''Illuminations'' is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter

Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, wi ...

, produced by

Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popula ...

. Similar to his previous albums, ''Illuminations'' contains songs sung in a variety of languages, including his first take on a Portuguese song, "Você Existe Em Mim", which Groban co-wrote with

Lester Mendez Lester Mendez is a multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning record producer, songwriter and composer. His production/writing credits include a multitude of successful hits with Shakira, Jewel, Nelly Furtado, Jessica Simpson, Enrique Iglesias, and ot ...

and

Carlinhos Brown Antônio Carlos Santos de Freitas, known professionally as Carlinhos Brown (Brazilian Portuguese: /kaʁˈlĩɲus bɾaw̃, -iɲuʃ/, 23 November 1962), is a Brazilian singer, percussionist, and record producer from Salvador, Bahia. His musica ...

. The album was released on November 15, 2010.

Album information

The official title and cover art for ''Illuminations'' was revealed in September 2010. In addition to the regular release, a special fan edition of the album is available for purchase on Groban's website that contains the original CD, a "making-of" DVD, a 48-page color photo book filled with lyrics and pictures, and two bonus tracks (to be delivered digitally). The first single from the album, " Hidden Away", was released on September 13, and was also available to download for free on Groban's website and Facebook from September 8–13. Leading up to the album's release,

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

released songs periodically from the album to download, which began on October 12 with the release of the album's Portuguese song "Você Existe Em Mim". A third song, " Higher Window", was released on October 25. A fourth and final song, "L'Ora Dell'Addio", was released on November 9. Beginning May 12, 2011, Groban embarked on a worldwide tour entitled the Straight to You Tour to promote the album.

Reception

Critical reception

''Illuminations'' received mostly positive reviews from music critics.

Commercial reception

The album debuted at No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 190,000 copies in its first week and was certified platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

for shipping over a million copies. The album has since sold over 800,000 copies in the US. In Canada, the album debuted at No. 4 on the

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 ...

and was certified platinum for shipping over 80,000 copies.

Track listing

The following is the track listing for the regular album: *Orchestra and Choir arranged and conducted by David Campbell

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Illuminations (Josh Groban Album) 2010 albums Josh Groban albums Albums produced by Rick Rubin 143 Records albums Reprise Records albums Albums recorded at Shangri-La (recording studio)