctive twists on the genre, and fans of the Illinois singer likely will be thrilled with the wayListen Up! turned out.

 …

Liar. “There’s a right side and a wrong side” in any relationship gone wrong — but which side is Haley on? That’s the big question in this mysterious soul song, where she seems to have the support the background singers, but they might just be enabling her so she can keep lying to herself.

Press

MusiqTone Hot Seat [Interview 5/16]

HS: I’ve had the great opportunity to listen to Listen Up! before it’s release next week. It shows your capability to master so many different genres, and everything flows so smoothly. What was the writing process like?
HR: Thank you, um it was really a crazy process actually. For me actually when I moved to L.A., I was set up with about two months, three months worth of different producers and song writers. So each day we would walk in, and from the very first session which was with Rob Kleiner and Sam Watters. And we wrote “Liar,” and that’s the second song. [Haley stops to double check “What is it?”] Not the second, I mean the third song on the album. It’s just ironic and it did go very very smoothly. And we didn’t really premeditate trying to fit all of these genres that’s just what I’m influenced by and it was quite easy to just let the rest come naturally.

HS: Right off the bat, the first song on Listen Up!, features B.O.B. How did that collaboration come to be and what was it like finding out that someone of his caliber was going to be on your first major label record?
HR: It was pretty awesome, we were talking about how it was a very short song and we thought we should get a rapper and that would be a pretty cool thing. I added a little part myself, a breakdown after the rap. We met a few people who would like to do it and we tried to think about the best person. And once he got his verse in, it was like he fit the coolness that the song had and well it was perfect.

Haley Reinhart, The Beatweek Interview, [Beatweek. 5/15 Issue, PDF,  pp 16-18; worth a read!  ]

Haley Reinhart interview: American Idol star talks Listen Up, Free, Lollapalooza [Beatweek, online version, previously only available in PDF, 5/21]

“There was so much boldness from people,” Haley Reinhart says of the old  Motown era in which her debut album finds its roots. As such she’s called the
record ‘Listen Up!’ complete with an exclamation point, and that’s precisely what  audiences have been doing since she first took the American Idol stage last year. …

The first single, entitled Free, is an  upbeat sounding number with soaring vocals which belie the  fact that it’s about a breakup.  Still, she says, “it’s more of an  empowering breakup song.  You should feel good after hearing it, knowing that even  though we love each other we need to break this thing  off so we can truly be happy.”

But if Free is along the lines of  what fans were expecting  from Haley, opening track Oh  My might be a different story.  A minute and a half into the old-school tune, hip hop artist  B.o.B. makes an appearance. “It was very short and sweet,”  she explains regarding her own part for the song, “so we  wanted to add to it. We thought a rapper part would be cool. We were thinking about different people, and I really wanted somebody cool and slick that could add that depth and vibe to the song, and  B.o.B. did a great job of it.” …

Says Undone is a bit poppier than normal and a ballad of which she said “I’m not used to ballads”.

The second half of the album picks  back up the pace. Now That You’re  Here sounds like it could garner  airplay in dance clubs, of which she  says “I really like funk and R&B, the  stuff that you can grove to.” Wonderland is a pure throwback. “It’s  an anthem for ladies out there. It’s a  love song. I’ve felt love, so it’s around the corner if you just look for it. That’s  a tribute to old Motown.”

pic.twitter.com/jB6KSnWV

INTERVIEW: Haley Reinhart On Her Debut Album [Popservations, Turn It Up column, 5/14]

Having ‘listened up’ to Listen Up!, there’s a definite retro flavor to the tracks. Songs like “Wonderland” and “Wasted Years,” which I’ve got stuck on repeat, obviously reference the classic Motown sound. Was that mix of old and new sounds something that you were looking to do on your album?

“Yes, yes it is. There wasn’t much that I was premeditating, but that was definitely something I needed to keep in mind. My roots, the classics — they mean so much to me — so being able to have that instilled in the record and still bring it together with a contemporary feel was definitely something that I wanted to represent.”

