''Blood, Sweat & 3 Years'' is the fourth studio album by American

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

group

Cash Cash Cash Cash is an American electronic music group from Roseland, New Jersey. The group consists of three DJs / musicians: brothers Jean Paul Makhlouf, Alex Makhlouf and Samuel Frisch. They produce, record, mix and master all their music together as ...

, released on June 24, 2016 by Big Beat Records and

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. It is their first full-length album since signing to Big Beat, following the release of the ''Overtime'' and ''Lightning'' EPs. ''Blood, Sweat & 3 Years'' includes collaborations with singers

Anjulie Anjulie Persaud (born May 21, 1983), known as Anjulie, is a Canadian singer and songwriter who has released one self-titled album, and has collaborated with Diplo, Zedd, Boombox Cartel, Kelly Clarkson, Nicki Minaj, TheFatRat, and Benny Benassi, ...

Bebe Rexha Bleta Rexha (; born August 30, 1989), known professionally as Bebe Rexha ( ), is an American pop singer and songwriter. After signing with Warner Records in 2013, Rexha received songwriting credits on Eminem's single " The Monster" (which later ...

, Chrish,

Christina Perri Christina Judith Perri (born August 19, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter. After her debut single "Jar of Hearts" was featured on the television series ''So You Think You Can Dance'' in 2010, Perri signed with Atlantic Records and releas ...

Dev Dev, sometimes capitalized as DEV, can be referred as: People Single names * Dev (born 1982), Indian actor * Dev (born 1984), British radio presenter, DJ and actor * Dev (born 1989), American singer * Dev, Indian actor First names * Dev Anand (19 ...

Jacquie Lee Jacqueline Ann "Jacquie" Lee (born June 25, 1997) is an American pop singer from Colts Neck, New Jersey. She is best known for being the runner-up of Season 5 of NBC's singing competition ''The Voice'' in 2013 as part of Christina Aguilera's te ...

, Jenna Andrews,

John Rzeznik John Joseph Theodore Rzeznik (; born December 5, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the founder, guitarist and frontman of the American rock band Goo Goo Dolls, with whom he has recorded 14 studio albums. Early life Rzeznik w ...

from the

Goo Goo Dolls The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by guitarist/vocalist John Rzeznik, bassist/vocalist Robby Takac, and drummer George Tutuska. After starting off as a cover band and then developing a punk sound, ...

Julia Michaels Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g ...

, Michael Fitzpatrick of

Fitz and the Tantrums Fitz and the Tantrums are an American indie pop and neo soul band from Los Angeles, California, that formed in 2008. The band consists of Michael Fitzpatrick (lead vocals), Noelle Scaggs (co-lead vocals and percussion), James King (saxophone, ...

Neon Hitch Neon Hitch (born 25 May 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. She was signed to Mike Skinner and Ted Mayhem's label, The Beats, before it closed down. She was later discovered on MySpace by Benny Blanco, who flew her to New York City to ...

, and

Sofia Reyes Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and has ...

; rappers

B.o.B Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years later, ...

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal ...

, and

Trinidad James Nicholaus Joseph Williams (born September 24, 1987), better known by his stage name Trinidad James (often stylized as Trinidad Jame$), is a Trinidadian-American rapper. In 2012, he signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings. The label d ...

; DJ

Digital Farm Animals Nick Gale, better known as Digital Farm Animals, is a British songwriter, music producer and DJ known for wearing an electronic pig helmet. He has featured on and co-written numerous tracks that have reached the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, ...

; and groups Little Daylight and

Night Terrors of 1927 Night Terrors of 1927 was an American pop duo from Los Angeles, California, signed to Atlantic Records. The duo composed of Jarrod Gorbel (ex-front man for Brooklyn outfit The Honorary Title) and former Rilo Kiley guitarist Blake Sennett. In 20 ...

Background and composition

On April 28, 2016, the group announced the track listing and release date for ''Blood, Sweat & 3 Years''. The album was produced by the group themselves and

. The album took 36 months to complete. Jean Paul Makhlouf spoke about the long process of finishing the album. The title of the album comes from a representation of the last three years of the groups lives. Following the release of the album, the group embarked on a 2016 headlining tour called Must Be the Money Tour.

