''From the Inside Out'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by Australian-New Zealand recording artist

Stan Walker Stan Walker (born 23 October 1990) is an Australian-born New Zealand singer, actor, and television personality. In 2009, Walker was the winner of the seventh and last season of '' Australian Idol''. He subsequently signed a recording contrac ...

, released on 20 August 2010 through

Sony Music Australia Sony Music Entertainment Australia is the predominant record label operated by American parent company Sony Music Entertainment in Australia. SMEA also formerly published and distributed video games in Australia & New Zealand on behalf of Sony ...

. Walker worked with several record producers and songwriters for the album, including

Audius Mtawarira Audius Tonderai Mtawarira (born in Chimbumu, Guruve District, Guruve, Zimbabwe, 1977) is a Zimbabwean singer-songwriter and record producer, who often works Mononymous person, mononymously as Audius. From 1996 to 2012 he lived in Australia. At t ...

Israel Cruz Israel Cruz is an Australian singer-songwriter and record producer. Cruz was born in Quezon City, Philippines and at the age of 3 moved to Melbourne, Australia with his family. He lives in Sydney, Australia with friends and has written and perf ...

Ryan Tedder Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...

Phil Tan Phil Tan is a Malaysian-American music and audio engineer. Early life and education Tan was born in Malaysia. He attended Full Sail University in Florida in the U.S., where he attained a degree in Recording Arts in 1990. Afterwards he moved to Atla ...

and Stuart Crichton, among others. Musically, the album incorporates

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

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 ...

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and R&B genres. Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from music critics. ''From the Inside Out'' debuted at number one on the

New Zealand Albums Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...

and was certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

(RIANZ). It also debuted at number two on the Australian

ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. Preceding the album's release,

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

" Unbroken" was released digitally on 12 April 2010. The song reached the top-ten of the New Zealand Singles Chart and was certified gold by the RIANZ. " Choose You" was released on 20 July 2010 as the album's second single and peaked at number three on the New Zealand Singles Chart and was certified platinum. It also appeared on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 16 and was certified platinum by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

(ARIA). The third single, " Homesick", featuring rapper Kayo, was released on 29 October 2010. Walker's first headlining tour in New Zealand, to support the album, ran from mid February to early March 2011.

Background and development

On 1 July 2010, Walker announced the album's title and release date in an exclusive video message to his fans via

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and his official website. Later that month, Walker's record label began uploading snippets of several of the album's songs onto

. Ahead of the album's release, MusicFix gave fans an exclusive first listen to the album before it was officially released. In an interview with New Zealand's One News, Walker explained that the album reflects him and his personality, including his

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

roots. In describing the album, he said:

I guess I just wanted this album to be a lot about me and all the different styles of music that I like – not just one sort of style or genre. I really want to be able to tell real stories through my music, rather than talking about stuff that doesn't really matter which is what a lot of people seem to end up doing these days. I don't want it to be just glossy and disposable; I want my songs to deal with real issues.

Composition

''From the Inside Out'' combines the genres of pop,

, hip hop,

and R&B. Lead single " Unbroken" has been described as a "chest-beating and uplifting" single, while the second single, " Choose You" has been appreciated for its "soaring pop and grand stomp". According to Cameron Adams from ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', "Inside Out" "borrows Usher's electro thunderclaps and robo-R&B". "All I Need" makes use of

Auto-Tune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...

and has been compared to

will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...

. According to Scott Kara of ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...

'', " Homesick" is "lush, pure pop" and "One Thing" is influenced by R&B and hip hop. "The One", featuring

Pixie Lott Victoria Louise Lott (born 12 January 1991), better known by her stage name Pixie Lott, is an English singer and songwriter. Her debut album, '' Turn It Up'', released in September 2009, reached number six on the UK Albums Chart and sold ove ...

, has been called "a dramatic ballad", and "Love Graffiti" has been compared to

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. Most of the songs' lyrics explore the theme of love. Walker stated, "I wanted to make an album of songs, with real lyrics about how we all feel sometimes. There's a lot of manufactured songs with nasty lyrics, but I wanted to talk about real love, real situations that people could really connect to." He named "Love Graffiti" as his favourite track for that reason, valuing the positive way it portrays love.

Release and promotion

''From the Inside Out'' was released in Australia on 20 August 2010 through

, as both digital download and CD formats. A New Zealand release followed on 23 August. A bonus track was added to the album's digital release: a remix of " Choose You". During the album's first week of release, Walker toured shopping malls in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, performing several of the album's songs and signing CDs. The album was also promoted by Walker through a live televised performance of "Choose You" on ''

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology Al ...