‘Idol Hangover’: Season 10’s Haley Reinhart Talks Taking Risks on ‘American Idol,’ Feeling Sexy on New Album (Video)

Long video, includes some info on the album.

HALEY REINHART TALKS ‘AMERICAN IDOL,’ ‘SULTRY’ DEBUT ALBUM + DREAM COLLABORATION Popcrush 4/6

Do you have a track on the album that you feel particularly attached to?
A lot of different ones for different reasons honestly. I have my dad playing on four of them, playing guitar. It’s really cool! So all those four tracks that he played on I absolutely love. There’s one that me and him and the producer who I wrote it with, Rob Kleiner, we all loved that one. There’s just different songs with different vibes to them, but that’s one of those that just has something really, really cool about it. We talk about a lot of different subjects, but I really like the ones that take you somewhere and are relatable. There’s a song called ‘Wonderland’ that it feels like it’s from a different time, like new age Motown. It’s just a lovey dovey tune that listeners can easily relate to.

I also read that you worked with B.o.B on the song ‘Oh My.’ What was that like?
Yeah! I actually haven’t met him yet, but we put down that track and we were looking at what we might want and filled him in on it and he was all about it. It sounds great! I love it, it has a very rompy kind of Motown sound again. And I just needed somebody so cool and slick to fill that little spot, and he did such a great job.

Are there any other collaborations on the album?
No, the rest is just me and most of the backgrounds are me, too. I love like super harmony and everything. There’s a couple that I have busbee and another writer, John Green, just doing some little like background vocals, like on the song ‘Wasting Tears.’

HALEY REINHART TALKS ‘AMERICAN IDOL,’ ‘SULTRY’ DEBUT ALBUM + DREAM COLLABORATION Popcrush 4/6

Do you have a track on the album that you feel particularly attached to?
A lot of different ones for different reasons honestly. I have my dad playing on four of them, playing guitar. It’s really cool! So all those four tracks that he played on I absolutely love. There’s one that me and him and the producer who I wrote it with, Rob Kleiner, we all loved that one. There’s just different songs with different vibes to them, but that’s one of those that just has something really, really cool about it. We talk about a lot of different subjects, but I really like the ones that take you somewhere and are relatable. There’s a song called ‘Wonderland’ that it feels like it’s from a different time, like new age Motown. It’s just a lovey dovey tune that listeners can easily relate to.

I also read that you worked with B.o.B on the song ‘Oh My.’ What was that like?
Yeah! I actually haven’t met him yet, but we put down that track and we were looking at what we might want and filled him in on it and he was all about it. It sounds great! I love it, it has a very rompy kind of Motown sound again. And I just needed somebody so cool and slick to fill that little spot, and he did such a great job.

Are there any other collaborations on the album?
No, the rest is just me and most of the backgrounds are me, too. I love like super harmony and everything. There’s a couple that I have busbee and another writer, John Green, just doing some little like background vocals, like on the song ‘Wasting Tears.’

Haley Reinhart Talks Collaborating With B.o.B. On New Album “Listen Up!” & “American Idol” Global Grind 4/2

How will the album sound different from what you were doing on American Idol?

For the most part I did covers that I liked and put my own spin on, put the sultry flavor into it and added freshness to it as well. That part of me, those roots of Motown, some of those songs that I did, I’m taking that with me. It’s just now I’m able to tell my own stories and make the kind of groove I want. Most of the music is mid-tempo, so you could just feel it, and move along to it.

Your album is called Listen Up! What do you want everybody to hear and take away from your album when it drops in May?

I want them to be able to look at it as a big collection that has continuity. It’s a different sound. I want them to realize the raw musicianship of it. I want people to get lost in the melodies and be able to relate to all the lyrics because it’s all really relatable topics.

…

You mentioned a little bit of Motown and how you’re soulful, who are some of your musical inspirations?

I grew up with a lot of old school Motown and R&B stuff, as well as Classic Rock. It’s always been a huge influence of mines with The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. The whole ’60s/’70s era is so important to me. I kind of felt like I was born in the wrong time, but there’s a reason for it. I have to tell myself “I’m here to bring the good stuff back…,” and create new more modern spins on it for myself.