Singles

" Take Me Home", featuring guest vocals from singer

, was released on July 15, 2013, originally from the band's 2013 EP ''Overtime''. It was later included on ''Blood, Sweat & 3 Years'' as its first single. It reached number 57 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 selling 488,000 downloads, becoming their first (and, to date, only) charting single in the US. It also reached number 6 on the

Dance/Electronic Songs The Dance/Electronic Songs chart has been published weekly by ''Billboard'' since January 2013. It is the first chart to be published that ranks the most popular dance and electronic songs according to audience impressions, digital downloads, s ...

chart. It also peaked within the top ten in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and the UK. The music video premiered on December 18, 2013. "Lightning", featuring guest vocals from

frontman

, was released on March 24, 2014. It was originally from the band's 2014 EP ''Lightning'', but was later included as the second single from ''Blood, Sweat & 3 Years''. Unlike "Take Me Home", "Lightning" did not chart. The lyric video premiered on August 11, 2014. "

Surrender Surrender may refer to: * Surrender (law), the early relinquishment of a tenancy * Surrender (military), the relinquishment of territory, combatants, facilities, or armaments to another power Film and television * ''Surrender'' (1927 film), an ...

", featuring uncredited guest vocals from singer and songwriter

, was released on September 16, 2014 as the third single from the album. Although it did not chart on the Hot 100, it did reach number 19 on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart. The music video premiered on January 15, 2015. "Devil", featuring guest vocals from rappers

and

and singer

, was released on August 7, 2015 as the album's fourth single. It reached number 28 on the Dance/Electronic songs chart, and number 110 in the UK. "Escarole" was released on December 11, 2015 as the album's fifth single. "

Aftershock In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in the same area of the main shock, caused as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthquakes can have hundreds to thousand ...

", featuring guest vocals from singer

, was released on January 29, 2016 as the album's sixth single. The music video premiered on March 16, 2016. "

How to Love "How to Love" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne, released as the third single from his ninth studio album, ''Tha Carter IV''. The song features production from Drum Up (LaMar Seymour, LaNelle Seymour) for Drum Up Digital with Noel "Detail" F ...

", featuring guest vocals from Mexican singer

, was released on April 29, 2016 as the album's seventh single. It peaked at number 16 on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart. The music video premiered on the same day. "

Millionaire A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. In countries that use the short scal ...

", their collaboration with British DJ

, featuring guest vocals from rapper

, was released on June 3, 2016 as the album's eighth single. It debuted at number 22 on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart. The music video was released on June 27, 2016. "Broken Drum", featuring guest vocals from Michael Fitzpatrick of

, was released on June 17, 2016 as the album's ninth single, accompanied by a music video.

Critical reception

Alexendra Blair from ''

Dancing Astronaut Dancing Astronaut is an American media platform founded in 2009 that primarily covers the electronic dance music industry. The website covers concerts and festivals, reports on entertainment news, reviews music, and publishes original content sy ...

'' wrote that Cash Cash have "delivered a quality pop music release on which any song could be a confetti-drenched closer" by praising their track production and the appearance of quality collaborators such as

and Michael Fitzpatrick of

. She then criticised

's performance on "Millionaire" by describing it as a "whitewashing of the rapper's sometimes gritty and often wryly wrought vocal style" and felt that "Devil" was "hollow with a sanitized inauthenticity" despite strong verses from

and

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 Neil Z. Yeung gave the album a 4/5 rating and stated that it was a "celebration of the many facets of dance in the 2010s EDM era, from

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

and everything in between". He complimented their "impressive list of guests for the effort" and said that the brightest moments of the record came courtesy of the female vocalists, who bring a "carefree and breezy energy to balance the machismo". Connor Jones from ''We Got This Covered'' felt like the album "plays more like a loose collection of songs than a cohesive whole", due to some tracks being released back in 2013 which causes them to feel mismatched when listened to. He continued by stating that the record feels repetitious and formulaic regarding its female led vocal collaborations, even with the presence of many excellent tracks. The critic concluded by writing that tracks like "How To Love" which "strike the right balance between radio friendly pop and crowd pleasing dance rhythms" works best in ''Blood, Sweat & 3 Years'', and praised the "crystal clear mixing" and "excellent synth work" on the record. Daniel Patrin of ''Renowned For Sound'' granted the record a 2/5 rating and stated that it consisted of "calculable, artificial pop music with forced momentum", mimicking the works of

Afrojack Nick Leonardus van de Wall (; born 9 September 1987), better known as Afrojack, is a Dutch DJ, music producer and remixer from Spijkenisse, South Holland. In 2007, he founded the record label Wall Recordings; his debut album '' Forget the World' ...

and

Swedish House Mafia Swedish House Mafia (SHM) is a Swedish house music supergroup consisting of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. The group officially formed in late 2008, were placed at number ten on the ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJ Poll 2011, and have been ...

which made it lack "any real aspects of individualism".