'' on 25 August 2010. On 26 August 2010, Walker held an instore appearance at the

Sylvia Park Sylvia Park is a large business park and shopping centre in the Auckland suburb of Mount Wellington in New Zealand. Less commonly known, the area around the centre (which includes some residential and other commercial developments) is also ca ...

shopping centre in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Tour

Walker commenced his first headlining tour in New Zealand in mid February 2011, and ended in early March. Concerts were announced in December 2010 for

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

and

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

. Due to an overwhelming demand, the tour extended to include new shows in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

Timaru Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...

Oamaru Oamaru (; mi, Te Oha-a-Maru) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast; State Highway 1 and the railway ...

and Opotiki. New Zealand R&B and soul singer

Erakah Erakah is a New Zealand R&B and soul singer. In 2009, she featured on R&B singer J.Williams single "Your Style" of his album ''Young Love''. Inspired by Soul music Erakah states Alicia Keys, Lily Allen, Beyoncé and Brandy as influences on he ...

served as the opening act on all dates of the tour. A New Zealand Tour Edition reissue of ''From the Inside Out'' was released on 28 January 2011.

Singles

" Unbroken" was released as the album's

on 12 April 2010. The song was written and produced by

OneRepublic OneRepublic is an American pop rock band formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002. It consists of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Tedder, lead guitarist and violist Zach Filkins, rhythm guitarist Drew Brown, bassist and cellis ...

frontman

. It peaked at number nine on the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...

, and number 23 on the Australian

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. "Unbroken" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), and by the

(ARIA). " Choose You" was released as the album's second single on 20 July 2010. The song peaked at number three in New Zealand and was certified platinum. It also reached number 16 in Australia and was certified platinum by the ARIA. " Homesick", featuring rapper Kayo, was released as the album's third and final single on 29 October 2010. The song failed to impact the charts in Australia, however it managed to reach number 21 in New Zealand and was certified gold by the RIANZ.

Reception

Scott Kara from ''

'' awarded the album four out of five stars and wrote that, "It's all wholesome, family-friendly stuff, and when Walker sings about love it's from the heart". Drew Taylor from Warcry wrote that, "Stan's voice has never sounded better, and the combination of faith and flavour is force to be reckoned with."

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 Jon O'Brien rated ''From the Inside Out'' three stars out of five. ''From the Inside Out'' debuted at number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart, and became Walker's first number one album in the country. It was eventually certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), for selling 15,000 copies. The album remained on the chart for forty non-consecutive weeks. In Australia, the album debuted at number two on the ARIA Albums Chart.

Track listing

;Notes *Track 12, " Kissing You", is a cover of the 1997 single by

Des'ree Desirée Annette Weekes (born 30 November 1968), known by her stage name Des'ree (), is an English pop recording artist who rose to popularity during the 1990s. She is best known for her hits "Feel So High", "You Gotta Be", "Life", and " Kissi ...

. *Track 13, " Stuck in a Box", originally featured on

Young Sid Sidney Diamond (born 7 July 1986), previously known by the stage name Young Sid, is a New Zealand rapper. Biography Sid Diamond was born in South Auckland, New Zealand and later moved to Manukau City, Auckland. He is of Cook Island and Māori ...

's album, '' What Doesn't Kill Me...'' (2010).

Personnel

Credits for ''From the Inside Out'' adapted from

. *Craig Bauer – mixing *Jeff Breakey – assistant mixing *Marcus Byrne – assistant mixing *Andrew Cameron – business affairs *David Champion – management *Tom Coyne – mastering *Pete Craigie – mixing *Stuart Crichton – keyboards, production, programming, string arrangements, vocal production *Israel Cruz – production *Cassie Davis – keyboards, production *Carl Dimataga – guitar *Pat Handlin – A&R *Jason Ierace – photography *Tommy Lee James – piano *Damien Lewis assistant mixing *Vlado Meller – mastering *Audius Mtawarira – mixing, production, vocal production *Spencer Nezey – production *Fridolin Nordsoe – additional production *Greg Organ – production *Sally Piper – A&R administration *Mark Santangelo – assistant mastering *Jade Seenandan – production *Leon Seenandan – mixing, production, vocal production *

Jay Dee Springbett Jay Dee Springbett (1975 – 30 June 2011), was a British Australian record executive who appeared as a judge on the singing competition '' Australian Idol'' during the show's seventh season in 2009. Springbett was one of three judges, along wit ...

– A&R *

– additional production, mixing *Frederik Tao – additional production *

– arrangement, drum programming, engineering, piano, production, programming, background vocals *Stan Walker – vocals *Erin Zerner – A&R administration

Charts and certification

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2010 albums Soul albums by Australian artists Stan Walker albums Sony Music Australia albums Albums produced by Emile Haynie Albums produced by Ryan Tedder