…

It was more like the new age send you the track, and you send it back to me?

Yeah, it was, let’s see who’s best for the track kind of thing. I was looking at different people. They were like “Who would you like?” I’m talking about Andre 3000! I needed somebody so cool and smooth for this record because it’s really cool. It has this old swampy vibe to it. It’s very James Bond; just a really cool feel. B.o.B got on it, and he sounds awesome on it. It fits really well.

…

What does music mean to you?

It’s a way of living, which I’ve done forever. My parents—blood, sweat, and tears—music is their life. They’re still playing together 40 years later. I’ve grown up in a house of music. Even my relatives—my mom has five other sisters—they all can sing. It’s an outlet. It’s powerful in so many ways. It can make me cry on so many different levels. Hearing a new artist who’s just got it, that tears me up. I love that. I live for that stuff.

Interview: Haley Reinhart Wants Music Fans to Listen Up! BlogCritics.org 3/30

Switching over to you new album, Listen Up!, which is set to be released on May 22, where did the album title come from?

I was doing a lot of the creative [stuff], like the album artwork at the same time, and I had this idea and it kind of coincided with the title. I’m going to have an exclamation, like I really just want it to be a known thing. Like, “Hey new generation, old generation, whoever, take a listen to this stuff.” I put a lot of hard work into it, it’s organic and raw, and has a lot of elements that I’ve grown up with, as well as being very modern and fresh. I just want people to give it a listen.

…

Since your lyrics are really important to you, are you drawn to certain topics or do you just go with whatever comes to mind in the studio?

I like to have a direction, they need to make sense. So in order for them to make sense, we have to create the story that’s going on. When I walk in, I always have an idea and the more and more that I got into the process, I’m like, “Alright, I want to talk about this story about a girl and boy who are best friends. I’m in love with this guy, and I want to make him see that I’ve always been here for him. And any flaws that he thinks he has, I think they’re beautiful,” and we’d write a whole song about it. That one I did with busbee, called “What You Don’t Know,” it’s fun, you know. I like songs that take you on a journey and take you somewhere else and really sink your teeth into it.

What are you hoping that your listening audience takes away from your new record?

First of all, I hope that people of all ages will enjoy it. It’s great to know that Idol has a huge, wide-range audience. And that’s fantastic, because I wanted to be talking to a younger crowd as well as a much older crowd. I hope that everybody will give it a listen and really just see that I wanted it to be a very organic and natural experience. I want them to be able to get lost in it and relate to it. All the songs are very relatable. I know that people have gone through these kinds of experiences. I want them to be able to hear me and what I’m saying.

‘American Idol’ alum Haley Reinhart releases video for ‘Free’, talks about her upcoming album EW 3/29

 If you’re a fan — and if you like acts like Duffy and Fitz and the Tantrums — you should be excited for Reinhart’s new album Listen Up,  due on May 22. She previewed a few of the new tracks for EW staffers: a brassy B.O.B. collaboration called “Oh My,” a tender ballad, “Undone,” and a smooth neo-Motown ditty, “Wonderland.”…
On what she wanted in her new album Listen Up: “I wanted it to definitely be a mashup of old and new, retro and modern. Things like funk and jazz and rock and pop and definitely soul throughout the entire album. That’s something that I put into all the covers on Idol, so to have that maintained through the whole sequence of songs. As well as keeping it very organic and rooted, but then having something like program drums — we used that at times because the other portions of the music material was very much organic. It’s completely me and showing the kind of artist that I’ve always going to be.”

VH1 Pass The Bowl Series 3/29

Shannon Elizabeth: What do you do to better the world?

Haley Reinhart: I sing and the music that I’ve been writing…I like to get through to listeners through music. More and more, I just like to send out positive messages and motivational, worldly-type music. The last track on the album called “Walking on Heaven” is going to be just about that… this world is a beautiful place, we’re so blessed to be on this land, why not take it to the fullest and make it that great place it can be. So, that’s just one way, but I definitely like to remind myself and others around me, as little as recycling and anything else like that, just to make the world a better place to be in.