Track listing

All tracks produced by Cash Cash, except "Millionaire" produced by Cash Cash and Digital Farm Animals.

Personnel

Credits for ''Blood, Sweat & 3 Years'' adapted from

. Cash Cash * Samuel Frisch – composer, DJ, mastering, mixing, producer, programming * Alex Makhlouf – composer, keyboards, mastering, mixing, producer, programming * Jean Paul Makhlouf – composer, mastering, mixing, producer, programming, vocals Additional musicians *

Jenna Andrews Jenna Lauren Andrews (born 1985 or 1986) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and record producer from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Andrews released her debut single "Tumblin' Down" in 2010, which was featured on the television show, ''Grey's Anatomy ...

– composer, featured artist *

– featured artist *

& Chrish – composer, featured artist *

– featured artist * Leah Haywood – backing vocals *

– composer, featured artist *

– featured artist *

– featured artist * Little Daylight – featured artist *

– featured artist *

– composer, featured artist *

– featured artist *

– composer, featured artist Production *

Erin Beck Erin Beck (born December 26) is a Grammy-nominated American songwriter. She is best known as co-writer of the eight times platinum pop record "Sexy and I Know It" by the band LMFAO. Beck also co-wrote the title track from LMFAO's RIAA cert ...

– composer *

El DeBarge Eldra Patrick "El" DeBarge (born June 4, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He was the focal point and primary lead singer of the family group DeBarge. Popular songs led by El DeBarge include "Time Will Reveal", "Who's Holding ...

– composer *

Jennifer Decilveo Jennifer Erin Decilveo is an American Grammy-winning, Brit and Mercury Prize-nominated record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. Her production and songwriting credits include Beth Ditto of The Gossip, Bat for Lashes, Andra Day, Po ...

– composer *

– producer *

Jay E Jason Lee Epperson (born August 13, 1978), known professionally as Jay E, is an American record producer, entrepreneur and DJ. He is a co-founder of the production team Basement Beats. Jay E rose to fame as the producer of rapper Nelly's multi-pl ...

– composer * Michael Fitzpatrick – composer * Nick Gale – composer * Jarrod Gorbel – composer *

Etterlene Jordan Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge (born March 10, 1955) is an American soul singer–songwriter and the lone female sibling of the Motown family group DeBarge. She was the lead vocalist on the R&B ballad " A Dream", from the group's ''In a Special Way'' ...

– composer *

Ilsey Juber Ilsey Anna Juber (born April 17, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter from California. Juber co-wrote Mark Ronson's "Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" feat. Miley Cyrus, along with much of Ronson’s ''Late Night Feelings'' album with vocals ...

– composer * Matthew Lewkowicz – composer * Brandon Lowry – composer * Tal Meltzer – composer *

– composer * Ashton Parson – composer * Jonas Philip Patterson – composer *

Lindy Robbins Lindy Robbins is an American songwriter from Los Angeles, whose songs include Demi Lovato's " Skyscraper", Jason Derulo's "Want to Want Me", David Guetta's " Dangerous" featuring Sam Martin, MKTO's "Classic", Hot Chelle Rae's " Tonight, Toni ...

– composer * Trevor Smith – composer * Nikki Taylor – composer * Lavell Webb – composer *

Linus Wiklund Linus Wiklund (born 3 February 1983), also known as Lotus IV, is a Swedish songwriter and music producer. He has written and produced songs for artists such as Avicii, Zedd, Alessia Cara, Future, Ty Dolla Sign, David Guetta, Sasha Sloan, Sam Sm ...

– composer * Nicholaus Williams – composer * Eric Zeiler – composer

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blood, Sweat and 3 Years 2016 albums Cash Cash albums Atlantic Records albums Big Beat Records (American record label) albums