''Based on a True Story'' is the second album from

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

finalist,

Kimberley Locke Kimberley Dawn Locke (born January 3, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She has recorded in the dance and pop genres, and has targeted the adult contemporary radio format. She was the cohost of the daytime talk s ...

. Kimberley chose this title because the songs on the album, 8 of which co-written by Kimberley herself, tell the true story of the emotions she dealt with during and after her relationship with her ex-fiance. She found that when she sat and talked with her collaborators about the issues she was working through, the songs began to write themselves.

Background and recording

co-wrote ten of the album's songs, which she described as a "very personal and confessional" process.

Composition

According to

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Andy Kellman, ''Based on a True Story'' is a pop album with influences from

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, and

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

. Kellman cited the track "Doin' It Tonight" as an example of "

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

-oriented

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

". Jonathan Bernstein of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' the songs "Any Which Way" and "Everyday Angels" as a "lurching rocker" and an "

Oprah Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', b ...

-ready anthem of gratitude", respectively. He described the single "

Change Change or Changing may refer to: Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of the menstrual period * Metamorphosis, or change, ...

" as a "cathartic country ballad". Locke covers

Freda Payne Freda Charcilia Payne (born September 19, 1942Some sources give a birth year of 1945, but this appears to be an error as all sources agree that she is older than her sister Scherrie, born 1944.) is an American singer and actress. Payne is best ...

's 1970 single " Band of Gold" as a

bonus track An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

; she performed the song as a contestant on ''

'', along with

Frenchie Davis Franchell "Frenchie" Davis (born May 7, 1979) is an American Broadway performer and a soul, dance/ electronica, and pop singer. She came to public attention in 2003 as a contestant on the singing competition show ''American Idol''. Davis began p ...

. Bernstein wrote that Locke provides "a reverent cover of a chestnut".

Critical reception

Gordon Ely of ''Billboard'' praised it as "powerfully performed and perfectly presented", and referred to Locke as "a major new artist in the making". Kellman praised the album as a "polished, professional set", though he felt the songs were "samey and not all that memorable". Despite his positive response to Locke's experimentation with musical genres, Bernstein wrote that she "fails to inject personality into these songs".

Track listing

Cut tracks

Only a month before the release of the album, a decision was made for Kimberley to record her versions of "

Fall Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southe ...

" and " Band of Gold". The label was so impressed by these recordings that two songs that had previously been recorded, "What I Gotta Do" and "Hey DJ (Let That Song Play)", were cut from the album. They remain unreleased.

Background and recording

Composition

Critical reception

Track listing

Cut tracks

Charts

Album

Singles

References