Haley Reinhart talks ‘90210,’ ‘Listen Up!’ USA Today 3/26/2012

Haley recorded Free during last summer’s American Idols Live tour. While it’s the only song on Listen Up! that she didn’t have a hand in writing, she says the song helped establish a direction for the rest of the album.

“It all has the sultry feel, very retro but yet modern at the same time,” says the singer, who was known for her versatility during her time on Idol. “Things travel between rock and funk and jazz, but it all has a sort of continuity with pop undertones. It does feel like a collection to me.”

Fans who’d like to hear her go further afield should consider picking up the deluxe edition of Listen Up! Haley takes a few more stylistic liberties there. “They stretch out,” she says. “There’s one that goes in a reggae direction and another that’s more on the rock side, then one that’s just out there and psychedelic-sounding.”

Haley Reinhart Talks Returning to American Idol, Her 90210 Guest Spot and…Becoming Angelina Jolie?! – E! Online.  3/22

Your album “Listen Up!” drops May 22, over a year after your season of Idol came to an end. What were you trying to accomplish with your debut album?
I wanted to make sure that it had a lot of substance to it. I wanted it to touch on a lot of different genres and still have it be catchy pop undertones, but just definitely keep true to myself and what I’m doing and have it reach out to people. So everybody knows, ‘She’s not just wanting to sell out for the fame.’ I’m here for the music.

“Free” definitely has a retro-soul feel to it, so can we expect the rest of “Listen Up!” to have that same vibe?
I think you hit it on the head. Pretty much all the music, you can define it as retro-soul. There’s just a lot of other elements involved. It can go from a little bit of rock to funk and there’s hints of jazz in there. But definitely sultry soul is my thing, so I try to stay true to that throughout the whole thing.

Reviews

‘American Idol’s’ Haley Reinhart Talks New Album, Guest Stars The Hollywood Reporter, Shirley Halperin March 7, 2012

The Hollywood Reporter got an early listen at the yet-untitled full-length (due out in May) and all its retro goodness — songs like “Oh My,” a mid-tempo number featuring big horns, tambourines and echoing drums, “Keep Coming Back,” with its sexy vocals distorted ever so slightly, and “Undone,” a teary ballad worthy of “diva” designation, what with its piano-led melody, soaring vocals and strings. But perhaps the song that best serves Reinhart’s soulful sound and vibe is “Wasted Tears,” which, with its groovy bassline and girl group-esque “woos” sounds like it came straight from another era.

To hear Reinhart tell it, her goal was to make an “organic” album. “I want it to be real and to have substance,” she said on a rare break from studio time at Hollywood’s Record Plant. “Depth on different levels is so important to me. You look at a band like The Beatles, all their material has so much depth to it. And I want people to be able to run away with my melodies and get lost in them and take the lyrics and be able to relate to them.”

Indeed, for an album that has elements of R&B, soul, rock, pop, jazz and funk, there’s a lot to sink your teeth into. Reinhart revealed more about the process — and fantastic end result — in an exclusive sit-down with THR.

Sound

Haley interview on KISS 98.5 (jump albumland 1:16)

“I hope that it has a lot of different sounds and genres incorporated. I’ve been trying to think of words to really describe it. A lot of it is this kinda of New Wave Motown or New Wave R&B soul kind of thing. And I hope I incorporate some of the jazzier styles, stylistic speaking … Jazz, and yeah, rock, and R&B.”

Haley Reinhart goes up in ‘Lights’ at the Mag Mile Festival

She will be writing some or all of each song on the album. “That’s just who I am. I always have wanted to be very hands-on,” she said.

When asked about themes of the songs, Reinhart said with a little chuckle, “Sure, there will be songs about relationships, but I want there to be more than just love songs or songs about broken hearts or loss of love or rejected love.

“Music should also be inspiring and motivational, and I’m hoping to work some of that into the album as well.

