''Take Us to the Start'' is the first full-length studio album by American pop-rock singer-songwriter

Matt Hires Matt Hires (born August 5, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter from Tampa, Florida. Drawing inspiration from influences as disparate as The Band, Sufjan Stevens, Wilco and Ryan Adams, Hires became the first artist to sign with F-Stop Musi ...

, released exclusively through iTunes on July 15, 2009 and then released August 25, 2009 on

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 ...

. The digital-only release hit the top 10 on iTunes' "Top Albums" chart, despite only being available in a digital format, the album debuted at No. 96 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and No. 16 on the digital downloads chart.
/ref> All songs were written or co-written by Matt Hires and his long-time producer Eric Rosse (

Sara Bareilles Sara Beth Bareilles (, ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. She has earned various awards and nominations including nin ...

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

). Matt has also collaborated with some noted songwriters, including

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nominated songwriter and novelist Harry Shannon, Indie singer-songwriter Gus Black, Gregg Wattenberg – who co-produced

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's quadruple platinum hit "

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" and Daughtry's platinum single " It's Not Over", he also co-wrote the song "You in the End" with Sara Bareilles. An exclusive iTunes deluxe version of the album includes additional three bonus demo tracks, music video of "Honey, Let Me Sing You a Song", and a digital booklet.

Background

Reading before songwriting

Recording Process

Song co-writing

Notable song information

Honey, Let Me Sing You a Song

State Lines

Turn The Page

O Sunrise

You in the End

Out of the Dark

Hurricane (Demo)

Track listing

Reception

Critical response

The album has earned advance critical praise and received generally favorable reviews from most music critics.
'' People Magazine'' hailed the collection, noting "on the opening cut of his debut, Hires requests, 'Honey, Let Me Sing You a Song'. With his folky pop and aching croon, how could you deny him?" Creative Loafing commended the album as "crafted and interesting, full of sincerity and catchy melodies highlighted by (Hires') enveloping, gravelly tenor." On Andrew Leahey's review: "'Take Us to the Start' sounds best at its most brisk, when Hires trades the coffeehouse aspirations of his slower songs for something more akin to driving, mainstream pop/rock. The bulk of this debut album is filled with semi-ballads, though, whose leisurely pace allows Hires more room to indulge a bit too heavily in the influence of his Hotel Café contemporaries." ''This Is Modern'' said: "His debut album is so fully awesome that you will be hard pressed to find a track that you don't enjoy, ...Hires has put together one of the best debut albums by any singer/songwriter and will be rewarded by well deserved recognition and success."

Chart performance

''Take Us to the Start'' debuted at No. 96 on Billboard 200 albums chart based on only digital download, also charted No. 16 on Billboard Digital Albums.

Uses in media

Songs from the album have appeared on several TV series and in films. The series '' Grey's Anatomy'' used "Out Of The Dark" in the season 6 episode "I Saw What I Saw"; "Turn The Page" appeared in the season five episode "An Honest Mistake", and "O Sunrise" turned up in another episode. NBC's '' Cougar Town'' has included the songs "Honey, Let Me Sing You a Song" and "Turn The Page". "Honey" also appeared in the pilot episode of ''

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'' on

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, and "O Sunrise" played during the episode "Truth Unrevealed". "A Perfect Day" is heard in the season two episode "Acceptance" of ''

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'', and is used in the trailer for the 2010 film '' When in Rome''. The demo version of "Honey" is featured on the ''When in Rome''s soundtrack album. "Turn The Page" also shows up in the trailer for the 2009 film '' The Boys Are Back''.

Album credits

;Performance credits *

– Vocals; Acoustic Guitar; Background Vocals; Crowd Noise; Human Whistle *

– Background Vocals *Matt Chamberlain – Drums *Chris Chaney – Bass *Aaron Sterling – Drums *Chris Reynolds – Percussion ;Technical credits *Stephen Marcussen – Mastering *Chris Reynolds – Engineer, Digital Editing *Carolyn Tracey – Package Production *Kristie Borgmann – Art Manager *Chris Stang – Marketing ;Additional credits *Reid Rolls – Photography *Zachariah Mattheus – Art Direction; Design

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Take Us To The Start 2009 debut albums Matt Hires albums Atlantic Records albums