''Free Soul'' is the debut studio album by Canadian

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Madeline Merlo Madeline Merlo (born February 9, 1994) is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. She signed to Open Road Recordings in 2013 and released her debut album, '' Free Soul'', three years later. In 2015, Merlo received the "Rising Star" award from t ...

. It was released on April 29, 2016 via

Open Road Recordings Open Road Recordings, a division of RGK Entertainment Group Ltd., is a Canadian record label specializing in country music. it was established by Ron Kitchener in 2003 and distributed through Universal Music Canada. The label also owns an American ...

. The album includes the singles "Sinking Like a Stone", "Alive", " Honey Jack", " Whatcha Wanna Do About It", " War Paint", and "Over and Over". Upon release, the album debuted at number 88 on the ''Billboard''

Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocea ...

. The album's fourth single, "Whatcha Wanna Do About It" earned Merlo her first top ten single on the Canadian country singles chart.

Background

In early 2014, Merlo signed a record deal with

and spent approximately eight months developing her sound. She released her debut

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, "Sinking Like a Stone", on February 18, 2014. The song stayed on the Canada Country chart for 20 weeks and reached a peak position of 32, which helped to establish Merlo's presence on Canadian country radio. That summer (July 22, 2014), she released an eponymous debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, along with a new single, "Alive". Merlo experienced a commercial breakthrough in 2015 with the release of her third single, "Honey Jack." The track reached the top 25 on the Canada Country chart and the song's success contributed to her being chosen as the opening act on Dean Brody and

Paul Brandt Paul Rennée Belobersycky (born July 21, 1972), known professionally as Paul Brandt, is a Canadian country music artist. Growing up in Calgary, he was a pediatric RN at the time of his big break. In 1996, he made his mark on the country music c ...

's The Road Tour that year. At the 2015

Canadian Country Music Association The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) was founded in 1976 as the Academy of Country Music Entertainment to organize, promote and develop a Canadian country music industry. The groundwork for the association began on June 3rd, 1973 when a g ...

(CCMA) Awards, Merlo won the prestigious Rising Star award. The fourth single, "Whatcha Wanna Do About It" became Merlo's first top-10 at country radio. ''Free Soul'' was made available for pre-order on April 19, 2016.

Content

Merlo previously recorded a version of "Ready to Say Goodnight" with duet partner

Tim Hicks Tim Hicks (born August 22, 1979) is a Canadian country music singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario. Since he released his debut single "Get By" in 2012, he has charted eighteen top ten hits on the Canada Country chart. Hicks’ catalog ...

on the latter's 2014 album, '' 5:01''.

Critical reception

Nanci Dagg of ''Canadian Beats'' wrote that ''Free Soul'' is "extremely well written and well produced – from the first song to the last," and found the full-length album format "refreshing." Tom Harrison of ''

The Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published si ...

'' was ambivalent toward the record's duelling

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 ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

influences but criticized Merlo's lack of personality. "Through it all," he writes, "Merlo sings well (and even writes a few songs) without having a personal style."

Track listing

Chart performance

Album

Singles

References

{{Authority control 2016 debut albums Madeline Merlo albums Open Road Recordings albums Albums produced by Todd Clark