“A key thing with me is about letting yourself be beautiful, or rather allowing yourself to accept the beauty that is inside everyone. That’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.”

Known to be working with:

Additional:

  • Denise Rich
  • Juliana Joya
  • Gayle Sayles

Additional 8/5:

  • Brian Kennedy
  • Bobby Hamrick

(*likely but not confirmed or doubts, ? – probably, ?? – possibly)

– Research –

Collected Information on Debut Album Listen Up!
(reverse chronological)

  • ‘American Idol’s’ Haley Reinhart Talks New Album, Guest Stars THR Shirley Halperin March 7, 2012.   Adds new song title ““Keep Coming Back”, Luke Laird, B.o.B. guest rap.
  • chris seefried ‏ @chrisseefried neal avron just mixed ‘wonderland’, the song i produced and co-wrote for the upcoming haley reinhart record. so hot!  6 Mar
  • chris seefried ‏ @chrisseefried Neal Avron just did a killer mix for “Wonderland”, the Haley Reinhart song i produced and co wrote for her new upcoming record! Details
  • Aimée Proal @AimeeProal @DaniReinhart I won’t say at this time, but from your picture, I bet you would like to know I have 2 songs with Haley on her record Details
  • Confirms DeStefano, Dad, 3 songs by busbee: http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/reality-rocks…-212023370.html
  • Confirms Hodges, Miller: The Wicks @TheWicksMusic At Sunset Studios listening to Jon lay down drums for Lee Dewyze and Haley Reinhart, American Idol peeps. 1960s Ludwig kit.”Punchy” is in. Details
  • Jon Skaggs @jonskaggs The Drum Doctor brought me these beautiful drums for the recording session with @hodgesmusic today #oldisenvogue http://twitpic.com/8krkh4 Details
  • David Hodges @hodgesmusic Stoked to be in the studio today w/ @jonskaggs, @chadcopelin, & @SteveMillerROCK. @sleepingatlast, you should come say hi before your show. Details
  • Lauren Christy confirmed here: Jason Bowers Interview (working on a reggaeish tune)
  • FB: Andrew Haller Finnishing up some great sessions with Haley Reinhart and Shy Carter.Shy wrote a couple of #1 hits for Sugarland last year. (fblink)
  • Album: forthcoming Label: Interscope Contribution: Writing & Production Songs: “Undone” & “Follow My Heart”, Engineering, Instruments, Production, Song Writing website
  • Jonathan Smith @TheREALjonsmith That very one:) RT @HaleyInHart: @therealjonsmith Were you the drummer on @HaleyReinhart’s “Free”?
  • Haley Reinhart @HaleyReinhart And for the good news…my new single that will still be out in march…drumroll please…. Is called ‘Free’ https://twitter.com/#!/HaleyReinhart/st…090187488960513
  • robkleiner Rob Kleiner Putting the finishing touches on this @HaleyReinhart record with some special guest help! 22 Jan Indications are that it’s her dad.
  • hwoodhotsauce7 paul dawson SMAsh!!!!!!!!!!!!! For haley reinhart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thabk u God 8 Dec
    Working with interscope, but Haley may not have heard this yet. (See tweet from assisstant telling Haley of song)
  • @AimeeProal Aimée Proal LOVIN the last song we did w @HaleyReinhart , on repeat 🙂 @samiamhollander @A_d_a_Mp3 7 Jan
    replies ↓
    @MarkSudack Mark Sudack me too! “@AimeeProal: LOVIN the last song we did w @HaleyReinhart , on repeat 🙂 @samiamhollander @A_d_a_Mp3” 7 Jan
    replies ↓
    AimeeProal Aimée Proal @MarkSudack Ahhh good! I’m glad!
    Mark Sudack does management of some kind so probably not directly involved.
  • JDWalker1 JD WALKER
    Awesome working with @haleyreinhart and @davebassett…we put the urban in burbank.
    14 Dec
  • SirJackSplash Jack Splash
    Feels SO good 2 be back in Miami! I had a blast in LA though working with Haley Reinhart, Kendrick Lamar, John West, Harry Kipner & David Gl(ass, Nico, Jacob Luttrell, Colin Munroe, Jaden Michaels & K Briscoe! Good times and great music!)
    12 Dec
  • TheBonfires The Bonfires Rocking tune on the go today writing with @HaleyReinhart & @busbee 9 Dec Probably just Jonathan Green from the band. Info on band: http://thebonfires.bandcamp.com/ http://www.thesixtyone.com/ http://www.myspace.com/thebonfiresmusic
  • drewryanscott drewryanscott Magic happens when @theVillAblanco and @HaleyReinhart hit the studio after some starbizzol 🙂 🙂 http://twitter.com/#!/drewryanscott/st…088183847464960 NOTE: PJ Bianco’s (theVillAblanco) wiki page was updated to say he was working with Haley 10/8 (used Hayley)
  • Working with Haley and MoZella on Haley’s forthcoming album. Super cool soulful pop. Haley was on Idol 2011, she’s signed to Interscope. http://runewestberg.com/blog/, Date 11/11 found 11/29
  • Andre_Merritt Andre Merritt @HaleyReinhart I really enjoyed wrkn with u yesterday I been humming that song all day cant wait to finish and do more.. 🙂 28 Nov
  • AimeeProal Aimée Proal Heading into the studio w @HaleyReinhart and @samiamhollander today, round 3 🙂 11:24 PDT 15 Nov
  • Additional people who may be involved in the album (Haley started following them today 11/10)
    Chris Seefried (producer/songwriter) http://twitter.com/chrisseefried
    Chris DeStefano (producer/songwriter) http://twitter.com/destefanomusic
  • SteveMillerROCK Steven Miller Dude, 4 serious. This jam is so good! RT @hodgesmusic: Winner of a day w/ @haleyreinhart & @SteveMillerROCK. Music wins again. 1 minute ago 
    hodgesmusic David Hodges Winner of a day w/ @haleyreinhart & @SteveMillerROCK. Music wins again. 8 Nov
    Sounds like they are working with her (on the album)
  • TBHITS Tommy Brown  Listening to these @HaleyReinhart records we knocked out! She kills! 4 Nov
    TBHITS Tommy Brown  I’m gonna put some footage up from the studio I had some really great people come threw!      Not clear if the last applies.
    Looks like she was working with him; Victoria McCants and Michaela Shiloh in studio at the same time.These two photos within a couple of minutes of each other:http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=242…e=3&theater http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=242…pe=1&ref=nf
  • AimeeProal Aimée Proal
    Listening to @HaleyReinhart singing our song in the booth now …. girls got souuuul 🙂 3 Nov
    AimeeProal Aimée Proal Writing with @HaleyReinhart and Mike Elizondo today! #soul 3 Nov
  • mozellamusic Mozella Music @haleyreinhart hi!!!! had fun writing the past few days. U rule. 27 Oct
  • VICTORIAMONET_ Victoria McCants In the studio with @HaleyReinhart of American Idol..she’s in here sounding like an angel!!! Amazing vocals 24 Oct
    Works with TBHits Role unknown
  • @therealjonsmith Jonathan Smith Also drumming on a new Interscope thing for @HayleyReinhart & CLA. Smoke&MirrorsLA. @busbee @paiste @LudwigHQ @dwdrums @vaterdrumsticks 20 Oct CLA confirmed as Chris Lord-Alge later. busbee also produced “Baby It’s Cold Outside”; possibly related, most likely not (Anthony Wilson listed a different drummer)
  • robkleiner Rob Kleiner 2 amazing tunes in 2 days with @HaleyReinhart … today with help from piano and lyric man Drew Lawrence 14 Oct
  • @therealjonsmith Jonathan Smith I can be heard drumming on Haley Reinhart’s [American Idol] Interscope Records release. @HaleyReinhart @busbee @paiste @LudwigHQ @lunahalo 14 Oct
  • robkleiner Rob Kleiner Day 2 in studio with chi town home girl @haleyreinhart and mega talent Sam Watters. Bring on the heat! 14 Oct

Remarks on type of music (chronological order)

LA Reality Rocks Interview, 7/15:
“In a perfect world, I would love it be bluesy, soulful, funky–a lot of stuff incorporated. I think it’s possible!”

http://www.mjsbigblog.com/haley-reinhart-o…oming-album.htm based upon USA Today interview
7/30
“organic, soulful and bluesy.”

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/2011080…life/708049819/
8/4

“I know I always mention these ladies, but Corrine Bailey Rae, Janelle Monae, Esperanza Spalding, that jazzy, bluesy kind of direction is where I live,” she said.
In fact, Reinhart has enlisted the help of duet partner and fellow “Idol” finalist Casey Abrams to get her started. “I have a bunch of melodies and lyrics I’ve been playing around with that Casey has given me chord structure for,” she said. “We have a really similar old-school jazz sensibility so we work awesome together.”
And she promises to keep the growl that “Idol” fans loved.
As far as other dreams for the record go, Reinhart said she wants to write as much of it herself as possible and she’d kill to get her musical family involved too.

http://edit.dailyherald.com/article/20110818/news/708189959/ (published 8/18, interview 8/5-6)

Where are you in the recording process? I know when we spoke last week, you said you were just starting work on the album.
H: Right now we are in the first steps of the entire process. I’m giving a feel of my vibe, what I’m going for, to everybody. I’m telling everybody what I want my sound to be like, which is raw, kind of organic, bluesy, sultry kind of deal. I’m basically just looking to find songwriters and producers that I can mesh with really well. I’d love to have real musicians work on the album.
Do you see yourself going in a more growly or more jazzy direction on the album?
H: I would love to mix it up. I’m really going to try to sneak jazz in. I know Interscope itself has lots of pop artists and hip-hop artists. I know I have a lot of that soul R&B in me so I definitely want to try to get that across but as well as funk, rock and a jazzy flavor. I think I told you before it sounds like a lot but I mean all of these things compact into one. As long as your style comes through, I think it’s easy to tell.
So there’s no timetable for the album or single release yet?
H: Not at all. I’m still just getting ideas. When I’m in New York City, I’m supposed to meet with a couple of producers to start talking about it.

http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/pid/5439/
8/10

“When I think of it, I think of a lot of different genres. It might sound like a bunch, but I can mix them together and make them blend together. I’m thinking definitely it will be a sultry, bluesy, rock, organic kind of album.”

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2011/08/1…and-thia-megia/ 8/15

What type of music do you see yourself doing, rhythm and blues or pop music?
HR: “More rhythm and blues side definitely. I’m looking to do a very bluesy/sultry album with a lot of different genres incorporated; have a little jazz in there and some funk and rock and I really just see it meshing all together.”

http://media.wkrz.com/a/43995698/lissa-int…dol.htm?q=Haley

Lissa: What is next for you?
I’m actually to go in and start recording some stuff tomorrow (Monday, August 22, 2011) possibly.
Lissa: Are you writing stuff, or they picking stuff for you?
I write stuff.
Lissa: Combo?
Exactly, both.
We’re just trying to work out what kind of writers and what kind of producers that would fit best and blend well with me.
Lissa: What are you going for. What is the flavor of just you. Not you on the show. You.
I would defintely want to do a bluesy sultry album
Lissa: Nice.
Mixed some funk and rock in there.

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2011/aug/25/0825_idol/ Aug 25, Albany NY

She won’t have to wait long to start singing new material, though. When the tour wraps up in Rochester on Sept. 10, Reinhart will head to New York City to begin recording her first album for Interscope Records, which signed her after she was eliminated from “American Idol” in May.
Currently, Reinhart is working on assembling a team of musicians and producers to work on the album. Since she was 8, Reinhart has sung with her parents in the family band — her father, Harry Reinhart, became the first parent to join an Idol contestant onstage, playing guitar during one of Reinhart’s final performances on Led Zeppelin’s “What is and What Should Never Be.” So she’s hoping to have each of her family members perform on the album.

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=329394 Published Sep. 1, Reading PA pre-stop publicity

…
Reinhart, who comes to the Sovereign Center on Wednesday with the other top 11 Idols for the American Idol Live Tour, said she’s been signed by 19 Recordings/Interscope Records and plans to begin work on her album once the tour ends in the fall.
“I’m going to be starting on that,” she said. “And looking to see what fish there are in the sea, and the kind of producers that suit me best. So my journey has already begun.”
…
“We’re ending in the Philippines,” she said. “I’ve heard they are huge fans of the show.”
Once that’s done, she plans to get into the studio and put together her album, which will include the bluesy soul music that suits her voice. She also plans to work with some of the other idols with whom she became friendly during the contest, and throughout the tour.
“Casey and I are definitely going to make some music together,” she said. “We enjoy a lot of the same type of music. We love working together at all the events.”
…
She’s also planning on adding some of her favorite musicians to her album, too: Her parents.
“I know the kind of sound I want, and it doesn’t stray to far from the show and (those) types of songs,” she said. “I want to take it up to the next level. And in a perfect world that would include getting my parents on the album, too.”

Philippines Press Conference 9/17 (Manila Hotel)
Been in studio a couple of times.
Single in a couple of months. maybe.
Album latest May….

Video

http://music-mix.ew.com/2011/11/02/haley-r…side-exclusive/ 11/2

“I’m working my butt off right now,” she tells EW, “just getting in there with a bunch of different writers and producers every day.” Reinhart has already recorded a few tracks—including some that she wrote herself a few years ago— and she describes the sound of what she’s recording as “soul and R&B mixed, with some jazziness in there.” The singer adds, “You can hear the retro-ness, but it definitely has a modern twist. Hey—that rhymes!”
Reinhart thinks she’ll have new original music out sometime early next year, but for now, “Baby It’s Cold Outside” should tide over her eager fans. “I’m not going to make them wait that long!” she says, adding, “I’m really happy that I’m not having to rush this.” Her next step is choosing a debut single.

On her debut album,

@HaleyReinhart
Haley Reinhart
@iHartHReinhart I want a certain sound to shine throughout it & have everyone feeeeel good, sit back, and/or dance when people listen to it!
14 Nov

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainmen…0,163987.column 11/16

“Right now I’m leaning toward a very retro, Motown sound from the ‘60s that has some hip-hop drum beats mixed in …” Reinhart said. “There’s definitely soul in all of it. I really do like where it’s going. I have a lot of fun doing the background (vocals) and everything else. I’m a huge fan of three-part harmonies — all the little things that make it a song.”

Haley Reinhart goes up in ‘Lights’ at the Mag Mile Festival

She will be writing some or all of each song on the album. “That’s just who I am. I always have wanted to be very hands-on,” she said.
When asked about themes of the songs, Reinhart said with a little chuckle, “Sure, there will be songs about relationships, but I want there to be more than just love songs or songs about broken hearts or loss of love or rejected love.
“Music should also be inspiring and motivational, and I’m hoping to work some of that into the album as well.
“A key thing with me is about letting yourself be beautiful, or rather allowing yourself to accept the beauty that is inside everyone. That’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.”

Haley interview on KISS 98.5 (jump albumland 1:16) 1/18/2012

I hope that it has a lot of different sounds and genres incorporated. I’ve been trying to think of words to really describe it. A lot of it is this kinda of New Wave Motown or New Wave R&B soul kind of thing. And I hope I incorporate some of the jazzier styles, stylistic speaking … Jazz, and yeah, rock, and R&B.

Other tidbits (under west coast, 6:40); parents visiting 19th (buzz is that Dad may be on album; visit fits with 22th tweet from Kleiner); album no later than May; single on idol — “You never know, I’m hoping for that” in an “I can’t say” tone.

So Smooth, Haley Reinhart, Victoria McCant, Gale Sayles, Tommy Brown, X31916Thanks For The Songs, Haley Reinhart, Sam Hollander, Adam Pallin, Aimee Proal, T91220

Tagging the recording booth

Blog at WordPress.com.